I always knew Flynn was lethal to the female population, but I’d forgotten what it was like to have his attention so focused on me and have him so close. Despite knowing who he was, his connection to the family, and that he wasnota safe option, I couldn’t help the way my knees turned shaky around him and the way my sex-drive began entering into negotiations with my brain to act on my desires.
I wasn’t crazy, was I? The way he’d looked at me when he had me pushed against the wall had been all kinds of hot. He’d considered kissing me; I was almost certain he had. Whatwascrazy, was the idea to give in. This situation was messy enough as it was. Making things physical between me and Flynn was asking for trouble.
We managed the rest of the way to the resort building with no issues, and the elevator ride to the fourth floor was awkward and silent. We walked quietly down the brightly lit hallway, and I fiddled with the room key, my nerves oddly on edge. I was leading him to the hotel room we’d have to share for the next few days, and my sex-deprived body was suddenly happy to pull out every dirty fantasy from my old box ofFlynn FantasiesI hadn’t opened since he’d left.
Forcing myself to concentrate, I unlocked the door and stepped inside, holding the door open for Flynn. He hesitated for only a moment, his intense eyes searching my face before he followedme in. I kept my gaze averted, shut the door, and dropped my bag onto a nearby seat.
“We’re not expected to be anywhere for another few hours, so that gives us time to put together our story and memorize the facts. You also said something about photos?”
Flynn set his bag down on the cushioned seat by the window and peeked behind the gossamer curtain. “Yeah, I find people believe things more if we can show proof of our lives before the event. Being that this is a lot closer to home, we’re going to need to be very convincing and have all our ducks in a row.”
Be very convincing…
My mouth went dry at the thought. What was I even doing? I’d already been on edge hiring a stranger to save face, but it had never really sunk in that we’d have to act like a real couple. Now here, with Flynn, I was realizing we’d have to be… close. We’d have to act like a real couple to actually sell this.It was pathetic how much I wanted that.
I raised my gaze to find him already looking at me, his eyes studying.
“Are you okay?”
“Mmhmm,” I hummed and moved to the mini fridge for a bottle of water.
“And you realize what I mean when I say we’ll have to be convincing? We’re not sixteen anymore. This isn’t a lie we need to maintain to get through dinner. This is an entire wedding getaway.”
“I know,” I answered, fanning myself.
“And we’re adults.”
“I know that, Flynn.”
His dark eyes held a mischievous glint in them as he edged closer to me. No, that wasn’t the right word. He glided, stalked, prowled. The way he moved screamed of sex and sin, and the way his eyes trailed down my body left me little doubt as to whathe was thinking.
The Flynn I’d known when he was eighteen had already been cocky and confident. But this Flynn had years of experience to back him up, and the confidence behind him was intoxicating. He knew what he was doing, and mystars, a very large part of me wanted him to just get on with it and take me there on the bed.
“We’ll have to get close,” he added as he came to a stop in front of me. I had to tip my head back to keep my eyes on him. As if to prove a point, his fingers brushed the back of my hand and slowly drew up my arm. My breath was shaky, but I forced myself to stay.
“Obviously,” I returned, proud of the confidence in my voice when all I wanted to do was yank him against me.
“You won’t be able to tense up or pull away in surprise,” he added.
I cleared my throat. “I know.”
“You sure? Because you look panicked,” he pointed out, his grin knowing as he leaned closer.
“I’m not panicked,” I lied with a nervous laugh. What the hell was I doing? This was Flynn! And I never slept with a man on the first date… or fake date. God, this was already so messy.
He leaned closer, head dipping dangerously close to my face, his body squaring up with mine so that I felt the brush of his belt against me, and I forced myself to maintain focus.
“And if I kissed you? Would you panic then?”
My body flushed hot at the idea of kissing him, and I couldn’t find the words to respond. Was he flirting because this was his job? Or was this heat between us real? Flynn had meant something to me once—he still did—but I didn’t want to be a job to him. I knew we’d have to act the part, to be close and even kiss, but I needed to square away my feelings and expectations first so when he left at the end of his contract, I wouldn’t becrushed.
When I didn’t respond, he pulled back and sighed softly, eyes concerned.
“Should I have turned down the contract?”
I swallowed hard and thought about it for a second before shaking my head. “No.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “Because you look ready to cry or laugh manically, and if you want this to work in a way that doesn’t blow up in your face, you need to get your head around this. I just thought with me already knowing you and the rest of the family, we could be several steps ahead of where one of the other guys would be in this situation.”
