Page 36 of Fake it With Me

My heart was breaking for this man. This big, strong, successful man who built an empire from nothing was terrified he might lose the one thing that actually mattered to him. Watching him pour his fears out in this old boathouse made me actually feel sorry for him. The man could have anything, but he couldn’t buy the one thing he wanted the most.

Although I had a feeling if he offered enough money, Sasha would take it. I didn’t get the feeling she was capable of loving anyone other than herself. And that was totally judgmental, considering I didn’t know the woman. But I didn’t like her. I didn’t like her when he told me about her, and after meeting her, I knew she was not a person I would ever willingly want to be in the same room with.

Something shifted inside me. At the end of the day, he was just a man. He worked himself to exhaustion trying to be the father his daughter deserved. He was restoring a boat with his own hands so he could share something meaningful with a seven-year-old. And he worried every single day that he wasn’t enough.

I stepped closer, closing the distance between us without thinking about what it meant or whether I should. We had made it abundantly clear that we were going to keep our distance in every form of the word.

But I felt bad for Darek. He was just a human. All humans suffered from anxiety and worry. I wouldn’t call myself an empath, but I wasn’t a psychopath either. I could offer comfort.

“You’re not going to lose her,” I said. I needed him to believe it as much as I believed it. “I promise you, Darek. You’ll figure this out. The truth about that photo will come out, the evaluation will go well, and the judge will see what I see.”

He looked at me, asking me with his eyes what I saw.

“You’re an incredible father who would do anything for his daughter.”

“We can’t know how the evaluation will go.”

“Maybe not. But I’m sure it will be great anyway.” I put my hand on his arm, feeling the tension coiled in his muscles. “You and Daisie are going to get through this together. You’re going to find a way to do what’s best for her, because that’s what you always do. And she trusts you with every cell in her body to take care of her because you always have.”

He looked down at me. Something in his eyes made my breath catch. Gratitude, yes, but also something deeper. Something that had nothing to do with custody battles or fake relationships or any of the reasons I was supposed to be here.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, and then he was hugging me.

Not a casual hug, not the kind of embrace you’d give someone you were keeping at arm’s length. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close. I could feel the rapid beat of his heart against my cheek. His hands splayed across my back like he was trying to anchor himself. And I was almost certain I heard him inhale my hair.

I hugged him back just as tightly, breathing in the scent of him, too. Damn, the man smelled good even when he was sweaty. Of course, he would.

The air shifted between us. Changed from comfort to something electric, something dangerous.

He pulled back slightly, just enough to look at me. One of his hands came up to cup my cheek. His thumb brushed across my skin, and I felt that touch everywhere, a current of heat that spread through my entire body.

“Liza,” he said, my name rough in his throat.

I tilted my face up toward his, my lips parting slightly. It was happening. We were going to kiss, and I didn’t care about the contract or the boundaries or any of the very sensible reasons we’d agreed nothing physical would happen.

I just wanted him.

He leaned in, his eyes darkening, his hand sliding from my cheek to the back of my neck. My heart was beating so fast I could feel it in my damn toes.

A massive crack of thunder exploded directly overhead, so loud and sudden that we both jumped apart like we’d been shocked.

My heart was racing, and not entirely from the thunder. I let out a shaky laugh, pressing my hand to my chest. “Shit! That was loud!”

When God himself was warning you not to kiss your boss, you listened. I took another step back. I could not get involved with him. It was stupid and reckless and I wouldn’t do it.

He ran a hand through his hair, looking as rattled as I felt. The lights flickered, and the rain intensified, coming down so hard it sounded like a million little drummers were on the roof. Through the open door of the boathouse, I could see the water churning, dark and violent.

“We should get back to the house,” he said. “Before the storm gets worse.”

“Right. Yes. That’s a good idea.”

I kind of wanted to be trapped in the boathouse with him.

Stop it.

Bad thoughts.

I would not think like that.