more complicated, it was worth it.
“That sounds good.” She tried to be a bit nicer to make up for her snippy attitude.
He nodded. “I’m going out for a walk. Want me to take Princess?”
Her jaw dropped. Was he serious? No, it was all for the act. Of course it would look good to have him walking her dog. It was a normal couple thing and they were a normal couple.
“She’d, um, she’d love it,” he stuttered as she pushed away from the table. “I’ll grab her leash for you.”
Simon reached for the leash lying on the coffee table at the same time Grace did; their fingers just brushed. She jerked away as though she’d been shocked.
“You didn’t have to get up,” he said with a grin. “I was right here.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she breathed. Princess must’ve heard the leash, because she barreled out of Grace’s bedroom and skidded into Simon’s legs. “Um, her pulling days are behind her, but if she sees a squirrel, she still might tug.”
“Don’t worry about anything.” Simon hooked the dog up and headed toward the door. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
He was gone before she could even squeak out a goodbye.
“What the hell was that?”
Grace ran to the window to watch Simon walk with Princess keeping perfect pace with him. “What was what?”
“I thought the thing between you two was fake?” He came up behind her to spy on Simon as well.
As far as she knew, Andre was the one person who knew she and Simon weren’t actually together, and he was in love with the intrigue of it all. The last thing she needed was Andre working his hardest to get her and Simon together.
Somehow he couldn’t get it through his head that Grace didn’t want a boyfriend. What did she need one for anyway? She had a good job that took up almost all her free time and a dog to cuddle with and who didn’t talk back. Sure a little sex here and there would be nice, but they made battery-operated boyfriends for that. No man necessary.
She made a mental note to go out and buy that particular type of boyfriend. It had been much too long for her, and if she was going to be spending so much time with Simon, she’d need relief.
She was a rational, logical woman. She was attracted to his body, not his mind, and it only made sense that she’d want to take the edge off. “It is fake,” she said with determination as she turned away from the window. “Simon’s just…annoying.” She went back to her work space, moving everything over once again to make room for Andre.
Andre sat down and pulled his stuff closer. “Annoying and hot are different than plain annoying. A guy like that can be as annoying as he wants.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“You’d better not poop,” Simon said to Princess.
She looked over her shoulder at him; the tongue hanging out of her mouth added a note of absurdity to her appearance. He got the distinct impression she was laughing at him.
“You heard me. I’m not picking up your shit.”
Apparently unfazed, she turned back to sniff after all the beachy smells. He narrowed his eyes, but decided to leave the dog alone. He’d wanted to get a good look at the neighborhood, and a grown man walking alone tended to raise eyebrows. However, a grown man walking a dog fit right in.
The Cliffs’ beach mansion was at the end of an alcove and was completely surrounded by ocean, which put them on a dead end street. As he moved farther and farther from their little paradise, the houses, though still lavish, were closer together. The ocean sent a cool breeze down the street and made the humid, summer air much more bearable.
Grace seemed happy to get him out of the house. That might be an issue. He’d written off her approval on the drive up, but if people were going to believe they were together, he needed her to look at him with something other than annoyance once in a while. Maybe he could sway her opinion a bit when they went out with Andre. He’d never really spent casual
“That sounds good.” She tried to be a bit nicer to make up for her snippy attitude.
He nodded. “I’m going out for a walk. Want me to take Princess?”
Her jaw dropped. Was he serious? No, it was all for the act. Of course it would look good to have him walking her dog. It was a normal couple thing and they were a normal couple.
“She’d, um, she’d love it,” he stuttered as she pushed away from the table. “I’ll grab her leash for you.”
Simon reached for the leash lying on the coffee table at the same time Grace did; their fingers just brushed. She jerked away as though she’d been shocked.
“You didn’t have to get up,” he said with a grin. “I was right here.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she breathed. Princess must’ve heard the leash, because she barreled out of Grace’s bedroom and skidded into Simon’s legs. “Um, her pulling days are behind her, but if she sees a squirrel, she still might tug.”
“Don’t worry about anything.” Simon hooked the dog up and headed toward the door. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
He was gone before she could even squeak out a goodbye.
“What the hell was that?”
Grace ran to the window to watch Simon walk with Princess keeping perfect pace with him. “What was what?”
“I thought the thing between you two was fake?” He came up behind her to spy on Simon as well.
As far as she knew, Andre was the one person who knew she and Simon weren’t actually together, and he was in love with the intrigue of it all. The last thing she needed was Andre working his hardest to get her and Simon together.
Somehow he couldn’t get it through his head that Grace didn’t want a boyfriend. What did she need one for anyway? She had a good job that took up almost all her free time and a dog to cuddle with and who didn’t talk back. Sure a little sex here and there would be nice, but they made battery-operated boyfriends for that. No man necessary.
She made a mental note to go out and buy that particular type of boyfriend. It had been much too long for her, and if she was going to be spending so much time with Simon, she’d need relief.
She was a rational, logical woman. She was attracted to his body, not his mind, and it only made sense that she’d want to take the edge off. “It is fake,” she said with determination as she turned away from the window. “Simon’s just…annoying.” She went back to her work space, moving everything over once again to make room for Andre.
Andre sat down and pulled his stuff closer. “Annoying and hot are different than plain annoying. A guy like that can be as annoying as he wants.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“You’d better not poop,” Simon said to Princess.
She looked over her shoulder at him; the tongue hanging out of her mouth added a note of absurdity to her appearance. He got the distinct impression she was laughing at him.
“You heard me. I’m not picking up your shit.”
Apparently unfazed, she turned back to sniff after all the beachy smells. He narrowed his eyes, but decided to leave the dog alone. He’d wanted to get a good look at the neighborhood, and a grown man walking alone tended to raise eyebrows. However, a grown man walking a dog fit right in.
The Cliffs’ beach mansion was at the end of an alcove and was completely surrounded by ocean, which put them on a dead end street. As he moved farther and farther from their little paradise, the houses, though still lavish, were closer together. The ocean sent a cool breeze down the street and made the humid, summer air much more bearable.
Grace seemed happy to get him out of the house. That might be an issue. He’d written off her approval on the drive up, but if people were going to believe they were together, he needed her to look at him with something other than annoyance once in a while. Maybe he could sway her opinion a bit when they went out with Andre. He’d never really spent casual
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