Page 10 of Love is Fake (Love is Everything #1)

Chapter

Four

I’m not sure what I expect when I arrive at what I’ve decided to call the Gray Mansion.

What I know I definitely don’t expect is to see a shirtless Lennox Gray.

His skin glistens golden as the sun kisses him in all the right places, accentuating his broad, muscled arms and the ridges in his abdomen.

He looks like nothing less than a walking, talking anatomy book cover.

But there’s more to it than that. There’s a smile as broad as the Atlantic on his face as he waves his arms around, gesturing something to the silver haired man in front of him.

If the truck had been a stick shift, there’s no doubt in my mind I would have stalled it. A grumpy Lennox has the potential to suck all the charm out of a room. A happy, smiling Lennox is a heck of a lot more attractive. Irresistibly so, perhaps.

The easygoing guy I’m watching is about a bajillion light years away from the surly, arrogant man I met yesterday.

I remember Kai’s assertion that I didn’t see Lennox at his best. Perhaps he was right.

I hope so for both Lennox and my sakes, because I’m not sure either of us will get out of this intact if he turns out to be that same arrogant asshole.

But then again, is this version of Lennox better?

You can kill someone with harshness just as easily as you can kill them with charm.

I sit in the truck staring like a creep until the man in front of Lennox - the gardener, I suppose - motions towards me.

Lennox turns his head, following the tip of the man’s finger all the way until his eyes land on me.

Despite the stutter in my heart, I keep my eyes trained on Lennox’s, watching as every ounce of glee slides right off his face, replacing his smile with something that looks more like a scowl.

I blink in confusion at the sudden change in his demeanor, once again realizing that I didn’t come prepared.

Not for a shirtless Lennox. And not for the version of him that’s staring back at me.

I break eye contact with him, grabbing my bag and phone so as not to let him see my discomfort at his abrupt flip. It’s as if he’s gone from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde in the millisecond he spotted me.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice him saying something to the older man before pulling on his shirt and stalking toward me. He moves like a predator, fangs already wet, appetite ripe as he prepares to tear his prey to shreds.

Maybe I should have backed down. Maybe I should have sat pretty and waited until I absolutely had to get out of the vehicle.

Unfortunately, that’s not the way things work out.

Before I know it, I’m opening the door, hopping out of the car, and just about managing not to trip over my own feet as I land.

Lennox takes another stride, landing him in front of me, making it even more apparent just how small I am and how larger than life he is.

“You’re early,” he says. It sounds like an accusation more than a statement.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a sickness of mine,” I joke, attempting to break some of the tension radiating off of him.

“I’m always early, chronically, except yesterday – but that was a whole other thing, there was a reason behind me not being on time, but then, you know that, you were there.

” I’m rambling. Dammit, I’m rambling so bad and so hard that every word I speak is annoying to my own damn ears.

On the long drive over here I thought about all the ways I was going to wow Lennox with my professionalism.

Blathering on at him was not one of them.

I’m usually able to project a front of credibility, even if I’m quaking in my sneakers on the inside.

But with Lennox, all that seems to go out the window and I feel as if I’m stripped bare under his dark gaze.

It’s especially unsettling as he just stands there in silence looking down at me with an impenetrable look on his handsome face.

“Shall we…get started?” I ask, if only to break this staring competition. If this is what Lennox is like off the rink, no wonder he has a reputation for being such an intimidating force when he’s on the ice.

Lennox makes a noise of assent, but his unimpressed expression doesn’t change one bit.

Well, this is sure going to be fun.

“Okay, great!” I overcompensate for his lack of enthusiasm, trying to turn myself into Little Miss Sunshine. “I just need to grab something out of my rental and I’m good to go.” I look around the driveway, not seeing the sad-looking car I arrived in yesterday.

“Kai drove it back to the rental company this morning,” Lennox says as if him taking it upon himself to make that decision makes total sense.

“You’re kidding.”

“Do I sound like I’m kidding?” he asks in that gravelly voice of his.

“I thought you wouldn’t let any of your staff drive my sad little car,” I remind him, knowing I’m needling him, but somehow unable to stop myself.

“Kai hasn’t ever done what I’ve told him,” he says with affection rather than the irritation I’m accustomed to.

“He had some business in the city, so it made sense for him to take it.” He shrugs, drawing attention to his broad shoulders defined beneath the thin grey Henley he thankfully pulled on before stalking over to me.

“You’ll be keeping the truck anyway while you’re working here so what’s the problem? ”

He frowns at me as if he really has no idea why I’m so bent out of shape about him making decisions about me that are totally out of his remit.

“Don’t you think this is something you should have discussed with me? Instead of just assuming I’d agree to whatever you think makes sense?” I’m proud of myself for sounding reasonable as opposed to pissed at being treated like a little kid who needs to have their decisions made for them.

Lennox looks at me as if I’m some kind of foreign species, probably because he’s not used to being challenged by anyone other than the opposing team on game day.

“No.” It’s the monosyllabic answer I’m expecting, but the gall of the man is still astonishing.

Arrogance, thy name is Lennox Gray.

I change tack. “My treatment table was in that car!”

“You won’t need it,” he says as if that were the point I was making. “We have an in-house massage suite next to the gym. Dec didn’t show you around?”

I shake my head. “I guess he was a little busy arguing with you .”

Lennox’s eyes flare at my back-chat and I wonder if I’ve just talked myself out of a job barely 5 minutes into the first day when a deep chuckle catches my attention.

Peering around Lennox’s huge frame, I see the older man he was talking to laughing at our exchange.

“I like this one, Lennox.” The Hispanic man winks at Lennox before setting his sights back on me.

“Miguel, encantado ,” he says and reaches his hand out to shake mine, smiling kindly at me.

I return the gesture without hesitation, even though it means having to negotiate the heavyweight binder with one hand.

Although they look nothing alike, something in Miguel’s gentle demeanor reminds me of my dad. The feeling is odd, but comforting nonetheless.

“Izzy,” I respond, “pleased to meet you.”

“And what have you done, Lennox, to make this lovely woman so angry?” Miguel arches a brow as he rounds on his boss.

I half-expect Lennox to snap at Miguel, like he seems to do with everyone else. Instead he just rolls his eyes at the older man, huffing. “Why do you assume I’m to blame? Maybe Isabella here has just woken up on the wrong side of bed.”

I can practically feel the steam start to pour out of my ears when Miguel speaks, saving me from whatever verbal beat-down I was about to lay onto my new boss.

“And what is it you do, Izzy?” There’s genuine interest in his eyes as he asks the question, making it a pleasure to answer, except I don’t quite get the chance, though.

“She’s my physical therapist-” Lennox starts. I put up a hand, wanting the ball back in my field. God knows, left up to him, Lennox will find a way to drain the life out of the occupation I’ve worked my ass off to perfect.

“I’m a physical therapist,” I tell him, giving him all of my attention and Lennox none. “I’m here to help Mr. Gray get back to full health, if he’ll let me.”

Miguel snorts at my thinly concealed dig at Lennox.

“Beautiful and bright.” He looks between me and the immovable mountain of a man next to us and drops his voice as if he’s telling me a secret. “I think you’ll be very good for him.” He winks broadly, suggesting he’s not just talking about repairing Lennox’s knee and I feel my cheeks heat.

Lennox clearly hasn’t missed Miguel’s tone, looking distinctly uncomfortable, which makes my own embarrassment totally worthwhile. Anything that’ll knock Lennox down a peg or two to the level of us mere mortals is a boon in my opinion.

“Stop flirting with her, Miguel, unless you want Maria to hear about it.” Lennox gives the older man a pointed look and Miguel lifts his hands in a gesture of innocence.

“My wife,” Miguel confides in me, patting me on the hand like an old friend. “And she would love to meet you. You come for lunch one day, yes?”

He’s so sincere, it’s as if I can feel the warmth radiating off of him. “I’d love to -,” I start before Lennox interrupts.

“We don’t know how long Isabella is going to be with us for.”

Ouch. Talk about raining on a parade. As if I needed any reminding that I’m here on a trial basis.

“Ah, that is a shame.” Miguel shakes his head, looking curiously between the two of us glowering at each other, clearly picking up on the tension. “But if you find yourself staying, it’s an open invitation.”

Miguel gives me a friendly smile before heading back to his plants and I find myself wishing he’d stay if only to provide a distraction from the impossible man in front of me.

“He seems nice,” I offer in a bid to break the silence.