door. It was locked and she had to wait for him to open it.
He did so, then paused. “You look pale.”
“Gee, thanks.” Her headache had increased until the throbbing sounded like drums beating in time with her heart.
“It was that second shot. You would have been fine if you hadn’t had it.”
She wanted to yell at him that it was all his fault. If he hadn’t made her order the drink…But she couldn’t. He hadn’t made her do anything. She’d been nervous and had acted stupidly all on her own. Still, it would have been satisfying to get all huffy at Nick.
When she slid into the seat, he crouched beside her and made sure she was comfortable, with the seat belt adjusted correctly. She bore his attention for about twenty seconds, then slapped his hands away. “I’m not an invalid. I can do this on my own.”
He was close enough that she could inhale the masculine scent of his aftershave and see the clean, smooth line of his jaw. Damn him for looking so good and damn herself for being so nasty for no good reason.
“I know you’re not an invalid,” he said quietly. “You don’t feel well. I’m trying to make you comfortable. It’s going to be a long drive.”
Hannah prided herself on her control. She was a cop and she knew how to act in a crisis. Unfortunately, her hard-won skills seemed to have deserted her for the moment. She opened her mouth, couldn’t think of anything to say, then clamped her lips together as a blush crawled up her cheeks.
She ducked her head and stared at her lap. “Sorry. I’m not myself this morning.”
“Then who are you?”
His teasing made her smile. She glanced at him. He was staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. She rubbed her cheek, trying to brush off a smudge, then checked for loose strands floating free of her braid. Everything was in place.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. I was just thinking.”
But he never said what he was thinking. Right there, with her sitting in the passenger seat of his car and him crouched next to her, in front of whichever of her neighbors might be home and watching, in front of God and the whole world, he kissed her.
He leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers. Shock kept her in place for the first three seconds. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t move. She could only let her eyes flutter closed as she absorbed the heat and scent of him.
His lips were warm and firm, yielding, yet strong. He didn’t try to move much, or deepen the kiss. They touched nowhere else, at least not at first.
Then she felt his fingers on the back of her hand. A sweet, gentle stroking that sent fire racing up her arm. The pounding of her headache receded, as did the rest of the world.
He released her, raising his head slightly. She nearly moaned in disappointment. She told herself to get all upset and complain, to unfasten the seat belt, slide out of the car and slap him until his head bobbed like one of those toy dogs in the back of cars. She told herself a lot of things, all the while waiting for him to kiss her again, or worse, to mock her.
What he did was even more devastating. He cupped her cheek with his free hand and murmured, “Sweet Hannah.” As if she really meant something to him. As if this wasn’t a joke.
He leaned forward. She held her breath in anticipation. He covered her mouth with his and this time he moved. Back and forth, slow and sweet. As if they had all the time in the world. As if his legs weren’t cramping, which she knew they had to be. As if she was a delicate and precious person in his life.
Maybe it was the unexpected tenderness, or the hangover, or some weird placement of the moon and the planet Pluto. She didn’t have an explanation for her reaction, or for the fact that she leaned into the kiss and parted her mouth slightly in response.
Instead of deepening the kiss, he placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. For the first time in her life, she felt small and fragile. Delicate. Feminine.
Then the heat overwhelmed her, and all she could think about was how she wanted to keep kissing him forever. She could die happy right this moment.
At last he straightened. Hannah stared at him dumbfounded. Questions formed, everything from why had he kissed her to had he liked it as much as she had. But she didn’t ask any of them. Instead, she swallowed hard and tried to summon up some fury. Barring that, she wouldn’t mind going with a little righteous indignation. If Nick started teasing her, she would need something for protection. Right now, she felt very exposed.
He started to close the passenger door, then paused and leaned toward her again.
“Ten bucks,” he said.
“Huh?”
He winked. “The kiss. It was worth ten bucks.”
“I don’t understand.” He wanted money for kissing her?
“We agreed on four hundred dollars for the weekend. The kiss was worth ten bucks to me, so now you only owe me three hundred and ninety.” He started to close the door, then paused again. “In cash…or trade.”
Before she could say anything, he slammed the door shut and came around to the driver’s side. Hannah couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She stared straight ahead and wondered what on earth she’d gotten herself into.
Nick didn’t say anything as he started the engine. He selected a classical station on the radio, then pulled out and headed for the freeway.
She leaned back in the seat. Her lips still tingled. Ten bucks. The kiss was worth that and more. Originally, Nick had wanted a night of hot sex in exchange for helping her out. She’d been the one to insist on cash. Maybe, just maybe, she’d been a bit hasty in her decision.
* * *
By nine, they’d reached the northern outskirts of Los Angeles County. Nick pulled off Interstate 5 in the bedroom community of Valencia and they got coffee at a drive-through fast-food place. When they returned to the freeway, Hannah sipped the steaming hot liquid and wondered for the four thousandth time what on earth she’d been thinking. Was she crazy?
To make matters worse, Nick could read her mind. Just as she was starting up another litany berating herself, he asked, “Why are you doing this? What’s so important that you have to pretend to be married?”
She took another sip and pondered the question. Easy enough—except she didn’t really want to have to tell him the truth.
He glanced at her and quirked up one eyebrow. “You probably think I’m just being nosy, but the truth is I need some background information so I can get into my role. I’m more of a method actor. You know, feel the part and all that.”
Despite her apprehension, she smiled. “That makes sense. Okay, I’ll fill you in, but I have to warn you. It’s a long, boring story.”
“No problem. This is a long, boring drive.”
He’d always had a good sense of humor. That’s one of the things she liked about him. Not that she really liked
