Page 12 of Pretend I’m Yours
Knowing that this man had connections on the police force made me uneasy. If she couldn’t trust the cops, then who could she trust? I certainly wouldn’t trust anyone to take care of the situation besides myself.
Not to mention, if I were to pretend to be her husband, there would likely be a chance that I might get to stay with her, at least sometimes. I didn’t care what kind of apartment or house she had, as long as it got me out of the hotel room a few nights a week while I looked for a place of my own, I’d be happy.
“I wouldn’t be opposed,” I said with a shrug. In the dark, the silhouette of her body turned toward me more than before. She was clearly looking at me, letting the pale light from the club illuminate my face. I still couldn’t see her features, but she was obviously studying mine.
My heartrate picked up, and I wished I could hear what she was thinking. Perhaps she was trying to decide if this really was a good idea, or maybe she was just as uncertain whether I was serious about my offer.
“Really?” she asked at last.
Again, I did what I could to read her tone. It was difficult to know what she was thinking, especially since I couldn’t see her face. But I was going to take the chance and run with it. If she was just kidding around, she’d be sure to cut it off before things went too far.
“Yeah. I mean, that guy is a real creep and it makes me uncomfortable thinking that he’d do that to you in a public place. If he was so willing to grab you like that in a crowd of people, what would he do if he were to get you alone?” I said with another shrug.
“You don’t want to know,” she replied. She turned away and I had to bite my tongue to keep from prompting her to give me some sort of answer.
“Well, he better not come near you again while I’m around. He’ll be really fucking sorry,” I said. “If you’re alright now, I’ll be heading back inside.”
She nodded, and I turned to go. I hadn’t even taken three steps before she stopped me. “You know what? Fuck it. If you’re serious about what you said, I’d be down to give it a shot.”
I turned slightly toward her. “Really?”
“Yeah,” she said. “You want to get out of here and go somewhere quiet where we can work out the details?”
I smiled the first genuine smile that had crossed my lips in a long time. Though it was the last thing I ever thought I’d do, it had to be fate. My friends were just telling me that I should do it, and there was a woman making the offer.
There was only one thing to say. “I’ll call a cab.”
6
Hannah
“Please, follow me,” the waiter motioned for the two of us to go with him through the restaurant, and I kept my eyes fixed on the floor in front of me as I did so. I wasn’t hanging my head. I’d long since learned how to have good posture and carry myself with confidence, but with the strange emotions that were swirling through me, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.
Drake had allowed me to choose the venue, so I opted for a place that was about halfway between the club and my house. It would be easier to make a fast escape if need be.
But there was something about the man that told me I wasn’t going to need to make that escape. Hell, there was something about him that brought out a side of me I didn’t even know existed.
I had only been half-joking when I told him he should pretend to be my husband, and I was rather shocked when he agreed to the idea. I’d heard of such arrangements before, but I’d never met anyone that I knew of who would do such a thing.
Not before Drake, anyway.
My immediate reaction was to tell him that I was kidding and there was no way I’d go through with the idea. But then, a little voice inside me stopped me. He had just saved me from my ex, after all, and there was something about him that just made me feel safe.
It was clear he didn’t want to hurt me. Quite the opposite, in fact. There was a fierceness about him when I talked about how Brandon had treated me; I truly believed he would stop anyone who tried to hurt me. Especially Brandon.
Not to mention, he was one of the hottest men I’d ever met in my life. He looked like he’d stepped right off a set in Hollywood. A chiseled jaw, beautiful, captivating blue eyes, and a body that was so hot it should be illegal.
