Page 24 of Good Girl’s Guide to Love (Guide to Love #4)

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” she says, point blank. “I’m not saying you have to sleep together. And it’s probably better if you don’t. Makes things confusing. But according to the public and the media? Linc Kincaid is officially off the market.”

I don’t even have to look over to Ainsley to know that her eyes are probably bugging out of her head.

“Fake date?” I ask again for clarity. “Who the hell does that?”

“More than you know,” Katie says. “Before we get too far, who knows that last night was a sham?”

“Wyatt,” I say. “Maybe Maddox.”

“My best friend Mia,” Ainsley says quietly.

Katie nods. “Good. Containable. It needs to stay that way.”

“Can we slow the fuck down?” I ask. “I didn’t agree to this. Neither did Ainsley. Plus, who the hell is going to believe this?”

“My siblings do,” Ainsley says, her voice a little louder. “They know me better than anyone, and they were already asking me all kinds of questions today. And I’m the least likely of my family to start randomly dating a celebrity. So if I can make them believe it, anyone can.”

Katie dramatically points to Ainsley. “See! That’s what I’m talking about! This is going to be great!”

I stand and shake my head, because the more she talks, the more this doesn’t feel right. “Ainsley, I’m going to go talk to Katie for a second. Wait here, please?”

Ainsley just nods and quickly looks down at her hands, as I summon Katie toward my door. Because I’m about five seconds away from kicking her out and telling her to come back when she has a better idea.

“You’re nuts,” I say. “No way this will work.”

“It already is,” she says, holding up her phone to show me a new video. This one is of us kissing, edited to some pop song I’ve never heard of. They’ve mixed in photos taken of us last night, but keep cutting back to the kiss. Which, I’ll admit, was a damn good kiss.

“Linc, all I’m saying is that in a matter of hours, the headlines went from ‘near fight’ and ‘back to his old ways’ to no one giving a shit about any of that. All anyone is talking about is the woman who tamed the Fury’s bad boy.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Sure, it would work. I know it would. But I feel guilty using Ainsley to help fix my career.

“I can’t do this,” I say. “There has to be another way.”

“I’m not taking that as a no,” she says, as she rubs her hand up and down my arm.

“Just think about it. Because if you really want to become a new Linc Kincaid, having a pretty girlfriend, who just happens to work at a children’s hospital, isn’t the worst way to do it. In fact, it might be the only way.”

I don’t get to say anything else as Katie brings her phone to her ear and promptly exits my apartment.

I keep thinking about it as I head back down the hall to Ainsley, who is probably having a small stroke over all this drama.

A public relations relationship? That sounds like shit out of the movies, not something in my real life.

Fake dating was one thing when we were making Dr. Dipshit jealous.

But to do this on a long-term basis? Asking her to give up part of her life to help me? That’s something I can’t ask her to do.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” I say as I take my seat back next to her. “What Katie suggested, it was un?—”

“I’ll do it.”

I don’t know if I’m more surprised that Ainsley cut me off or what she said. “Ainsley, I’m going to tell her no.”

“Or you can tell her yes.”

Where’s the shy woman I met last night? Or the one I bumped into at the hospital who said three words? “It’s not that simple.”

“It actually is,” she says. “See, there’s this thing called a cell phone. And when you call her, you say ‘yes, we’re in.’”

Now I’m laughing. “Sarcasm? Not what I expected from you.”

She shrugs. “It’s the caffeine. Makes me sassy.”

God, she needs to quit being adorable or I’m going to say yes to this crazy idea.

“I appreciate you wanting to do this. But really, you don’t have to.”

“I know. I want to. For both of us.”

Damn, I didn’t expect this kind of stubborn from her. “Ainsley, I say this with all of the love a fake boyfriend can, but are you still drunk?”

She laughs and stands up from the island, making her way to my living room like she already lives here. I follow as if I’m under a spell. And you know what? Maybe I am. That has to be it. She’s drunk, and I’m hexed.

“Katie’s right, this will help you,” she says as she sits on my couch. “I was scrolling some social media while you two were talking. I can’t believe just from a few photos how…everywhere….we are.”

“It’s nuts. And it won’t get better if we do this. But are you ready to have cameras following you around?”

“My building has great security. And as long as they stay off of hospital property, I think I can survive.”

I appreciate her courage, but I can tell in her voice that she’s trying to talk herself up to this more than anything.

“And then there’s the whole Jonathan situation.”

Oh. Yeah. Dipshit. “He’s the reason we’re here in the first place. I guess it would help you to have a reason at work to tell him to go fuck himself.”

She laughs. “The day I tell someone to go eff themselves is…well…who knows, now? I got drunk last night and sang karaoke. And I thought those things would never happen.”

Her lightness relaxes me a bit, letting me truly look at this woman. She’s willing to give up so much for me. I’m a virtual stranger. Sure, having a fake boyfriend to fend off an ex is convenient, but the long and short of it is that she’s giving up a lot for me than I am for her.

“Ainsley, are you sure about this? You’d be giving up your life, for however long this would go on.

I’m sure you have dates to go on. Actual ones with guys who can give you futures.

I’m not that guy, and I don’t want to be the one to hold you back.

Especially when I know that I can never be anything more than fake to you. ”

There. I said it. Cards on the table.

Part of me expected her to nod her head, agree with me, and gather her things and go. A shake of the hand maybe for an interesting night.

Then I remembered I’ve learned this woman is stubborn. So not only does she not waiver, she moves in closer and takes my hand.

Seriously, who is this enigma of a woman?

“First of all, there are no dates. Which should probably be more embarrassing to admit, but it’s the truth.”

She has to be just saying that. Men should be pounding down doors and starting wars for a chance with her. Hell, I almost did.

“And then there’s this.” She holds up her phone and shows me text messages from Dr. Dipshit.

Just the sight of him in her phone sends my blood simmering.

“When you were talking to Katie, Jonathan texted me, demanding I talk to him before work on Monday. He still doesn’t believe we’re together.

That he’d like to go into work with us patched up and already a couple again.

And I don’t want that, so believe me, Linc, this helps me just as much as it’ll help you. ”

“Okay, but?—”

She sticks a finger to my mouth, giving me a playful wink to go along with it. “Aren’t you the one last night telling me to get out of my head and do something scary?”

I give a small laugh as I feel a smile creeping in. “Using my own words against me?”

“I use whatever weapons I have,” she says. “So what do you say, Kincaid? Let’s do something scary and fake date.”