“No, thanks.” Now that her laughter had stopped, Gavin could almost see the wheels turning in Christine’s brain as she became aware that she was alone with him in his hotel room.
“Would you feel more comfortable if I propped open the door?” He shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it onto the edge of the bed.
“I trust you,” she whispered.
He blew out a breath, surprised at how happy the simple statement made him. He loosened his bow tie then undid the top button of his tailored shirt.
“Christine, I want to—”
“I’m sorry,” she blurted. All the amusement from minutes ago had vanished from her features. “I shouldn’t have butted into your conversation with Schuyler. You don’t need my help to handle your sister and—”
“On the contrary. I want to thank you. You rescued me.”
She wrapped her arms around her waist, and he could see her knuckles turning white from pressing her fingers against her rib cage. “I’m not sure what possessed me to get involved,” she admitted. “I guess because you helped me with Bobby earlier.”
“Bobby is a putz.”
One side of her mouth curved, not a true smile but a step in the right direction. “That’s true, which makes our situations different. Schuyler is your sister and she cares about you.”
“She’s also relentless.” He took a step toward her, slowly, like he was approaching an animal that might spook at any moment. He didn’t want to spook her. “Would you like to sit down?” He inclined his head toward the couch positioned in front of the room’s large window. “We can talk about next steps.”
Her cornflower-blue eyes widened. “Next steps. Okay.”
He grabbed two bottles of water from the mini-fridge and set them both on the coffee table before taking a seat next to her. “In case you get thirsty.”
“You’re really not mad?” She leaned forward and slipped off the heels she wore, revealing the most adorable painted pink toes Gavin had ever seen.
Hell, when was the last time he’d been with a woman? Granted, he’d been busy with work so his personal life had taken a back seat. But he was too far gone if a glimpse of toenail polish could mess with him like this.
“Christine, I’m grateful. I’d already made up a girlfriend. You made her a reality.”
She tucked her legs underneath her. “And the kiss?”
“You’ll never hear me complain about a beautiful woman kissing me.”
She rolled her eyes. “I took it too far.”
“You were convincing.”
Color stained her cheeks. “Maybe I missed my calling. I should have been an actress.”
“Hmm.” Gavin didn’t like the sound of that. It bothered him more than it should to think she’d been faking the kiss, even though that was what this whole thing was. A fake. He forced a smile, unwilling to let her see his reaction. Best to keep things light and casual, and he could do that better than almost anyone he knew. “I’m hoping you’ll be interested in a repeat performance.”
Christine made a sound that was somewhere between a yelp and whimper. “Of the kiss?”
Hell, yes.
“Actually, I was talking about you acting as my girlfriend.” He ran a hand through his hair. “While I’m in Austin for the next few weeks.”
“Weeks?” She uncurled her legs and dropped her feet to the thick carpet. For a moment he thought she was going to bolt. Then she placed her elbows on her legs and rested her head in her hands. “Weeks,” she repeated on a slow exhalation.
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
Her head snapped up. “Like I’m a hooker?”
“Of course not.” He shifted closer. “What I meant to say was it will be easy for you.”
“You think I’m easy?”
“No. God, no.” He leaned back, raised his gaze to the ceiling, hoping for some way to salvage this conversation. When he found no inspiration from above, he looked at Christine again, only to find her grinning at him. “That was a joke?”
She nodded. “You’re different than I thought you’d be,” she said quietly. “Not quite as perfect as you look at first glance.”
“Is that a compliment or a criticism?”
She bit down on that full lower lip, and his insides clenched. “A compliment. It’s good to know you’re human.”
“I don’t usually like it when people tease me,” he admitted.
“Oh.”
“I like it with you.”
“I’m glad.” Another smile, this one almost shy. “I know you don’t think I’m an easy hooker. You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend so your family leaves you alone. We’d have a fake relationship. That sounds simple.”
Did it? Gavin wasn’t sure what to make of his feelings for Christine, but they definitely weren’t simple.
“Right,” he agreed anyway. “One of the law firm’s larger clients is based in Austin and we’re finalizing a merger with another financial institution. Everything should be complete by the end of the month. It makes sense that we’d be together now, and then when I go back to Denver, you can break up with me.”
“Like anyone is going to believe that,” she said with a harsh laugh.
“Long distance relationships are tough. I don’t think it will come as a huge surprise.”
“The part where I break up with you is going to be the surprise.” She sat back on the sofa, so close that he could feel the warmth of her body. “Your family knows you’re a bit of a playboy.”
“Am not.”
She rolled her eyes. “How many women have you dated?”
He thought about that, grimaced. “Since when?”
“I rest my case,” she told him.
“But this is different.” He took her hand, laced their fingers together and looked directly into her eyes. “You’ve changed me.”
Christine felt her mouth go dry at his words. She’d changed him?
“At least that’s what my family needs to believe,” he clarified.
“Schuyler
