A black SUV screeched to a halt in front of me, the front passenger window down. A pretty, petite brunette with giant oversized sunglasses that made her look like a fly gesticulated wildly at me.
“Get in!” she squeaked. “I’m Liv—Henry’s PA!”
That was all I needed. I lunged for the back door, wrenching it open and launching my overnight bag in before I flung myself across the leather seat too.
“You’ve got her?” Henry’s voice sounded agitated through the carspeakers as whoever was driving roared back onto the street. I sat up, peering through the back window. The guy in the cap was walking on towards the corner, as if he hadn’t been about to abduct me in broad daylight.
“Put your goddamned seat belt on!” a familiar, grouchy voice snarled. Letting out a shaky breath, I dragged the belt over myself.
“I’m taking that as a confirmation that Irina is in the car with you?” Henry asked tightly.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I panted. “I could have sworn that guy was …”
“Did you get dash cam of him?” Henry interrupted. His gargantuan security guy—the one who had threatened to throw me overboard—grunted something unintelligible, which Henry must have taken as a yes.
“I’ll look into him, Irina,” he promised. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to pick you up myself, but I’ll see you on the plane. Lucian, be nice.”
Henry ended the call, and the grouch, who must be Lucian, muttered, “No promises,” into the silence.
“Lucian!” Liv admonished, tapping him on the arm with the back of her hand. He flinched, even though it was barely more than a tickle, and rubbed at the spot as he turned out into traffic.
The brunette turned in her seat, flashing a sweet smile at me. “I’m Liv. And your dress is gorgeous! Henry’s a lucky man!”
Lucian made an odd, choking sound. I narrowed my eyes at him in the rear-view mirror.
“Not a fan of the dress, Lucian?” I asked, my voice sickly sweet. “Or maybe you’re jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous of your dress?” he barked.
I laughed lightly. “Well, itwouldlook stunning against your pretty blond hair. I’m sure it comes in your size too—it’s from a very inclusive boutique. I’d let you wear mine, except it would burst open over that barrel chest of yours, and I want to keep it pristine, seeing as it’s my wedding dress and all.”
Lucian growled under his breath. Literally growled while Liv giggled, patting him on the arm,again. “Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Lucian! Your cousin is getting married today! You should be?—”
“Hold on!” I blurted, leaning forwards so I could stick my head inbetween the front seats. “You’re Henry’scousin? You look nothing alike!”
Lucian rolled his eyes. “My mother’s Finnish. Not that it’s any of your business.” He turned to Liv. “And as for you, Olivia …”
I smirked at the way his voice softened when he addressed her. Something was going on there, for sure. No way did this grumpy bastard melt like that if he wasn’t crushing hard on the little lady.
“I don’t think I should be anything other than sceptical, at best. This is not the marriage Henry deserves,” he finished, meeting my gaze in the mirror and scowling.
“And yet it’s the one he’s chosen for himself,” I murmured.
“He chose it, did he?” Lucian blasted. “Or did a woman sneak into his room, remove her underwear and sell him some sob story about the big scary ‘thing’ that she won’t elaborate on that’s waiting for her if she’s forced to return to Europe, so she could trigger his saviour complex and manoeuvre him into this exact scenario?”
Anger flared in my chest. Did this jerk really think I’d premeditated this?
“Listen here, youidiotule. I was so shocked when he asked me to marry him that I laughed for a good minute, because I thought he was joking. I’m not going to deny that his offer is the best chance I’ve got to save my ass, but you can shove it if you think I tried to ‘manoeuvre’ him into this! He’s a big boy; he can make his own decisions!”
Lucian’s nostrils flared, but he said nothing. Probably because Liv’s hand was covering his on the gear knob, her thumb moving softly back and forth over his wrist. Yep. There was something going on there.
I flopped back against my seat, trying to get myself under control. The worst part was … I actually liked Henry. And under any other circumstances, I would have relished the flirting, and the chemistry and the anticipation of the super-hot sexy times that the flirting and the chemistry would have led to.
I was insanely grateful to him for what he was doing for me, and still in shock that he would go to such lengths to help me—a virtual stranger—with something as serious as this mess I was in. But the way he’d called this marriage a business proposal … maybe he really did want to keep this professional. Maybe I’d read more into our banter than he felt.
Or maybe he had his big burly cousin telling him that he had to keep me at arm’s length in case I was out to scam him.
Well, Lucian could go to hell! I would be the best fake wife that Henry had ever had, and I’d show Lucian that everything he thought about me was wrong.
