Page 2 of His Fake Fiancé

And yet, she wilted every time.

She sucked in a deep breath and straightened her spine. It was past time that she moved on. Which was why she really needed to tell Jake no, there was no way she could do this for him.

Her lips seemed to have a mind of their own. “What do we need to do?”

Jake turned his gaze back to her, his mouth curving into a full blown, panty melting grin. The wall she’d just finished wrapping around herself crumbled like it’d been hit with a sledgehammer. “Just make it look like we’re together. Like we’re going to get married.”

Claire shook her head. “No one will buy it.” That thought sent her heart tumbling out of her feet and through the floor, right into the basement below.

“Sure, they will. We’re together all the time.”

Yeah, but they were only friends, and everyone with eyes could clearly see it. They probably also saw Claire following after him like a sad, lost, little puppy. And she was so not thinking about that right now. One crisis at a time, thank you very much.

“Yeah, but not like that.” Her cheeks exploded with heat, and she wanted to sink under the table, because at this point, crawling to the exit would be way less embarrassing. Talking about not having sex with Jake was so not what she’d had on her agenda tonight. Or ever.

“Of course not,” Jake said, shaking his head.

The sting of the words was like the shock of an icy shower. Was he trying to make her cry? Because that’s where this was headed if she didn’t get her shit together.

She’d thought by the time she turned twenty-six she’d be over this infatuation. Hell, she’d figured she’d be at a completely different place in her life, too. Not working six days a week in her family’s ranch office, working accounts and balancing numbers until her eyeballs bled. Or spending her Saturday nights drinking the same terrible beer at the same terrible bar. Just going through the motions, as the days blended together into one big blur.

But again, one crisis at a time. She needed to focus on her current Jake problem.

She took another sip of her beer, trying to fortify herself. “So, besides the fact this plan has such an obvious flaw—”

“That’s not what I meant, Claire.”

She looked away, glanced around the bar, unable to look at him right now. The slightly dingy ambiance around them was part tacky cowboy, part… well, she wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, it didn’t mesh well together. Also, the music was a touch too loud, the crowd a touch too familiar. It all made her skin itch, tight and uncomfortable.

When had tonight turned into such a depressing mess?

“I know,” she said, and looked back at him. It wasn’t like any of this was his fault. She’d never told him how she felt, even though there’d been a couple of times where she’d been tempted. It just hadn’t seemed worth it. She’d rather have him in her life as a friend, than not at all. Because, honestly, he was a great best friend, even if he was a little blind when it came to feelings and stuff.

She smiled, but it felt tight and fragile. “So, then, what’s the next step?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Jake grinned again and pulled something out of his pocket. He held whatever it was up, pinched between his pointer finger and his thumb.

Her heart zipped up from the basement and slammed back into her chest, where it thumped like hooves during a stampede.

The ring was simple, but beautiful. A gold band with some filigree leading up to a single solitaire. Somehow, the diamond glinted in the dim lights of the bar.

Jake grabbed her left hand and pulled it across the table. Before she could so much as blink, he slid the ring onto her finger. He looked up at her with that stupid, gorgeous grin, and her soul cracked right down the middle. “There. A perfect fit.”

She glanced down at the ring and then back up at Jake. He looked so pleased with himself, and she wanted to bawl like a baby. She looked back down at the ring. It felt like it weighed a million pounds. She didn’t know what to do with her hand anymore.

“Another beer?”

Claire tore her gaze away from the most beautiful, agonizing piece of jewelry she’d ever worn, and up at the man who had given it to her.

Jake was holding up his empty beer bottle, waving it in her direction. She must have nodded or something, because he gave her a single nod in return, grabbed her empty, and then headed for the bar. She watched him walk away, and realized she must be in shock, because she wasn’t silently sighing in appreciation of the sight.

Her gaze strayed back to the ring weighing down her finger. What had she just done?

Jake walked up and placed the empties on the bar. This was going way better than he’d hoped. Not that he’d ever considered that Claire was going to say no. He knew she’d see what an excellent idea this fiancé thing was. Making sure he kept custody of Olivia was the most important thing. The only thing.

To say his daughter had been a surprise was an understatement. Which, given his track record with women, it really shouldn’t have been. Although he was always careful, obviously something went lopsided that steamy Fourth of July night with Gina. Man, had that night been hot.

The bartender, someone Jake didn’t know, which was a bit of a surprise, walked over. She was pretty, in that screw-with-me-and-I’ll-snap-you-in-two kind of way. All dark hair and smoky eyes. Killer red lips. Very biker chick chic. Jake held up two fingers. “Two more.”