Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
I took a big step back and frowned. “That’s not me. We don’t even like each other.”
“It is you, Bella. You’re perfect for this. You’re a beautiful, independent woman, and a farmer. It doesn’t get more wholesome than that. Add in the fact that you’re raising your best friend’s son, and you are practically a working class hero. Do this for me, be my fake girlfriend, and you can forget about saving up to pay me back.”
I nibbled my lip and thought about his offer. Accepting it meant I could keep the money I’d saved up, but the cost was my peace of mind, my sanity. I shook my head. “As enticing as that offer is, I just can’t trust you Derek. Given our history this could be some ploy to humiliate me at the worst possible time.”
He winced visibly at my words, but I refused to take them back. “I deserve that, even though it hurts like hell to know you think I haven’t changed. But I already thought about it, and it’s what makes you the perfect fake girlfriend.”
“Yeah, what’s that? Besides the fact that no one would ever believe us as a couple?”
“They will believe it, because I like beautiful women, and you fit that criteria Bella. But you have power here too. If I do anything to humiliate you, to affect your chances of keeping Everest, you can tell the press that I’m a worse misogynist in private. You can ruin my reputation completely.”
His words shocked me. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. This works for both of us. You get to pay off your debt without parting with the cash, and I get beautiful arm candy to repair my reputation. And maybe while we have our fake dates, I’ll get a chance to show you that I’m not the same asshole I was back in the day.”
“Dates?” of course there would be dates, it’s a fake relationship. “Sorry. Of course.”
“Dates are kind of a natural part of dating,” he said with a teasing smile. “And having a relationship will look better to both the social workers and the gossip columnists.”
He was right about that much, which was the only reason I was giving this proposal serious consideration. “Fine. No kissing. No sex. No touching at all.” This wasn’t a real relationship and I wouldn’t allow him the perks of one.
Derek nodded and put a hand on my shoulder, smiling when I flinched. “No kissing in private, but no one will believe that I’ve got a stunner like you on my arm and I’m not constantly touching and kissing you.”
I shrugged off his touch and took a step back. “You can stop with the compliments now, I already agreed to do this. How long do we need to fake date?”
“I don’t know yet,” he sighed. “A month or two I think, or however long you need it to last to the fight against the evil grandparents.”
“You’d do that?”
“Yeah, I would.” His blue eyes were serious, almost sincere. “Whatever you think of me Bella, my career means everything to me and I won’t jeopardize it, which means in this fake relationship we are true allies. This arrangement helps us both keep what really matters to us.”
Again he was right, and I nodded. “Okay. Some touching and kissing in public only. No cheating, which means no kissing other women, no sleeping around with other women. Or blow jobs from other women, or anything else. Can you promise that?”
“I’m not an animal Bella, I can control myself,” he said, his tone more than a little offended.
“All I know is that you’re a well-known playboy, so excuse me for jumping to conclusions. But you have to act like a man who is serious about a single mother, not a good-time guy always looking for the newest, hottest woman. Can you do that?”
He nodded. “If anyone can keep me in line, it’s you Bella.” Derek leaned in and kissed my cheek. “My love.”
I laughed and shoved him far out of my personal space, until his heady, masculine scent wasn’t short circuiting my brain. “You have to get used to being close to me, babe. We are about to fall in love.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re already having too much fun with this.”
He flung an arm around my shoulders and laughed again as he held up his phone. “This is for Brody so he can see my hot new girlfriend. Say I love you Derek.”
Instead of that, I stuck my tongue out and gave his hair a hard tug just as the shutter noise sounded. “Perfect. That’s how I’ll keep you in line.”
He smiled at me and rubbed the crown of his head. “Careful Bella, I kind of liked that.”
I gasped in surprise, and in true Derek Gregory fashion, he planted his lips on mine and snapped another photo. “We’ll make a good team Bella, I have a good feeling about this.”