Page 31 of Pretend Girlfriend

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” I explained. “But everything is going smoothly. The Cozarts are buying our story. Danicka loves me. Which means Landon will get me that job at DefTec.” I held up a finger. “But only if you don’t say anything.”

Theo leaned his elbows on the bar and laughed to himself. “I won’t say anything. The whole thing is actually kind of ridiculous, when you think about it.”

“I know, right?”

The two of us chuckled together at the bar.

“Listen,” I said. “If you’re upset about all of this and don’t want to see me again, I’ll understand.”

Theo turned to face me. “Joanna, there are three things about you I’m certain of. One, you’re super fucking hot.”

“If this were a date, that would earn you two points,” I said.

“Two, you can pull off a nose ring like a bad ass.”

I touched my nose. “I’m not wearing a nose ring.”

“No, but we both know you totally could if you wanted.” He held up a third finger. “Finally, I’m certain that I want to see you again. And not from across the table at a rehearsal dinner. In a hotel room. With room service on the way.”

“No spending limit?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Here’s a secret, Joanna. There never was a spending limit. I was going to order every item off the menu, and eat half of them off your body.”

A sexy tingle ran up my spine as I leaned closer to him. His lips were pursed together in a satisfied smile. I wanted to feel those lips all over my body again, just like in the hotel room last week…

Theo started to lean in for a kiss, and I closed my eyes. I wanted it, needed it. But the kiss never came.

“Probably shouldn’t do that,” Theo said, picking up both glasses of wine. “It would suck for everyone to find out and ruin things. Wait a little bit before coming back to the table.”

“I will.” I let my hand drop down between us, my fingertips caressing across the front of his pants. I felt his cock leap to attention within. “Oops.”

He glared down at me. “You did that on purpose.”

“Who could even know that?”

Theo flashed me a parting smile, then weaved his way back toward the private room. I watched him go, enjoying the way his chiseled ass looked in those slacks, before turning back to my tequila.

“Tito’s is better.”

I flinched and looked to my right. It was Austin, the guy with the smooth Texas drawl. Marisa’s friend. He was casually leaning on the bar, staring into the contents of his glass.

“I’m sorry?”

He pointed at my glass. “Tito’s vodka is better.”

“This isn’t vodka. It’s tequila.”

Austin shrugged casually. “Clear liquors are all the same.”

When I realized the implication of him being here with a fresh drink, my skin went cold. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to know you’ve got a secret. A secret you don’t want Landon to know about.”

The threat was palpable, but I felt a measure of relief. He thought I was cheating on Landon with Theo. He didn’t know Landon and I were faking our relationship.

What he thought he knew wasn’t much better, though. Should I tell him about the deal between me and Landon? After Theo’s appearance, the number of people who knew the truth was rapidly rising. The fewer people who knew, the better.

“Are you going to tell anyone about this?” I asked.

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