She tucked a wavy strand of hair behind her ear before divulging the answer. “The company I was working for went bankrupt and I was let go. I’m currently jobless with no steady income, and I haven’t told my parents because they’d worry about me and insist I come back home, and that’s not an option for me. I’ve been sending my resume out, and I’m hopeful something will shake loose soon.”
“I’m sorry about that,” he said, knowing what a difficult situation that had to be for her.
“Thanks.” She gave him a faint smile as she rubbed her fingers along her temple. “I’ll get through it, but I’d rather make it happen on my own, without my parents constantly asking how I’m doing, how many applications I’ve sent out, and if I have enough money to buy groceries and pay my rent, which I do, for the time being, so there is no sense worrying them when I’m okay for a while. And honestly, the thought of moving back home with my tail tucked between my legs and giving up the independent life I’ve carved out for myself would make me miserable.”
She paused for a moment, and he finished off his burger and pushed his plate aside. Crazily enough, he sympathized with her dilemma
. “So, with everything going on with your father, you figured that not telling your parents about losing your job, and keeping up the pretense of having me as a boyfriend, would ensure that this visit would be calm and relaxing.”
“Yes, well, as calm and relaxing as it can be around my parents,” she said, her tone wry.
Before he could say anything more, their waitress came by to clear their plates and ask if they’d like dessert. They both declined, and once they were alone again, he leaned forward and braced his arms on the table.
“I’d really like to see the photos with the two of us that you mocked up to convince your parents that we’re a couple,” he said, curious to see for himself the results of that drunken night with her friend, when she’d originally come up with the idea of using him as her boyfriend.
She ducked her head, her expression tinged with embarrassment. “I suppose I owe you that much.”
He smirked at her. “As your protective, attentive boyfriend who kept your parents happy thinking that you have someone taking care of you, I’m beginning to think you owe me a lot more than a look at our photo album.”
Her eyes widened at the underlying innuendo in his words. What was originally meant to be a playful comment suddenly sparked an undeniable wave of slow, burning heat between them. The awareness that flashed in her gaze, the latent desire suddenly shimmering there, was reminiscent of that day on the university campus when she’d realized just how much straddling him had affected his body. Except now, there was no girlfriend keeping him from giving in to the attraction that was still alive and present and tempting him to see where it all might lead.
She was the first to break that telling connection, but the flush on her skin remained as she retrieved her cell phone from her purse to show him the pictures he’d asked to see. With her brows pinched together in concentration, the tips of her fingers moved over the display while he quietly studied her from across the table and pondered this seductive pull she seemed to have over him.
She was nothing like Amanda, who’d been southern-born-and-bred elegance and sophistication, and Peyton definitely wasn’t overtly sexual like a lot of the women who tried to get his attention with their excessively made-up faces, big hair, and skintight clothes that left little to the imagination. That was more Eric’s type than it had ever been his.
Truthfully, it was that girl-next-door presence and candid charm that fascinated him. She was sweet and adorable in public . . . but in private, he envisioned a naughtier version of Peyton who was sensual and uninhibited and didn’t mind getting down and dirty. And it also wasn’t difficult to picture himself as the guy who coaxed that side out of her.
Yeah, he imagined all the privileges a boyfriend would have when it came to seducing her. Indulging in slow, deep kisses against those full, lush lips. Caressing those small, pert breasts and pinching her nipples until she gasped his name or begged for more. Stroking his hand along that soft, wet spot between her legs and watching as she tipped her head back and moaned as she came all over his fingers.
Leo groaned deep in his throat as his dick pulsed much too enthusiastically, and he shifted on the bench seat in an attempt to make the pressure growing against the fly of his jeans ease up.
At the gruff sound, she lifted her gaze to his face in concern. “Are you okay?”
No, he wasn’t okay. He wanted Peyton, more than he had any other woman in a long time, and the knowledge was staggering considering he hadn’t felt this way since, well, Amanda.
He cleared his throat so he could talk normally. “Yeah, I’m fine. Did you find the pictures?”
She nodded and handed over her phone, which he took from her. The page was open to a Facebook page with only a few friends on it, and what looked to be her parents’ accounts, which told him this wasn’t a public profile but a private one for the sole purpose of perpetuating her relationship with him. Damn, she really had thought this whole fake relationship through.
He tapped on the “photos” link, and the first image popped up of him and Peyton standing next to one another in Times Square at night, which couldn’t be possible since he’d never been to New York. But it was definitely his face, and he even recognized his black jeans and the same leather jacket he was wearing tonight as his and remembered that particular picture being taken on an evening when he’d gone out with Eric for a few drinks. He’d posted it on his Instagram, where Peyton had clearly lifted it and altered the photo to suit her needs.
He scrolled through a dozen or more, marveling at how legit and official all the snapshots looked. As well as how much trouble she’d gone through to fabricate this whole façade with him. “Damn, these look like the real deal.”
“They look so good because my roommate, Gabby, is a graphic designer,” she told him.
He gave Peyton her phone back. “You’ve certainly convinced me that we’re a couple,” he teased.
She fiddled with her phone even as she met his gaze, appearing nervous once again. “I know all this is extreme, and I realize it’s a lot to ask of you to play along as my boyfriend for a few days to appease my parents, so I totally get it if you say no.”
“I’m not saying no . . . but I’m not saying yes, either,” he found himself saying, because truthfully, he wouldn’t mind spending some time with her while she was in San Diego for a week or so and reconnecting with her. But he did have responsibilities and obligations to think of. “I’d like to help you out, but I have work and running a business to consider.”
“Well, you do live here in San Diego where your company is located, which would help,” she pointed out, her expression hopeful. “We could give my parents an excuse that you’re meeting with clients while you’re in San Diego if you need to be gone during the day, then meet up at night for a few days, and for the wedding next Saturday. I leave to go back to New York next Sunday evening, and then that will be it as far as needing you.”
It really was a doable plan. A temporary fun time with Peyton, no strings attached. It couldn’t be anything more considering she lived in New York now. “I can’t commit to anything until I talk to my partner. Give me a few days and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.” She took a small notepad from her purse and jotted down her phone number. “Here’s how you can reach me.”
He folded the note and pushed it into the front pocket of his jeans to input into his phone later. “I suppose I should get you home.”