If the picture she’d posted was anything to go by, she was very pretty and gave off a girl-next-door kind of vibe. Sweet, unassuming, and the complete opposite of the sophisticated, ambitious, more worldly women he tended to date. Which he chose purposely, because they tended to not be looking for anything more than a good time in bed, and neither was he.
Despite all his objections the previous evening, he was now admittedly intrigued by Evie Bennett, along with the reason she needed to hire a fake boyfriend.
She walked through the doors at 7:29 a.m., and he liked that she was conscientious enough to be on time. Before she spotted him, he did a quick inventory of her appearance. Definitely pretty, with beautiful, shiny brown hair that fell over her shoulders in soft waves. And Jesus Christ, she had the kind of generous hourglass figure a man could lose himself in for hours. The breasts beneath her purple blouse were round and full, and a pair of black skinny jeans outlined her lush hips and accentuated a great pair of legs. He couldn’t wait for her to turn around so he could check out her ass.
Yeah, he definitely liked what he saw.
Shifting on her feet, she glanced around the coffee shop, which was fairly busy with people grabbing a cup of designer java before heading off to work for the day. She bit her bottom lip anxiously, and when he finally stood up, she looked in his direction. As soon as they locked gazes, recognition lit up her face.
He made his way toward her, watching her check him out this time . . . her light blue eyes taking in his facial features, then a quick sweep of his normal office attire—a short-sleeved, collared shirt and a casual pair of khaki pants.
He watched the rise and fall of her breasts as she inhaled and exhaled a deep breath, as if gathering her fortitude before he reached her. The smile she offered him was tentative, and he returned it with a genuine one of his own meant to put her at ease. When he finally stood in front of her, he held out his hand in greeting.
“Evie Bennett, I presume?” he asked.
“Yes.” She slipped her hand into his, her skin soft and warm to the touch, though her grip was impressively firm. “And you’re Eric Miller?”
“I am,” he replied with a nod of his head. “It’s nice to meet you.” And shockingly, he meant it.
A light sweep of pink colored her cheeks. “Same.”
He nodded toward the counter. “Let’s order something to drink before we discuss business. I could use a dose of caffeine. How about you?”
She laughed lightly, relaxing a bit more. “Definitely.”
They joined the short line in front of the register, and he glanced from the billboard listing all the fancy beverages to Evie. “What would you like?”
“I’ll just take a regular cup of coffee.”
“Come on, you can do better than that,” he teased. “You don’t strike me as being that boring.”
She raised a brow, a glimmer of amusement dancing in her eyes. “You’ve come to that conclusion in the two minutes since meeting me?”
“Am I wrong?” he challenged lightheartedly.
“No,” she admitted, a smile tugging at the corner of her very kissable mouth. “I just don’t treat myself to a fancy cup of coffee very often. Normally, I’m too rushed in the morning to indulge myself.”
They took another step forward in line. “Lucky for you, it’s my treat and I insist you indulge.”
She tipped her head, drawing his gaze to the soft tumble of hair falling over her shoulder and how the ends curled right at the upper swell of her breasts. “Shouldn’t I be paying for this, considering the circumstances?”
“Absolutely not,” he replied adamantly, forcibly keeping his gaze on her face instead of her chest. “What boyfriend worth his salt would let his girl pay?”
“I haven’t hired you yet,” she reminded him cheekily.
He grinned. He wasn’t expecting Evie Bennett to be so impudent, and surprise, surprise, he was definitely enjoying their banter, and her. “True. Which means I really need to step up my game and impress you.”
And honestly, when was the last time he’d wanted to make such an effort with the opposite sex? The answer to that eluded him, because truthfully, he couldn’t remember being so fascinated and attracted to a woman beyond her physical features. Yet there was no denying that Evie’s feisty disposition drew him in and made him want to learn more about her. Which he needed to do anyway if she was going to hire him. And make no mistake, they weren’t parting ways until he’d sealed the deal, because she was in the market for a temporary boyfriend, and now that he’d met her, like his campy bio had promised, he aimed to please.