The Tycoon’s Fake Fiancée (European Tycoon Book 2) Read online

  “If you will pretend to be my fiancée, it will get my mother off my back,” he explained. “I won’t have to spend all my time dodging the women she will otherwise throw at me. If we project an image of being together—and continue to hint that wedding bells are just on the horizon—it will buy me the time I need to finish my latest invention.”

  “Your invention?” Sarah’s curiosity soared at this, but it was probably the least of the things she should be focusing on. She shook her head. “Gavin, I don’t know about this…”

  “Hear me out,” he stressed. “My friend Max has already designed an excellent security program for my family’s firm, rendering my continued involvement obsolete. Only my mother hasn’t caught up to that reality yet. Once I put the finishing touches on my latest design, she’s sure to see that my time and talents are of better use elsewhere.”

  “And what’s in it for me?” Sarah found she couldn’t quite catch her breath, he was spinning her body and brain around so quickly. “So far, your proposition seems to benefit only you.”

  “What is it that you want, Sarah?” Gavin yanked her in forcefully against his chest. She detached her hands from his at the last second to catch herself. Even through the rich fabric of his shirt, she could feel the hard outline of his pecs. The muscles clenched beneath her touch—an inadvertent response? Or was it a defense against whatever she was about to say?

  “You know what I want.” She wished that her words, whispered in part because she was having trouble catching her breath and in part to keep their conversation from any nearby prying ears, didn’t sound so suggestive. As his arms tightened around her, she added, “If you want me to accept your proposal, then you have to accept mine. Sign the garden contract. Let me restore your castle’s grounds to their former glory.”

  “Modified former glory,” Gavin corrected her.

  Oh, she could have punched the amused curl of his lip right off his smug face if she didn’t so desperately want to kiss it. She cleared her throat. “Modified former glory,” she agreed. “Do we have a deal?”

  Gavin chose that moment to dip her, forcing her to cling to him to avoid dropping to the floor. He pressed his cheek to hers, the heat of his lips near enough to the shell of her ear to make her shiver all over. “Deal,” he whispered.

  Then why, oh why, did Sarah suddenly feel as if she had just made a deal with the Devil?

  4

  “I trust you’ve read over the contract,” Gavin began without preamble as they sat down.

  Sarah had managed to make it through the two days that had followed the castle-warming party by avoiding thinking about it too much. Or trying to. The evening itself had been a whirlwind: Sarah had found herself toasted, again and again, and watched each glass of champagne downed by the others in the crowd with a side of guilt for fooling Gavin’s family. She had liked his older sister, Geneva, straight away, and had gathered that Geneva and Gavin were close—still, he had been firm in his refusal to tell even his sister the truth.

  Now, they were back in his office, sitting together at his conference table, papers spread out before them—strictures, nailed down on paper in ink. “Yes, I read it.” Sarah glowered as he passed her a hard copy of the contract. “It’s a little much, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t want to trust anything to chance.” Gavin was dressed more casually today in an Earl Grey cable-knit sweater and slacks. His dark-chocolate hair (which had been long and unruly when they’d first met years ago) was cut short but didn’t seem to be styled with any particular product today. He evidently hadn’t shaved that morning, either; a shadow of stubble darkened his jaw. He looked even more mouthwatering when he wasn’t obviously putting in an effort, although Sarah had to wonder what it meant for this meeting. Did Gavin think he had already negotiated everything needed without her? “And so I left nothing out,” he said conclusively.

  Yes. It was clear to her that he definitely thought so.

  “So you say,” she replied. But what about love? Of course, she didn’t speak her thoughts out loud. The inner voice that pined every time she looked at him—or every time she caught him looking at her—couldn’t be pinned down in legal language. “And so it would seem.” She rifled through the stack of papers and voiced the headings as her eyes passed over them. “Functions. Public appearances. Castle rules. And the timeline…”

  “Six months, tops,” Gavin supplied before she could finish. “You continue to live with your aunt and uncle, and I remain here at the castle. I’ll likely be called into the office during this time, but with less and less frequency.”

  “All according to plan,” Sarah offered.

  “Yes.” He was studying her, and she thought he might be trying to read in her face what he evidently couldn’t decipher in her tone. But Sarah was giving nothing away.

  “Tell me more about this roof of yours.” Sarah set the contract aside for the moment and folded her arms on the table. She could tell the fact that she hadn’t signed right away chagrined him from the way the lines that parenthesed his mouth deepened. “The one you’re planning for the solarium. You really think you can finish it in six months?”

  “Depending on the weather… yes,” he replied. “And six months is a generous estimate that already takes those outside factors into account.”

  “You know I’ll be working in the solarium,” she pointed out.

  “I don’t mind the company, so long as it’s yours.”

  Again the flattery, and she was still unclear on whether or not he intended it as such. Was Gavin Burrows flirting with her? And was this something they needed to address in the contract? “My company is… I mean…” She flushed. “What have we outlined for that, again?”

  “If you’re wondering if I want to reignite what we had three years ago…” Gavin teased her. He was teasing her. There was no mistaking that broad smile, nor the playful flash in his eyes. Where was this man the other night at the party? she thought in wonder. Did Gavin really only show this side of himself to her? Or was it because he was unworried about a continued acquaintance after their contract concluded?

  “…I’ve outlined that in the second-to-last section. Here.” Gavin reached across her to steal the contract back and flipped to the appropriate page, tapping a specific line of text with his finger. “We agree that we won’t renew our past physical relationship. I need to actually get some work done this time.”

  “And we’re not right for each other, anyway,” Sarah added without batting an eye.

  This sentiment seemed to give Gavin pause. The hand that pinned the page between them stilled, and though his smile didn’t decrease in size, it seemed to dim somewhat. “I beg your pardon?”

  “You don’t want a family,” she said. “I do.” She shrugged as if it really were that simple. She wanted it to be that simple. It should be that simple. “And you don’t want a real marriage. I want all of the above—someday.”

  Who knew when that day would arrive? Not any sooner than six months from now—if there had been anyone else in the picture, which there wasn’t—considering that she was entering into this fake engagement with Gavin. She hadn’t even thought about lost time now that the man she had once hoped would take her off the market was back in the picture.

  “Ah. You’re right.” Whatever had passed through Gavin’s head appeared to be gone now, and he was composed again. “Well, that should make things easy, then.”

  How naïve can you be? Sarah wanted to yell at him. Of course this won’t be easy—not for me! How could it be? It was already hard enough sitting beside him at the table, thinking how he had grown even more devastatingly handsome in the three years they had been apart. Wondering if she had ever seen him wear that sweater, or whether he would ever let his hair grow long again…

  Her feelings for him hadn’t diminished. Not at all. If anything, the intervening years had only stoked the fire that his scorching eyes, his branding caresses, had ignited in her. For the past three years, she had been his, and
he didn’t even know it. No dating prospect to come before or after him had ever compared.

  Oh, God. What was she doing here?

  “These public outings…” She tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but her voice sounded small and strained in her own ears. She pulled the contract back to her and avoided looking at him. “This will be new for us. Last time, we stayed out of the public eye.”

  “Referring to ‘last time’ is like comparing apples to oranges,” Gavin replied. Was it her imagination, or was he also having trouble meeting her eyes? “This is a business arrangement.”

  “Right. Business.” She felt stupid for even opening her mouth.

  “But you’re not wrong,” he conceded. “We may not have much practice in this regard. Last time, I wanted my family to stay out of it.”

  “Which was why we agreed to keep it a secret,” she supplied.

  Gavin nodded. “This time, the whole point is to involve my family. The more our engagement satisfies them, the closer I am to my mother releasing me from my business obligations—and the more time I have to focus on the roof prototype.”

  “And as soon as your invention is done, and the garden revitalized, we will conclude the contract,” Sarah stated. “We’ll go our separate ways.”

  “It would probably be for the best,” he agreed. He sounded far away, compromised by thoughts she couldn’t even begin to access. This was a business deal, after all—nothing emotional about it.

  Oh, how easy it had once been! She had been able to run back to the States when she’d convinced herself the first time that Gavin was wrong for her, but now, England was her home. She couldn’t risk falling in love with him again, not when there was no longer an ocean to easily separate them.

  “So these appearances in public…” she said slowly. “I think we’re going to need to get into specifics.”

  “Specifics?” Clearly, Gavin was surprised that the word would even come up, considering the contract was already almost fifty pages long. “What specifics?”

  “I’m talking PDA.” She took pity on him and unpacked the acronym when she saw he wasn’t getting it. “Public displays of affection. I’m willing to hold hands, and… hug. But that’s about it.”

  “I’m not sure this is going to work,” Gavin mused. “I don’t know of any engaged couples who don’t kiss.”

  Sarah managed to suppress a snort. I doubt you know of any engaged couples at all, she wanted to state, but she held back. “We can pull this off with just the occasional affectionate physical gesture,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “There are plenty of couples who keep the rest to themselves, and I don’t think your family will be all that surprised if we turn out to be one of them.” She leveled her gaze at him. “Kissing is definitely out of the question.”

  “Why not?” Gavin held her look intensely. “Why shouldn’t I kiss my fiancée?”

  Sarah’s heart stuttered to a stop in her chest. “B-because I’m not your fiancée!” She didn’t know why she felt she had to struggle to keep her voice down. It wasn’t as if anyone else were in the castle with them. The sudden reminder of their isolation—not to mention the charged content of their conversation—was making her blush furiously. “So no kissing. It would be too… too difficult for me.”

  “Why?” He was studying her again. She hated when he did that. It was the inventor’s version of trying to empathize with another human being, but it came off as if she were some kind of creature he had just discovered beneath a microscope. She hated, too, that it was even necessary in the moment for him to ask that question.

  “Because I don’t want the torch I used to carry for you to be relit, okay?” It was a little late for that, if she were to be honest with herself, but if Gavin was being dense about her feelings for him three years ago, he was likely oblivious to them now. Hiding the truth would save them both from heartache in the long run.

  Or maybe it would only save her.

  “Torch? What torch?” Gavin blinked, obviously perplexed by her statement… but Sarah suddenly wondered if he really could be so naïve. Was he baiting her, now, to come out and admit she had been in love with him—then?

  She would not fall for the ploy. She had done quite enough falling in the presence of Gavin Burrows to last her a lifetime… and she wasn’t about to continue the trend in front of him. “So… no PDA.” She sank straight-backed into her chair and crossed her arms in professional defiance.

  Gavin’s brow knit harder, if that were possible, although some of his perplexity at her words now seemed overshadowed by a businessman’s determination to have his way. “We are going to have to account for some PDA in the contract. It will look suspicious if we don’t show the slightest hint of physical affection for one another.”

  “No kissing,” she repeated quickly. She remembered all too clearly what an unforgettable kisser Gavin had proved himself to be. Kissing Gavin inevitably paved the way to clothes being shed and other related pursuits.

  “No prolonged kissing on the lips.” He reinterpreted her request as he slashed through that particular passage of the document and began to rewrite it. “And no tongue,” he added as a seemingly unhappy afterthought.

  “Gavin, I don’t know—“

  “Sarah.” He turned to her, and the crazy thundering of her blood seemed to still all at once. Her heart had stalled with that look, so overworked that the depth of his gaze had made it give out completely. “We won’t pull off this arrangement if there isn’t some acting involved.”

  Acting. Sarah watched him scribble notes on the draft of their contract. If only she could be so cavalier. If only it was all an act for her.

  But it wasn’t. She might as well admit that to herself now. She could get there. She would get there.

  But for now, one glance from Gavin Burrows still managed to take her breath away.

  5

  It was their first real outing as a fake couple... so of course Geneva was there.

  "Sarah, do you like seafood? You're going to just love the lobster!" His sister led the charge to their table by the window, forcing the hostess to scurry after them. Geneva had linked arms with Sarah, and the two of them were walking in front of him. Sarah turned to shoot a helpless look over her shoulder, and Gavin only shook his head, equally helpless.

  Better Geneva than his mother.

  They had driven into town together today to buy supplies for the garden, but Geneva's self-insertion had completely derailed that plan. Now the threesome were on a lunch date at the Blue Pearl.

  Oh, well. This outing would provide the perfect opportunity to take their signed agreement for its inaugural drive. Putting his thoughts into motion, when they arrived at their table, Gavin took Sarah's coat for her. Unfortunately, she seemed surprised by the gesture and flushed. No. That's all wrong, he thought, even as the bashful color in her cheeks aroused something in him. We're engaged. Such a small gesture wouldn't inspire that level of response.

  Geneva tracked it, too. Of course she did. His sister was knife-sharp and whip-smart, and Gavin suddenly had little hope of pulling the wool over her eyes. She would see right through them—if she hadn't already.

  But Geneva simply smiled warmly and caught his eye. Christ, she looked approving. The leaden lump of guilt weighed down his stomach anew. Just close your eyes, shut off your feelings, and think of all the good you'll do when you're finally free from—

  "Max? Tony?" Geneva's eyes shot past him, and her astonished calling of his friends' names didn't bode well. Gavin turned slowly around. Sure enough, his mates were posted up at the bar with Max's wife, Brandy, between them.

  "Gavin?" Max looked as startled as Gavin felt. "Didn't expect to see you out and about today."

  "He didn't notify us because he's annoyed we passed on the castle-warming party." Tony picked up his drink and started for their table. Brandy exchanged an amused look with her husband, then followed. Geneva and Sarah both slid their chairs over to make room for them, simultaneously ma
king Gavin's life a fresh hell. No no no. This is too many factors at once. No way Max and Tony—well, at least Max—won’t see right through all this.

  "I was working." Max gave his excuse as he sat down. "And parenting. Anyway, figured you'd prefer it if we stopped by when there were fewer people bashing down your door." Max didn't conceal his curious look at Sarah as he spoke. No doubt he was already forming a suspicion that the matchmaking attempts of Gavin's mother had been unexpectedly successful that night.

  "Gavin, aren't you going to introduce your fiancée?" Geneva coached him. "Or have the four of you met before?"

  "We have not." Sarah half-rose out of her seat to offer a hand to the obviously shocked newly arrived members of their party. "I'm Sarah Hanson. It's a pleasure to meet you."

  He found pleasure in watching her now as she interacted gracefully with the people closest to him, secure in the knowledge that he could claim her as his. After the initial shockwaves around the table had passed, Gavin found that he was starting to relax in his seat. Where he had expected disaster, he now witnessed impeccable decorum—and once the introductions and small talk were over with, he was astonished to find Sarah being welcomed into the fold with open arms. The group wasn't merely being cordial to her for his sake, they were actively embracing her—something Gavin had never thought would touch him so unexpectedly.

  "...Gavin hates the garden, you see," Sarah was explaining to the group. "But we do get to see each other during the day when he's working on the roof."

  Geneva was looking at him across the table, doubtless wondering how much of his floral aversion he had explained to Sarah, but Gavin refused to meet her gaze. "Seeing you working beneath me makes it more tolerable," he offered as he gratefully accepted a glass of wine from their server.

  "Nice to know Gavin has finally found someone willing to work beneath him," Tony intimated. When Gavin stretched to aim a vicious kick at the other's shin beneath the table, he found that Max had beat him to it.