Page 64 of Love Arranged
He shakes his head. “No, but what if I could get you more?”
Okay, I’ll bite for curiosity’ssake. “Like who?”
“A lot of people around here owe me favors. I’m talking about influential, well-connected people who probably have more in common with you than they realize.”
“And you’d call in those favors for me? I’m touched.”
His jaw ticks. “I’m doing this for Lily.”
“Because you want me to stay away.”
He nods.
“In that case, I don’t think she’d be too happy to hear about this conversation.”
If he keeps clenching his jaw, he won’t have any teeth left to grind. “She doesn’t need to find out.”
“Ah. Well, that’s a problem, then, because we don’t keep secrets from one another.”
“But you have no problem keeping them from us?” he snaps.
“Seeing as I’m not in love with you, no, I don’t.” My calculated reply only makes him twitchier.
“You can’t expect me to believe you two fell in love.”
“I mean, whether you choose to believe it or not doesn’t make it any less true.”
His forehead creases with concern. “I know if I loved a woman, I wouldn’t be so quick to hide it from the world.”
My lips curl at the corners. “What if I told you it was all her idea?”
Pushing Julian’s buttons has become one of my favorite pastimes. I bet it eats him up inside to know the pseudo-sister he puts on a pedestal would lie to him because ofme.
“There’s no way she would suggest it.” Julian shakes his head.
“Hm.” I give him a quick once-over, noting his rigid bodylanguage. “Think about it. What would I stand to gain by keeping our relationship a secret? If anything, I’d get to piss you off in a whole new way.”
His lips press together, their color turning white.
I can practically hear the gears in his head turning as he considers who benefited most from keeping the relationship a secret.
I thought I was done, but I can’t help myself as I say, “And Julian?”
He lifts his chin in silent acknowledgment.
“There is absolutely nothing you can offer me that would convince me to leave Lily—whether it be money, endorsements, or a guaranteed election victory. So bring up the idea again and I’ll show you what it’s like to be my enemy.” I get into my car and drive away, ignoring Julian glowering in my rearview mirror as I head home.
It takes Manny precisely twenty minutes to find out about my “relationship.”
Manny
You and Lily are a thing?!
Manny
WTF man. How could you not tell me? I thought we were close.
Manny
