He was definitely cute. “Work, actually. A corporate retreat.”
“Corporate retreat—that makes you a...doctor?”
“Lawyer.”
His smile faded slightly.
“Divorce and family law,” she added.
The smile was back with a vengeance, bringing out the big guns—those two never-ending dimples in his five o’clock shadow that were even more fantastic up close. “That’s a relief. It would be a shame if we couldn’t be friends.”
A shame indeed. Terri-Lynn’s advice echoed in her mind.
Have lots of vacation sex—the best sex you’ll ever have.
She didn’t doubt for a second that this man could fulfill that fantasy. An image of his incredible body lying on top of her as those tempting-as-hell lips kissed her everywhere flashed in her mind, and a wave of heat crashed over her. It had been far too long since someone had kept her awake all night with mind-blowing sex. Hell, it had been months since anyone had appealed to her as a potential candidate.
What was she thinking? For all she knew, this guy was meeting someone in Maui and she had more important things to think about, like...um...surely, there was something.
“So, Hayley, corporate retreat—as boring as it sounds?”
“Let’s just say I’m looking forward to it about as much as you’re looking forward to the wedding.”
He grinned and oh, my God—the smile was perfection, the laugh was mesmerizing, but the grin was sexy and mischievous. “That obvious, huh?” he asked.
“You’re not flying with the rest of the wedding party,” she said, “and by the look of disappointment on your face when you barely made this flight, you were hoping the plane would leave without you. I’m guessing that duffel bag you somehow found space for in the overhead is the only piece of luggage you’re bringing other than the tuxedo that you’d rather burn than wear.”
He clapped. “You nailed me.”
Wouldn’t that be a dream?
“It actually sounds like you know something about avoiding weddings.”
“My best friend got married twice—last year...making me the maid of honor twice in one year.” Only for Terri-Lynn would she put herself through that. She just prayed her friend wouldn’t rush down the aisle again anytime soon.
“I thought all women loved weddings.”
“Common misconception. Women love their own weddings. Other people’s weddings just remind them how alone they are and create a panic—that their biological clocks are ticking and to hurry up and find someone before they die alone.”
“Harsh assessment,” he said with a note of amusement in his voice.
“I don’t sugarcoat much.” Which was exactly why she’d ended up in hot water over that stupid article. Maybe she needed to adopt a more bullshit-your-way-through-life approach. People who did that seemed to get into trouble a lot less.
“Should I be worried that I’m sitting next to a walking time bomb?” Chase asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“Nope, not me... I’m blissfully betrothed to a dentist who unfortunately cannot make this corporate retreat because he’s performing emergency dental surgery on Wednesday afternoon.” She toyed with the fake engagement ring on her finger.
Chase frowned as he cocked his head to the side. “He knows about an emergency surgery in advance?”
Good point. She was glad she’d tested her fabricated excuse on Mr. Heartbreaker Hartley. “Thank you. I didn’t think of that.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s a lie I’m trying to perfect,” she said, not really caring if she was making a bad impression. After this plane ride, she’d never see him again anyway. Both a relief and somewhat disappointing. He might be the only person on the tropical island she’d have enjoyed spending time with.
He turned in his seat to face her. “Okay, I think this is a story I need to hear.”
* * *
HAYLEY HANNA WAS by far the most entertaining, sexily compelling woman he’d ever met, Chase decided by the time she’d finished her account of her current dilemma.
“So, there you have it. I’m screwed unless I can convince my boss that I’m in line with the company’s core values.” Hayley kicked her feet free of her strappy sandals and tucked them under her on her seat.
Her perfectly manicured toes and deeply tanned legs didn’t escape his notice. In fact, nothing about her had. From the wavy blond hair, held off her face by her gem-encrusted sunglasses, to the light, crystal-blue eyes framed with long, dark lashes, to her full, bare lips that were just a shade darker than her skin. She was as close to perfect as he’d ever seen. And the way his body was reacting to the smell of her soft, intoxicating perfume surprised the hell out of him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d fought the urge to kiss a complete stranger and felt the pull of temptation to run his tongue along her neck to see if she tasted as good as she smelled. Her slight standoffish air helped put a damper on the spark sizzling between them as their flirty banter continued, yet somehow it made her that much more appealing.
“I find it weird that the firm puts so much emphasis on those things,” he said. “It’s your personal life. What should it matter if you’re married with kids?”
“In the board’s eyes, a single woman who seems to take on only female clients with major hate-ons for their husbands is not really presenting the firm the way they would like.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re winning cases. That’s all that should matter.”
“Do you want to tell my boss that?”
He paused as the most absurd idea hit him. Maybe he couldn’t defend her to her boss, but he could offer to help her with this charade. Be a stand-in for the man she’d just broken up with to help her get through this corporate retreat.
“What?” She frowned when he was silent.
“Give me a second—I’m working through something,” he said, rubbing his forehead. She seemed like a nice woman, crazy sexy, and definitely someone he’d rather hang out with that week than the marriage-obsessed bridesmaids. Of course, he had to attend the obligatory rehearsal dinner and the wedding, but the rest of his time was his own... Or at least it would be if his sister thought he was falling in love. And while love was never going to happen, the possibility of a vacation fling was far too tempting. “How about we help each other?” His mind was made up. Now to convince her—though she had admitted to briefly considering an escort service, so this shouldn’t be difficult.
“How?”
Removing his cell phone from his pocket, he opened his mail app.
“Don’t let the flight attendant see you,” Hayley said, scanning the aisle.
“It’s
