Page 96 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

“Fuck no, Jax. Alden’s my bodyguard. I mean, look at us. Definitely not compatible.” Taking a better look at Alden, I noticed the motorcycle club vibe he had going on. Jess typically dated clean-cut guys with a little edge. This guy didn't come close to fitting that bill.

“Why do you have a bodyguard?” I poured myself a shot of whiskey and downed it before Jess could answer.

“A little safety issue.” She waved off my concern. “I’m handling it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I’d been so wrapped up in Lily and the book restoration I’d been a terrible friend to Jess.

“You seem to have enough to deal with right now.” She pulled up her legs and curled her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees so I could sit next to her. Even this late, every hair was in place, and knowing her the outfit she had on was the latest trend.

I settled into the spot she made for me. “You’re important to me. I don’t like the thought of you in danger, Jess. Let me help.” Nothing was going right today, and I was failing one of my best friends. She was in trouble and hadn’t even told me.

“Jax, seriously, I’m handling it. Just drop it for now.” She glared at me.

I grunted my displeasure.

“Angela says she really likes your Lily,” she murmured.

I nodded.

“Have you told her?” Her eyes studied me without judgment.

“No. What the hell am I supposed to say?” I gulped down another glass.

“That it’s not what she thinks. She’ll believe it coming from you.”

“Jess—”

“I overheard our parents talking. They think if they can announce our engagement in public, tomorrow night, it’ll force our hand.”

“Son of a bitch.” Could this get any worse? Why hadn’t I been up front with Lily before now?

She patted my knee. “It’s gone a little further than we’d intended, huh?”

“You could say that.” A three month long fake engagement had been a spur of the moment decision. We agreed to pretend until she didn’t have to worry about her parents shoving her off onto the asshole they’d picked for her.

“Jax, if you love this girl, you need to say something before it’s too late. I’m sure neither of our parents have kept it to themselves, and if she’s going to be at the ball tomorrow night, she should know.”

“I don’t know what I’m feeling, Jess. I like her, but what do I know about love?”

“More than you think, big guy.” She shifted her body to lay her head on my shoulder. “Let’s tell our parents the truth tomorrow night.”

“What about you, though? The whole reason you agreed to this was so your parents couldn’t force you to marry that asshole.”

“I’ll be alright. I’ve been busy making sure I can stand on my own two feet. They can’t hold money over me anymore.”

I threw my arm around her and hugged her close. She put up a wall of indifference, but that wasn’t who Jess was. The two of us were a pair, closed off to the world.

“I’m not crazy about leaving you defenseless,” I answered.

“Who says I’m defenseless? I’ve got Mohammad Ali as my bodyguard.” She flicked her gaze to the man, who held it longer than I thought appropriate.

I sighed. I hated backing out of our agreement especially, if it put my best friend in a tight spot. “Let me talk to Lily. I’m sure she’ll understand if I explain the situation to her. We can keep the ruse going a little longer.”

Jess gave me the side-eye. “I know you’re not dumb, Dr. IQ, but you know nothing about women.” She pushed out of my grasp and stood. When we were in high school, we’d taken an IQ test and she’d never let me forget I scored five points higher than her. With a quick kiss on my cheek, she waved goodbye. “Good night. We can talk more tomorrow.”

I leaned my head against the couch. I needed to figure out a way for Jess and me both to get what we wanted. With my worlds colliding today, I knew it was time to talk to Lily about the one thing I was keeping from her.

I only hoped she understood.