How dare they assume I can’t catch the eye of a man like Ned? He may not have appreciated me as a person, but he was attracted to me anyway, damn it. That part was real.
“Ned Corbyn is talented, and sexy, and he’s crazy about me. If you don’t believe me, I don’t care. I’m going to take a cab home.” Swiping my glass from the table, I suck hard on the straw. Cocktails cost a fortune, and I’m not so mad I’ll allow this one to go to waste, even if I am risking a painful bout of brain freeze. When the death rattle starts, I release the straw and slam the glass on the table before shimmying out of the booth. “Goodnight.”
“Toni, wait,” Rodney cries, grabbing hold of my wrist. “We believe you, of course we do.”
Lifting an eyebrow, I shift my gaze to Leif, who avoids looking at me while draining the last of his beer. When he chokes on the final swallow, I fight to keep my petty surge of glee to myself.
“I don’t believe it,” he says, wiping his mouth before pointing towards the crowded area near the front of the bar. “He’s here.”
Eyes springing wide, I whip my head around to search the crowd. Ned is visible on the far side of the room. His head turns slowly, as though he’s also searching for someone. It’s not me, is it? Surely, he hasn’t actually shown up to meet me for a drink.
Ned takes his phone from his back pocket and pokes at the screen. A few seconds later, my butt vibrates with an incoming text. Gasp. He is here for me.
Clutching at my phone, I read the text.Are you still around?
My heart is freaking out in my chest as I glance down at Rodney and Leif. Their stunned expressions send a fresh wave of irritation through me. “See?” I turn the phone around and shove it in their faces. “I told you.”
Rodney bounces in his seat. “What are you waiting for? Go say hello.”
“I’m about to,” I say with exasperation. Turning in Ned’s direction, I take a deep breath. All I have to do is go over and explain my situation. If I’m supremely lucky, he’ll agree to play along for the few minutes it will take to convince my friends there’s something other than a flimsy professional connection between us. Then we can all say goodbye, and that will be the end of it. “Right, here I go.”
“Or you could wait where you are until he sees you,” Leif suggests in a deceptively casual tone. “He’s sure to come running, given he’s so crazy about you and all.”
That’s it, Leif is officially my least favourite person—not that he’d ever been high on the list to start with. He’s made his position clear, though. It will take an extra heavy dose of fabulous on my part to convince him Ned and I are involved. If he’s not convinced, Rodney will continue to doubt me as well.
Rodney is my oldest friend in the world. I don’t want him to think I’m a big, dumb faker—even when I am.
Throwing caution to the wind, I type out a reply to Ned’s text and hit send.Look left.
He reads the text, and then his head snaps up as he follows my instruction. When our gazes meet, he lifts his chin in acknowledgment. It’s an adequate start, but I need more.
Before Ned has a chance to move, I smile and crook a finger at him in a come-hither motion. The move is as bold as it is risky. I’ve ensured every step he takes in my direction will be seen as an act of compliance, even if he did already intend to join me. His eyebrows lift in sardonic understanding, and I hold my breath as I wait to see if he’ll refuse.
His head drops as he gives it a subtle shake. Then, he meets my gaze once more and licks his lips as he walks towards me with long, deliberate strides. The look on his face doesn’t actually sayI’m gonna fuck you when I get there, but it’s pretty damned close.
“Holy crap,” Leif whispers with a shocked laugh.
Beside him, Rodney lets out a little mewl. “That’s hot.”
Hot isn’t a strong enough word for Ned. The man is positively libidinous.
As he nears, I hurry to take the last few steps, meeting him out of earshot of my friends. Lifting onto my toes, I wrap my arms around his neck. “Hello, Ned.”
He gasps at the contact, his hands landing on my rib cage as his gaze zeros in on the dimples of my smile. I knew he liked them. Who doesn’t like dimples?
“Toni.” His voice is rough and sexy, and it makes me shiver. He glances down to where our bodies are one deep breath away from touching. “This is not quite the greeting I expected.” Even as he says the words, his hands slide down to my hips, fingers flexing.
“Yeah,” I say with what I hope is a charming sort of grimace. “There’s a reason for this and I only have a moment to explain. Please, don’t be mad.”
He tenses and those crystal-clear eyes narrow. “Why? What have you done?”
“It’s not a big deal,” I assure him. “I just need you to pretend you like me. Only for a few minutes, I promise.”
“Like you how?”
“You know… like me, like me.” Ugh, I sound like I’m twelve. “I need to make a point.” I cast my eyes briefly to the right. He glances in that direction, right where Rodney is no doubt grinning like a deranged groupie while Leif scowls beside him.
Ned shifts on his feet, lowering his head as he glares at me. “What exactly do they think is going on here?”
