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“Um... I think your husband is calling you,” he said, nodding behind her.
“I’m not married.”
“Well, there’s a man looking for you.”
Hayley sighed as she turned to see Chase coming toward her. Better yet—holding her daytimer. Oh, thank God. She’d never in her life had the urge to kiss someone as much as she was tempted to kiss him at that moment. Rushing toward him, she grabbed her book and hugged it to her chest. “I missed you,” she said, oblivious to the man staring at her with open amusement. “Not you—the book,” she said in case there was need for clarification.
“I got that,” he said with an unoffended laugh. “I was actually going to wait until your bikini wax next Wednesday to return it, but I thought you might need it sooner.”
Her eyes widened. Her bikini wax? He’d read her daytimer? “Hey! This was a piece of personal property—you had no right to snoop through it.” She wasn’t sure which embarrassed her more—the fact that he’d seen her bikini wax appointment or the fact that it was probably the most interesting thing in there. She tucked her planner into her carry-on and folded her arms across her chest, noticing that his gaze followed. “Hey, up here.” Sure, she hadn’t minded him checking her out on the plane, but that was before he’d discovered her color-coded analness...and oh, she prayed he hadn’t seen the “Good for you” and “Way to go” star stickers throughout. Or worse, her daily affirmations written in the back of the book.
“Sorry,” he said, looking anything but. “Look, I didn’t read through it...just a few pages to find out how I could return it to you. You’re welcome.”
He had returned it and really that was all that mattered. “Thank you,” she said. “Oh, no.” She groaned, noticing Cornelius Thompson and several board members entering the hotel lobby.
Chase turned. “Your coworkers?”
“Board members and one partner at the firm,” she whispered, moving to stand behind Chase. Maybe by some stroke of unexpected and unusual luck, they wouldn’t notice her. Man, why couldn’t she be as tiny as Terri-Lynn? Her friend could have hidden behind the thin, tall, potted palm trees next to the check-in counter.
“Hayley, hi,” Cornelius said a moment later, leaning around Chase to see her. “I thought that was you. Just checking in?”
Numbly, she nodded. If she pretended Chase was a bellboy, would he go along with it? He had offered to be her fiancé, and at least this way, he’d get a tip.
“Great. You know Kelly Miller and Ian Kelsey.” He did the introductions, but she wasn’t paying attention. “And this is your...” He paused, looking at Chase.
Don’t just stand there, she thought. Tell them who he is. Her lips refused to move.
“Her...um...fiancé, Chase Hartley.”
She blinked. Huh? That wasn’t the right answer. She swung to face him and started to shake her head, but Cornelius was already nodding his approval as he extended a hand, which Chase accepted. What was going on here? They’d agreed that his idea was a bad one. She shot daggers at him, but he ignored them.
“Nice to meet you,” Cornelius said.
Say you were kidding... Tell my boss the truth, she silently pleaded. She would, if she could find her voice.
“You, too, sir,” Chase said instead.
Hayley could do nothing but hold her breath, force a smile and watch in horror as the two shook hands.
Shit, shit, shit.
* * *
“OKAY—LET’S HEAR IT,” Hayley said as she unpacked her suitcase in her room. Chase’s family and the rest of the wedding party weren’t expecting him in Maui until much later that evening. Therefore, they’d decided to do the introductions with her other boss and coworkers first at the luau that evening.
Chase paced in front of the open patio doors leading out onto the beach. In his khaki shorts and unbuttoned white dress shirt blowing in the warm ocean breeze, he was by far the best thing she’d seen on this island, even though he’d just screwed her an hour ago—figuratively, of course.
“Let’s see how much I remember—you grew up in San Francisco...an only child, parents divorced at twelve...”
How casually he said that. As if it hadn’t been the worst experience of her young life. Having a front-row seat to her parents’ divorce was no doubt the primary reason she suffered from trust and commitment issues. Three sessions with a therapist hadn’t exactly been necessary to figure that out. After her parents had divorced, her mother had never remarried, her resentment toward all men only growing over the years. Her father on the other hand had one relationship after the other... His current girlfriend was a woman two years younger than Hayley. But that was way too much information, so she simply nodded.
Then it hit her. Oh, God, was she going to have to meet his parents on this trip? Pain spasmed in her chest.
Forget about that for now, and focus on getting through this part. Hanging several jackets in the closet, she waited for him to continue.
“Your dad is a corporate law attorney... Your mom never worked.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that. She thought raising me and dealing with my dad’s interference was the hardest job on the planet,” she said, unpacking her toiletries and lining them up on the counter in the bathroom. “Where did I go to law school?” she prompted when he’d stalled.
“Harvard, Miss Smarty-pants.” He followed behind her as she worked and bent to pick up a red lace bra from her suitcase. “Fantastic taste in lingerie and by the look of this, I’d say about a 34D?”
“Give me that.” She took the bra from him and stuffed it along with three others into a dresser drawer.
“Just trying to be thorough,” he said with that sexy grin.
“No one is going to need to know my bra size,” she said, far too aware that the hottest man she’d ever met was in her hotel room, showing more of his chiseled body than she’d seen in quite some time. James had kept himself in good shape, but he’d had a marathoner’s body—thin, lean muscle from daily five-mile runs and biking. Chase was built like a linebacker. One that could easily scoop her up into big strong arms, lay her on her white heavenly king-size bed and fulfill every last fantasy she’d had about him since meeting him six hours before. Her cheeks warmed and she turned away. “Let’s move on.”
“Well, there is one important thing we haven’t covered.”
She couldn’t think of anything they’d missed. They’d gone back as far as high school and had discussed favorites from food to television shows and books. At this point he knew her better than almost anyone. “I doubt that, but ask away.”
“Are we planning to have kids?”
He was right, they hadn’t covered that. “You know, I don’t think it will come up,” she said, waving a hand. “Let’s not worry about it.”
“I think we should have a game plan if it does. Since my sister and Cooper got engaged, it’s all anyone asks them... When are the kids coming? How many of the precious little monsters they plan to have.”
“Precious little monsters? I think we have our answer right there.” She laughed.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love kids, but my own? Never.”
Another similarity in life views—could it be possible that she’d met someone who understood her love of independence and appreciated her mistrust of relationships? She hesitated a fraction longer. “You’re sure you want to do this?” It wasn’t too late to back out. She could just find Cornelius and tell him it had been...a joke—that was it. Before this whole thing got completely out of hand.
“I can’t think of a good reason not to, can you?”
“If we get caught lying to everyone, the shit will hit the fan.”
That dangerously sexy grin spread across his face as he said, “But only if we get caught.”
* * *
“SO REMEMBER, WE GOT engaged six months ago...no real wedding plans or a date set yet,” Hayley whispered as they made their way across the crowded hotel lobby an hour later. Long lines of people waited at the luau entrance and she pointed out her group, taking their seats near the stage where Hula dancers performed.
The familiar sounds of the island music had an unexpected warming effect on Chase. Hawaiian luaus had always been a favorite of his. “I got it,” he said as they approached a man and a woman dressed in traditional Hula clothing, waiting to greet them with another lei. So far, he’d gotten lei’d more in three hours than he had in over nine months.
Nine long months. His last casual fling had lasted three weeks with a French ballet dancer who’d been performing in LA. He’d given her a ticket for double parking in a fire lane, she’d spewed a string of swearwords at him that he hadn’t understood and then they spent the rest of their whirlwind love affair naked.
The perfect, no-strings-attached situation. No one got close, no one got hurt.
“What’s wrong?” Instant panic filled Hayley’s voice.
“Nothing, sorry...” Stay focused. He could worry about the future of his penis later. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he told her.
She turned to him with a nervous look in her clear eyes. “There’s my other boss at the far left table.” She nodded toward the stage. “Ready?”
“Yes,” he said, placing a hand on the small of her back. The fabric of her breezy, floral-print halter top was soft against his rough skin and hugged her 34Ds like any man’s dream. He prayed he could pull off the expression of a doting fiancé and not the lustful stranger he actually was, but it was tough to look anywhere else when those perfectly shaped breasts peeked over the top of her shirt like that. “Wait.” He stopped her and, taking her hand, he pulled her around the corner to privacy.
“What?”
Taking a step toward her, he grabbed her thin waist and drew her firmly against him. His grip tightened as his eyes fell to her pale pink glossy lips. Lips that had begged to be kissed all afternoon. Full, pouty, delicious-looking lips that had tormented him since she’d smiled at him on the plane. Only his own nerves about their plan had prevented him from acting on the impulse when she’d emerged from her hotel bathroom that evening looking drop-dead gorgeous.
Bending slightly, his gaze searched hers for encouragement, but he only found a look of surprise in return.
Screw it.
Leaning forward, he pressed his mouth to hers. His arms tightened around her waist and he felt her body collapse into him. Her hands pressed against his chest, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue along his bottom lip as her arms went higher to circle his neck.
Her mouth was warm, welcoming...her lips soft and hungry...
His body came alive as shock mixed with an unfamiliar sensation—longing? He broke away.
Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her lips. “What was that?”
He had no idea. It was supposed to be just a kiss to ease some of the sexual tension between them, but damned if it had only made things hotter. He swallowed hard. “I...uh...just thought we should get the first kiss out of the way before we’re forced to do it in front of an audience.” That, and since the moment he’d seen her sexy lingerie, it had been all he could think about. But with one quick kiss, this noncomplicated plan had just gotten complicated.
“Do you really think we’ll have to kiss in front of my coworkers?” she whispered.
Her expression fell somewhere between intrigued and terrified at the prospect.
“Yes, if we hope to pull off the performance of a lifetime. Kate and Cooper can’t keep their hands off one another.” He shuddered, the thought of his coworker and his sister making him nauseated. Though the idea of kissing and touching Hayley all evening worked to erase all other thoughts. It also worked to create a bulge in the front of his khaki shorts. If a simple kiss had him this excited, he wasn’t sure how he was going to get through the next few days.
“Well, I hadn’t really given it that much thought. I am now.” She paused. “Is this... I mean, is kissing me again—only if necessary, of course—going to be a problem?”
He tilted her chin upward. “Trust me, Hayley. Kissing you whenever the need arises will most definitely not be a problem.” In fact, not kissing her might be.
* * *
AWARE OF THE curious eyes watching them, Hayley led the way straight to her boss on unsteady knees. Get a grip, she commanded herself. It was just a kiss. So why did it have her feeling dizzy? Because no other kiss in the history of kisses had ever made her body spring to life so quickly. Her heart was still racing, and her flushed cheeks and neck weren’t due to the Hawaii heat.
“Hayley!” Lila’s voice behind them made her stop and turn. Good, better to ease into this with someone she could be honest with. Besides sharing an office wall, they’d also shared countless bottles of malbec in the office’s law library during too many late nights. She could count on Lila to keep this to herself.
Chase wrapped an arm around her and smiled brightly at her side.
“Don’t worry, Lila’s an ally,” Hayley whispered before addressing her coworker and her husband. “Hi, guys, this is Chase,” she said pointedly.
“Chase...” Lila repeated slowly. “This is my husband, Craig.” Lila did the introductions and while the two men shook hands, she shot an inquisitive look at Hayley.
“I’ll explain later,” Hayley said, leaning toward her friend.
“Just tell me one thing—is he a...” She raised an eyebrow. “A... You know...”
Hayley swiped her arm. “Of course not.” She’d never admit to Lila that hiring an escort had crossed her mind. Her perfectly happily married friend with the fantastic husband, adorable kids and two-car garage would never understand her desperation. Telling Lila she’d met Chase on the plane probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing, either. “He’s just a friend. Shall we sit?”
Chase held a chair for her and she fought the feminist voice in her mind urging her to insist that wasn’t necessary. Especially when Lila chastised Craig for not making the gesture.
“Quit it, man. You’re making me look bad,” Craig said with a friendly shoulder punch to Chase.
“Sorry,” Chase said, taking his seat next to Hayley. He immediately moved his chair closer and draped an arm over the back of hers.
Were they overdoing it a little?
“Well, I had my doubts, but here he is.” Marvin’s voice boomed behind them.
“Here we go,” Hayley whispered as she turned with a forced smile. “Marvin, I’d like you to meet Chase. Chase, this is my boss, Marvin Marshall—head attorney at Marshall and Thompson Family Law.”
Chase extended a hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“So, Chase, what do you do?” Marvin asked.
Seemed like a safe enough question to answer honestly, so she gave a slight nod at his side. She was almost certain she’d never told Martin much about James. He’d never remember that she’d been dating a dentist most recently.
“I’m a police officer with the LAPD,” Chase was saying at her side.
“Tough gig,” her boss said.
“It can be challenging.” He nodded.
“Well, we’re glad you were able to be here this week.” He shot a glance at Hayley. “We were starting to think Hayley had made you up.” His pointed look spoke volumes and she was relieved that she hadn’t had to deliver her speech about her absent fiancé. Her boss would never have accepted it as the truth.
She gave a tight laugh. “He’s real,” she said, squeezing his arm. “Anyway, it looks like the performance is about to start.” On the stage a man dressed in traditional Hawaiian costume, holding a large coconut in one hand and a pointed stick in the other, had silenced the band and taken the microphone.
“Yes, well, enjoy the show.” With a wave, her boss rejoined Cornelius Thompson and his wife at their table and Hayley let out a sigh of relief.
First round, a success.
* * *
“JUST ONE QUICK drink then we’ll duck out.”
“Chase, don’t worry. After the performance you just gave with my coworkers, one drink with your family is the least I can do,” Hayley said, feeling slightly tipsy from the two strong mai tais she’d already consumed that evening.
The luau had gone flawlessly. Chase had been the ultimate charmer and everyone seemed to like him, even her boss. A few times he’d seemed to know her so well she’d paused to remind herself that they had just met hours before, not six months ago, the way they claimed. His thoughtful, affectionate ways had almost made her believe they were a happy couple, relieving her anxiety about their ability to pull this off, but giving her something else to worry about.
He did know this was all an act, right?
“Oh, believe me, what we went through over there was nothing compared to the Spanish Inquisition we’re going to face over here,” he said, opening the door to the resort bar and showing his hotel room key to the hostess. His sister had texted him twenty minutes before asking where he was and suggesting the resort bar for a drink. He’d yet to tell them about her and that worried Hayley a little.
“They can’t be that bad...right?”
He squeezed her hand and it was only then that she realized he was still holding it. “They aren’t. It’s my sister, Kate, who will want to know every detail. And as I said, she’s been trying to set me up with a bunch of her friends, so she may be a little...annoyed and full of questions.”
“Like what?” Now she was nervous. Her boss had been happy enough to see a living, breathing male next to her.
“Like how we met, our first date...” He scanned the busy bar for his family.
“We didn’t go over those things.” Shit. They’d spent most of the afternoon discussing her. She realized now she knew little about him, except that he was a cop and his kiss could do things to her she’d never thought possible. Probably not enough to win over his family.
“Just let me answer her questions,” he said with a wink.
A thought struck her then. “What about your parents? Won’t they be suspicious? Wouldn’t you have told them about the woman you’ve been dating long enough to bring to your sister’s wedding?”
He turned to her with a sad smile as he nodded. “Yeah, I would have...but they passed away a long time ago—a car fire when I was eighteen.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I’m sorry.”
“I should have mentioned it before now... Oh, there’s the group.”
Hayley turned in the direction he’d nodded. Oh, my freaking God. Had half of Los Angeles been invited to this wedding? Didn’t destination weddings mean just an elaborate elopement? Apparently not for Kate Hartley. Three long tables had been pushed together in the center of the bar to accommodate the group of about thirty people. “They all came for her wedding?” she whispered.
“Let’s just say my sister usually gets her way—all the time actually. People have a hard time saying no to her. Including me, which is why you’re here.” He winked.
That was right, she was his no-strings-attached safety harness to keep him from having to entertain Kate’s single girlfriends. Well, if a bodyguard against these crazy ladies was what he needed, she could certainly do that. She wrapped an arm around his waist, appreciating the feel of his muscular obliques beneath his shirt. God, he was sexy. “Let’s do this,” she said, heading toward the group.
He hesitated, moving slowly. “One more thing—Cooper’s going to know something’s up... So he’s probably going to be sending me those looks you got all evening from Lila, but don’t worry. He won’t say anything.”
“Why not?”
“I’ll kick his ass.”
She didn’t think he was joking. She’d suspected that Chase hadn’t been keen on his baby sister’s choice of fiancé, and now that she knew about their parents not being around, she could understand his protectiveness even more.
A second later far too many eyes landed on them at the sound of Kate’s high pitched “Chase!” as she climbed over the table bench to rush toward them.
“Brace yourself for impact,” Chase muttered as his sister—a six-foot Amazon—barrelled into them, claiming him in a hug.
Hayley quickly sidestepped the embrace.
“Kate, I’d like you to meet Hayley.”
Pulling away from her brother, Kate gave her a quick once over before she frowned.
Great, she hated her already.
“My girlfriend, Hayley,” he said quickly.
“Hi, Kate. It’s nice to meet you,” Hayley said, forcing a smile.
“You, too...” Kate said slowly, shaking her head. Her long dark hair whipped back and forth in a low ponytail. “Sorry, I’m confused... Chase hadn’t mentioned he was dating someone.” Her eyes narrowed slightly at her brother.
Crap. Those dark, piercing, perceptive eyes knew something was up. Hayley scanned the restaurant for the nearest exit, but Chase’s grip tightened around her.
“I didn’t mention it because I...uh...didn’t know how serious things were before.” He pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. “But I thought it was time for all of you to meet.”
Great, Chase—that was his cover-up? Now she was going to look like a heartless bitch when they conveniently broke up after this week.
But to her surprise, Kate’s face lit up. “Finally.” She turned to Hayley with a genuine smile this time. “We were starting to lose hope on this one and he’s kinda tight-lipped about his personal life. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone. Chase, why don’t you grab drinks?”
Oh, no, he couldn’t just leave her—he was supposed to be the one doing all the talking and explaining. “Um...actually, I’m okay.”
“I’m not,” Kate said. “Go,” she told her brother.
“See what I mean? Bossy,” Chase whispered. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be back in a minute.”
What? No. “Wait.” But he disappeared through the crowd and she was left at the mercy of his sister.
Fifteen minutes later she’d met everyone and remembered no one’s names, but at least she hadn’t had to answer any of the tough questions. The guest list consisted of mostly friends and two of Kate’s former wedding-planning clients. No other family members—aunts or uncles or grandparents—to worry about. Strange, but she’d take her blessings where she could get them. It seemed the four siblings were the crux of their family unit.
And with Chase back at her side, her worry eased. She would be fine as long as she avoided the single ladies plotting her death at the bar. Kate’s college friends and bridesmaids had left the group promptly after her presence as Chase’s girlfriend was announced. The three women whose photos she’d seen on the plane looked rightly annoyed as their competition for wedding sex with Chase that week was canceled.
Sorry, not sorry, ladies.
“So, how did you two meet?” Kate asked.
Her grip tightened on his hand but he gave a reassuring squeeze. “Actually, I put her in jail.”
Hayley’s eyes wide, she swung to face him. Whatever happened to meeting online or speed dating?
Last time she let him answer a question.
“What?” Kate studied her.
Cooper nearly choked on his beer and all the other ears at the table waited for Chase to explain.
Well, he certainly had everyone’s attention.
Hayley shifted from one foot to the other, waiting to hear what type of crime she was capable of.
“Yep.” Chase was nodding. “I arrested her along with a group of other attorneys who were protesting the teardown of the community center on Sixth Avenue.”
Oh, that didn’t sound too bad. She had participated in a peace rally before. Of course she’d been fifteen and dating a pot-smoking beach-surfer bum, and her father had shown up and dragged her away before the police could arrive and hand out fines for loitering in a public place.
Kate seemed thrilled by the meet-cute story. “Oh, my God, Hayley! How awesome are you? I’m big into protesting for good causes.”
“Kate once chained herself to an oak tree in Heritage Park for three days,” Chase said.
“That’s right. No food or drink, except water... No sleep... I was protesting the park’s anti-dog laws.”
“Did it work?”
“No. To prove their point, they allowed the dogs to wander free and well...”