"Sorry," I say, trying to control my smile. "But you have to admit, it's a little unexpected. Why do you need a fake girlfriend?"
He sighs heavily and finally sits on my couch, which creaks under his weight.
"My mother thinks I need to settle down. She's been trying to set me up with every single woman in a fifty-mile radius. Today she mentioned some kindergarten teacher who's moving to town next month."
"And that's... bad?" I perch on the arm of the couch, keeping some distance between us.
"I don't date," he says flatly. "Not seriously. I don't do relationships."
"But you sleep with half the women in Blackwater Falls," I point out before I can stop myself.
His eyebrows shoot up, and I feel heat creep up my neck.
"I mean, that's what I've heard," I add lamely.
A ghost of a smile touches his lips. "Doesn't mean I date them."
"Right." I look away, suddenly fascinated by a water stain on my ceiling. "So, you told your mom you have a girlfriend to get her off your back?"
"Yeah."
"And you said it was me? Why me?" I turn back to him, genuinely curious. He could have named any woman in town.
Now it's his turn to look uncomfortable. "You were the first person I thought of. Plus, you're new in town, so my mom doesn't know much about you. And you're..." He trails off, eyes skimming over me briefly.
"I'm what?" I press, annoyed at his hesitation.
"You're the kind of woman my mother would approve of," he finishes. "Smart. Got your shit together. Work with kids."
"Wow. I sound boring as hell when you put it like that."
His lips twitch again. "You're not boring."
The way he says it makes my stomach flutter, and I mentally slap myself. This is not the time to get all swoony over a compliment that wasn't even really a compliment.
"What exactly would this fake relationship involve?" I ask, trying to sound practical.
"Dinner at my mom's place tomorrow night," he says. "Maybe a few public appearances around town. Nothing major. Just enough to convince her I'm not going to die alone."
I shouldn't even be considering this. It's ridiculous, juvenile even. But something about the vulnerability in his eyes, a look I've never seen on him before, makes me pause.
"What's in it for me?" I ask, surprising myself with the boldness of the question.
Beast's eyebrows raise slightly, but he doesn't seem offended. "What do you want?"
A dangerous question. What I want is to stop thinking about him at night when I'm alone in this bed. What I want is to stop wondering what his hands would feel like on my skin, if his beard would scratch or tickle against my neck. What I want is impossible.
"Protection," I say instead, thinking practically. "Not from Tank. He's already overprotective enough. But there's a war going on, and I'm new in town. I don't know who to trust outside the club."
"Anyone wearing Savage Riders colors would protect you because you're Tank's sister," he points out.
"Yeah, but they'd be watching me because of Tank, not because they want to. There's a difference." I stand up, pacing the small space. "If people think I'm with you, they'll be extra careful about how they treat me."
He considers this, then nods slowly. "Fair enough. What else?"
I hadn't expected him to agree so easily or ask for more conditions. I think quickly.
"Help me fix this place up," I gesture around the apartment. "It needs painting, new fixtures. The shower leaks. Tank said he'd help, but he's been busy with Amelia and Anna."
