Page 8

Hazel rolls her eyes. “Shocker,” she says, lifting her coffee and taking a slow sip before setting it back down with a quiet clink.

A beat passes before she continues. “Look, I have things I want to do with this money too. Expand my business, travel like I’ve always wanted.

So I get it, and I agree—feelings have to stay out of this. ”

I scratch my jaw, drawing Hazel’s eyes to the sight.

“I loved my aunt. That woman was more of a mother to me than my own, so I guess in some way, yeah I am doing this for her too. I know she thought we’d be good for each other.

Believe me, I’ve lost track of how many times she tried to set us up.

But it’s like I told her—love isn’t an option for me. It’s more trouble than it’s worth.”

“You sound… very cynical about the idea.”

“ Not cynical. Just realistic.”

She sits there, studying me, and something passes behind her eyes that I can’t pinpoint. Challenge? Determination? Understanding?

“You can try to figure me out all you want, Spitfire, but you’ll never get just how serious I am about this.”

“Who says I want to figure you out?”

“Your body is saying it.” I drop my eyes down her torso, watching her nipples pebble beneath her skintight pink shirt.

She crosses her arms over her chest, trying to hide the way I affect her.

And hell, if this weren’t already complicated, I might just focus on the physical attraction between us and explore that connection—how those legs would feel wrapped around my shoulders and hips, how those lips would look wrapped around my cock, her reaction when she finds out all the places I have tattoos and piercings…

“So we agree then,” she says, bringing me back from my dirty thoughts. “We’re just marrying for the money?”

I reach across the table with an outstretched hand. “Marrying for money, not love.”

She hesitates for a moment but eventually shakes my hand. “And Diane,” she adds. “I’m going to give half a million of my share to COPD research because I know that would make her happy.”

“Suit yourself.” I lean back again in my chair. Truthfully, I was already planning to donate some too. Weird that we both landed on the same number.

“And even though I think she was insane to think you and I would be a good match, going through with this is a way to show her just how much she meant to me.”

“You believe in life after death? That she’s gonna sit back with a bowl of popcorn and watch us try not to kill each other?”

Her eyes widen. “You don’t?”

I s hrug. “I don’t know what I think, but I do know that my life is being put on hold while we take care of this, and I’m not exactly thrilled about it.”

Hazel tilts her head. “It’s only six months. That’s nothing in the grand scheme of things.”

“I have a life down in Florida, okay? A job, friends, an apartment. Having to move here is going to put a wrench in all of that.”

She sighs. “Well, I guess that answers my next question about where we will live given that we have to live together.”

“Contrary to what you might think of me, I’m not a complete asshole.

I know you have a life and business here.

It’s easier for me to come up to Carrington Cove because my job is flexible with relocation, so that’s what I’ll do.

Plus, I have some things to take care of with my aunt’s estate, including selling her house. ”

“Oh. You’re selling it?”

“Yes. That’s what she wanted.”

She clears her throat and actually flashes me a tiny smile. “I guess you can live in my apartment with me, then.”

“Better than sleeping on the street.”

Hazel studies me again. “You know, for how close you two were, I wondered where you were those final days. I mean, I thought you of all people would have dropped everything to be here.”

Fuck. It’s already starting—the inquisition, and now the lies.

But that’s just how it has to be.

“Something came up and I couldn’t be here.”

“Like what?”

I clench my jaw. “It’s personal.”

She crosses her arms over her chest again. “You know, if we’re going to get married, there are certain things I should probably know about you.”

“ Our relationship will be on a need-to-know basis, Hazel, okay? And that detail is something you do not need to know.”

She looks as though she wants to argue but, thankfully, she drops it. “Fine. So, do we still wait until next week to tell Timothy about our decision?”

“Well, you said you’re busy, and I need to get back down to Florida—talk to my boss, my landlord, and pack my shit. So, I think waiting is the best option.”

“You’re not going to change your mind, are you, Gage?” Her voice is softer than it was before. She places her hands on the table, leaning forward slightly.

“Scared I’ll go back on my word?”

She exhales. “I mean…”

“Again, I’d be stupid to pass up this kind of money.” Without thinking, I reach across the table and place my hand over hers. The second we touch, it’s just as electric as I remember it—her skin just as soft. I retract my hand almost instantly. “I promise, I won’t change my mind.”

“Okay.” Her eyes drop from mine and she pulls her hands back to her lap. “I mean, I’d just hate to start planning how I’m going to spend my new fortune and then you take it all away from me.”

I arch a brow. “You thinking of leaving Carrington Cove and starting somewhere new with that kind of cash?”

She shakes her head. “I’d never leave Carrington Cove. This is where my family is.”

I shrug. “Yeah, family isn’t my thing, so…”

Her eyes snap back to mine. “You know you’ll have to meet them at some point if we go through with this.”

I h ate the way nerves crawl up my spine. Meeting families is something people in relationships do, not two people who are only entering into a marriage of convenience. “Do you want me to meet them?”

“I just don’t think we’ll be able to avoid it. My brothers especially are going to have questions.” She lets out a groan. “Honestly, their reactions are the only reason I contemplated not going through with this. But again…”

“We’d be stupid to pass up millions of dollars.”

She nods. “Exactly.”

“How many brothers do you have?”

“Three, and they’re all older. And just so you know, the stereotype of the overprotective older brother is real with them.”

“Great,” I mutter under my breath, growing more annoyed by all the details of this arrangement I’ve overlooked.

All I can see right now are dollar signs, but this is going to be much more complicated than just signing a piece of paper and trying not to kill each other for six months.

“So you don’t have family for me to meet then?

” she asks, pulling me back to the conversation.

“Diane was the last of them.”

She places a hand to her chest. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry, Gage.”

I hold up a hand. “I don’t need your pity.”

Her brows draw together. “It’s not pity, it’s compassion. Losing your family is…”

“A blessing when they’re selfish human beings, Hazel.” She blinks, taken aback by my response. “Look, just consider yourself lucky we don’t have to worry about my family being around to offer judgment too, okay?”

She stands from her chair, shaking her head and sighing audibly.

“Okay then. Well, this has been fun. Gosh, I can’t wait for the next six months.

” She rolls her eyes, and I get the feeling that will be a common occurrence moving forward.

“But I have work to do, and you obviously need some space, so…” She moves to turn away but I reach out and grab her hand before she can get too far.

Standing from the chair, I hover over her, her face so close to mine that I would only need to close a few inches to taste her lips.

Fuck. Don’t think about shit like that, Gage .

“Look. I meant what I said, Hazel. Feelings have to stay out of this, okay? I don’t do that shit, and I know that women say they can handle it, but—”

“I heard you, Gage,” she cuts me off, voice firm.

“And trust me, the last thing I want from you is any type of feelings. But for the sake of the next six months, I will tell you this: I don’t put up with assholes.

You might have some anger you need to deal with, or a shitty past that continues to haunt you, but you’re sure as hell not going to take it out on me. ”

My eyes widen in surprise.

Damn. Why does hearing her lay down the law like that make me hard?

Relenting to her intent to stand up for herself, I nod. “You’re right. I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that. I guess I just don’t know what to think about all of this still.”

She chuckles nervously. “Yeah, you and me both.”

“Look, I think the next few days will be critical for us both to get our heads on straight, then once we talk to Timothy, we can get this going. Because the sooner we do, the sooner we get our payday and can move on with our lives.”

She rolls her eyes again before taking a step back. “Just text me if you think of anything between now and then.”

“Okay.”

She heads toward the door, and for a second, watching her leave does something to me. An ache builds in my chest and my heart starts to race, but then I remember that my heart tends to do that for other reasons—reasons Hazel can never find out about.

Six months.

That’s all I have to get through, and then I can open up my own tattoo shop down in Florida, have financial freedom I could have only dreamed of thanks to my aunt, and get back to my life of solitude the way I like it—the way it has to be.

Because even though Hazel does something to me—makes my body react and my heart feel things I’ve pushed away for years—she can’t ever be a permanent part of my life.

I gave up on that idea a long time ago, and even a girl like her can’t change that.