fear of my lies being exposed. But we’re not talking about it. Why are you stalking me?”
He scrubs at his face some more. “Well, despite the fact that you can’t stand me…”
I shift in my seat. “I never said I can’t stand you. I just don’t trust you. You know the old saying. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I’ll break your nose.” I flutter my lashes and give him a fake smile. “And it’s such a pretty nose, it would be a pity.”
“Okay. I understand.” He shoots me a sidelong glance. “Although in fairness, people do change and grow and mature over time. I’d like to think I have. I thought we had a great time when we hung out. I was surprised you left without saying goodbye. I thought we could at least be friends.”
I arch an eyebrow. “You didn’t sneak into Bitter End and pull this cloak-and-dagger stuff to ask me that. Just so we’re being honest.” A sharp twinge stabs through me when I say that. I wish he’d contradict me.
Instead he answers with a huff of contempt. “Am I getting lectures on honesty from the woman who printed up a fake press pass and assumed a fake identity so she could sneak past my bodyguards?”
“Fine, we’re both big fat liars.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” His voice is sharp. He takes a breath and rolls his shoulders. “All right, I’m being kind of salty right now. In all honesty, I thought we really connected the other night, and I probably opened up to you more than I should have. Won’t happen again.”
I snort. “Oh, please continue. You’re doing great so far.”
“Fine,” he says, in a tight, angry voice. “I came back because I need you to pretend to be my fiancée again.”
“There we are. Look at you, telling the truth. Was that so hard?”
“I’m serious.”
“And I need calorie-free chocolate mousse and world peace. Life’s disappointing sometimes.”
“It sure is. But you’re going to do this, because the press is eating it up, which is good for both of us.”
“Why can’t you just keep using Monica?”
“Well, aside from the fact that Terra Jones kind of guessed who it was, and it’s too risky, Monica is also pregnant and starting to show.”
You know what else is risky? Spending time with the one man who has the power to break my heart into a million bitty pieces.
“Okay, so Monica’s out. Oh, tell her congratulations from me, please. Also, she needs to avoid sushi and hair dye and raw cookie dough. And coffee, wine, and acrylic nails. But isn’t there anyone else you could use instead of me?”
“Too risky. The more people who know about it, the more chance there is that word will get out. You and I need to go on a date ASAP, and Monica and Parker will go out somewhere else that’s very public on the same night, then people will see that I’m not sneaking around with my guitarist’s wife.”
“Well, this means I’m going to have to figure out a way to keep explaining my absences to my family,” I say. “And it’s going to be really hard. I’ll do it if you agree to play an extra night.”
His gaze goes frosty. “Look at you, Little Miss Cutthroat. Who’s been giving you shark lessons? I wish I’d had you on my legal team when I was negotiating our contract with Blue Blazes.”
My answering look is equally icy. “Well, you don’t reach this level of success without being a cold-hearted bitch sometimes.” Yes, I’m throwing his own words back in his face. Feels good too.
He shakes his head. “Wow. Just wow.”
“Enough with the dramatics already. I mean, you guys aren’t playing for free. Your tickets sold out within minutes, and for the second night you’re playing, they’ll sell out again. And we’re selling your merchandise at a dedicated booth for the entire month of August, with fifty percent of the profits going to your favorite charity. Let’s pick a date and a time to go out again, and I’ll start working on my alibi.”
He leans back in his seat. “Fine. We’ll play one more night. And you and I will go on multiple dates.” I start to protest, but he holds up his hand and cuts me off. “It’s not going to be that hard for us to get together. We’re coming to stay in Bitter End until our tour kicks off.”
“Did those spray-paint fumes cause brain damage? I swear it sounded like you