Page 52 of Forever and Other Lies

“But you are a serial dater,” Jamie blurted out and then softened her voice. “Sorry, but you are, Jayna. You continually insist that you’re not interested in a relationship.”

“Maybe I changed my mind, okay?” she rebuffed. “But apparently, my reputation has come back to haunt me.”

Jamie pursed her lips and looked upward. “Then why are you pretending to date Derek?”

“To prove to Lance that I can do a committed relationship.”

“And Derek? Why would he go along with this?”

“So, he doesn’t get his legs broken.”

The furrow between Jamie’s brows deepened. “Did you threaten to break his legs if he didn’t go along with your plan?”

“No, not me.” Jayna laughed. “It was the father of one of his ‘two-dates max.’ Apparently, the man is well-connected with mob ties. Derek needs to start asking the last name of his potential one-night stands.”

“What about the pregnancy rumor? I heard you were pregnant, and that’s why you two are together.”

“No, of course not!” Jayna rolled her eyes. “That’s just what he told the mob Dad. He said we had to get back together because I’m pregnant. So not true!”

“Wow, Jayna.” Jamie took another sip. “You never take the easy road.”

“Never!”

Jamie stared into the crackling fire, a look of concern crossing her face. “I have a bad feeling.”

“It will be fine, Jamie.”

“You once had real feelings for Derek. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I was fifteen!”

“And he broke your heart.”

Jayna let out a heavy breath. “It’s only make-believe. I know it, and he does too.”

“Just be careful. I really am getting a bad feeling.” Jamie turned those intense, all-seeing icy-blue eyes directly on her, and she shivered.

Jamie was wrong, though. There was no way she’d be hurt by Derek. Sure, in high school, she’d been over the moon for him. All the girls had. Derek had been so devastating, with thick dark hair, carelessly styled, a deep olive complexion, and those intense violet-blue eyes that were always storm-filled. He had been dangerous and callous, and she’d been drawn to him even with the knowledge that getting close to one so volatile would end badly.

And she’d been right.

He’d been her first kiss and her first heartbreak. Her only heartbreak because she’d never let anyone get that close again. So maybe it was serendipitous that the one to turn her into a serial dater would be the one to help her open her heart again. As a bonus, she could make his life a living hell while doing it.

Chapter 26

His life had become a living hell. Fake dating Jayna Sutton? What had he been thinking?

He hadn’t been.

Desperation had clouded his judgment as he tried to save his career. He’d been desperate enough to suggest they post pictures from their staged date the other day. Naturally, his brother Ben had stumbled upon them and wasted no time sharing the posts with everyone.

Derek stepped into Patty’s Pub, silently praying that not everyone inside had seen the photos. His gaze landed on Ben sitting at a table with his best friend, Connor. Ah, little Benji. At the very least, Ben owed him a beer or two for poking his nose where it didn’t belong.

“Did you card him, Ivy?” Derek asked the server as she set a pitcher of beer on Ben’s table. Dipping a couple of fingers into Ben’s water glass, he swiped them behind his brother’s ear. “He’s just a baby. Still wet behind the ears.”

“I’ll show you wet behind the ears,” Ben grumbled, shoving Derek’s hand away.

“Oh, bring it, lil bro,” Derek chuckled as he pulled out a chair, sitting uninvited. “Hey, Connor.”

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