Page 14 of Clinch'd

With Lorri’s inspiration in mind, I painted my lids a soft neutral color that made my rather unexciting gray eyes brighter. I look less like me, and I actually feel pretty. Weird.

Beast and I arranged via text to meet at a bar down the street from the venue and although I didn’t want to, I paid for a rideshare over. I have a feeling alcohol will be the only thing to calm my nerves and the last thing I need is a damn DUI.

At the door, I exhale slowly and straighten my shoulders. I spot him at a table in the back, his head bent over his phone. The bar is nothing to write home about and I suppress a grimace when my shoes stick to the grimy floor.

To my surprise, he’s wearing a white button down and pressed slacks. I guess I assumed he’d be wearing his customary jeans and tee, because to be clear he doesn’t exactly exude a desire to conform to societal norms.

Although he still screams big and scary, it tones down the savagery a bit.

He glances up when I walk over, looking me over critically to my annoyance. I’m not a damn cow on the auction block.

“Damn. Where was that hiding?” he asks.

Huh. Glancing down in confusion, I frown. “It’s not good enough?”

Fuck. All that effort and money too!

“You look fuck hot. Didn’t think you had it in you.”

Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I shake my head as I sit down across from him. “That’s actually rude, you dick. Besides, I had half of it hanging out the other day. This is far more conservative.”

“Yeah, well guys like the challenge. Cooper will eat that shit up,” he says sourly.

I blink, and then say, “So you’re telling me, I’m more attractive because I covered the goods up?”

“Yep,” he grunts, taking a long swallow of his drink.

“Then why are you surrounded by half-dressed bitches all the time?”

“Because it’s all part of the business,” he says with a shrug. “Let’s go.”

Okay, thoroughly confused and disgusted, I follow him out, pausing with delight to find a limousine waiting for us at the curb.

I’m sure I look like a total newb as I glance around the interior in awe, but I don’t care. This is a luxury I’ve definitely never been afforded.

I’m running my hands over the cool leather while Beast broods beside me when he asks abruptly, “Why are you pretending to be your sister?”

“Technically she was pretending to be me,” I say dryly. “Either way, I don’t want her involved. This is stupid dangerous, and she attracts it just fine all on her own.”

He drops into broody silence again and I tune him out as I do my own fair share of brooding with fear and anticipation a lump in my belly. What if I can’t make this work?

What if Cooper Jackson laughs in my face or more importantly looks right past me? Shit.

When we arrive at the venue and I spy the red carpet and paparazzi outside, I falter. It never occurred to me that the media would be involved. Why, I don’t know. I mean the dude’s an MMA fighter. But shit, I don’t need the attention and I’m sure Beast doesn’t need to explain away his cousin.

“Um, I don’t think I should be seen with you in public,” I say cautiously.

“Why?”

“Because Lorri doesn’t know about this and she’s gonna be pissed if she sees me with you. Besides, aren’t people going to ask questions? I mean, it’s gonna be weird to say I’m your cousin, at least to your real family.”

“Lorri doesn’t know?” he barks, skipping over the rest of my statement.

“No! She follows trouble as it is. If I can do this and come out the other side unscathed all the better. But she’s too damn impulsive.”

With a sigh and a weird look in my direction he pulls out his phone. “It’s me. Is there a back way in?”

I’m on tenterhooks while I wait, going over all sorts of scenarios to explain this away to Lorri when he says, “I don’t care. Not tonight. Okay.”

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