It marks the first time I’ve heard any curse word drop from her lips, and it was at my own instruction. I yell it along with her, and we’re both laughing as the roller coaster whips through twists and turns and glides along a loop, flipping us upside down.
And through the whole thing, that dress stays right in place.
When we get off, she throws her arms around me. I stand stock-still for a beat, surprised that she’s touching me but reveling in the feel of her warm body pressed against mine. I slip my arms around her waist and hold her close as I breathe in her soft lavender, and just as a pulse of need darts through me, she pulls back.
She pushes to her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Thanks for making me do that. It was exhilarating.”
I don’t think I’ve been kissed on the cheek by a woman since…
The last time I was at home and my mom did it, maybe? Probably not. Mom’s not real affectionate.
But it’s so wholesome. So sweet. So…not what I was wanting out of this night.
I shake it off. I’m just horny, that’s all. It was the rush of the fight and the roller coaster. She’s right. I don’t care about the consequences of my actions, but acting on whatever it is that I seem to be feeling tonight would be a total mistake. She’s here helping me, and I will only fuck that up by acting like I usually do.
I need her help. And as I think back to my conversation with my publicist and that wholesome kiss she just gave me, I think I need her help in more ways than just the one.
Vinny, my publicist, told me I need to project a more wholesome vibe. Punching a dude probably isn’t that, but I’ll callhim and explain why I did it. When he spins it that I was just defending my girl…boom. Wholesome.
Exactly the vibe we’re going for while maintaining some semblance of honesty, too, since I don’t see Ainsley as the kind of girl who would be okay with getting caught up in a lie. Other than the obvious one that I told Tawny.
We head down to the casino and walk around a little, and I spot a little pizza place. “Are you hungry?” I ask since we missed dinner at the event.
She nods, and we sit together and eat pizza.
“Remember when I told Tawny you’re my girlfriend?” I ask after we each dig into our first bite.
She nods.
“I hope you were okay with that. And with being seen with me tonight. The press is going to assume we’re together, and I didn’t really warn you about that before we went.”
“It’s fine. Actually, it could really help me since the show I was filming didn’t exactly end with me looking the best,” she says.
“I’m sure you looked as beautiful as you always do,” I say quietly.
Her cheeks redden, but she shakes her head. “I said I’d marry him, and he said no. It was pretty devastating.”
“Then maybe I ask you to marry me and you’re already engaged to someone else when the show airs.” I shrug.
She chokes a little on her bite of pizza. “What?”
I chuckle. “Look, I don’t know how to spin this baby thing. I didn’t tell my publicist about him yet, but he said I’m not getting as many sponsorship opportunities lately because my reputation has taken a dive. I got into some trouble a couple months ago, and even though we took care of it, I guess it looked pretty bad.”
Her brows crinkle together. “What happened?”
“Nothing. It was stupid. Vinny, that’s my publicist, he told me to lay low, so I stayed in Chicago at Madden’s place a while.And that meant no income in the offseason. I’m back now, and hardly anything is coming in. He told me to work on my wholesome factor, and I think you could be my ticket to that.”
She looks nervous at my words. “What do you mean by that?” she asks, giving me a bit of side-eye.
“I just mean if we’re seen together and we’re giving off the impression that we’re a happy little family, it could mean more opportunities for me. And you, too—for the reason you just said.”
“But what does a happy little family mean?”
I shrug. “Mom, dad, baby. Or husband, wife, baby.”
“First, I’m not Jack’s mom. And second…husband, wife, baby? Dex, this doesn’t sound like you.”
I twist my lips. She’s absolutely right about that. “I guess it’s another example of saying fuck it and just living life instead of being worried about the consequences. Didn’t you go on a show to get married? Would it really be so bad to try it for a few months?”
