Page 2 of Crash with Me (Seasons of Sizzle #3)

TWO

SETH

My heart is pounding in my ears as I take the bartender’s hand in mine. I hope my palms aren’t sweaty. I feel like they must be sweaty right now.

I meet the bartender’s gaping, green-eyed gaze. Please , I think as hard as I can. As if fixating on that word as I stare into her eyes will somehow make her hear it. Please just go along with this.

If you do... Well, I don’t know what I’ll do.

But she’ll have my never-ending appreciation for helping me get through this nightmare of a weekend with my dignity intact.

Kelly sucks in a breath. “Your girlfriend. Since when have you had a girlfriend?”

“Three months,” the bartender blurts out, her voice slightly husky and music to my ears.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve heard her speak. She didn’t utter a single word in the thirty or so seconds we had together before the happy couple descended upon us.

“Three months?” Kelly’s eyes narrow. “You’ve been dating for three months, and we haven’t heard about it?”

“Oh, you know how it is.” The bartender steps around the bar reaching my side, gazing up at me adoringly with the most beautiful pair of sage green eyes I’ve ever seen.

“We’ve been in that blissful new relationship bubble.

So caught up in each other, so happy, you don’t have time to even talk about it. ”

My dad, who has been silent since I dropped the bomb, watches us with his hawk-like stare. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Of course.” I blink, panic slicing through me.

Fuck. In the rush of asking for her help and in the shock of having her agree to it without having to drop to my knees and beg, I didn’t get a chance to ask her anything else. Like, ‘By the way, I’m Seth, your new fake boyfriend. What’s your name?’

Before I can panic, the bartender once again comes to my rescue. “My name is Heidi. We met earlier.”

Heidi. Some of the tension eases from my shoulder. Her name is Heidi. Well, at least I know one thing about her now.

“Right.” My dad’s eyes narrow. “You’re the bartender. How… convenient that you’re my son’s girlfriend.”

Shit.

This was a stupid idea. It’ll never work. I don’t know what possessed me to do it. I don’t even know why I came.

But when I found out my dad was marrying her , I had to come. And when I saw them walking toward me, smug looks of satisfaction on their faces, I couldn’t face them without some armor.

Beautiful armor with long, reddish brown hair pulled back from her creamy face. A black shirt and black slacks clinging to her shapely figure, showing off her full chest and thick thighs.

Fuck me, she’s stunning. I knew Heidi was beautiful when I saw her from across the room, when I walked through the door. But up close, she’s a God-damned work of art.

And, for some reason, this incredible woman has agreed to help me out. That thought strengthens my resolve.

“That’s actually how I found out you were getting married.” I give them stern looks.

“Really?”

“That’s right.” Heidi nods, gripping onto my arm and running her hand up and down my bicep, sending a hot bolt of lust straight through me. “I told him I was working a wedding this weekend while we were in bed this morning.”

If only I’d woken up in the same bed with her this morning. I can almost feel how her curvy body would feel cuddled up next to mine. Her smooth bare skin pressed against my body.

Her fingers tracing light trails over my chest, tickling the dark hairs smattered across it. My cock twitches.

I shift on my feet, suddenly uncomfortable. “When she mentioned the names of the bride and groom, I put two and two together.”

“We weren’t trying to hide anything from you,” Kelly says. “We just knew this might be hard for you given how we used to date.”

Heidi’s hand tightens on my arm. I cover her hand, silently letting her know I’ve got this.

With her standing next to me, I feel invincible. Or, at least, damn close to it.

“Yes, well.” I clear my throat. “I can see why you might think that. But I promise. There are no hard feelings.”

“Good,” Kelly all but purrs, resting her cheek against my dad’s arm. “Because we didn’t mean to fall in love.”

“That’s right, son .” There’s a hint of heat in the way he says. That. “It just happened.”

“The heart wants what it wants.”

“More like the dick wants what it wants,” I mumble under my breath.

Heidi snorts, but masks it with a cough. I dart a sidelong glance at her. While her lips might be pressed together in a line, her eyes are sparkling.

“What was that?” Dad asks, leaning his ear toward me.

“That’s why I’m here,” I say more loudly. “I wanted to show that there were no hard feelings. That I want you two to be happy.”

“That’s very mature of you,” Heidi says.

“Yeah, well.” I clear my throat. “I hope you have room for two more.”

“Of course. I’ll just tell the planner.” Heidi gives my dad a nudge. “Come on, honey bear. Let’s talk to her right now.”

Dad gives me a long, hard look. Like he suspects all of this is a lie. Like he’s trying to suss out whether or not I plan to unleash a trailer of goats to run rampant through the wedding.

I hold his gaze, not giving anything away. After they’ve turned and walked away, I release a breath and turn to Heidi.

“Thanks for that.”

“It was no problem.” She tilts her head to the side and lowers her voice. “So you decided to crash your dad’s wedding but didn’t think to bring a date?”

“I don’t know what came over me.” I shake my head, and keep my own words for her ears alone. “My sister let it slip during lunch last week. I spent the past few days pretending it didn’t bother me.”

“It’s understandable you’d be upset that your dad is marrying your ex.”

“That’s really not what’s bothering me.” I shake my head. “Okay, I won’t lie. It did bother me at first. No one wants their girlfriend to leave them for their father.”

“I wouldn’t think so.”

“But what really pisses me off is that they didn’t give me a choice. I was the injured party.”

“So you decided to crash the wedding.”

I nod. “I told myself I would be fine. That I could be a bigger person. But as soon as I got in here.” As soon as I saw my ex and dad giving me those smug-ass smirks…

“You needed back-up.”

“Exactly.” I take a deep breath. “Is there any way I could talk you into being my date for the weekend? I can pay you.”

“That isn’t necessary.” Heidi shakes her head. “If you can just cover the cost of my replacement for the reception, we can call it good.”

“Are you sure? You’re doing me a huge favor here.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

I eye her suspiciously. “Is it because you think I’m a sad sack and you feel sorry for me?”

I hope she doesn’t. Normally, I wouldn’t care. Normally, I wouldn’t give two shits about what another person thinks of me. Especially someone I met ten minutes ago.

But not her. I can’t explain why. I don’t want Heidi to feel anything remotely like pity when she thinks of me.

“That’s not it. Well”—she grimaces a little—“I’ll admit, I do feel bad for you. For the situation. But I want to help because, well… because…”

“Because?” I prompt, waiting for her answer as if my life depends on it.

“Because,” she gives a short laugh, “I’m so tired of seeing the nice guys lose and the jerks coming out on top. It’s time someone puts them in their place.”

“So you’re doing it for revenge?”

“Isn’t that what this all is about?”

I incline my head in agreement. “I suppose it is. It’s also about saving face.”

“It’s the principle.”

“Exactly.” I study her, keenly aware of the warmth spreading through my body and growing with every second I spend in her company.

I want her. Badly. That much is clear. I shouldn’t. If this is going to work, I need to keep a clear head. I need to think with my brain and not my dick.

And… I get the impression she wants me too.

That complicates things. Then again, maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe, if the sexual tension between us is palpable, no one will suspect that we aren’t really together.

Maybe it’s okay. As long as I don’t cross any lines that fuck this up and blow our cover.

After I help Heidi close up the bar, we leave the party room and stop at the front desk.

The clerk looks up bored from her magazine. “Can I help you?”

“I’d like to book a room, please.”

“We’re all booked.” She turns her attention back to an article about two co-stars who are supposedly having an affair.

“Oh no,” Heidi whispers.

My heart sinks. “Are you positive there isn’t anything? A broom closet? A couch in the lounge?”

“We’re all booked.” She flips the page. “There are no more rooms in the inn and all that jazz.”

Well, shit. “I guess I can fly home and come back in the morning.”

“That would take forever and you’d hardly get any rest,” Heidi says. “You’ll just have to stay in my room.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” She loops her arm through mine. “Besides, it’ll really help sell the fact that we’re here on a date.”

“True.” My shoulders once again relax. I didn’t realize how tense I’d been these past few days. “You’re saving my life, once again here.”

“I’m happy to do it.” She chews on her bottom lip. “There’s just one thing.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s no problem.”

“I hope not, but, well…” She shrugs. “There’s only one bed in my room.”