“Jesus, Michael. What were you thinking?” she muttered as she hooked a thumb under the strap of her backpack that held her camera, iPad, and other miscellaneous items she’d carried on the plane as she made her way over to Aspen.
Still, there was no denying the thrill that ran down her spine when Aspen’s gaze locked onto hers, or the butterflies that rather unhelpfully erupted in her stomach when she drew to a stop in front of her.Have I ever met anyone this gorgeous?She considered it a small mercy that her voice didn’t tremble as she inquired, “Aspen Collier?”
“Collier-West,” Aspen corrected in a low, melodious burr, with a smile that was at once roguish and charming. “You must be Eve?” Her inflection made it sound like it was a question, but there was a knowing glint in her eyes as they slid slowly over Eve’s body that belied the affect.
Eve’s breath caught when Aspen’s gaze drifted back to her own, and she could only nod in response as she silently cursed Michael again. Pretty butches had always been her kryptonite, and he fucking knew it.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Aspen drawled, dipping her shoulders in a short bow. “So,” she said as she straightened, “Michael filled me in on the broad details of the plan, but I guess what I need to know from you is: how do you want to play this? Am I just a friend, or am I, like, afriend-friend?”
Eve chuckled at the way Aspen waggled her eyebrows suggestively. The playfulness put some of her nerves at ease, and she smiled sheepishly as she confessed, “I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead.”
“Well…” Aspen bobbed her head. “Michael told me that this whole thing was going to be a bit, shall we say, uncomfortable for you, so what would make your life easier?”
Eve’s stomach fluttered at the implications of Aspen pretending to be her girlfriend for the week. It would drive Nolan crazy, which was, in and of itself, enough of a reason for her to say yes. Better yet, having Aspen on her arm would also stop her parents from thrusting potential suitors in her face the whole time—and, as an added bonus, she’d get to watch them squirm as they pretended to be accepting of their queer daughter for all of their friends. Still, while putting them on the spot in front of their esteemed guests would be entertaining, she knew their feigned acceptance would turn into subtle, unwelcoming,bitingdigs the moment they were alone.
She might be used to it, but Aspen didn’t deserve to suffer their vitriol just because she was reluctant to face her family without backup. “My parents can be…difficult.”
Aspen pursed her lips. “What kind of difficult are we talking?”
“The politically motivated, social-climbing kind. They’ll be nice enough to you when people are around, but when there aren’t—”
“Ah,” Aspen hummed. “So, like, the underhanded, backstabby kind of difficult.”
While Eve wasn’t sure if Aspen’s deduction was based off her pathetic attempt to explain, or if Michael had done a better job clueing Aspen in to the thing than he had her, she confirmed, “Pretty much.”
“Homophobic?”
Eve’s stomach twisted as she inclined her head and lifted her left shoulder in a small, lopsided shrug in a way that conveyed bothyesandnoat the same time. “Only toward me,” she murmured. “Well, I mean, that’s mostly my mother, if I’m being honest. My father’s more bothered by my other life choices.”
“Only toward…” Aspen’s voice trailed off into a quiet curse that Eve couldn’t quite catch. “Are you serious?” When Eve just pulled a face, she said, “Fuck that. I’m totally in to be your girlfriend for the weekend if you are.”
Eve wanted to say yes, that she’d love to have Aspen be her pretend girlfriend for the week, but… No. She couldn’t. She should just call this whole thing off, thank Aspen for being willing to help, and then suffer through it all on her own. That would be the honorable thing to do. But Aspenhadoffered, and it’d be so nice to not be alone…
“Eve?” Aspen prompted.
Eve shrugged helplessly as conflicting emotions welled in her throat.
Aspen’s expression softened. “I’m seriously cool either way, Eve. You won’t hurt my feelings if you’re not comfortable with it. I just want to help.”
Eve sighed and lifted her eyes to the ceiling. It was easier to think without Aspen’s eyes on her, and, she had to admit,that the weekend would be a million times more bearable with someone at her side. “You really wouldn’t mind?” she whispered.
“Not at all.” Aspen shook her head. “It would be my honor.”
When Eve looked back at Aspen to gauge the sincerity of her words, her breath caught at the gentleness in Aspen’s eyes that she only now noticed were streaked with bronze and gold.Jesus, I can’t believe I’m doing this, but—“Okay.”
“Okay,” Aspen echoed with a slow, pleased smile. “Well then…” She hiked her chin toward the luggage carousels behind Eve. “It looks like the luggage from your flight is being deplaned. We can head out as soon as we get your suitcase.”
Eve mentally face palmed. She’d been so focused on the fact that Michael wouldn’t be joining her that she hadn’t considered the implications of what it meant for Aspen to meet her at the airport. “Shit. I totally forgot to cancel the car I’d booked, and—” She cut herself off when Aspen nodded and pulled her phone out of her back pocket.
“Who’s the reservation with?”
“Enterprise, but—”
“Gotcha.” Aspen tapped at her screen and then lifted the phone to her ear. “Hey. Can I speak to Pat, please?”
“What are you—”
“Canceling your reservation.” Aspen grinned. “If I’m your girlfriend for the next few days, we should probably travel together, yeah?”
