Authors: Abby Reynolds
“You could have lived with me,” he said simply.
“That would have been too complicated
...”
Cash returned to this seat across from me. “You aren’t marrying him.”
“I don’t have a choice.” I refrained from telling him the arrangement Dean and I had. It wasn’t any of his business. Plus, it was awkward to talk about.
“I’ll marry you.”
What? Did I hear him right?
“Marry me,” he said. He held my gaze, his eyes looking intense.
“What…why?”
“I don’t trust him.” His voice came out angry. “All he cares about is money, not you or your well being. I know the business and I can take care of you. Plus, you think the bureau is really going to believe you married your agent for love? That’s an automatic read flag. You and I have no business relationship. It’s far more believable. And if they think you’re lying, they can kick you out of the country permanently.”
Shit.
“I make way more sense than he does.”
He had a point. “But what do you get out of this?”
Cash didn’t respond. “You’re my friend. I want to help you.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m never going to get married anyway. At least this makes my family happy. We have to put on a show so we
can put on a show for them.”
“You haven’t thought this through,” I said. “If we do get married, we have to do the whole nine yards. I have to live here with you and actually pretend I’m married to you. I can’t just go back to my apartment when we think no is looking. It will take a lot to pull this off.”
“You think I don’t know that?” he snapped.
Marrying Cash would be a dream come true. But it would also be extremely painful. I couldn’t sleep down the hall from him while he brought a girl over. I couldn’t do it. “I don’t know…”
“You. Aren’t. Marrying. Him.” The ferocity in his eyes made me flinch. “Period.”
Why did he care so much? “Cash, I can’t do that to you.”
“Don’t worry about me,” he said quickly.
“You’re doing so much for me. What could I possibly do for you in return?”
He rubbed his chin while he studied me. “Does that mean you’ve accepted my offer?”
“No…”
“These are my requirements. We are monogamous. I don’t want you fucking anyone else.”
Does that mean I would be fucking him…? I could get on board with that.
“And no lies. That’s it.”
“Does that monogamy rule go both ways?”
He seemed irritated by the question. “Yes.”
I liked that. I liked that a lot.
“Would you expect sex from me?”
He smiled. “What do you think?”
Yes. That was a definite yes.
“Now say yes. I’m not letting you marry that fucker.”
“Cash, you don’t even know him.”
“I don’t need to,” he snapped. “He’s no good for you. I am. You will marry me.”
I knew I already made my decision. Cash and I wouldn’t really be married but it would fun to pretend. I could live out my dream every day until it was over. “I only have to be married for a year before I get my residency.”
Cash didn’t have a response to that.
“So we can get a divorce then.”
“Is that a yes?”
Marrying Cash was more believable than marrying my agent. And I couldn’t afford to mess this up. My career and happiness depended on it. “Yes.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
♬
Cash Matthews
Holy Shit. I’m getting married
.
I promised myself I’d never get remarried, but I definitely wasn’t going to let Prudence tie the knot with some asshole. Prudence was supposed to fall in love with me over time and then I would ask her. That was the normal way to do it. But this could work too. If we were living together, she was bound to fall for me at some point.
Especially if our marriage lasted for a year.
Prudence stared at me from across the table. I couldn’t read her mind but she seemed happy. At least she didn’t reject me. And thank god she wasn’t sleeping with that fucker. I still hated him despite the knowledge.
She didn’t touch her glass of wine. I knew she was nervous.
“Where do we go from here?” she whispered.
“I guess you should move in.”
“Right now?” she asked incredulously.
“You only have two weeks, right?”
She rubbed her hands together. “Doesn’t that feel rushed?”
“You just need to be engaged in two weeks. The wedding can be afterwards.”
“You’re sure?” she asked.
I checked using my phone.
Thank you, internet.
“Yep. Now we need to get engaged. And it has to be convincing.”
“What do we do?”
I wanted to propose to her in the right way. And I wanted it to be good. “You let me worry about that.”
“What about your family
? Do you think they’ll really approve this?”
Not if they don’t know. “It’ll be fine, Prudence.”
“Are you going to tell them the truth?”
“No.”
“What about when we get divorced in a year? Won’t they be heartbroken over that?”
She seemed determined to leave me. We’ll
see about that. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Prudence finally drank her wine then pulled her hair over her shoulder. I could tell she was still nervous.
“Prudence, it’s still me. Don’t be scared.”
The emotion in her eyes told me something was bothering her. “What is it?” I asked. Now that we established we couldn’t lie to one another, I knew she’d reveal the truth to me.
“Pass.”
Or that. I leaned back in my chair and didn’t pressure her. It would take time for me to break down her walls—again. But I would do it for her. I wondered when we’d have sex again…my mind went to a dark place. “We should go get your things.”
“We?” she asked.
“I have lots of room in my Range Rover.”
Prudence seemed hesitant. But she was stupid if she thought I’d let her live with Dean for a second longer. They may not be sleeping together, but I’m sure he wished they were.
Not gonna happen.
Prudence was mine. “I need to talk to Dean first.”
“I can wait outside.”
“This all happening really fast…”
Don’t pull away from me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you.”
She relaxed somewhat.
“But time is of the essence, Prudence. We can’t dawdle.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Then let’s go.”
We got into my Range Rover then drove to Dean’s house. Having her in the seat next to me brought me back to earlier days.
Her scent filled the car and soothed my nostrils. She pulled her knees to her chest like she usually did because she was so small.
The stereo was off but she didn’t turn it on. That was something she always did.
I turned up the volume. “What would you like to listen to?”
She shrugged. “I don’t care.”
Yes, she did.
I put an Adele cd in. I hoped that would rekindle her affection for me.
A smile stretched her lips. “You like Adele?”
“She has a beautiful voice.”
“I like her too.”
Instinctively, I wanted to reach over and grab her hand. I loved feeling it on my thigh. It was my calm way of claiming her. But I held back the desire. I wondered if she wanted me to. When she held me the other night it seemed like she didn’t want to let me go.
I pulled up to the house then killed the engine. It was must be a
t least a five bedroom house and prime real estate. I was irritated this guy had more money than me. My testosterone levels rose as I prepared to go inside. We were about to have a pissing contest if he didn’t let her go peacefully. And if he was as obsessed with her as I was, he wouldn’t let her go without a fight.
Then I would bash his face in.
I walked with her to the front door. “I’ll wait out here.”
I could tell Prudence felt guilty for leaving me outside. It was extremely rude. And my girl was always so polite. “No. Please come in.” She put the keys in then opened the door.
When we stepped inside, I absorbed the architecture and decoration of the room. I immediately knew it was done by a professional. Unless Dean was gay.
She led me to the living room. “Take a seat.”
I never sat in the house of an enemy or ate their food. It was just wrong. “I’m okay where I am.”
Prudence turned down the hallway. “Dean, I’m home.”
I heard a door open and approaching footsteps. “That was quick.” He stilled when he saw me. When our eyes met, I knew he knew exactly who I was. After a cold look took his face, he extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I shook it. “Cash.”
“Dean.”
There
was no need for introductions. We knew exactly who the other was.
Dean turned to Prudence. “Everything okay?”
“I wanted to talk about the immigration issue.”
“Oh.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her.
“Cash offered to marry me.”
Take that, asshole.
“He did?” He processed the words then looked at me. “Why?”
Prudence answered for me. “It’s not a good idea if I marry my agent. Wouldn’t that be obvious? At least Cash and I have no connection. And people saw us date for months. It makes more sense.”
Dean looked at Prudence. “But is that good for you?” he said quietly.
An unspoken conversation passed between them. I’d give anything to know what they were saying.
Dean put his hand on her arm. A fire rose inside me when I saw the touch. I had no right to be upset but I couldn’t help it. “Let’s talk in private.”
No.
Absolutely not.
“Cash, we’ll be right back,” Prudence said.
“Take your time,” I lied.
They disappeared down the hall and left me alone. Dean raised his voice a few times but I couldn’t understand what he said. But the message was clear; he wasn’t happy that Prudence chose me.
When they returned, I saw the anger on Dean’s face.
Prudence stopped when she was in front of me. Every time she left my presence I forgot just how beautiful she was. When she reappeared, I was always reminded. “Dean is on board.”
That was a surprise. I nodded slightly.
Dean extended his hand. “Take care of my girl.”
Your girl?
“I’ll do that and more.” I shook it and kept the scowl from my face.
Ugh. I hated him.
“And keep her happy. A sad performer is a broke performer.”
“So you just care about your money?” I snapped.
Damn, I shouldn’t have said that.
“Cash!” Prudence hissed.
I knew I should apologize but I couldn’t.
Dean glared at me. “I just want her to be hap
py. Money makes no difference to me. I have plenty of it—more than you.”
My eyes widened at the insult. Now we were comparing the sizes of our dicks.
Prudence recognized my fury because she intervened. “We all have to work together right now.” She put her palm on my forearm.
That reduced my anger. I bit my tongue and kept my mouth closed.
Dean stepped away. “I’ll help you pack your things.”
When he was out of earshot, I turned to Prudence. “That fucker would be face down on the floor if it weren’t for you.”
The anger in her eyes caught me off guard. She was livid. I’d never seen her so upset. “Let’s get something straight. You do not disrespect Dean like that ever again. He’s my best friend and he was there for me when I had no one else. I love him, and I won’t put with someone treating him with anything less than he deserves. If you have any problem with that, forget our marriage.”
Wow. She really cared about him.
That made me jealous. “If you’re in love with him, maybe you should marry him.” I couldn’t hide the hurt I felt.
“I’m not in love with him,” she said gently. “But I do love him—a lot. You don’t know him at all. If you did, you’d like him. You don’t have to trust him, but I do. And he better get your respect.”
Whatever relationship they had, it was strong. I’d have to do some collateral damage to fix the situation. I clearly couldn’t win Prudence over by pushing away Dean. He had a huge part of her heart. “I apologize.”
“I’m not the one you should apologize to,” she said darkly.
I turned down the hallway where Dean disappeared. “I’ll be right back.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and watched me go.
When I entered his office, he was turning off his computer and shutting his drawers.
“What?” he snapped.
I closed the door behind me. “Can I have a moment?”
He watched me barricade us in. “Looks like I don’t have a choice.”
I stepped forward. “I’m sorry for the way I behaved. I just wasn’t sure if you had Prudence’s best interest at heart.”
He moved to the front of his desk then leaned against it. “More so than you. When I found her, she was living in a dump. Every night she didn’t feel safe. She barely had enough money for food. I took her in and gave her a place to live. I gave her everything she needed and never asked for anything in return. Then I got her a huge record deal. If you give a shit about her, the only t
reatment I should be getting from you is respect.” He stared me down, not backing down.
Since they didn’t have sex, I guess Dean wasn’t that bad. But I suspected he had feelings for her. How could he not? But Prudence didn’t feel the same way. I knew I should let it go. My possessiveness was clouding my judgment. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Prudence made it clear she really cares about you. So I
’d like it if we could get along.”
“I would too.”
I nodded.
“But if you hurt her, I will make you suffer for it. We are both powerful men, but I have enough resources to destroy your career and your livelihood.”
“That goes both ways.”
“But it’s still
a war that should be avoided. I suggest you don’t give me a reason to fire the first missile.”
I knew he wasn’t bluffing. “I’ll try to avoid it.”
Dean extended his hand. “Let’s try again.”
I shook it. “Thank you for taking care of Prudence.”
“I love her and would do anything for her.”
I couldn’t tell in what context. But it was obvious he did love her. “I’ll grab her things.”
“And I’ll help.”
The three of us went to her bedroom and carried everything into my Range Rover. She didn’t have a lot of bags, which made me sad. She’d been living out of a suitcase for a while. When she moved in with me, I’d change that. She’d have more things than she could handle.
“I forgot my instruments,” she said before we left.
We went upstairs into a small studio. The glass windows looked over the ocean, and there was every instrument you could think of. I watched Prudence as she held her guitar. She stared at the room
for one more moment before she took a deep breath. I could tell the room meant something to her.
She avoided my gaze and walked back downstairs. After everything was packed, she moved into Dean’s arms and let him hold her for a long time. They whispered to one another. The intimacy got under my skin but I held back my jealousy.
When Prudence pulled away, he gave her a kiss on the forehead. “This doesn’t change anything.”
“I know,” she whispered. She stepped back.
I put aside my jealousy and approached him. “I’ll take care of her.” I shook his hand.
“I know.”
I nodded then walked into the car.
When Prudence sat in the passenger seat, she stared at Dean for a long time. Even when I pulled away, her eyes never left his. And the sight broke my heart. She loved him.
After we turned the corner, she finally looked away. And there were tears in her eyes.
Why couldn’t she cry for me?