Baby, Don't Lose My Number (Fated 2)

He silently agreed.

Chapter Three

Mia still couldn’t believe he said yes. She pressed her clammy palms together, then rubbed them on the skirt of her cotton dress. Her pale green, halter style dress that probably showed too much skin, but she couldn’t resist it when she saw it at the mall yesterday. And it had been on sale, making the purchase extremely practical.

She was all about the practical.

Now she sat inside Jake’s truck. The both of them were silent as he drove to her boss’s house. He hadn’t even batted an eyelash when she made the suggestion last night. And that kiss…good Lord, that kiss. She would’ve stripped off all her clothing and demanded he do her right there against her car if it would’ve continued.

It was like her very dream come true.

He’d looked rather pleased with himself once she’d finally forced them to stop. Listened attentively when she told him what she needed from him.

Dress casual but neat, be quiet and attentive; he needed to act more than anything absolutely comfortable with her. As if they’d been together for almost a year since that was when she made up the little story. They needed to behave as if they were a true couple in every sense of the word.

“That won’t be a problem,” he’d told her in that warm, sexy voice. A knowing glimmer shone in his green eyes. As if he was going to enjoy every minute pretending to be her boyfriend.

He’d kissed her again. One single, gentle kiss that left her wanting more and then he was gone. Backing away from her so she could get in her car, he’d watched her start it, back up and pull out of the lot. She caught sight of him standing where she left him in her rearview mirror as she’d turned onto the street.

The memory of him watching her had left her feeling protected the rest of the drive home.

But could they pull it off today? If she could convince her boss she had someone else and didn’t much appreciate his not-so-subtle advances, it would be a huge relief. That she even had to worry about this was something that went against her better judgment but she really didn’t have a choice. This was her job and at the moment, they weren’t easy to come by.

She slid a glance in Jake’s direction. He’d dressed casual and neat, just as she asked. White polo shirt that offset his tanned skin and jeans, nice jeans that weren’t faded or had holes in them. His brown hair looked slightly damp at the ends, and he must’ve showered before coming to get her.

The thought of him naked beneath a hot spray of water sent her temperature spiking and she immediately banished the thought.

No point in getting hot and bothered just before she was at her boss’s house, right?

“Should we go over our dating history?” she asked, desperate to fill the silence.

He shot her a wicked grin. “We’ve been together nine months. You even stood by me when I was injured.”

Her brows lifted. He’d told her about his near fatal injury last night. It blew her mind he could be so nonchalant about it. “I’m a faithful girlfriend, I guess.”

“Yeah, you are. I know we need to convince this Larry guy that we’re for real. But we don’t need to give too many details, do we?”

“Not really. We just need to be in sync, you know?” He seemed totally on board but one silly slip and they would end up looking like fools.

“Absolutely.” He nodded once, focused on driving since the traffic suddenly grew heavy.

She waved toward the right when they came to an intersection. “Turn here.”

He did as she instructed, his movements easy, his posture relaxed. She envied his mood. Wished she wasn’t so wound up. It felt as if everything was at stake this afternoon. As if she needed to work her hardest at impressing a man who didn’t deserve all of her worry.

Her boss took total advantage of her, she was finally starting to realize. And yet…she couldn’t do anything about it. Not yet.

“Hey.”

She glanced up, saw that they were sitting at another red light and Jake watched her, a concerned expression on his gorgeous face. “Everything’s going to be okay,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze before he released her.

“I just need you to follow my lead. Don’t deviate,” she said, her voice weak, her entire body buzzing from his simple touch. He had nice hands. Big and strong and slightly calloused. She wondered what they would feel like sliding over her skin…

He flashed her a naughty grin. “Sorry. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” His gaze drifted down her front. She’d never been so brazenly checked out before until she met him.

She had to admit she liked it.

“Don’t know if I can maintain that promise, though, with you in that dress,” he added.