“It’s for a good reason,” he insists. “My public image is tanking right now.”
“I wonder why,” I mutter, mostly to myself.
He seems not to hear me. “My father is making me get a fake fiancée, just to alter the media’s perception of me. He says that I don’t have to go through with it, and that I can choose who it is, but it has to happen, or I lose my future with Eastwood Hotels.”
I listen to him silently as I shampoo my hair, trying to pretend that this is normal. To my surprise, it’s easy enough. I felt vulnerable at first, but Reed is so casual with me, so comfortable, that I find myself starting to relax in his presence.
“I had no idea who to ask,” he continues, “because it’s such a crazy thing to ask—but now it all seems so clear. This would be perfect for both of us.”
I frown at him as I tip my head back, rinsing suds out of my hair. “Would it?”
“Yes,” he says. “We can have rules. I’ll get a contract drafted—something to make sure that nothing gets messy.” He takes a step toward me. “I’ll pay for your apartment. I’ll pay for your parents’ place, and any of your mom’s medical bills. All of them, outstanding and new.”
I pause, letting the water wash over me. That alone—my place, my parents’ place, and the hospital’s fees—is more than I could hope to pay with my current jobs.
“I’ll pay off all of your debt,” he goes on, counting off on his fingers. “I’ll take care of all your bills. And at the end of the six months, I’ll pay you for your trouble. One million dollars.”
My jaw drops open. I can’t help it.
“All you have to do is pretend to be madly in love with me.” He flashes me a trademark Reed Eastwood grin. “Once enough time has passed, and my image is reformed, we’ll have an amicable ‘breakup’”—he does air quotes, as if to make sure that I get his drift—”and go our separate ways, no harm, no foul.”
I turn away from him, toward the back of the shower, under the pretense of grabbing my conditioner bottle. In truth, I want to hide my face from him. Internally, I’m freaking out.
I’m not sure that this is a good idea. I insisted to Riley that my nascent crush on Reed was a non-factor, but after last night, I’m certain that it’s back in full swing. Also, for all of his reassurances, I know that this could get messy.
He can stop it from gettinglegallymessy, sure. But personal matters aren’t always simple enough to be bound by contract.
Still, I’m tempted. My stomach flutters with nerves as I realize that I’m genuinely considering Reed’s offer. If he keeps these promises, he really could fix all of my problems—and keep me stable for a long, long time.
I know that, ultimately, I’d be doing him a bigger favor. But he could still help me, and I can’t ignore that fact. I owe it to myself. I owe it to my parents.
The more I think about it, the more I’m forced to face the facts: it’s better than any of my other options at the moment.
And even though I know I’ll regret it, I slowly nod.
Reed’s face lights up. “Wait—you’ll do it?”
“Yeah. I’ll do it.”
Chapter 6
Reed
It’sdifficult to focus with Olivia in the shower.
My gaze keeps drifting to her body. Rivulets of water run over her bare collarbone, down to her chest. I have to shuffle behind the sink slightly so that she won’t see my hard-on. I don’t want to give her any reason to think this is a bad idea.
Butfuck…seeing her under the spray, I’m so tempted to join her.
I know I shouldn’t. She’s still adjusting to this new idea of mine, and I don’t want to scare her off.
Once Olivia’s out of the shower, I take her out for breakfast. Not just because it’s chivalrous, although I do feel like treating her a little bit—last night put me in a good mood, as did the sudden solution to my problem.
Mostly, the two of us need to hash things out. We need to discuss our engagement, and how to introduce it to the world.
Olivia’s a little bit reluctant to join me for breakfast, but there isn’t much food in her apartment, and we need to set the ground rules, so she agrees to come with me.
We head over to a diner around a block from her apartment. I request a booth in the back corner, where we can’t be seen from the windows.
