Page 29 of Hook Up

How nice for him.

“Not exactly. I told them our situation.”

My headache? It’s back with reinforcements. “Which is what, exactly?”

“I told them you’re my girlfriend.”

Chapter 5

Ryder

Greer’s eyes darken as a stunned sputter flies from her mouth. “Your what?”

“Girlfriend.”

“Why would you tell them that?”

Okay, not the reaction I was hoping for. “They have photos of us making out. I wanted to protect you. What would you have preferred I say?” A muscle jumps in my jaw as I cross my arms over my chest. She acts like dating me is on par with contracting the flu. “Being my girlfriend isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

“Do you realize how this makes me look? Forty-eight hours ago, you were living with another woman. Now, you’re in Vegas with someone new, andI’mthat someone?” She buries her face in her hands, releasing a loud groan. “I look like a homewrecker. Hell, I suppose Iama homewrecker.”

I grasp her knee, desperate to calm her emotions. It would thrill most women to have the paparazzi capture an intimate moment with me. Not my Greer—a fact that both entices and infuriates me. Hey, my ego is coming into play and it’s getting a bit of an ass-kicking at the moment. A womannotwanting to date me is not something I normally encounter, particularly when that woman is the only woman I want. “It’s not that bad. We can get pistachio ice cream. Does that help ease the pain of being my girlfriend?”

She snorts, shaking her head. She’s trying to appear aggravated, but I see the grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Ice cream doesn’t come close to cutting it. Does the whole what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas apply to your life?”

“I highly doubt it.” At least she’s smiling. I know this woman, she likes to appear tough as nails, but she’s a marshmallow. She also has a soft spot for me, or, so I thought before she melted down about our relationship status.

Greer drums her nails along the door handle and I see the gears turning in her mind, wondering what my ulterior motive is in this situation.

The truth? The media asked about Greer; I opened my mouth, and without thinking, I announced she was my girlfriend. It was an accident, of sorts. It just came out.

Not that I don’t want to date her. Hell, I want far more than that with Greer Hammond. But I hoped to wine and dine her, romance her slowly and steal her heart when she wasn’t looking.

Turns out I have far more finesse on the track than I do with love. Don’t get me wrong, I have no issues dating women, but I don’t love them. I wasn’t even certain I still loved Greer until she walked through the hotel entrance. When she called my name and our gazes locked, I knew I was a goner.

Who am I kidding? I never got back from loving her, and by the time this weekend is over, she’ll be equally crazy about me.

I suspect she already is if those luscious kisses are anything to go on. Damn that woman and her talented mouth. Shifting in my seat, I adjust myself, realizing I’ve had a hard-on since Greer walked back into my life.

Time to remedy that situation.

I grab the bottle of whiskey, pouring a finger into my glass. Best bet with Greer? Make her laugh. “I always told you that one day I’d date you.”

That did it. Greer’s face splits into a grin as she delivers a light smack to my arm. “You could have asked me first. Brought me flowers.”

“I can stop for flowers. Hey, Mike,” I call to the driver through the window, earning another smack from Greer, “can we stop by a florist?”

“You’re ridiculous,” Greer laughs.

“You want flowers, you’ll get flowers. I’ll buy the whole damn shop.” I run my fingers along her jaw, trailing them down her neck to dance between her cleavage. This woman has skin like silk, and I can’t wait to taste every inch of her. Leaning in, I capture that beautiful mouth, tracing my tongue along the seam in her lips until she grants me entrance.

But Greer has never been one to go down easily. Staying my hands, she fixes me with her dark stare. “That isn’t how it works, Ryder.”

“How would you know?” I ask between kisses, her mouth hot against mine. “You’ve only dated me for five minutes.”

As luck would have it, the florist is around the block. Literally. I haven’t even had time to sink into our kiss when Mike announces our arrival. Damn punctuality and green lights.

Greer shakes her head in amusement when the limo slows to a stop. “You’re not really going in, are you?”

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