Chapter 7
AUSTIN
This wedding had gone from bullshit to the most entertaining thing I had done in months.
I guided my new date back out to the garden, acutely aware of every head that turned in our direction. I could practically see the gossip sites updating in real time.
Austin Bancroft spotted with mystery woman at Plume wedding.
Bancroft bad boy goes public with new romance.
Who is Austin Bancroft’s gorgeous new girlfriend?
Perfect.
But what made it even better? The expression on Cash’s face across the garden.
My brother stood near the bar, his jaw so tight I was surprised his teeth hadn’t cracked. His eyes tracked us like a sniper, and his whole body radiated the kind of controlled fury that would’ve sent most people running.
I’d never been most people.
I caught his gaze and gave him my most winning smile. The kind that said I know exactly what I’m doing and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.
His expression got tighter. Tighter than his butt hole, which I was pretty sure was permanently clenched.
I felt like I’d just won the lottery.
“Who is that guy staring at us?” she asked.
“My big brother. The one who assigned me a babysitter.”
“He looks like he wants to murder you.”
“He always looks like that. It’s his resting asshole face.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Nah. He’s all bark. Mostly.” I squeezed her hand. “Besides, you’re with me now. You’re protected.”
She snorted. “Protected by a Bancroft. That’s either the safest or most dangerous position to be in.”
“Why not both?”
The band had started playing, and couples were making their way to the dance floor. I steered us in that direction. Summer was somewhere in the crowd, probably having a meltdown. Rodney caught my eye and gave me a thumbs-up, still holding Summer’s clutch like the idiot he was.
“So, I never properly introduced myself,” I said with one hand moving to her waist and the other taking her hand. “I’m Austin Bancroft.”
She rolled her eyes. Actually rolled them. “I know who you are.”
“Do you now?”
“Everyone knows who you are. You’re kind of infamous.”
“Infamous.” I grinned. “I like that better than famous. More mysterious.”
“More trouble, you mean.”
“That too.” I spun her, enjoying the way her dress flared out. “So you’ve heard of me. Should I be flattered or worried?”
“Neither.”
“Going to tell me your name?”
“Melody,” she said.
I nodded. “I like that. It suits you.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Not yet.”
“But I know you?”
“Yeah?” I couldn’t help but grin. “Tell me what you know.”
“You’re a playboy with commitment issues who dates models and crashes expensive cars.”
“Ouch. Tell me how you really feel.”
“You asked.” But she was smiling now. “Though I’ll admit, you’re slightly less terrible in person.”
“High praise. I’ll take it.” I pulled her a little closer. “What are you thinking?” I noticed she seemed to be trying to decide whether she wanted to kick me in the shin or kiss me again.
She bit her lip. “I’m just thinking about how I’m going to explain this to my best friend tomorrow.”
“What’s to explain? You met a devastatingly handsome stranger who swept you off your feet at a wedding. It’s romantic.”
“It’s insane.”
“Same thing.” I spun her again, showing off a little. “You’re a good dancer.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I’m not. Just making conversation. You know, getting to know my fake girlfriend.”
“Keep your voice down,” she hissed, glancing around.
“Relax. Everyone’s too busy posting about us to actually listen to what we’re saying.” I dipped her, probably more dramatically than necessary, and brought her back up.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about dipping her right onto my bed.
I wanted to get her alone. Really alone.
Not in a bathroom at a wedding, but somewhere private.
My penthouse, maybe. Where I could take my time figuring out what made her laugh and what touches would make her gasp.
Even better, what would make her scream my name.
She’d be even more fun out of that dress.
“What are you thinking about?” Melody asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
“Nothing appropriate.”
She sighed. “Are you always like this?”
“I’m being good. See? Dancing. Behaving. Very proper Bancroft behavior.”
“I don’t think proper Bancrofts grab asses in public.”
“You’d be surprised. Some of my brothers’ wives are very affectionate.”
She laughed again. I mentally added it to my list of favorite sounds.
Movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. Cash, cutting through the crowd toward us with the determination of a man on a mission. A very pissed-off mission.
“Incoming,” I muttered.
“What?”
“My brother. He’s about to make a scene.”
Sure enough, Cash appeared at my elbow, his expression dark. “Austin. A word.”
“I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“Now.”
Melody’s grip on my hand tightened. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be right back. Don’t let anyone steal you away.”
“I’ll try to control myself,” she said dryly.
Cash practically dragged me to a corner of the garden, away from the main crowd. The moment we were out of earshot, he rounded on me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Dancing. It’s what people do at weddings.”
“Don’t be a smartass. Who is she?”
“Her name is Melody. She’s my girlfriend.”
Cash’s eyes narrowed. “Since when?”
“Since about thirty minutes ago. Love at first sight. Very romantic.”
“Austin, I swear to god—”
“What?” I crossed my arms. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Me in a relationship? Looking respectable? I made it pretty fucking public. The whole internet is probably already speculating about when the next Bancroft wedding will be.”
“That’s not—” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You were supposed to be here with Summer. We had an arrangement.”
“Summer’s a narc. I got a better offer.”
“You can’t just ditch your date,” Cash muttered, clearly trying to control his temper. “This isn’t a game.”
“Sure it is. And I’m winning.” I grinned at him.
“Look, you wanted me to clean up my image, right? Show Dad I can be in a stable relationship? Well, congratulations. Mission accomplished. I’ve got a gorgeous woman on my arm, and I plan to be a very nice, well-behaved big boy.
Just like all my brothers. A proper Bancroft. ”
The words tasted like acid, but the look on Cash’s face was worth it.
“You’re unbelievable,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I know. It’s part of my charm.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a girlfriend to get back to.”
I started to walk away, but Cash grabbed my arm. “This isn’t over.”
“It never is with you.” I shook him off. “But right now? I’m going to enjoy my evening. You should do the same. Maybe find someone to dance with. Loosen up a little. That stick up your ass can’t be comfortable. Summer is available, right? Since you liked her so much, you date her.”
I didn’t wait for his response. I made my way back to where I’d left Melody, finding her exactly where I’d left her, nursing a glass of champagne and looking slightly overwhelmed.
“Hey,” I said, sliding back to her side. “Sorry about that.”
“Everything okay?”
“Peachy. Just my brother being his usual controlling self.” I snagged a champagne flute from a passing waiter. “Want to get out of here for a bit? There’s a really nice spot by the pond.”
“Trying to get me alone, Bancroft?”
“Maybe. Is it working?”
Before she could answer, I caught sight of Summer storming across the garden toward Cash. Her face was red, her movements jerky with anger. Oh, the party was about to get a lot more interesting.
“Actually,” I said, steering Melody slightly closer to where Cash and Summer were about to have their showdown. “Let’s stick around for the entertainment.”
Summer reached Cash and immediately started in on him, her voice carrying despite her obvious attempts to keep it low. “This is bullshit, Cash. Complete bullshit.”
“Summer, calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! I did everything you asked. I showed up, I played nice, I kept my mouth shut about the arrangement. And he just ditched me.” She gestured wildly in my direction. “He just threw me away like I was nothing!”
“The situation changed.”
“I want double. Double what we agreed on, or I’m going public with everything.”
Melody stiffened beside me. “Arrangement?” she whispered.
“I told you,” I muttered back.
Cash’s expression went glacial. “That’s not how this works, Summer.”
“I don’t care how it works! You humiliated me. Austin humiliated me. The least you can do is compensate me for my time and my reputation.”
“You signed an NDA. You agreed to the terms.”
“Terms change. I’m changing them now.”
“That’s not how contracts work.” Cash took a breath, clearly struggling to maintain his composure.
“Summer, you got paid fairly for a simple job. What Austin did was outside the scope of our agreement. If you want to make this difficult, if you want to threaten exposure, then fine. But understand that you’ll be going up against some very expensive lawyers. And they will bury you.”
The threat hung in the air between them.
Summer’s face cycled through several emotions—anger, fear, calculation. Finally, she held out her hand. “Fine. Give me the original amount and I’m gone.”
Cash pulled out his phone and typed something quickly. “You’ll have a check by Monday.”
“Now.”
Another text. Another tense moment. “What’s your Venmo?”
She told him. Cash’s fingers flew across his phone screen. She yanked her own phone out of the purse she must have retrieved from Rodney. She checked it and then sneered. “Asshole.”
I almost laughed as she stomped away.
Cash stood there for a moment, his jaw working.
Then his eyes found mine across the garden.
He looked like he wanted to wrap his fingers around my neck.
Murder would definitely not be a good look for a Bancroft.
He turned and walked toward the parking lot, pulling out his phone as he went. His job was done.
I raised my champagne glass in a toast. “Bye, brother.”
“Austin,” Melody said slowly. “What just happened?”
“My brother tried to control my life and it backfired spectacularly.” I drained my glass and set it on a nearby table. “Come on. Let’s dance some more. The night’s still young, and I intend to enjoy every second of it.”
“With your fake girlfriend.”
“With my very real, very beautiful fake girlfriend who I’m definitely going to kiss again before the night is over.” I pulled her back onto the dance floor. “Unless you have objections?”
She looked at me and I wondered if I’d pushed too far. If she was going to bail, leave me here to deal with the fallout alone.
Then she smiled. “We’ll see.”