Chapter 5
Olivia
As I start to wake up, the first thing I notice is the slight headache and the soreness in my body. Immediately, I recognize the signs of a minor hangover.
My mind is blank, so it’s a miracle that the hangover is only minor. There’s a warm pressure from behind me, though, so I roll over to see who else is in my bed—
It’s Reed Eastwood, spooning me.
The previous night comes rushing back to me all at once. The conversation on the patio. The tequila. The drive back to my apartment. The sex. The numerous orgasms. The memory floods me like a rush of cold water.
Shit. I just slept with the son of my mom’s old boss! I slept with my childhood crush, the one guy I was never supposed to sleep with!
Panicking, I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down enough to act. Reed is still asleep, but the sunlight streaming through my window, illuminating the blonde highlights in his hair, is bound to wake him up soon.
I move slowly, trying to slip out of bed. If I can get into the shower before he wakes up and says anything to me, I might be able to get my head on right and figure out what to do.
The second I pull away from Reed, his grip on me tightens, and he pulls my body back against his with a quiet hum.
Oh, no. Reed is a little too comfortable with this situation. It only fuels my panic more.
“Good morning,” he murmurs, his voice heavy with sleep. He plants a kiss on my shoulder. “Last night was fun.”
“Yeah,” I say carefully. “It was.”
Now that the haze of the party has worn off, I feel awkward in his arms.
Maybe he’ll leave soon, I think to myself. Then I can get my shit back together.
Just as I have this thought, Reed rolls me over to face him. He smiles, then goes in for another kiss. Even though I’m sober now, every inch of my body feels electric as soon as our lips meet.
If he were anyone else, I wouldn’t regret it. I’m aware of how hot he is—I always have been, painfully so. He’s so out of my league, it’s ridiculous. And in the moment, it doesn’t even make me feel self-conscious, because when he’s kissing me… well, it’s hard to think about anything else.
But still, I have to keep my wits about me. I break the kiss, moving away from him and sliding out of the bed. I almost trip over the sheets, and shame sends a flash of heat through my face.
Oh, shit. I hope I’m not blushing. Please, don’t let him see me blushing.
He watches me, propped up on one elbow. His gaze moves over me; he seems almost thoughtful. The close scrutiny only makes me flush even more.
“What?” I demand, holding the sheets up to my body.
“I have a proposition for you,” he says. “I thought of it last night.”
“Oh, yeah?” I have a proposition for you, too, I think. You leave my apartment, we pretend that this never happened, and we try to keep things as normal as—
“We both have a problem right now, and we have each other’s solution,” he says. “I can end your financial troubles for good, and all you have to do is pretend to be my fiancé for six months.”
He says it so seriously, and it’s so abrupt, that for a moment, I’m just stunned. I stare at him, dumbfounded.
He raises an eyebrow. “What do you say?”
I take a second, wrapping my head around the sheer ridiculousness of his suggestion. Then I burst out laughing.
His eyes widen, and I can see the protest in his expression. I turn away before he can say anything else, heading to the bathroom. That cold shower is sounding good right about now. While I’m in there, maybe Reed can sober up a little bit, and then we can have a normal conversation.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t let it go. He follows me into the bathroom. He doesn’t leave, either, even as I start the water in the shower. He lingers next to the sink, watching me.
“I’m serious,” he says.
“I know,” I reply, still chuckling to myself. “That’s what’s so funny about it.”
I step into the shower, letting the cool water run through my hair and over my shoulders. It’s a bit awkward—he stands there, his eyes on me, and I feel vulnerable under his gaze—but I do my best to ignore it.
“Listen,” he says, “I wasn’t that drunk last night, and neither were you. This is a decent idea, okay? You just have to hear me out.”
“Hear you out?” I roll my eyes. “I was drunk enough last night to make at least one messy decision. Now you want me to be your fake fiancée? Why?”
“It’s for a good reason,” he insists. “My public image is tanking right now.”
“I wonder why,” I mutter, mostly to myself.
He seems not to hear me. “My father is making me get a fake fiancée, just to alter the media’s perception of me. He says that I don’t have to go through with it, and that I can choose who it is, but it has to happen, or I lose my future with Eastwood Hotels.”
I listen to him silently as I shampoo my hair, trying to pretend that this is normal. To my surprise, it’s easy enough. I felt vulnerable at first, but Reed is so casual with me, so comfortable, that I find myself starting to relax in his presence.
“I had no idea who to ask,” he continues, “because it’s such a crazy thing to ask—but now it all seems so clear. This would be perfect for both of us.”
I frown at him as I tip my head back, rinsing suds out of my hair. “Would it?”
“Yes,” he says. “We can have rules. I’ll get a contract drafted—something to make sure that nothing gets messy.” He takes a step toward me. “I’ll pay for your apartment. I’ll pay for your parents’ place, and any of your mom’s medical bills. All of them, outstanding and new.”
I pause, letting the water wash over me. That alone—my place, my parents’ place, and the hospital’s fees—is more than I could hope to pay with my current jobs.
“I’ll pay off all of your debt,” he goes on, counting off on his fingers. “I’ll take care of all your bills. And at the end of the six months, I’ll pay you for your trouble. One million dollars.”
My jaw drops open. I can’t help it.
“All you have to do is pretend to be madly in love with me.” He flashes me a trademark Reed Eastwood grin.
“Once enough time has passed, and my image is reformed, we’ll have an amicable ‘breakup’”—he does air quotes, as if to make sure that I get his drift—”and go our separate ways, no harm, no foul. ”
I turn away from him, toward the back of the shower, under the pretense of grabbing my conditioner bottle. In truth, I want to hide my face from him. Internally, I’m freaking out.
I’m not sure that this is a good idea. I insisted to Riley that my nascent crush on Reed was a non-factor, but after last night, I’m certain that it’s back in full swing. Also, for all of his reassurances, I know that this could get messy.
He can stop it from getting legally messy, sure. But personal matters aren’t always simple enough to be bound by contract.
Still, I’m tempted. My stomach flutters with nerves as I realize that I’m genuinely considering Reed’s offer. If he keeps these promises, he really could fix all of my problems—and keep me stable for a long, long time.
I know that, ultimately, I’d be doing him a bigger favor. But he could still help me, and I can’t ignore that fact. I owe it to myself. I owe it to my parents.
The more I think about it, the more I’m forced to face the facts: it’s better than any of my other options at the moment.
And even though I know I’ll regret it, I slowly nod.
Reed’s face lights up. “Wait—you’ll do it?”
“Yeah. I’ll do it.”