Page 19 of Under My Skin

I hated Braden Hicks with every fiber of my being. There wasn’t anything in the world that would change that because there was no excuse for the way he’d treated Amara. None. And if he’d never gotten her pregnant, she would still have been alive right now.

But this wasn’t about me. It was about Amara’s son, who I was now responsible for. I knew something had to give because I was barely keeping my head above water, and it wasn’t going to be long before I ended up drowning. No matter what I did, I couldn’t miraculously make reliable caregivers for Isaac appear out of thin air. That took money. Money I didn’t have.

The question was, could I actually do this? Could I let my nephew’s father – a man who wantednothingto do with this sweet little boy – take me on dates, show me off as his newgirlfriend, and possibly kiss me in front of cameras? Could I push my disgust aside and put on a convincing enough act to make the press believe we were dating…all so he could salvage his public image?

Before I knew it, the professor was walking back over to me and putting Isaac into my waiting arms. And the second I looked down at his angelic face, peacefully sleeping without a care in the world, I had my answer.

I could do this. I had to. Because I had to do right by him.

Turning to Morgan, I took a deep breath. “I’ll do it. Tell Braden I’ll meet with him.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

DANIELA

I feltlike I was going to puke as Morgan pulled up in front of Braden’s house. And not just because it was absolutely disgusting that he had the kind of money required to buy a house – no, scratch that, amansion–of this size just for himself.

No, I was sick to my stomach because it felt like what I was about to do was tantamount to spitting on my sister’s grave. This man was the reason she was dead, and I was about to hash out the details of letting him pay me to pretend I was his girlfriend.

“Hey, you okay?” Morgan asked as she turned the car off.

I took a shaky breath, and for a split second, I debated telling her everything. But I couldn’t, especially not with how close Malachi was with Braden. Iknewthey’d end up having words, and if that Vicki woman’s threats were sincere, that would end up landing me in scalding hot water.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just nervous. This feels like I’m selling my soul,” I sighed.

“You’re doing this for Isaac,” she reminded me. “And it’s not like you have to sleep with him or anything. The worst thing that could happen is maybe having to kiss him when there are cameras around.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“I swear, he’s a nice guy. A little bit of a man-whore maybe, but he’s not an asshole.”

I had to bite my lip to keep the sarcastic laugh that was bubbling in my throat from escaping. If she only knew what kind of person he really was. He might have had the rest of the world fooled, but I knew the truth.

“Whatever. Let’s just get this over with so I can go back to hating myself,” I muttered.

We got out of the car, and I opened the door to the backseat to get Isaac’s carrier and diaper bag out. Then Morgan led me to the front door and rang the bell.

I wasn’t sure why I was expecting some dude in a tuxedo to answer the door and usher us in, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for Braden to open the door, dressed in a tight t-shirt that showed off his toned biceps and a pair of jeans that hugged him in all the right places. And I also wasn’t prepared for the smile on his face and the dark brown eyes that almost completely disarmed me and put me at ease.

Almost.

Get a grip, Dani,I scolded myself.He’s a jackass. It doesn’t matter how hot he is or how nice he seems. You know the truth.

“Hey, Braden,” Morgan said as she gave him a one-armed hug.

“Hey, Morgan,” he said with an awkward chuckle before looking at me. “And you’re Dani. Mal and Morgan have told me a lot about you. It’s really nice to meet you.”

I wasn’t sure whether I should be grateful or upset that he didn’t remember me. On one hand, we’d barely said a handful of words to each other during that week in West Palm Beach. He’d spent time with my sister, not with me. But on the other hand, he’d had a fling with my sister for a whole week and had been dodging our phone calls for the better part of a year, and he seriously hadn’t made the connection?

Deciding to be grateful – since, after all, Iwasabout to talk to him about pretending to date him – I forced a smile. “Yeah, it’s nice to meet you too.”

“Well, come on in.” He stepped to the side and let Morgan and I walk in, then shut the door behind us. “Sorry for the cloak and dagger routine. I appreciate you meeting me here instead of in a public place.”

Right. Because no one could hear about the plan he was hatching to fool the world into thinking he was a nice guy.

“No problem,” I mumbled. “I get it.”

“B, is there somewhere quiet I can take the little man so he can sleep while you two talk?” Morgan asked.

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