Free One in a Million by Abby Gaines Page B

“Eli’s employment is between me and him. And right now, it’s hanging by a thread.”
    Eli felt chilled to the bone. How dare Jen poke her nose into his life, make things worse by blabbing to that reporter about the tension between him and Gil?
    She’d way overstepped the mark. The women he dated knew the score: keep it light, keep it brief, move on.
    This fake relationship is so over. He was better off without her. They would get through tonight’s gala, then he’d tell her the bad news. You’re dumped.
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    â€œJ EN ?” E LI RAPPED on the guestroom door. “You ready?”
    He’d thrown on his tuxedo in two minutes, and been waiting for Jen ever since. He glanced at his watch. What was taking so long?
    â€œComing.” Her voice was muffled.
    Eli scowled at the closed door. He hadn’t seen her since Cara had turned up to take her shopping. Smart lady that she was, Cara had discerned the strain between him and his so-called girlfriend—she’d put a protective arm around Jen, who she didn’t even know, and given Eli a look through narrowed eyes.
    He couldn’t exactly tell Cara that Jen had psychoanalyzed him in front of a reporter, scolded his boss and accused Eli of being a fraidy-cat.
    He couldn’t tell anyone how mad he was, he realized. As Jen said, the people around him were there for the good times.
    Dammit. “Hurry up, Jen,” he called. The later they arrived at this shindig, the more of an entrance they wouldmake, and right now he had a strong preference for a low profile. He hoped Cara had found Jen a nice outfit. Preferably one that didn’t involve a ball cap, cute though she looked in those things.
    She’s not cute, she’s the demon girlfriend from hell.
    The bedroom door opened.
    A hundred words fired through Eli’s mind and not one of them was cute .
    Sexy, gorgeous, amazing…
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” In a pose that was purely provocative but also, he’d bet, a hundred percent unintentional, Jen rested one arm on the doorjamb.
    The movement drew his attention to her curves in the peach-colored dress that clung in the kinds of places his mind wasn’t meant to be exploring. “I…uh…” he said, his mouth dry.
    â€œYou don’t like it?” she said nervously. Then realization dawned and a very feminine smile curved her mouth. “You do like it!”
    â€œIt’s not bad,” he groused.
    Her face fell, and he felt like a heel. She deserves it. Then she stepped past him, and there was a wiggle in her hips that hadn’t been there before. She glanced back over her shoulder. “Are you ready?” she asked, her voice cooler and more sophisticated than he liked to hear from her.
    He nodded. Then cleared his throat. “I like your hair.” Though he only said it to make up for hurting her feelings about the dress, there was no doubt her hair was pretty, curled loosely around her shoulders, highlights gleaming where the light caught them.
    She grinned, delighted, the sophisticate act gone. She twirled a lock around her finger. “Just as well, since you spent a small fortune on it.”
    As he held the car door open for Jen, Eli rethought hisplans for the evening. Not about dumping her; he still planned to do that. But maybe he’d get that kiss in first.
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    J EN FELT LIKE C INDERELLA at the ball. She’d never seen such a glittering crowd. The gala was in aid of a charity supporting people who’d suffered life-altering injuries in road accidents. NASCAR drivers and team owners had turned out in force to lend their support. The result was wall-to-wall glamour.
    The thing about Cinderella and the ball, Jen reminded herself, is that when midnight comes, it’s all over. The way Eli had looked at her when she’d called him a chicken, she’d be lucky to last that long.
    But someone had to defend him. Gil didn’t get to play fast