Kelly Jamieson - Sweet Deal

“Great,” Andrew said, though he kept looking back and forth between Jake and Shelby. “I can’t believe Jake is your new boyfriend, Shelby.”

Shelby smiled and Jake had to hand it to her—out of all of them she was the only one who seemed relaxed and at ease. She was apparently a talented actress. He, meanwhile, was totally screwing this up, flummoxed by learning who her boss was.

He flicked a glance at Gianna, as stunning as ever, her glossy, dark hair sliding over her shoulders, bare in a little baby doll top with narrow straps and a pair of short shorts that showed off her long, tanned legs. When he met her eyes, dark and delicious, what he saw there made him freeze. Pity.

She fucking felt sorry for him!

That was hard to swallow. He’d tried to so hard to be big about the whole thing, to not let on how heartbroken he’d been when she dumped him. He’d tried not to stand in the way of “true love”, had stepped aside as graciously as he could so they could be together. But still, she pitied him? Argh. That really blew.

The tension was as thick as chowder, but Shelby chatted on about the beautiful day and the great turnout, thankfully not asking questions about how he and Andrew and Gianna knew each other.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” she said to Gianna.

“Oh?” Gianna dragged her gaze away from Jake and lifted a brow. “Why would you think that?”

“Oh, uh…” For the first time, Shelby stumbled. “Something Andrew said.” She quickly changed the subject.

Finally Jake got a grip on the situation. He wasn’t helping Shelby much, standing there with his mouth open. He dragged his gaze away from Gianna’s dark beauty and slid his arm around Shelby’s waist. Gianna didn’t need to feel fucking sorry him, for Chrissake, and having a hot, little blonde under his arm would show her that. Show her that he was so over what had happened.

Andrew’s scowl could have singed his hair, startling Jake. What the hell was he upset about? Jake was the one who’d been dumped. Betrayed. Now Andrew was trying to cheat on Gianna? Jesus! Focusing his thoughts, Jake zeroed in on the remembrance that Andrew and Gianna’s marriage might be in trouble, from what Shelby had told him.

Well, there was no fucking way Andrew was going to cheat on Gianna with Shelby! Not for Gianna’s sake and not for Shelby’s sake either. He tightened his hold on her and dropped a kiss to the top of her silky blonde head for good measure, deepening Andrew’s scowl and causing a funny look on Gianna’s face. He smiled at them, to show them how happy he was.

This was so screwed up. How the hell had he gotten himself into this mess?

Shelby smiled brightly as she made casual party chit-chat with the other couple.

“The food smells really good,” she finally said and smiled up at Jake. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

He smiled back at her. “Good idea, Shelby Rose.” He looked at Andrew and Gianna and gave them a bared-teeth kind of smile, earning a startled glance from Shelby. “Nice to see you again.”

“You too, buddy.” Andrew wore a faintly puzzled frown as he said good-bye.

As they walked hand in hand toward the tables loaded with food, Shelby blew out a long breath. “That was awkward.”

“No shit.”

“Um…how do you know them?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Long story. Ancient history.”

She nodded and he knew she was curious but didn’t ask anything more, thank god.

“‘Shelby Rose’?” she murmured.

He grinned. “I like it.”

She shook her head, smiling, but then as they stood in line waiting for hot dogs, she went onto her tiptoes and whispered, “Thank you so much.” Then she bit her lip, casting an anxious glance back at Andrew. “He looked kind of annoyed.”

“Yeah.” Jake’s voice came out flat. “He did. You were right, Shelby. He did not like seeing you with me.”

She lifted onto her toes again—wearing flip flops, she was so little, it was kinda cute how she had to stretch up—and kissed his jaw. He slid his arm around her again and pulled her up against him, bending his head to kiss her mouth. And he hoped like hell Andrew and Gianna were watching.

Jake’s mouth brushed over hers, his lips warm and firm and whoa, heat washed down through her in a shocking rush. Even though she knew it was an act, and she hoped Andrew was watching, having Jake’s arm around her and his mouth on hers felt really, really good. Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest, nerves stretched tight at the importance of convincing Andrew she and Jake were a couple, but also with the sexual tension buzzing between them. Dammit.

Jake released her with a sexy smile and she blinked and tried to focus.

She’d been prepared for Andrew to be annoyed, but man, the black look on his face had almost scared her. Was he that pissed off about her seeing someone else? If so, this was worse than she’d thought.

And with his wife standing right there beside him! Though Gianna’d looked a little gobsmacked, too. Shelby couldn’t figure that out, but didn’t have time to pause and think about it much as she tried to maintain the act between her and Jake.

They moved forward in the line, filled their plates with hotdogs, salads and potato chips, accepted plastic cups of beer from the makeshift bar set up, and found a place to sit at one of the wooden picnic tables, sitting across from one another.

Shelby studied Jake as he lifted his hotdog to his mouth. He’d looked so disturbed. Was it because Andrew had been so annoyed? Something soft and warm unfurled inside her. He actually cared about her. Even though they didn’t know each other, he was glad he’d helped her, she could tell.

She looked down at her plate momentarily, feeling strangely emotional. This whole situation was stressful. Her coworkers, while not openly hostile toward her, weren’t exactly friendly. She had to force herself to act all cheerful and friendly, while her insides were tight and knotted. Added to that, the stress of introducing Andrew to Jake, anticipating how displeased her boss was going to be, and she was strung as taut as the finish line at the kids’ races. Jake’s support in a world where she felt out of place and unwelcome made her go all mushy and warm inside.

She sucked briefly on her bottom lip, then took a fast breath, blew it out and straightened her shoulders. She lifted her head and smiled at Jake.

“So, Shelby, is this your boyfriend?” Susan, Andrew’s secretary, sat down beside her.

Shelby smiled at Susan, a bit surprised but grateful for her new friendliness. “Yes. Susan, this is Jake Magill. Jake, Susan.” Susan introduced her husband, Steve.

“I didn’t know you were seeing someone,” Susan said, and Shelby knew exactly what she was thinking. She was thinking about Shelby’s long coffee breaks and closed door meetings with Andrew. “How long have you two been going out?”

Good thing they’d gotten together and covered this last night. They managed to answer Susan’s questions and chat with the other couple. Another couple joined them and even though the conversation became shop talk, Jake was able to participate with his technology background. In fact, he charmed the other people so much, they seemed to be relaxing and warming to her too. Shelby had to shake her head. Man, if this was what it took to get her coworkers to like her…well, it’s not like she could’ve come up with a fake date before this, but her gratitude toward Jake continued to grow. Dammit again.

After they ate, they mingled with other coworkers. These were good people, a lot of people she liked and respected, one of the reasons she enjoyed working at Gold Shield. She just wanted to fit in with them and not be the subject of icky gossip.

She and Jake schmoozed with some of the higher-ups from the company in a relaxed social atmosphere, watched the band that played, danced in the grass as the sun set and the crowd grew smaller. Families with small children left, leaving only the adults, and eventually the sky darkened, stars twinkling above, and the music grew slower and sultrier, accompanied by hushed waves washing onto the beach not far away. Jake had done his duty and they could leave, but still they danced in the warm summer evening.

Andrew and Gianna danced together too, several couples away from them, Shelby fully aware of the glances the two of them kept shooting at her and Jake. So she linked her arms around Jake’s neck and pressed her body against him. A few beers had mellowed her, and hell, his body felt so damn good against hers. Those troublesome sexual urges that so often got her into trouble were rising up inside her, making her pelvis feel full and achy, making her breasts need to press into his chest.

“You’re just a little thing, aren’t you?” Jake set his hands on her hips as they moved to the music and smiled his sexy smile down at her, his dark eyes heavy-lidded and sensual. They were both putting on a good act, but Shelby knew she was kidding herself. This was no act. She was so attracted to Jake. More than attracted. His charming personality, the easy way he talked to her coworkers, just the way he’d stepped in to help her and how he’d been so convincing in his role as her boyfriend drew her to him.

She could pretend this was all just an act. Yeah. When the evening ended and they parted, Jake’s favor over and done with, she’d be fine. But right now, pretending was so much fun.

“I hope Andrew doesn’t give you a hard time at work next week,” Jake murmured, a small crease between his thick, straight eyebrows.

“I’m hoping he’ll just leave me alone. I mean, I still need to work with him. Well, you know what I mean.”