No Love Allowed (Dodge Cove Trilogy #1) by Kate Evangelista

I just need someone to
pretend
to be my girlfriend. I have events I must
attend, and having a date will make things a hundred times easier.”
    “And why is that?”
    Expecting the question, he scanned through his prepared answers. He intended to be honest with Didi. He had no real secrets. If she asked, he would answer.
    “Do you know who my father is?” At her slight head shake for no, he thought maybe this was a good thing. Ignorance was bliss, after all. “Simply put, he’s a high-profile
lawyer. The girl I broke up with at the club is the daughter of one of his most important clients.” The words stuck to the roof of his mouth. He had to force himself to keep speaking.
“She ran to daddy, and now I’m in this mess. To make up for my mistake, I need to attend all the events sponsored by my father’s firm.” He left out the internship and the
need to stay out of trouble. That information had no connection to what he was asking her to do.
    Her eyes narrowed. “And you need a girlfriend because . . .”
    He admired the shrewd intelligence behind those burnt-caramel eyes. “Because going alone means I’ll be mobbed by matchmaking mothers, aunts, and grandmothers. Not to mention the
unattached girls angling to catch my attention. Trust me. It’s like blood in the water. The sharks circle. It’s been my experience that bringing along a girlfriend—”
    “Keeps the sharks away,” she interrupted, shaking her head slowly with a disbelieving smile.
    Shifting in his seat slightly, he had a sinking feeling she was about to say no. “Something like that.”
    She snorted. “You are so full of it. But if that’s the case, why break up with Ashley?”
    The barbs in her tone deflated his ego even more.
    “Her name is Amber,” he said. “And she broke my number one rule.” He waved off the obvious question based on her confused expression. “But that doesn’t matter
anymore. What matters is I’m here eating junk food with you asking if you would help me . . . just until the end of the summer.”
    “Then tell me”—she looked straight at him—“why me?”
    For asking that question, not with any kind of hostility or suspicion, but with what seemed like genuine curiosity, he respected her more. The answer was simple. “Because you were able to
walk away at the dock the other day. That tells me you know your limits. But the real question is: Are you willing to help me?”
    The fry she was about to pop into her mouth remained suspended. There went the cogs working again. She had such an honest face. She hid nothing, which might be a problem, considering he was
convincing her to step into a world of smoke and mirrors.
    Her answer came quick and curt. “Yes.”
    Disbelief hit him square in the chest. Had she actually just agreed? Then relief followed, but before it could take root she followed up her response with: “Looks to me like this is a lot
of trouble to go through for the plea sure of my company at parties.”
    Smart and perceptive with a hint of spice for flavor. It was a lethal combination that he appreciated more than he cared to admit. His gut told him this was going to be a huge mistake. “I
was accepted into Yale.”
    “Impressive,” she said, but her face remained passive.
    “And something my father wants.”
    “Ah.” She nodded as if she had reached some conclusion. “You’re one of those.”
    He challenged her by raising an eyebrow. “Enlighten me.”
    “A Daddy Pleaser.” She set down her fry and stuck that maddening thumb into her mouth again and sucked.
    “You are so off.”
    “Really?”
    She seemed genuinely interested, so he indulged her. “Going to Yale is the last thing I want.” He sighed, rubbing his jaw. “I also got accepted to two other universities,
including Loyola. It was part of the deal.”
    “What deal?”
    “Senior year I made a deal with my father that if I got into Yale and at least two other places he would let me take a gap year.” The