CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

Even choking on his drink, Boone still looks unbelievably handsome. It almost isn’t fair.

He gapes at me, blue eyes wide with shock.

I keep grinning at him. Any second now, he’ll realize that what I’ve just suggested is the best darn idea he’s ever heard in his entire life.

Any...second...now.

Right?

Finally, the southern sweetheart manages to gulp down his mouthful of Jack and Coke, then immediately follows it with another deep drink.

“You think what now?” he sputters before setting down the now-empty glass. He slams it down so hard that half-melted ice cubes inside leap over the rim and dance across the table.

“Oh, you heard me,” I answer with a smirk. I’m so proud of this idea that I’ve come up with that I’m practically preening. The reflection of my eager face in Boone’s clear eyes beams from ear to ear, and the sight only makes me smile wider. “You. Me. Power couple of the year. Or at least the next few months.”

Boone’s long lashes flutter against the top of his high cheekbones as he blinks rapidly. “You really think we should date?”

I smack a hand on the table and nod. “Absolutely! I mean, we should pretend to date. It’ll be all the benefit and absolutely none of the drama.”

Boone leans forward so that he can rest his forearms on his knees. “Relationships always have drama, Sutton,” he states doubtfully.

I wave a finger in front of his handsome face. “Nu-uh! Not fake ones. That’ll be rule number one once we figure all his out. No drama. Not even a teensy bit.”

Still, Boone doesn’t look entirely convinced. A frown shadows his face. He taps his foot on the ground, the gears of his mind visibly spinning as he contemplates what a fake relationship would entail.

Either I drive this whole thing home, or he’s bailing before he’s even truly seen the promise of what I’m offering.

“Come on, Boone! Have you already forgotten what you were talking about a minute ago? You said you’d go as far as to hire someone to go with you to these parties, but with me on your arm, you wouldn’t have to pay a cent. A relationship would be mutually beneficial. The sleazeballs will steer clear and so will the Coyotes’ groupies. Plus, my followers will finally stop hounding me about getting a boyfriend. I’ll even cheer you on at your games.”

Boone tilts his head back and forth like he’s mentally volleying a pros and cons list between his ears. I hold my breath and mentally cross my fingers, desperate for him to agree.

Flaunting a man like Boone on the G&G socials would be a goldmine of content. I mean, I love Kali and Grayson, and they’re totally a stunning couple, but with my superstar aura and Boone’s southern drawl, we’d be the new hit couple. Glammers everywhere would be in a tizzy. I can already imagine the excited comments we’d get on every video he and I post together. There will be no worry of fading from the social media spotlight if I have a man like him on my arm. He’s just what I need to give my online reputation that extra bit of oomph I’ve been lacking lately. Later on, once we break up, I can play the sympathy card to keep my followers invested in me until I manage to snag another guy—that time for real. By then, I’m sure I’ll have figured out how to make room in my busy schedule for a true boyfriend. Right now, I simply have too much going on for a real-life romance.

Besides, it isn’t like no one in Hollywood hasn’t done this very same thing.

Boone eventually drags in a shallow breath and eyes his empty glass as if he was wishing it’d refill itself. Just as he opens his mouth to declare his choice, however, the door leading to the terrace swings open and crashes hard against the wall behind it.

A man spills through the doorway, his stride lurching and his eyes unfocused.

My eyes go wide.

“Boone! It’s that guy!” I whisper sharply, pointing a finger at the jerk in question and scoot closer to my southern hero.

“He’s drunk out of his mind,” Boone mutters from beside me. He places one hand protectively on my knee and unexpected butterflies swirl in my stomach.

I gaze down at his hand, trying to figure out why my whole leg feels like it’s pleasantly burning beneath Boone’s touch. I almost never want him to let go of me.

My over-the-top reaction has to be caused by the fact that I haven’t had a man act like this toward me in a long time, especially a man as good-looking as Boone.

The gross guy from downstairs swivels around as if trying to find someone. I get a sinking feeling in my stomach that the someone he’s looking for is me. I honestly hadn’t expected him to chase Boone and me up here. I thought the loud music, fancy bar, and beautiful babes downstairs would keep him occupied.

I turn helplessly toward Boone, but he’s already working on the issue. He flags down one of the nearby servers and whispers something to him while pointing at the sleazeball.

The waiter nods and vanishes through a side door as I plaster myself against Boone’s side in an attempt to hide from the jerk looking for me. Boone scoops me up into his lap, turning me into his chiseled chest to hide me. He adjusts the coat around my shoulders to drape over my little black dress.

“What about you?” I ask, voice muffled by his shoulder.

“I can promise you that guy is too drunk to remember who I am. Plus, he definitely wasn’t paying any attention to my face to begin with,” he whispers against my hair, his breath warming my scalp.

A slow, delicious shiver rolls up my spine.

Boone shields me with his arms, but his body is tense like he’s considering carrying me Superman-style right down the stairs if the sleazeball looks this way. Thankfully, before he has to resort to that, the server reappears with a few more burly men, including the bouncer manning the door earlier. I peek over the edge of Boone’s jacket and his strong arms to watch. The bouncer flashes us a thumbs up before grabbing the jerk by the scruff and hustling him away. Relief pools in my core. I’m sure that’ll be the last we see of that troublemaker.

“Thank you again,” I gush, beaming at Boone. “I guess even if you’re not interested in our little business deal, I still owe you big. You rescued me twice in one night.”

Boone eases me down onto the cushion beside him, but his arms linger around me for a moment.

“Who says I'm not interested?” he quips. A smile slowly spreads across his face and his blue eyes glint in the dark evening light.

My breath lodges in my lungs. “Seriously?” I shriek a little too loudly because a few people look curiously over at us, but I’m too exhilarated to care.

Boone nods and I throw my arms around his neck. I squeeze him tightly, all the while quietly squealing, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Slowly, he pulls away and clears his throat, his eyes shifting momentarily toward the ground.

A strange, nearly unreadable expression briefly clouds his face and I think I already know what it is.

Had I seen a hint of an old wound in his eyes? Though Boone claims to be over this ex that stomped on his heart, I have a feeling he might still be troubled by it. I understand that, though. Feelings are complicated, but fortunately this relationship won’t be.

No drama, no real feelings—all simplicity. That’s the deal.

Abruptly, my phone trills from my clutch. I scoop up the small bag to peek inside and catch sight of the clock on my phone’s face.

“Is that the time?” I yelp in surprise.

I can’t believe how late it’s gotten. While Boone and I were chatting, hours had slipped away like minutes. I’d promised the girls I’d be back by midnight and the seconds are counting down. I don’t want them to worry about me, especially since I’m out on my own tonight.

Turning toward my fake boyfriend, I offer a big smile. “It’s almost twelve. I’ve got to head out.”

“Do you really, Cinderella?” he teases.

I dig out an old receipt for a pack of gum from my purse and scribble my number on it before thrusting it into his palm. Then I jump to my feet while hastily ordering an Uber on my phone. Thankfully, because it’s so busy tonight, tons of drivers are roaming the street.

“This has been really fun, Boone, and—” I say, but he shakes his head and climbs to his feet.

“You think I’m going to let you walk down there by yourself after that guy tried to bother you? There’s no way I’d treat my girl like that.”

His girl.

I know nothing about this is real, but him calling me his girl has my heart beating a thousand miles a minute against my ribs.

“O-of course,” I stammer out. “Thanks.”

He gently takes my hand in his as he guides me back down the stairs and out the front door of the club. Fortunately, by the time we exit the building, there’s no sign of the drunken troublemaker.

“Do you think we could take a pic before I go?” I ask, gesturing at my phone. “I should post about this later.”

He nods and pulls me into his chest, his arm looping around my waist. The embrace is so natural that it steals my breath and I quickly take the picture of us.

“We’ll talk soon?” he asks as my Uber pulls up.

“Definitely. We should meet up to go over the rules of our little engagement. This weekend maybe?”

He chuckles and nods, then opens the door of the car for me to slide in. It’s only when the door closes that I realize I’m still wearing his jacket. I turn in my seat to see Boone staring after me as the car pulls away. He lifts one large hand and waves as he vanishes from view.

Sinking back in my seat, I press one hand over my battering ram of a heart.

“This has to stay simple, Sutton,” I whisper to myself. “You’ve got to get a grip.”

Mentally, my mind adds one more statement—easier said than done.