Fiancee for Hire (15 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Kelli didn’t remember drifting off to sleep. She also had no recollection of Mac getting up to pull the covers over them both, then curling his body around hers so they fell asleep twined together like two branches.

She opened her eyes in the morning to find his limbs intertwined with hers, his face slack and more peaceful than she’d ever seen it before. She watched him sleep for a while, replaying the last week in her mind. Not just the sex, though that had been nice.

It was the conversation from last night that stuck in her mind, the connection she’d felt winding slowly around them as he’d told her about Jillian. After he’d poured his heart out, she’d reciprocated with her own stories of her mother. She told him about the shrieking anger, the emotional instability, the frightening grip of mental illness. She told him about the lullabies, about ice cream in the park, and the way her mother held her hand when she’d taught her to skip rocks at the beach.

She’d also told him about the foster homes. About never knowing from one month to the next where home might be, whether she’d find herself abandoned by another family unwilling to care for an unruly teenage girl.

She looked down at Mac now, wondering why the hell she’d chosen him to open up to. God knows she’d never done it before, not with any man.

You know exactly why.

Fuck
.

She brushed a finger over his cheek, considering how long she’d had a crush on this man. Years. Decades, even.

Had she ever really known him?

Mac’s eyelids flickered open, a look of alarm quickly replaced by awareness of his surroundings.

“Good morning,” she murmured, drawing her hand back. “Sleep well?”

“Very well.” He ran his hand over her hip. “You?”

“Never better.” She swallowed, wishing she didn’t have morning breath and that her thighs weren’t stuck together with sweat. This was never as sexy as they made it look in movies.

“Thank you,” she said.

He angled up on one elbow and raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to have to be more specific. For fingering you in a restaurant, letting you cuff me to the bed, or telling you my deepest, darkest secret?”

She laughed, the sound bubbling up from inside her before she had a chance to stop it. “All of it, I guess.”

He looked down at the sheet, suddenly very interested in picking at a spot of lint. She waited, wondering what he was thinking. When he looked up at her again, his brown eyes were unexpectedly soft.

“I’ve never told anyone about that before,” he said. “About Jillian, I mean. About why she went to the car.”

Kelli swallowed, unsure how to respond. “Why me?”

“I’m not sure.”

She nodded. That was explanation enough. “Look, Mac—”

The words died in her throat. She wasn’t actually sure what she meant to say.

I never want to fall in love with anyone, ever?

I’m afraid I’m falling in love with you?

Both seemed exactly right and exactly wrong.

“We’re still good, right?” she said at last. “This is a business arrangement for both of us. I mean, you’re a great guy, and everything we’ve done has been awesome, but I’m not looking for—”

“Shhh.” He put his finger to her lips, halting the awkward flow of words that weren’t going anywhere anyway. “I’m not planning to vomit out some sappy movie monologue where I announce I’ve fallen in love and I want to get married for real and live happily ever after in a castle made of cotton candy.”

“I hate cotton candy.”

“Excellent. Something else we agree on.”

Kelli smiled, ignoring the funny pang in her gut that was either relief or disappointment. “Look, I’m not the kind of girl who settles down. Long-term commitment, marriage, relationships—none of those are things I’ve ever wanted or feel like I’m even wired for.”

Mac nodded, his eyes fixed on hers, his expression unreadable. “It’s why I chose you for this mission. Why this thing between us works.”

“Great. That’s great. Really.” Kelli swallowed. “How about we make a promise?”

He gave her a wry smile. “To love, honor, and cherish, ‘til death do us part?”

She laughed again, hoping he didn’t hear the hollow awkwardness in it. “Besides that,” she said. “I enjoy spending time with you. I really enjoy fucking you.”

“Likewise.”

“So how about we just agree to keep emotion out of the equation. No falling in love. Ever.”

“Ever,” he repeated, his expression solemn. “Deal.”

She smiled and raised one hand in a mock pledge. “I hereby solemnly swear I shall not fall in love. Neither rain nor sleet nor snow—”

“Are you making a vow or joining the Postal Service?”

“I’m trying to find the right verbiage for a solemn oath.”

He smiled. “How about over my dead body?”

“That’s pretty fucking solemn.”

“As in I’ll fall in love over my dead body,” he said.

“And I’ll fall in love over my dead body,” she repeated, trying out the words. “Yes, I think that works.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“Excellent.” She forced a smile, hoping she hadn’t just made a promise she was already on the brink of breaking. She reached under the covers, groping for him as a distraction from her own niggling doubts. “Shall we shake on it?”

He grinned and rolled away from her, taking his magnificent appendage with him. “You don’t know how badly I want to, but I need to go. Duty calls.”

“Doesn’t it always?”

“For both of us,” he said, bending down to pick up his discarded clothing. “Big day of castrating the city’s wayward feline population?”

“I’m going in at noon. Before that, I’m having brunch with Anna to discuss wedding music.”

“Right, of course—at the café Griselda likes. Good opportunity for her to see you doing wedding planning.”

“Should I invite your mom?”

“That’ll make it more authentic. I’ll ask Hank to take you, make sure you stay safe.”

“Okay.”

Mac dropped his clothes in a wicker hamper beside the closet before stooping down beside her. “I’ll see you tonight, then. Dinner with Zapata and some of his associates. Wear something sexy.” He kissed her swiftly, then rose and made his way to the bathroom.

She heard the shower switch on and thought about joining him. She imagined herself running soapy hands over his torso, fingers exploring every sinewy limb and curve of muscle.

No. Make some space between you. It’s better that way
.

She rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of pink yoga pants, determined to uphold the vow she’d just made.

…

An hour later, Kelli was showered, dressed, and seated at a quaint café in Todos Santos, sipping an iced tea while Anna and Stella prattled on about wedding themes.

“So you specialize in offbeat weddings?” Stella asked Anna as she stirred creamer into her coffee. “Tell me about the strangest wedding you’ve ever planned.”

“Well, there was this one time the bride wore a plaid rubber bodysuit and the groom had this loincloth with studs all around his—”

Kelli’s mind drifted away from the conversation as she scanned the crowd for Griz. So far, she hadn’t spotted her, but Mac had said she didn’t come every day. The point was to be seen in public as much as possible, playing the role of an eager, blushing bride so consumed with love it practically oozed from her pores.

She smoothed a hand over her arm, thinking her pores and every other component of her flesh was still tingling from Mac’s kiss good-bye that morning.

It’s just physical attraction. God knows you’ve had that before.

Not like this. Never like this
.

“—and then the bridesmaids and groomsmen built a human pyramid while the bride and groom walked down the aisle to ‘Livin la Vida Loca,’” Anna finished.

Kelli pulled her attention back to the conversation as Stella set her coffee cup down on its saucer. “That’s really something,” she said. “Will you girls excuse me a moment? I need to visit the ladies’ room.”

Kelli reached for another packet of sugar while Anna’s gaze followed the older woman down the hall. The instant Stella was out of earshot, Anna grabbed Kelli’s arm.

“Okay, what gives? Spill it, girlfriend.”

Kelli blinked at her, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Your mind is a million miles away. Either you’re contemplating the existentialist philosophy of moralism, or you’re having second thoughts about this wedding.”

“I always did enjoy existentialism.”

“Bullshit. I’m a wedding planner. I’ve seen that look before. What gives?”

“You’re crazy, Anna. I’m fine, really.”

Anna’s eyes softened, her expression somewhere between sympathy and annoyance. “Honey, you’re one of my dearest friends. You held my hand when I got my first Brazilian bikini wax.”

“It was only fair since I talked you into it.”

“My point is, we know each other intimately, so I know when something’s on your mind,” she said. “And considering what I do for a living, I have a strong sense it’s got something to do with this wedding.”

“It’s just nervous butterflies,” Kelli said, wrapping her palms around her mug of chai. “Planning a wedding can be stressful.”

“Duh.” Anna shook her head and gripped her own mug. “It’s something else.” She nodded at Kelli’s hand. “Where’s your ring?”

Kelli looked down at her left hand, almost hoping a solitaire might materialize on her ring finger. “I told you, we still have to pick it out.”

“You said you were doing that several days ago.”

“I needed a little more time to decide what I want.”

“Is that what this is about? You need more time?”

“Quit trying to psychoanalyze me.” Kelli sighed and poked at a piece of blueberry bagel on the plate beside her. “Everything’s fine. The man of my dreams is pledging to love, honor, cherish, and protect me with fruit for the rest of my life. I don’t even have to handcuff him to make him stick around.”

Anna jabbed a finger at her. “I knew it! That’s what this is about. You’re afraid of being left.”

“Are you stoned? I was making sex jokes.”

“No, there’s a subtext there. That’s what’s going on with you. Your fear of abandonment is making you panicky about getting married.”

“Or maybe I just want to get laid. Shut up about it, okay? Here comes Stella. Act normal.” She looked at Anna and shook her head. “As normal as a weird wedding planner with a purple streak in her hair can manage.”

Anna grinned and squeezed her hand. “I’ll do my best.”

Stella rejoined them at the table and picked up her coffee mug. She looked from Kelli to Anna and back to Kelli again, her eyes studying them like she expected one of them to confess to sneaking out at midnight to grope a boy on the playground.

“We were just talking about the bridal party and groomsmen,” Anna said, giving Stella her most helpful smile. “Do you think Mac will want all his brothers to stand up with him?”

“Good question,” Stella replied. “God only knows where Schwartz is right now. I suppose I should have asked Grant about it when he was here. You didn’t happen to broach the subject with them?”

“She didn’t get to meet Grant,” Kelli said, quirking an eyebrow at her friend. “It’s too bad, actually. I think they would have hit it off nicely.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“You sure? I had a chance to check him out when he tackled me on the beach yesterday, and I’ve gotta admit, the man’s ripped.” She looked at Stella and grinned. “You’re the master breeder of well-built men.”

“I should have that printed on business cards.”

Anna shook her head and picked up her teaspoon. “Thanks, but military men aren’t really my type. No offense. Besides, I’m still seeing Bryce.”

“Bryce?” Stella asked.

“Anna’s on-again, off-again boyfriend,” Kelli supplied. “A narcissistic, tortured artist who totally doesn’t deserve her. I thought you guys were off-again?”

“We got back together. And he’s not narcissistic. Much.” Anna clicked her pen, a sure sign she was feeling agitated. “Okay, so back to your wedding. Maybe tonight you can ask Mac—”

“Ask Mac what?”

They all turned to see Mac striding into the coffee shop. He wore all black—of course—and his dark sunglasses obscured his eyes.

Kelli felt her traitorous heart do a somersault in her chest. She forced a smile and gripped her coffee mug to keep from gripping him, or worse, having anyone notice her hands were shaking.

“MacArthur—what a surprise!” Stella said. “What are you doing here?”

“Kelli said she was having breakfast, so I thought I’d swing by for a second.” He smiled at her and reached into his pocket. “I have something for you.”

Kelli smirked. “Please say it’s something off the Williams-Sonoma registry.”

“Better.” He knelt down in front of her and drew his hand from his pocket. His fingers were clenched around a small object, and Kelli watched as he uncurled them to reveal a flat palm.

A flat palm that held the most spectacular diamond ring she’d ever seen.

Mac pulled his sunglasses off, his brown eyes locking on hers. For a moment, she didn’t breathe. Everything in the room began to spin, the smell of coffee and the whir of an espresso machine fading to a distant blur in her head.

Mac’s eyes held hers, unblinking.

Kelli’s heart surged into her throat, and she burst into tears.

Chapter Fifteen

Mac stood up fast, fumbling for a chair from the table beside them. He sat down in it and grabbed Kelli’s hands, the ring still held in his palm.

What the hell was she crying for?

“Kelli, dear, there, there,” his mother said, patting her on the back as Mac watched in horror. “MacArthur, I think you shocked the living daylights out of her.”

Kelli nodded, pulling one hand from his to grab a napkin off the table. She dabbed at her eyes as she pasted on what Mac recognized as her best make-believe smile. “I wasn’t expecting you—this—I mean—” She took a gulp of air. “You picked out a ring.”

“Yes,” he said, still reeling from her unexpected reaction. Hadn’t they talked about staging this performance at some point? True, he’d surprised her with it today—he wanted her reaction to be as authentic as possible—but he hadn’t expected this.

Was she the best actress ever, or the worst?

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I mean, it’s one of the ones we looked at the other day at the jeweler, but I didn’t expect—”

She took it from his hand and slipped it on, not giving him the chance to perform the act the way he’d hoped. Still, improvising was good. He squeezed her hand and glanced around the shop, wondering if Griselda was here.

“Thank you, Mac,” Kelli said, pulling him down for a kiss. “I’m never taking it off.”

“I should hope not,” he said, kissing her more passionately than he intended. Across the table, Anna gave a low wolf whistle.

“Very nice performance!” she called, grinning at them, and Mac tried not to notice the word
performance
.

From the corner of his eye, he saw two figures stroll into the coffee shop. Zapata gripped his young wife’s arm, while Griselda made a beeline for their table.

“Mac! Kelli! So lovely to see you again,” she gushed.

“What a nice surprise,” Kelli chirped back as she stood to embrace Griz. “I was eager to try this place after you suggested it the other night. You’re right, the bagels are divine.”

“I told you so. Oh—I’m sorry—am I interrupting a meeting here?”

Her gaze fell to the table, where an artful array of binders showed wedding flowers, bridal gowns, and photos of cakes. Mac resisted the urge to smile.

Perfect.

“It’s no problem, really,” Kelli said. “Just making wedding plans. Griselda, this is my friend and wedding planner, Anna Keebler. And this is my soon-to-be mother-in-law, Stella Patton.”

“Pleasure to meet you, dear,” his mother said, extending her hand. “You’re friends of MacArthur and Kelli?”

“Friends, yes,” said Zapata, stepping up behind Griz and resting a hand on her shoulder. “Friends and business associates. I’m looking forward to talking things over with you this evening, Mac.”

Mac nodded and stood, shaking Zapata’s hand while steadfastly avoiding any contact with Griz. They were so close to finalizing things now, there was no sense giving the man anything to be jealous about.

“We’ll be there at eight,” he said. “Anything we can bring?”

“Just yourselves,” Griz chimed in, beaming at him.

Christ, when did arms deals start sounding like Tupperware parties?

“We’re eager to spend more time with you,” Kelli said. “Thank you so much for inviting us. How is Felix doing?”

“Marvelous,” Griz trilled. “Thank you so much for what you did the other night. He is back to his normal self.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Mac turned back to Kelli. “Sweetheart, I have to run to a meeting. I’ll see you back at the house around six?”

“Absolutely,” she said, lifting a hand to his cheek in a move he assumed was meant to display the sparkler on her finger. She gave him a kiss on the lips—so soft, so sweet, so delicate—and he almost lunged for more.

No. Don’t overplay your hand
.

He drew back, nodded once, and slipped his sunglasses back on. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

He gave her hand a squeeze and offered a curt wave to his mother and Anna before turning back to Zapata. “Call me if you think of anything we can bring this evening.”

A grenade launcher? An M40 sniper rifle?

“How about a bottle of wine,” Griz said. “If you insist.”

“Of course. See you tonight.”

He looked at Kelli again, so beautiful and sweet in her lavender sundress, and never wanted to leave.

Get out!

He dropped her hand and walked away fast, not risking a glance back over his shoulder.

…

An hour later, Kelli stood looking down at a box of kittens. There were four of them, tiny and dainty-pawed with their eyes barely open. Maybe ten days old, if her estimation was correct, and cute as a bug’s ear if she set aside her veterinary expertise and pretended bugs had ears instead of chordotonal organs detecting vibration in the tympanic membrane.

She trailed a finger down the spine of the smallest kitten with black-and-white tuxedo markings.

“Mew,” it squeaked, and Kelli’s heart melted. She looked up at the man who’d brought them to the clinic and posed her question in Spanish. “So you found them in your basement?”

The man gave a vigorous nod. “I’ve been trying to take care of them, but they didn’t want to eat.”

“They’re too little to eat regular food. What did you offer them?”

“Fruit Loops.”

“Okay,” she said, stroking a finger behind another kitten’s ear. “Um, they actually need to nurse, but if their mother isn’t around, some milk replacer would be the next best thing.”

“Yes, I tried that, too! Nursing, I mean. I put my cat in the box with the kittens to see if they’d nurse.”

“Oh—your cat is the mother of the kittens?”

“No.” The man shook his head sadly. “But he’s very gentle with them.”

“He? Your cat is male?”

“Yes, Pedro is his name.”

Kelli bit her lip. “Right. See, I don’t think things are going to work out with Pedro nursing these kittens. Let me check the supply cabinet for some milk replacer. Then I’ll have you talk with Julia out front to see about getting in touch with the local foster organization.”

Kelli turned and made her way to the back corner of the exam suite, trying to be grateful the word had spread so quickly about their little volunteer clinic. Besides the spay-and-neuter effort, she’d been working nonstop tending to other animals who needed care.

She grabbed several cans of milk replacer and a couple small syringes to serve as baby bottles for her tiny patients. She’d just filled one of the syringes with formula when a familiar figure strode into the exam room, pivoted, and gave her a brisk salute.

“Hey, Hank,” Kelli said, tipping the kitten’s head back to offer the formula. “I thought you weren’t picking me up for another four hours.”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m not here to pick you up. I’m sorry. I can see you’re busy. I’ll come back later.”

“It’s no problem. I just need to get some food into these kittens. Is something wrong?”

“I think so, ma’am. A dog—I think it’s been hit by a car. I saw it limping away from the road, and I tried to catch it. I thought maybe you could help, but if you’re busy—”

“No, it’s okay. Is it far from here?”

“Just a few miles.”

“Let me get one of the volunteers to take over feeding the kittens. I’ll grab my medical bag and meet you at the car in five minutes?”

Hank nodded, his stoic features looking visibly relieved. “Thank you, ma’am. Mac said you’re really good at this.”

She felt a soft flutter of pride knowing Mac had been talking up her talents. She was damn good at her job, and it was nice to have him know that. Love might be overrated as far as Kelli was concerned, but respect—well, that was worth something.

She hurried to grab her kit, adding a few essentials she thought might be necessary with an injured dog. A couple splints, some Telazol, definitely bandage material, pain meds. She zipped up the kit and issued instructions to the young volunteer who seemed delighted to play nursemaid to a batch of adorable kittens. Then she stepped out the door into the bright sunlight.

The familiar black Town Car idled at the curb, and Hank nodded to her as he stepped around to open the door. “Thank you for helping,” he said. “I didn’t know what else to do, and the dog looked to be in bad shape.”

“Poor thing,” she said, swinging herself into the backseat and setting her back beside her. “Hopefully we’ll be able to find him.”

They rode in silence into a neighborhood Kelli hadn’t visited yet. Nicer homes like Mac’s gave way to smaller, dingier shacks with mud-streaked windows and razor wire on the fences. One yard held a car missing all its wheels. Another featured a tatty string of laundry anchored between a pair of cacti. Her window was up, but she could smell a faint hint of sewage in the air. A skinny cat darted across the road, and Kelli felt a surge of sympathy.

You can’t save them all,
she ordered herself.
Focus on the dog.

“Is it much farther?” she called to Hank.

“No, ma’am, just right up here.” He pointed toward a taller building that looked like some sort of warehouse. “I saw the dog over there, but when I tried to get close, it limped off over that way. I wasn’t sure about rabies or things like that, so I didn’t chase it too far.”

“You were smart to come get me,” she said, grabbing her medical bag as Hank angled into a parking spot. “I’ll have a look around.”

She reached for the door handle, but Hank had it open for her before she could do it for herself. He offered her a hand out of the car, then stood at attention while she stepped away from the vehicle.

I’ve gotten used to this bodyguard thing
, she mused as she moved across the cracked pavement toward the building. She slid her sunglasses over her nose and scanned the horizon. Then she glanced back at Hank, who was right on her heels with a stoic expression, intent on protecting her.
I’m going to miss having someone waiting on me hand and foot
.

It’s not all you’re going to miss
.

She turned back to Hank. “You said the dog went that way?”

“Yes, ma’am. Over by that Dumpster.”

Kelli nodded and took off, her medical bag clutched tightly in one hand. She turned the corner of the building, grateful to be in the shade for a change instead of in the blazing heat of the Mexican sun. Unlike Mac’s tree-lined neighborhood, there were only a few scraggly cacti and one lone palm tree that looked like it might have some sort of fungus.

“Here, puppy, puppy, puppy,” she called, keeping her voice sweet and soothing as she gave a low whistle. “Come here, sweetie.
Ven aquí, perrito
.”

She made a few kissy noises, peering around the Dumpster and beside a dead shrub.

Nothing.

She kept going, rounding the next corner of the building. She stepped into the blazing sunlight again and squinted toward the fire escape. Her back prickled with sweat beneath her pink scrub top, and the smell of the Dumpster made her stomach roil.

But she had to get to the injured animal.

She moved carefully along the back of the warehouse, still calling out to the dog.

“Here, baby!” She whistled
again.
“¡Ven aquí!”

She slipped her hand into her medical bag, feeling for the syringe that held the Telazol. Injured dogs could be dangerous dogs, as she knew from experience. She’d sustained more than one bite wound over the years. Might as well be prepared.

“Here, doggie,” she called again. “
Ven aquí
, sweetie.”

A shadow fell over her back.

Kelli turned, expecting to see Hank. He was there, but the expression of stoic concern on his face had been replaced by something darker. Something Kelli didn’t recognize.

She took a step back.

“Hank? You’re sure this is where you saw the dog?”

He stepped toward her. “There’s no dog.”

Kelli shivered, tasting bile at the back of her throat. “What?”

He stepped forward again. “I said there’s no dog.” He reached for his shoulder holster and drew the pistol. Kelli had seen the gun every time she’d been near him from the moment Mac introduced them. For the last week, it had made her feel safe.

She looked up at Hank, at that towering wall of muscle and the glint of gunmetal steady in his hand. At the eyes that were colder than anything she’d seen in her life.

She didn’t feel safe now.

She felt utterly, painfully terrified.