“Should I be worried you’re spying on me?”
He grins, his head shaking. “Not spying. Our IT specialist mentioned you were here from online posts. He keeps alerts on for current clients.”
“So, you just ran to my rescue with snacks.”
Princess walks up, her once pristine fur around her mouth a wet mess from gnawing on the dog bone.
She drops it to the blanket before curling her paws around it to keep chewing.
“She ruined my slacks,” Brooks complains as he hands me a chilled bottle of water.
I scrunch my nose at the drink of choice.
“Can’t be seen in public drinking alcohol,” he explains. “Even if I’d prefer a glass of scotch.”
My nose scrunches up further. “Scotch is disgusting. I don’t know how my body is going to respond to liquids without caffeine.”
He chuckles, popping open a tiny bag of turkey jerky before popping a piece into his mouth. “You should take better care of your health.”
“Yes, Daddy,” I snip.
He shakes his head.
“Not your thing?”
“Bottled water?”
I huff a laugh. “Being called Daddy.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but no.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
His lip twitches as he tries not to smile, but then Princess growls, demanding some of his snack. I watch for the next hour while he throws organic treats further and further, making my poor dog chase after each one.
“You’ve exhausted her,” I mutter, hiding a yawn behind my hand. Princess is conked out on the blanket at my side as the sun dips low in the sky.
“I’ll pay the groomer fee,” he says. “I didn’t know her fur would get stained like that.”
“She feasted on blueberries. What did you expect?”
“I’m just glad she didn’t bite me today.”
“Speaking of,” I say. “I meant to ask if you collect anything.”
“I don’t.” He shakes his head.
“Nothing?”
“I work.”
“I work, too. I still collect.”
Brooks hums low in his chest as he watches a group of people throwing a frisbee around.
“Have you ever had sex with a guy?”
Brooks chokes on nothing. “Wh-what? That question just came from left field.”
“But did it really? You’re pretending to be a gay dude, or a bi dude. A non-straight dude. I don’t think asking it is too farfetched.”
“My sexual preferences have no bearing on me being able to do my job.”
“That still doesn’t answer the question.”
“It does,” he argues. “I’m not going to have sex with you because you’re a client.”
He can’t even look in my direction right now.
“Ever been in a serious relationship?” I ask, steering us away from the sexuality question but sort of keeping us on the same track.
“No, and before you ask further questions or make assumptions, I’ve never had a broken heart. I didn’t suffer childhood trauma. I just wasn’t built for deep, meaningful relationships.”
A smile spreads across my face, finally drawing his attention.
“What’s that smile for?”
“You’re going to fall madly in love with me,” I tell him jokingly.
“I’ll pretend to be madly in love with you, Archer.”
“We can make a bet.”
“Why would you make a bet you know you’re going to lose?” he asks.
I shrug.
“What’s the wager?”
I grin at his interest.
“If I win, then you have to do everything I say for an entire day.”
His eyes drop to my mouth for the briefest of seconds, but I catch it. Jesus, now is not the time to get hard.
“And if I win?” he asks.
“What do you want?”
“A million dollars.”
“Done,” I say, no hesitation.
He laughs, shaking his head. “Can’t we just have a romantic evening together and watch the sun set?”
I know he’s joking. I know he’s here to both keep me safe and make it look like I’m healthy and in a relationship, but I’m also not going to pass up the chance.
“Thank you for doing this,” I tell him, pressing to his side and resting my head on his shoulder.
I think there’s a real chance I will lose this bet, and somehow, I’m going to be the one left with a broken heart.
Chapter 11
Brooks
“We can leave if you’re tired,” I offer when Archer yawns for the second time.
He shakes his head, his eyes still locked on the setting sun. It’s been a long time since I just took a pause and stopped thinking about the next thing I needed to do in life. I’m always working, always amped to move on to the next assignment. I’ve always lived by the motto that variety is the spice of life—that was my meaning behind confessing I never get into anything serious with people.
But this is nice, too, just sitting with someone I’m comfortable with.
I shouldn’t be comfortable with Archer Bremen, and after the stunts he’s pulled, I should never let my guard down around him, but the man makes me smile. The preconceived notions I had about him just because of his job and the reports Wren provided about his fall from grace made me enter into this assignment with already-formed opinions. What was meant to be research made me judgmental, and the media has it all wrong… well, mostly wrong.