Page 22 of The Temptation
“Yes.”
So I’d thought. This little outing hadn’t been because he was willing to spend time with me, but rather his “kind” way of thanking me for my services and politely ending our arrangement.
Oh, hell no, Mr. Sutton. I’m not done with you. Not by a long shot.
A snort escaped me. “Tonight bought you some breathing room, but we’re not finished.”
“This doesn’t need to go on. My parents met you as the man I’m dating. They won’t continue pressuring me to leave. I’ll have some time to figure things out.”
I sat up and grabbed my drink. After another sip, I leveled a stern look at him. “Give your parents some credit. They met a guy you’ve just started seeing—someone who is younger than you and has links to a sad, dark past. In all likelihood, they think I’m nice but don’t honestly believe you’re going to keep me around for more than one more date.” Lifting my free hand, I pressed two fingers to my forehead and did my best imitation of Pierce’s mother, because when it came to Pierce’s personal life, she was the powerhouse of the couple. “Simon is a sweet dear, but Pierce needs someone who is older, more mature, and won’t remind him of that boy who died. It’s imperative we bring himback to Boston. Everyone knows that’s where you find a good gay boyfriend with proper breeding.”
Pierce choked. I didn’t know whether it was on his drink or air. He set his glass down on the table heavily and covered his mouth, gasping for air. “Fuck. Simon. Please, never imitate my mother and use the word ‘breeding’ at the same time.”
A cackle broke free, and I flopped into my chair. I hadn’t even been going for that joke. It just proved that under all that snooty propriety, the man who had been friends with my brother was still in there with his filthy mind.
Several seconds ticked by before Pierce was breathing easily and I’d stopped snickering like a lunatic.
“Well…” Pierce mumbled, dropping his gaze to his nearly empty glass on the table. He stared at the remaining amber liquid as it caught and twisted the light as if it held the answers he sought.
“Well, nothing. We have to convince them you are more emotionally invested than a one-night stand. You think they’re going to let you off the hook for that?”
Pierce’s expression soured, but he didn’t argue with me any further. He knew I was right, even if he didn’t like it. “What are you suggesting? You mentioned some social media posts?”
His tone was grudging, but I had expected nothing less from him. He’d already been pushed pretty far in dealing with me this evening, and I knew it was better to go slowly. If I asked for too much too soon, he’d say fuck it all, walk away, and move to Boston before anyone could talk some sense into him.
I hopped up from my chair and walked around the coffee table that separated us. I perched on the arm of his chair, held up my phone and, turning the camera toward us, I grabbed a series of pictures of us together. Not touching, but close.
“Less scowl, please,” I snapped while holding on to my smile. “We want your parents to think youlikebeing with me.”
Pierce’s face smoothed. It wasn’t quite a grin, but he at least appeared relaxed and content. He didn’t necessarily mind being in my presence. Not great, but it would have to do.
I lowered my phone and paged through the pictures, trying to find the best one while I remained seated on his chair. After a few passes through filters and tweaks, I uploaded it to social media with the caption “Finally able to make it official. We’re dating!”
“Does this work for you?” I inquired, showing him the post prior to making it live.
Pierce glanced at it, his frown returning. “Sawyer would fucking kill me,” he muttered under his breath.
I scoffed. “Whatever. Sawyer wouldn’t give a rat’s ass, I’m sure. Besides, if he was still alive, he’d know I was doing this to help you out of a jam.”
For reasons I couldn’t understand, Pierce’s mood plummeted, and nothing I said could salvage it. We left the bar not long afterward, but at least he didn’t argue with me anymore that we needed to take additional steps to convince his parents that he was in a genuine relationship.
His mood shift nagged at my wandering thoughts, though, as I lay in bed that night. I wanted to know why he was so anxious around me. Did he think Sawyer would have had a problem with our being together? That was silly. Why wouldn’t Sawyer want us together? My older brother had been a giant pain in the ass when I was growing up, but he’d always been protective of me. He’d wanted me safe, and he would have wanted me with someone who would love and care for me. Who could be better at that than Pierce Sutton?
No one, that was who.
Regardless, I’d get to the bottom of Pierce’s emotional turmoil eventually. I needed him to become comfortable with me. To let his guard down bit by bit. Not impossible.
Just really fucking hard.
7
PIERCE SUTTON
When I got homeafter that exhausting “date” with Simon, I had a series of messages from my so-called friends to contend with.
Sebastian
Wow. I didn’t expect you to make such a cute couple.
