Fabricated Love

Prologue

My phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I take a quick glance at the screen. My brother’s face flashes across it. Nope. I’m not doing this right now. I watch as it rolls over to voicemail. Seconds later, a text flashes across my screen.

Pierce

Where are you? You’re supposed to be at this business dinner.

My fingers hover over the text area to reply. How do I tell him I don’t want a part in the family business? I mean, I’ve told everyone repeatedly, but they keep trying to reel me back in. For whatever reason, they can’t take no for an answer.

This isn’t worth my time right now. I told them I wasn’t going to be at the dinner. I have plans. Do those plans involve me hanging at the local bar? Absolutely. But I don’t owe an explanation to anyone.

A body knocks into me from the back and my phone flies out of my hand onto the crowded floor. Damn it. This isn’t what I need right now. I move forward to grab it before someone steps on it. As much as I love working at Whoopsie Daisy, I don’t get paid enough to buy a new phone if this one breaks.

Somebody gets to it before I do. Maybe I should wait to see what they are going to do. They’ll either be an awesome human and find who it belongs to. Or they’ll pocket it and hope they can get it unlocked.

A guy with shaggy brown hair steps in front of me, holding out my phone. “I think this may be yours.”

“How did you know?” I reach out to grab it, and our fingers touch for the briefest moment. A jolt of electricity runs through me. That’s never happened before.

He shrugs and pushes his hair away from his face. “I may have been the one who knocked it out of your hand.”

“Well, thanks for being a standup person.” I laugh to let him know I’m joking. “Can I, uh, buy you a drink?”

Never in my life have I been nervous talking to guys. What makes this one so different?

“Sure. I have a bit before I have to help clear off the stage.”

“Whoa, hold up.” I wave my hands between us. “Are you a part of Crooked Halo?”

The band plays here frequently since they are good friends with someone involved with Out of the Ashes, but I’ve never seen this man when they’ve played before. Maybe he’s new.

“Kind of.” He tilts his head to the side, like he’s confused with his own answer. “I work with the crew. We basically set things up and take them down for the band. I’ve been with them for a few years now.”

“Why is this the first time I’m seeing you?” I point at him as if there’s another person talking to me. “I’ve been here almost every time the band has played.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “What can I say? It’s one of the mysteries of being a part of the crew. We’re only seen when we want to be.”

“You act like you’re some kind of magician.”

Another shrug. “I can thank all my years in theatre. If I wasn’t on stage, I was in the tech crew, and we did a lot behind the scenes.”

“Interesting.” Theatre was never my thing in high school. “And why did you want to be seen tonight?”

“I wasn’t trying to be.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Bumping into you wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Well, I’m glad you did.” I turn toward the bar and nod for him to follow. He said he had a bit of time after all.

“Hey, what can I get for ya?” Eric, one of my favorite bartenders, asks.

“Can I get a salty dog?” I glance over at the man beside me. “What will you have?”

“Beer is fine. You know my usual.”

Eric nods and gets to work making our drinks.

“Well, I guess you really do come with the band if Eric knows your order.”

“I wasn’t lying.” He shakes his head. “By the way, what’s your name?”

Holy crap, I forgot about not getting names. “Paula. You?”

“Tristan. It’s nice to meet you.”

He moves closer to me as Eric slides our drinks across the bar. I can’t remember the last time I felt so at ease talking to someone. I mean, I’m friendly with the girls at work, but this is different. Someone I might be interested in if I did relationships.

“So, how long are you in town?” I take a sip of my drink. Just because he comes and goes doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.

“A couple of days, I think.” He tilts his head to the side as if that will help him come to the right conclusion. “I know the band was going to work on a project with Devin, but I’m not sure how long they plan on sticking around.”

“Do you have to be wherever they are?”

“Actually, no.” He moves his forearm to the edge of the bar and leans on it. “We usually get leave time when they are working on stuff because they aren't’ doing any shows. I usually go home, but I could hang around here for a little longer.”

It’s good to know I’m not the only one feeling the chemistry. Though, I don’t know how I feel about the couple of days part. That feels a little too long for what I’m comfortable with.

“How about we start with one night?” Too forward? Maybe. But it beats talking to my family, and he’s cute.

He rears his head back, surprised by my suggestion. I’m guessing most people he’s seen don’t usually come right out with their intentions.

“Um, yeah. That works, too.” His cheeks are bright red, and I don’t think I’ve ever made a man blush.

“Let’s finish our drinks, then get out of here.”

He doesn’t argue, but the smile crossing his face lets me know he’s not opposed to the idea.

“Wow, you live way out here, don’t you?” He’s standing with me on the front porch as I unlock my door.

“Yeah. It gives me the privacy I want and I’m away from my family. It’s a double win.” I shrug and push the door open.

“I take it you’re not close to your family.” He follows me inside and shuts the door behind him. “Any chance I get, I go home to see my family.”

Shaking my head, I laugh. “You don’t have the family I do. They feel the need to butt in on every aspect of my life.”

I really don’t want to get into this with him. It’s too heavy a subject and I don’t know that he needs all of this information. Especially for one night. He may be coming in with bigger expectations, but I can’t promise him that.

Honestly, we should have gotten a hotel instead of coming to my house. It’s like I’m incapable of making a good decision. Well, that’s not entirely true. Discussing my family just makes me moody.

“That’s actually understandable. I think we all have those people in our lives who think they know what’s best for us.”

With those few words my bad mood has gone just as quickly as it arrived. I’m glad he’s not judging me. I get enough of that from everyone else.

I’m only hoping we can keep this up for the rest of the night because I don’t want this to be another mistake.

“Thanks for not pressing too much.”

“Hey.” He holds his hands up. “We’re hanging out for fun. Not to bring family drama into things. No offense, but that feels a bit much for a first date.”

I can’t help the laugh that falls from my lips. “This is what you consider a first date? Most guys would definitely classify this as a hook up.”

He holds his hands up in the air. “Nobody said you were getting any of this just because I came home with you.”

“What other reason did you think we were leaving?” He is different than most guys I’ve ever met, even briefly. Or maybe I misread his smile? I mean, he did blush when we were at the bar.

“I know exactly what you were insinuating, but I’m not that kind of guy. I never have been.” He takes a few steps back toward the door. “We can hang out and get to know each other a little bit. Or, I can go back to my hotel room.”

“Wait, you have a hotel?” God, this information would have been good to know before we left the bar. Then he wouldn’t know where I live, and this wouldn’t become an issue later on. As cute as I think he is, I don’t know if I can just hang out with him. It’s not something I’m used to doing.

“Yes.” He draws out. “Why is that important?”

“Because we could have gone there instead of here.” The words should have to be said. Hook ups are always better when you don’t bring them home.

“I would have said the same thing there.” He shakes his head as if he’s disappointed in me. Who knows, maybe he is. “You know what? This may be a bad idea.”

“No.” I hold my hands out as if that can stop him from walking out the door. “It’s not a bad idea. We can hang out.”

He’s trying to be the good guy here, and I’m not making it easy. My head is telling me to let him walk out the door. We clearly aren’t here for the same reasons. But my gut…that’s saying something else entirely. There’s a possibility not being intimate may be a good thing.

“Are you sure?”

I don’t blame him for questioning me. I would if I were in his shoes. The only solution is to push through the awkwardness I’ve created.

“Yep. What do people do when they just hang out?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Wow, I feel like a complete dumbass. Clearly, I’ve been single way too long. Or, I’ve had a bit too much fun. I don’t normally stick around when I meet up with guys.

“Uh, no.” I shrug and move toward the living room, hoping he’ll follow instead of run out the door. “I don’t have a ton of experience in just hanging out.”

At least, not since high school. But I’m not telling him that. There’s no way I’m going to look good if I give further explanation.

“Oh, well, we can watch TV, talk, or play card games if you have any cards.”

“Absolutely no board, or card, games.” I shake my head. It’s one of my worst nightmares from my childhood with my overly competitive siblings. I never had a good time, and they did their best to make me feel dumb. And they wonder why I don’t want anything to do with them, or the winery.

“I’m sensing some trauma.”

“You have no idea.”

“Okay, so games are out.” He studies me for a second. “We can just watch a movie. Unless you have any video games.”

“Actually.” I grin. “I do have a gaming console. It’s probably my favorite racing game ever.”

“That sounds like a challenge.”

“Bring it on, buddy. I’m about to demolish you.”

“If you say so.” He moves to sit on the sofa. “Do you need help with anything?”

“Not really. It’s literally just pushing a few buttons.” I move toward the console and turn it on at the same time I turn on the TV. “There should be beer and water in the fridge if you’re thirsty.”

“Water sounds good.”

I hear a pillow hit the coffee table when he stands up. At least he’s comfortable enough in his own skin to rummage through my fridge while I’m getting the game going.

Now that the startup menu is on the screen, I grab the controllers and move to the sofa.

Tristan comes back at the same time with two bottles of water in his hand.

I mean, a beer sounds nice to calm my nerves, but hydration is probably more important.

I still have to work tomorrow, and I refuse to show up to Whoopsie Daisy hungover.

Not when I’m hoping to become closer to the ladies I work with.

“Are you ready to get beat?” He grins over at me as I hand him a controller.

“In your dreams.”

This is the weirdest one night stand I’ve ever had. Despite how easily we seem to get along, there’s no way I’m continuing this past tonight. Especially not when he’s out of town so often and doesn’t even live here. A night of racing will have to do.