Free Dirty Deal (A Perfectly Matched Novel) (Entangled Brazen) by Christine Bell Page B

matter how her skirt crept up her slim thighs when she crossed one leg over the other.
    “Sorry about that. I had no idea about your food allergy,” she said, and his attention snapped back to her face. Which, unfortunately, wasn’t that much less distracting than the rest of her.
    He forced himself to focus on the road. “She’ll try to make something of it, but once she sees us out together more, she’s going to realize that it doesn’t matter if that part was a lie as long as she believes we’re really a couple. Just you being here helps, trust me. She’s aggressive when you’re around but not half as aggressive as she’d be if you weren’t.”
    Serena let out a low whistle. “That’s…something. So what do you think is in the pie?”
    He shrugged. “Apples would be my best guess.”
    “And roofies, I think. All I’m saying is, I wouldn’t eat it if I were you.”
    “I wasn’t planning on it,” he said. “She’s a terrible cook.”
    Serena nodded and leaned forward to open the glove compartment, then snapped it closed again.
    “What are you doing?” he asked.
    “Checking. You don’t know how long she was out here. Who knows what she could have done. Though I think the more important question is where are you going?”
    He’d cut through the parking lot and was heading west, the exact opposite direction of her house. “Throwing her off the scent, just in case. Trust me, you don’t want her at your doorstep.”
    “Is this what your life is?”
    “Why do you think the military seemed like a good option?” He glanced at her again as she chuckled. Bad decision.
    Jesus, she was gorgeous.
    He’d made every effort to downplay her looks since he’d seen her last. Had convinced himself that the moonlight and champagne had skewed his memory, making the fantasy of her way more compelling than she was in the flesh.
    But he’d been wrong.
    She was even more beautiful than he remembered, and that did nothing to help his resolve.
    He turned his attention to the road again. Time to bite the bullet. “You know, as awful as it is to deal with the crazy, I’m kind of glad we ran into Piper today.”
    “You’re glad? Seriously?”
    “Hear me out. We’re probably okay, but there’s no question that the cherry pie was a close call. I fulfilled my part of the bargain today, and we need to put a little time into making your half equally successful.”
    “I don’t think I follow,” she said as they turned down her street.
    “I’m saying we’ve got to be convincing and we’re…not. You’re a stranger.”
    “Well, not completely .”
    He glanced toward her, and her cheeks went a pretty shade of pink as she huffed out a sigh.
    “You know, sometimes I speak before I think. I’m just going to pretend that didn’t happen.”
    If only he could. Instead, memories of her firm, round ass in his hands as he drove deep into her tight heat ran through his head.
    He flipped on his blinker and pulled into the long driveway, saying a silent prayer for strength. “We’ve got to learn a little about each other. The reunion is next week, and then the wedding the week after that. So?” He let the question hang between them, gave it time to sink in. He had no doubt she’d see things his way. It was just a matter of getting her to agree to it.
    “What did you have in mind?” she said at last.
    “Well, we don’t have to get deep or anything. I don’t need to know about your pet turtle, Shelly, who meant the world to you or anything. Just stuff that could come up in a conversation. Let’s just keep it light. Are you free for dinner? I’ll pick up Chinese takeout. It’ll be casual.”
    Again, she sank into silent contemplation, and he couldn’t say that he blamed her. She was in the same boat as him. Caught between a rock and a hot place. It didn’t take a genius to see the chemistry that bubbled whenever they were in the same room together, and they’d be putting themselves there on purpose. Tempting