Page 29

Four weeks. I can handle that, right? Four weeks of pretending, of living in his space, of being close to him, and knowing he’ll never really want me. Just a transaction.

I force a wobbly smile. “And you’re offering me money to do this?”

Eddie names an amount so high my breath catches. I’ve never even seen that kind of money in my life. It would change everything.

But that’s not why I’m hesitating.

It’s not about the money.

It’s about the fact that agreeing to this means four weeks of being near him, pretending to be his, and then walking away when it’s over.

Because it will end.

I’m not stupid. I know how this works. He’ll go on tour, live his incredible life, and I’ll go back to figuring out mine. If I let myself fall for him—

No. I won’t let that happen.

He must sense my hesitation because he takes my hands in his, his thumbs brushing softly over my knuckles. My pulse stutters at the warmth of his touch, at the sincerity in his gaze as he murmurs, “Please, Laney.”

I exhale shakily. I’m being ridiculous. It’s just an arrangement. Four weeks. I can do this. I owe him this. “Okay,” I whisper. “But I don’t want that kind of money, just pay me a living wage.”

A living wage and no rent or food for a month will give me enough money for a deposit on an apartment and I can job hunt while I’m here and really figure my life out.

His head shakes. “The money is non-negotiable. I don’t care what you do with it, keep it, spend it, give it away for all I care, but I want you to have it for helping me.”

“Eddie, that’s insane. You’ve already helped me more than any other person I know.”

“That’s different. I helped you because I wanted to and, anyway, I’m responsible for what happened to you at my show.”

I reach for his muscular arm, the warm hard muscle beneath my fingers sending a pulse of heat straight to my abdomen. “Eddie, please don’t, you arenotresponsible for that asshole’s actions.”

“Baby, you got hurt on my watch.”

My eyes close, and the impact of him calling me ‘baby’ hits me hard in the center of my chest. How can this man reduce me to a quivering mass of hormones with one word?

“Still not responsible.”

His lips quirk. “Still don’t care. Just take it please, you can use it to get yourself a place of your own and play your music, or mine.” He winks, referring to me singing his song in the park. God, that feels like a lifetime ago.

I sigh. “Fine, you stubborn man, but I’m going to work while I’m here. I can muck out the stalls or something. I don’t know.” I wave my hand at the stalls as I watch the tension drain from his shoulders.

Eddie’s smile is slow and satisfied, there’s a flicker of something unreadable in his gaze before he moves slowly, intentionally. His hand slides up to the back of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair as he gently pulls me forward. My breath hitches—

And then his lips are on mine.

I freeze, shocked, my brain struggling to catch up. His lips are firm, warm, moving against mine with a tenderness that sends a shiver down my spine.

A whimper escapes me before I can stop it, and the sound seems to unravel something in him. Eddie groans, his grip tightening as he tilts his head, deepening the kiss. His tongue slides against mine, coaxing, claiming, setting fire to every nerve in my body.

I grip the front of his shirt, my fingers curling into the fabric like it’s the only thing tethering me to the earth. His hand slides down to my waist, pulling me closer, and my entire body melts into him.

God, I’m in so much trouble.

Because this doesn’t feel fake. It doesn’t feel like something we have to work at. It’s effortless. It’s electric.

Eddie finally pulls back, his breathing uneven, his forehead resting against mine for a beat before he looks at me. His eyes are dark, unreadable, but then he blinks, and that signature smirk tugs at his lips. “I guess we don’t need to worry about faking the chemistry.”

I swallow hard, my pulse a frantic drumbeat against my ribs. No, we definitely don’t.