The Silver Fox (Red's Tavern 3)

“So you really are a playboy,” he said.

I paused, looking down at the ankle boot, the Red’s Tavern sticker glittering in the sunlight coming through the windows.

“I don’t want to be one,” I said.

He leaned over the edge of the bed, filling my field of view above me. He pressed his lips to mine again, another simple, dry kiss.

But this time it felt different.

It wasn’t laced with adrenaline. It didn’t feel like a challenge, or like I was doing something crazy on a dare.

Instead it just felt comforting. Like Perry had known I was lying here in a little pity party about my personal life, and he’d come over to kiss me and make it better.

“Well, you’re not a playboy,” he said after he pulled away.

“Right,” I said, frozen in place for a moment. “Because I’m your… dutiful, loyal, loving boyfriend.”

“Much less awkward this time, right?”

“I think so,” I said. “Thank you, Perry.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” he said. “I’m going to be thanking you for a lifetime for coming to this reunion with me.”

“Oh, come on, we aren’t that bad,” a voice said from near the cracked door that led to the hall. Cameron peeked in a moment later, smiling at me and Perry. I sat up on the bed, smoothing out my hair into something that I hoped looked presentable.

“Cam,” Perry said, his face going pale again.

“Don’t listen to anything Perry says about our family. We’re all a nightmare. Perry thinks way too highly of us.”

“Well, you’re the only one I’ve met so far, but you seem tolerable,” I joked.

“Just wait ‘til you meet Mom,” Cameron said, nodding at Perry. “She just called. She’s ten minutes away.”

“We’ll be downstairs in five,” Perry said, and Cameron gave him a nod before walking off down the hall.

Perry and I were alone again. He got up to continue unpacking, but I just sat on the bed for a while, watching him. He started telling me things about various distant family members, giving me a run-down on all of the people that would be arriving tomorrow.

But after a while I found myself focusing on his lips as he talked.

And then a while later, I realized that I was wishing he would come sit down on this bed again and kiss me more.

Pretending I was his boyfriend made me feel like I belonged somewhere. Like I had a partner in crime, someone who would be there by my side no matter what.

It didn’t matter that it was fake, or that he was a guy and I’d never been into men before. My whole life, I’d been failing at having a real, long-lasting relationship, and even faking it with Perry was an incredible feeling.

Right now, I wanted more.

8

Perry

“Oh, hell no,” Rock said, gripping my arm as we walked into the Golden Goose dining room later that night.

“You’ll be fine,” I reassured him. “Dinner is just going to be Mom, Cam, Rachel and the kids. The rest of the family comes tomorrow.”

He shook his head, staring out at the big round table ahead of us, pointing. “I’m talking about that gigantic inferno waiting to happen.”

“The table?” I asked. “It looks great.” There were about a dozen beautiful white candles of all sizes dotting the center of the table, surrounded by flowers. It cast the table in a gorgeous amber glow.

“Candles are so much more dangerous than anyone realizes. On top of that flammable tablecloth, too? I’m going to be watching it all night.”

“Well, you’ll be able to protect us if anything happens,” I said. “Which it won’t.”

“Fires happen all of the time,” Rock said, clicking his tongue. He shifted on his feet, glancing down at the walker boot around his leg. He was wearing fitted dark denim jeans and a black collared dress shirt. I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes off of him all night.

He’d asked me for reassurance three times that his boot didn’t look “clunky” with the outfit. He had no clue that anyone looking at him wouldn’t be able to even see the boot. They’d be too distracted by how ridiculously hot he was.

He was still holding my arm as we walked over to the dinner table. We were the first ones to arrive, but as I pulled out the chair for him, I heard my mother’s voice from the entryway.

“There he is!” she said, already holding out her arms as she walked over to me, her lavender shawl billowing.

She wrapped herself around me in a tight hug. She smelled familiar—like home, with a light scent of vanilla and her perfume.

“Hey, Ma,” I said. It was the first time I’d seen her in person since we got news of Cam and Rachel’s divorce, and it was clear she was still taking it hard.

“You wouldn’t believe it. They’re already taking separate cars—”