Page 6 of Pursued By My Grumpy Fiancé
“Hailey?” Landon says, walking up behind me.
“Oh, god, go away!” I say, spitting what’s left of the stomach acid into the plant.
“Are you all right?” he asks.
“Am I all right?” I stand up suddenly, almost knocking him over. “Is that a fucking joke?! You just told everyone out there that I’m your fiancée, despite the fact that I told you no! What is wrong with you?”
He smirks at me and this infuriates me even more. I shove him with all my might. He barely moves.
“Why on earth would you do that?” I ask, shaking with anger.
“Honestly, Ms. Dunn?” he asks, leaning up against the wall.
I raise my eyebrows in response.
“The truth is, I knew I had to make you mine from the moment I saw you.”
Chapter Four
Hailey
Asluckwouldhaveit, the event ended not long after Landon’s speech. I spent the rest of the event hiding out in the bathroom, pretending I was sick and had too much wine. This wasn’t too far off base—I was absolutely nauseous over the events that had just occurred. Landon sent Eleanor to fetch me from the restroom, where she doted on me and made me promise her a lunch that I knew I would never go to.
I step out of the bathroom into the hallway where Landon has been waiting for me.
“Ready to go, darling?” he says as he smiles at me.
The truth is, Landon is good looking. Scratch that. The man is downright gorgeous. His brows hang low, drawing even more attention to his eyes. Despite being blue, they’re deep and dark the way the ocean is when you swim well below the surface. His chiseled jawline is covered by the stubble of someone that has to shave often. His tall frame is well-complemented by his muscles. It’s clear he works out, but not too much. All of this just makes me angrier at everything that’s happened. At least if he was unattractive, it would make sense why he needed a fake fiancée.
I attempt a smile, but from the look on Landon’s face I can tell that it’s come out as more of a grimace.
“I’m ready,” I say.
He offers his elbow to me and I slip my arm through. We walk out of the building doors and the cool night air is soothing. It doesn’t get too cold in California, and the evenings are usually a lovely sixty degrees. I take a deep breath as we turn the corner to the building’s parking garage.
“No limo?” I arch an eyebrow.
“I had someone bring my car over. The limo is taking my mother and her friends somewhere else.”
On that note, I remove my arm from his elbow. He gives me a quizzical look.
“Now that we’re out of sight of everyone, I can find my own way home. You don’t need to take me.” The urge to get away from the man is growing by the minute. Landon narrows his eyes at me.
“Don’t be absurd. A bus or taxi would cost too much. A car ride with me is free. Besides, you haven’t even been paid yet.”
He continues walking into the parking garage and I sigh as I realize that he’s right. I definitely can’t miss out on tonight’s pay—I have next semester's tuition due soon. I groan and trot after him.
Landon takes a key out of his pocket and presses a button. A car chirps from the corner of the parking garage. He starts walking toward it and I hesitate for a moment. Should I really be following a man that I’ve just met into a dark corner in a parking garage? He could be a psycho for all I know. Wait, he is a psycho! He just announced to the world that I’m his fiancée.
He turns back to look at me.
“Are you coming?” He raises an eyebrow and shoves his hands into his pockets.
I probably should follow him, because I do need the money. Of course, I would have no use for money if I turn up dead. After a few more seconds I realize that if he was going to kill me, he probably wouldn’t have introduced me to the whole world as his fiancée. I start walking toward him and he turns back around.
We finally arrive at a shiny gray Tesla, the model with the wing doors, of course. I’m kind of surprised he owns an electric car, and not a Lamborghini or a Rolls Royce, or some other snooty rich people car. But since he owns a Tech company, maybe I shouldn’t be that surprised. He opens the passenger door for me and I slide in, fastening my seat belt immediately.
When he closes the door, I lean my head against the window, contemplating my evening. I went from being just a date for hire to a girlfriend and then a fiancée all in one night. I could feel irritation creeping into my skin the more that I thought about it. The driver’s door opened and Landon slid in gracefully. He adjusts the rear-view mirror and takes off his watch. He takes off his coat, unbuckles his cuffs, and pulls up his sleeves. I roll my eyes at how much of a diva he is and continue to stare out the window.
