Page 78 of Obligation
“You’re ridiculous.” She held out her hand. “Well? Give it back. It’s not yours.”
He laughed even harder. “Oh no.” He shook his head. “I’m keeping this.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Is that your prize for winning this bet? You want me to give you the shirt?” She planted her hands on her hips.
He hesitated. He really did want the shirt, but he wanted something else even more. Reluctantly, he handed the shirt back to her.
She shoved it into the tote, then hid the plastic box beneath her bed. “Okay, lay it on me.” She crossed her arms. “What do you want from me?”
“Wow. Don’t sound so excited,” he teased.
“Are you going to tell me or not?”
He rounded the foot of the bed and stood in front of her. “Remember how I told you my sister owns a ranch?”
“Yeah,” she said slowly, drawing out the word.
“Well, every year, she has this huge fundraiser. A formal black tie affair. And every year, she hosts a bachelor auction.” He took her hands into his and brought them to his mouth. He kissed each hand, his lips grazing her knuckles tenderly. “My brother and I are on the auction block this year. Normally, I tolerate it for the sake of my sister and the kids she helps, but this year… Well, the idea of being sold to the highest bidder for a date isn’t quite as appealing.”
“Are you asking me to bid on you so you have to go out with me instead of a stranger?” she asked, her tone full of amusement.
“No. I’m asking you to go to Texas with me for the fundraiser and pretend to be my girlfriend so I don’t have to participate in the auction at all,” he said.
Her jaw dropped, and she blinked her wide eyes. “Uh… what?”
He used his hold on her hands to tug her closer. “I want you to go to Texas with me and—”
“Oh, I know. I heard you,” she said breathlessly. “I’m just trying to figure out if you’re being serious or not.”
“I’m dead serious, Carissa.” His heart pounded. What if he couldn’t convince her to go with him? “Spend a few days with me in Texas. Meet my family. Pretend to be my girlfriend and save me from the auction.”
“Wow.” She slipped her hands from his and paced the room. “I thought you were going to ask me for a date or something. But this?” She stopped, an incredulous laugh filling the space between them. “You want me to lie to your entire family?”
He frowned. “Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds really bad. But I’m desperate. Do you want me to beg? Because I will.” He dropped to his knees in front of her, hands clasped. “Please, please, please take pity on me.”
She shook her head, a beautiful smile lighting up her face. “You really are so ridiculous.”
“Is that a yes?” He flashed his sexiest, most charming smile.
Carissa chewed on her bottom lip, indecision warring across her face.
“I’ll owe you. Big time. Anything you want. All you have to do is ask,” he said. “I’ll even pay you if you want.”
She glared at him. “Seriously? You’ve gone from prostitute to pimp since we met. At least you’re moving up the sex worker ladder.”
Laughing, he got to his feet. “Are you going to answer me? Or do I need to keep begging? Because I can. I will. And I promise, my pleas will only get more ridiculous.”
“I doubt you can top anything more ridiculous than offering to pay me to be your pretend girlfriend.”
He raised a brow. “You underestimate me.”
She rolled her eyes and playfully shoved him, but he clutched her wrist and yanked her into his arms. He didn’t give her a chance to respond before his mouth was on hers. Her soft sigh of pleasure spurred him on. Kissing her was probably a mistake considering their current circumstances, but he had very little control where she was concerned.
“Please go with me, Carissa.” He nipped at her bottom lip. “I’ll buy you a pretty dress and sparkly shoes.”
She laughed against his lips and coursed her hands up his chest and around to the nape of his neck.
His hands, which had been on her waist, roamed around to settle against the small of her back. She arched into him like she had at the library, and just like that, he had an instant erection. He’d never needed a woman as badly as he needed her in that moment.
