Temporarily Yours (Shillings Agency 1)

“Me too.” He shot her a surprised look. “Looks like our fictional kids are fucked.”

She laughed. “Guess so. But you’re moving way too fast for this fictional relationship.”

“Touché. Favorite food?”

“Steak and potatoes.” She sighed as they pulled into the parking spot. She really didn’t want to go inside. Didn’t want to start this whole charade.

They were so going to fail.

In fact, she’d bet they had a ninety-four-point-six percent chance of failing—and that was being generous.

Why couldn’t she be allowed to just enjoy her sister’s wedding in peace? Without a date, people would bombard her with questions about when she was going to settle down. Yet with a date, she ran the risk of having people bombard her with the very same questions.

She was damned if she did. And damned if she didn’t.

She checked her hair one more time. Lowering the visor, she asked, “Your favorite food?”

“Lobster and scallops.” He unclicked his seatbelt. “Are we going with my real profession, or are we making up a more prestigious one?”

Surprised, she looked at him, her hand half-way to her face. “Private security and past Marine? It doesn’t get any better than that in my family. They’re big on military and service men.”

“All right. So we’re telling the truth? That I couldn’t cut it in the Marines?”

She reached out and squeezed his thigh, but he still didn’t look at her. “There’s no shame in leaving the Corps. Most of your co-workers at your new job will be the same as you. Private security primarily is made up of former military. And private security is okay with my family too. I’m sure of it.” She hesitated, debating her next question about his time stationed abroad. “What happened over there anyway?”

He pressed his lips together. “Nothing. You ready to go in?”

No, she wasn’t. She’d rather sit here and talk about his life some more, and about what had happened when he’d been overseas, but she knew he was done. The topic was closed, and she had to respect that.

She had a sinking suspicion he was running from something, or someone, as if he felt he owed a debt and he had to sacrifice his own happiness to pay it. But she wasn’t going to push it. Now was not the time. Not after he was trying so hard to make tonight with her family easy for her.

“Let’s do this.” She opened the door and stepped out, her foot slipping on a patch of ice upon contact. Laughter and music trickled through the cracked door of the restaurant. Her parents had rented a hall out for the pre-wedding party. A few distant cousins huddled outside of the door, smoking and chatting. Normally, Kayla would be the responsible one. The one who took care of them all if they drank too much, making sure they all got into bed okay and didn’t puke all over themselves.

But not this time.

This time, she was going to forget about them and enjoy her sister’s wedding with Cooper at her side. She’d dance. She’d laugh. Maybe she’d even get a little drunk herself. Then, when she was done here, she would go home with Cooper and have crazy-ass orgasms all night long.

Take that, world.

Cooper came up to her side and slid his hand into hers. “What are the odds we’ll fail?”

She hesitated. Maybe she should sugarcoat it for the sake of optimism and all that universe crap. “Fifty-fifty.”

“Liar,” he said under his breath. “Give it to me straight.”

“Ninety-four-point-six, I’d say.” She stole a peek at him. “How’d you know I was lying?”

“You blushed.” He rubbed his jaw, his gaze on the restaurant door. “Do we love each other? How long have we been together?”

Kayla couldn’t stop focusing on that word. Love. Coming from him, it sounded…hell, she didn’t know. But it hit her hard for some reason. “Uh, yeah. We love each other. We should say it a few times, I guess. Get used to it. Lay it on me, big man.”

He stopped walking, cupped her face, and met her eyes. “I…I…I can’t. I’ve never said it to a woman other than my mother before, and when I do, I want it to be real. If I ever say I love someone, I’ll mean it. I can’t pretend that. But I’ll make sure they can see we’re in love.”

T

he way he was looking at her felt an awful lot like love, so that could totally work. And knowing he’d never told anyone that he loved them before kind of made her happy.

What the hell was up with that? It wasn’t as if he was ever going to say it to her.