What happens in Hawaii...

Divorce lawyer Hayley Hanna has one week to convince her bosses she’s not a “ruthless, man-hating shark.” And it’s not going to be easy. In a moment of insanity, Hayley agrees to bring her fiancé to the corporate retreat in Maui. But there’s one problem: she hasn’t got a fiancé.

Enter Chase Hartley—six feet of sexy, sculpted police muscle. Chase needs a date for his sister’s island wedding—someone to stop the family matchmakers. The chemistry between Hayley and Chase is just a bonus—one that quickly turns hot nights into sizzling sexcapades. All they have to do is resist believing their own lie. But just because their relationship is fake doesn’t mean that falling for each other won’t have real consequences!

It was supposed to be just a kiss...

Hayley’s mouth was warm, welcoming...her lips soft and hungry.

His body came alive as shock mixed with an unfamiliar sensation—longing? Chase broke away.

Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her lips. “What was that?”

He had no idea. It was supposed to be just a kiss to ease some of the sexual tension between them, but damned if it had only made things hotter. He swallowed hard. “I...uh...just thought we should get the first kiss out of the way before we’re forced to do it in front of an audience.”

But with one quick kiss, this noncomplicated plan had just gotten complicated. If a simple kiss had him this excited, he wasn’t sure how he was going to get through the next few days.

“Well, I hadn’t really given it much thought. I am now.” She paused. “Is this... I mean, is kissing me again—only if necessary, of course—going to be a problem?”

He tilted her chin upward. “Trust me, Hayley. Kissing you whenever the need arises will most definitely not be a problem.”

In fact, not kissing her might be.

Dear Reader,

I’ve wanted to write a series featuring weddings for such a long time and I’m so excited that this series found a home at Harlequin Blaze. This book was so much fun to write, mainly because my husband took me to Maui for “research purposes.” So many of the scenes in this story were inspired by that wonderful vacation, and the breathtaking island scenery provided the perfect backdrop for Hayley and Chase’s love story.

Of course my husband and I had a four-year-old with us on that trip, so Chase and Hayley’s adventures are considerably “hotter” than actual events. :)

Writing a fake-fiancé story had been on my wish list as I’d always found it an exciting idea. Two people falling in love when the only requirement of their arrangement is not to—perfect!

I hope you will love this story as much as I do.

Aloha!

Xo

Jen

Her Holiday Fling

Jennifer Snow

www.millsandboon.co.uk

JENNIFER SNOW is an award-winning romance author living in Edmonton, Alberta, with her husband and six-year-old son. She is a member of the Writers Guild of Alberta, the Romance Writers of America, the Canadian Authors Association, shewrites.org and FAVA. She has published articles in Mslexia magazine, Westword magazine, RWR and Southern Writers Magazine. Her publishing credits include her six-book Brookhollow miniseries published through Harlequin Heartwarming and an MMA sports romance series published through Penguin Random House’s Berkley/NAL. Her new small-town hockey series will release this fall through Grand Central Publishing’s Forever imprint. More information can be found at jennifersnowauthor.com.

For my mom, Annie O’Reilly. All I can say is, serenading cabbies, boob-guys in Latin Clubs and playing a “flu shots” in Vegas was still the wildest girls’ weekend I’ve ever had. “Drunk mom” is still the best mom.

Acknowledgments

Thank you as always to my agent, Stephany Evans, for not giving up on the many versions of this story and senior editor Kathleen Scheibling for buying this series. A big thank you to my editor, Dana Grimaldi, whose feedback made the story even sexier. And lots of love and thanks to my family and my Snow Angels Reader Group—your support means everything.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Extract

Copyright

1

HAYLEY HANNA HAD two options—buy every copy of Los Angeles Woman magazine in the city or ignore the unflattering article within its pages. Maybe no one would mention the multipage spread that claimed she was a ruthless, man-hating divorce attorney.

As if that were a possibility.

She reached for the other six copies on the newsstand outside her office building then, placing them on the counter, she slid her teal, diamond-encrusted Tiffany & Co. sunglasses to the top of her head and rummaged in her Michael Kors bag for some cash.

“Thirty-two dollars, please,” the older gentleman behind the counter said.

Thirty-two dollars. Un-freaking-believable. For six copies of a magazine headed straight into the recycle bin under her desk.

“Have a great day,” he said.

Was he mocking her?

“I’m just hoping to get through it,” she muttered.

Her cell phone rang as she tucked the magazines under her arm, and she held her breath as she glanced at the caller ID. The Perfect Gown. Just Terri-Lynn, thank God. If her friend had read the article, she would give it to her straight. “How bad is it?” she said, answering on the third ring.

“A ruthless man hater? A shark in a Giorgio Armani suit?” Terri-Lynn shrieked into the phone.

Well, you couldn’t get any straighter than that. Maybe she shouldn’t have told everyone about the article. At least not until she’d had a chance to read it herself. “I just saw it,” she said.

“Who does this...Annette Miller think she is? She can’t write this about you. I thought this article was supposed to honor successful women in business?”

Hayley readjusted the slipping magazines as she entered her office building. “Apparently they were going for an accurate portrayal, not a sugarcoated version.”

“Well, I hope you’re going to call the magazine and complain.”

Her friend should know it didn’t exactly work that way. Owner of a high-fashion bridal gown store, Terri-Lynn had to deal with reviews on a regular basis. Once things were printed, they couldn’t be changed—for better or for worse. “I don’t think that’s going to fix things—the magazine is already out. Besides, this may be my fault.”

“How? Did you tell the interviewer that you eat men for breakfast and cut their balls off for sport?”

She may as well have.

When the prestigious women’s magazine had asked her to be a part of their Women On Top series, she’d been flattered. Their interest had been the ego boost she’d needed after her breakup with James, a dentist she’d been dating since moving home from New York City. After only ten months, James had proposed and she’d ended the relationship.

Unfortunately, in her hurt and disappointment with James for having ruined a good thing with his untimely proposal, she’d been a little too eager to answer Annette Miller’s questions about love, marriage and divorce—without a filter.

Entering the elevator and hitting the button, she said, “I didn’t exactly hold back on my views of men and marriage...” And all that crap.

“Okay, maybe you said some of this stuff, but there’s no way you said...” She heard her friend flip the pages of the magazine and bit her lip while she waited. “Ah, here it is. ‘Men are easily replaced—hell, save yourself the headache and buy one half your age with your divorce settlement.’”

Had it been those exact words?

“Hayley! Tell me you did not say that.”

The elevator doors opened and she stepped out. “I may have said something to that effect, but I’m pretty sure it was ‘off the record.’”

“Nothing is ever ‘off the record.’ Didn’t you read the release form for the interview?”

“Look, I wasn’t exactly in a great place. James and I had just broken up and I was still getting over it.”

“You broke it off with him.”

Hayley lowered her voice. “Only because he proposed.” Hayley Hanna Healey? Seriously? Not in a million. Hayley Hanna, period. Always.

“That’s right—he was such a terrible man wanting to marry you and all.”

Her friend didn’t get it. “He knew how I felt about marriage. I was very clear about my feelings going into the relationship.” She took comfort knowing she was always honest right from the beginning. “Anyway, can we get back to this latest disaster? What am I going to do about this article?”

“Unfortunately, it sounds like the only thing you can do is relax and wait for it to blow over,” Terri-Lynn said.

“I think you’re right. And I mean, who really reads these articles anyway? I’m at the office. I’ll call you later, okay?” Hayley tossed her phone into her purse and straightened her suit jacket as she entered the offices of Marshall and Thompson Family Law. She pushed her anxiety over the article aside. A silly feature in a local magazine, that was all it was. She doubted a copy would even find its way into the mostly male law firm, except of course for the ones under her arm that were headed directly to the shredding machine used for confidential documents.

As she passed the main reception, she spotted the cover on the secretary’s desk.

Shit. Okay, don’t panic yet. It was just a single copy. She’d ask to see it and add it to the others heading for destruction. “Hi, Megan. Beautiful morning.”

The young paralegal secretary held up the magazine. “Obviously you haven’t read this.”

Lie or fess up? Tough call. “I saw it this morning. It’s completely ridiculous,” she said, hoping her attempt at sounding nonchalant was working.

Megan skimmed the article. “So you didn’t say ‘Men deserve the harsh settlements they receive when they can’t keep their dot dot dot in their pants?’”

Okay, now that quote had been changed completely. What she’d actually said was men deserved the harsh settlements they received if they couldn’t keep their dot dot dot in their pants. If... The if made a big difference. “Of course not...not exactly, anyway.” She paused. “Do you know if anyone else has seen this?”

Megan nodded. “Everyone has a copy. A courier delivered them from the magazine’s office this morning and the new intern, Laura, made sure to distribute them right away.”

Damn those new, eager-to-please interns.

She needed to get those magazines back. Starting with the most important copy. “Is Marvin here yet?”

“Mr. Marshall arrived about three minutes before you.”

Six-inch, not-yet-broken-in Manolos, a slightly too tight pencil skirt and adult asthma made her half sprint nearly impossible, but this was one of those career-pivotal moments, worth a broken ankle or asthma attack. He couldn’t have read it yet... Oh, please, God, don’t let him have read it yet.

Drawing a ragged breath a moment later, she stopped short in her boss’s open doorway.

He was reading it.

She could come back later...or not.

“Come in, Hayley,” he said as she turned to escape.

She leaned around the door frame while staying in the safety of the hallway. “Oh, good morning, Marvin. You looked busy, so I didn’t want to...”

“Please tell me all of this was taken out of context, misquoted... Anything that we can use to sue for defamation of character.”

Hayley took a deep breath and tucked a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear as she entered his office. “I’m sure some of it was.”

“How much of it?” He extended the magazine toward her.

She wanted to decline and say no, thanks, I’ve already read it. But the joke stuck in her throat. Taking the magazine, she scanned the article for anything that looked like an error. “Um...” There had to be a misprint somewhere. Of course there was the if-versus-when wording mix-up...but probably not useful to point out that one.

“Hayley...”

“Just give me a second.” She flipped the page. “Aha, this, right here. The part about prenuptial agreements being an early admission to failure in the marriage—that was totally off the record.” Even though it was true. Hayley didn’t believe in everlasting love, but if she could twist her mind around the fact that other people found themselves utterly and completely head over heels for someone else—enough to vow a lifetime together—why would the idea of a prenup even enter their minds? “So, we’re good, then?” she asked, forcing a smile.

Marvin stood and closed his office door.

Damn. “Marvin... Mr. Marshall...”

“Shh.”

She clamped her lips tightly together.

“Was the interview recorded?” He leaned his palms on the top of his oak desk and studied her, his hopeful expression fading by the second as she stalled.

“No?” Her shoulders sagged. “Yes, it was. Look, I’m really sorry. I did say some of those...”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, all of those things. Maybe it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Do explain.” Marvin sat in his plush leather chair and waited.

“Well, the fact of the matter is, we are divorce attorneys. Clients want us to be ruthless...man haters—” she said the word carefully “—to a degree. At least the women clients.”

He closed his eyes, then, opening them, he spoke slowly. “Hayley, when you first came back from New York, I had my apprehensions about hiring you—despite your success record in court and your Harvard education. Do you remember why that was?”

She did. “You thought I had an edge.” It had been the first time she’d ever interviewed at a law firm where her perceived edge was a strike against her.

“Exactly. And what did you promise me?”

“That I could tone it down a notch.”

“I believe we’d agreed on a whole lot of notches.”

She nodded. “I’m sorry, Mr. Marshall. I promise this will not happen again. Next time I’m interviewed, I will avoid the tough questions and stick to the standard answers in our press kits.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “How about just staying away from the media altogether?”

She pointed at her boss. “Even better idea.” She wasn’t exactly in a hurry to humiliate herself further with a repeat of articles like this one anyway.

“In the meantime, I think we need to do some damage control.”

“I can release a statement or something. Maybe talk about my charity and pro bono cases...”

His face was stone cold. “What did I just say?”

“Staying away from the media—got it.” She sat on her hands and willed herself not to speak in the long silence that followed. She shifted in the seat and crossed one leg over the other. Sitting back, she switched legs.

Finally he spoke. “You have a boyfriend? Fiancé...right?”

No. Why was she nodding?

“Great. Make sure you bring your fiancé to the corporate retreat in Maui next week. We’ll show everyone that you are not a ‘man hater,’ that you have a solid relationship...”

She heard nothing after that. She just kept nodding. Bring her fiancé—oh, the man she’d broken up with at the first sign of commitment? No problem at all. She’d just call James and tell him she’d made a mistake and she really did want to get married. She shuddered at the thought.

“This company prides itself on strong family values. Just because we are divorce lawyers doesn’t mean we are anticommitment...” Her boss’s voice drifted into her already panicked thoughts.

She was. But if she wanted to keep her job she’d better pretend otherwise.

“Hayley, it’s important to us that everyone here at Marshall and Thompson Family Law shares a common core focus. Are you understanding my meaning?”

Too well. “Yes, of course. The corporate retreat—I’ll bring my fiancé.” She stumbled on the tan carpet as she stood. “I’ll make this right, sir.” Even if she had to beg a man she didn’t love to reconsider marrying her.

* * *

“MAN, WE REALLY need to find a new coffee shop. That place is always busy this time of morning,” Cooper Jennings said, climbing into the passenger seat of the police squad car. He placed the steaming drinks into the cup holders.

Chase reached for his and took a gulp, feeling his throat burn from the hot liquid. “That’s hot.”

Next to him, Cooper opened a paper bag and retrieved a Boston cream–filled donut.

Chase shook his head as the kid bit into the pastry. A month on the job and his new partner was already embracing the stereotype. Before long he’d look like one of the paper-pushing desk job guys if refined sugar and caffeine continued to be his breakfast after their long night shift. “You have to stop eating that crap. I want a partner who can run more than ten feet without gasping for air.”

“Don’t sweat it, man. I got you.”

He wouldn’t bet his life on that. Why had he agreed to train the new guy? Oh, right—Kate had begged him to.

Putting the car in Drive, he pulled out into traffic. He could barely keep his eyes open after the twelve-hour night shifts every day this week, and he was desperate to drop Cooper off at the station and get his ass home to a hot shower and his bed. In fact, even the shower might have to wait.

His cell phone rang at his side and, pulling the squad car into the police station, he reached for it and groaned. “Cooper, why is your fiancée calling me?” he asked, unbuckling his seat belt.

“Beats me, man. She’s your sister.”

“Not going to help me out here?”

The young cop who’d joined the force, against Chase’s advice, shook his head. “You’re on your own. Tell her I’ll be home in an hour,” he said, grabbing his coffee and getting out of the vehicle.

Chase tossed the ringing phone between his hands. If he didn’t answer now, she’d keep calling, interrupting his plans of sleeping the day away. “Hey, Kate,” he said a second later, resting the phone against his shoulder as he grabbed his bag from the backseat and got out of the car.

“Have you gone to Joseph’s to try on your tuxedo yet?” His sister’s voice was far too perky for 6:00 a.m.

He shot Cooper a questioning look as they walked toward the station. “Joseph who?”

His soon-to-be brother-in-law just laughed as he opened the door and stood back to let him enter.

“The men’s formal-wear shop. Chase, tell me you’re messing with me.”

Nope. The tux fitting for his sister’s wedding had escaped his mind the moment she’d mentioned it the month before. “I was planning to go today,” he muttered, grabbing his notebook and pen from his shirt pocket and writing Joseph’s on an empty page.

“No, you weren’t. You forgot,” Kate said and he could almost hear her pout. The youngest child of four and the only daughter, Kate had been spoiled from the time she’d poked her screaming head out, and somehow she’d managed to find a fiancé who continued to spoil her. He liked Cooper well enough, but a fellow cop would have been the last person he’d have wanted for his sister. Unfortunately, they’d met at the station when Kate had stopped in for lunch eight months before. Cooper had been signing some paperwork and the two had hit it off, much to Chase’s dismay. They were getting married the following week.

After only eight months—it seemed too fast to him.

He didn’t believe it was possible to know anyone well enough to get married after eight months. Of course his baby sister didn’t want to hear his opinion, so he’d kept his mouth shut. To Kate, at least. To Cooper, he’d threatened life and limb should he ever hurt her. And it was the only reason he’d agreed to train the man once he’d graduated from the academy. This way he could keep an eye on him and keep his ass safe.

Something he hadn’t managed to do for his last partner...

“Fine, I forgot. But the wedding is still a week away.” What was the big deal? He’d go try on a tux later that day. Hemming a pair of pants couldn’t possibly take that long.

“Yes, but we leave for Maui in two days.”

Great, no more avoiding that discussion. He still hadn’t told his sister that his plan was to take the red-eye flight the night before the wedding then leave right after the reception dinner. Three days away from his job with the Los Angeles Police Department was more than enough. “About that—”

“Chase, don’t even say it.”

“Kate, you know it’s hard for me to get time off.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Kate...” He suppressed a yawn. The twelve-hour night shift had been tough, but not as tough as this conversation with his sister. Was there a way to block stressful calls from coming in this early? If not, someone should definitely create an app for that.

“It’s my wedding, Chase. And you’re giving me away, remember?”

As the oldest, he’d taken over for both parents when his mother and father died in a car explosion years earlier. Alan Hartley had been an undercover cop working a long-term case in drug exports. An informant had leaked his identity to the cartel leader, just days before the bust that would have put the criminal behind bars for a long time. Unfortunately, his parents had lost their lives and the investigation had been for nothing. Chase had dropped out of college and enrolled in the police force.

Setting his bag next to his desk, he collapsed into the chair and eyed the stack of paperwork in his inbox tray. He rubbed his forehead and rested his head in his hand. “Look, Adam isn’t flying in until the day before.” If his youngest brother could get away with it, why couldn’t he?

“Adam is a pro NFL player with a game schedule and a contract he needs to worry about.”

Right, and he was just responsible for civilian safety. “I’ll be there for the ceremony.”

“No, you know what, forget it—if taking time off work for your sister’s wedding is too hard for you, I’ll ask Eric to give me away instead.”

His sister was one of the best wedding planners in Los Angeles. Weddings were her life and she believed them to be one of the most important days in her clients’ lives. Trying to tell her to relax about her own would only be met with an argument he was too exhausted for. “You won’t ask Eric because—”

At the dial tone, he knew she was continuing her temper tantrum in her home across town.

He had seven minutes until she called back, because despite her threat, there was no way she would leave something that important in the hands of their carefree, laid-back younger brother.

He scanned the work on his desk. He needed a shower to wake himself up before tackling the pile of paperwork. In the locker room he tossed his vest, gun holster and boots into his locker, and removed his shirt and pants.

In the mirror he examined a gash above his left eyebrow from an untimely encounter with a knife as he’d broken up a bar fight the evening before. He’d accepted a tetanus shot at the hospital but refused stitches... In hindsight, maybe that wasn’t the best idea. Shampoo in the deep wound was going to hurt like a son of a bitch.

He turned on the shower and let the steam from the hot water fill the room as he removed his boxer briefs. Then, climbing in, he assessed the rest of the damage—bruising on his rib cage and another small flesh wound on his upper thigh.

Assholes high on crack and who knew what else. They’d spent the night in a drunk tank, but Chase had been unable to charge them for possession, finding only a small bag of marijuana on the youngest kid, who—as luck would have it—actually had a prescription for medicinal use. Today they would go free. And no doubt they’d mess up worse the next time and the next time, until finally landing in a state penitentiary, which would ultimately serve to make them better criminals.

As the water poured down his back, he leaned an arm against the shower wall and rested his head against it. He’d take another knife fight at that moment over a battle with his sister. He knew she’d get her way—Kate always did.

She knew it, too. That was why she was calling back two minutes earlier than he’d predicted. Turning off the shower taps, he reached for a towel and his ringing cell phone. “I’ll change my flights,” he said with a sigh.

“I know.”

2

“NO, HE CAN’T have the boat,” Hayley said into her cell phone, cradled between her shoulder and ear as she stuffed her bursting-at-the-seams suitcase under the seat in front of her. The early-morning flight to Maui was full and there was never enough room under these seats.

“Why not? He paid for it,” Mark Phillips, the opposing attorney on her latest divorce case, said.

“Because my client is getting the lake house.” She paused. “What’s the point of having the boat when he’s getting the summer home in Phoenix?” Were they seriously fighting over this? Mark had to know how stupid his client’s request sounded. Clearly, it was just another tactic to piss off his soon-to-be ex-wife.

The flight attendant approached, indicating that she end the call.

She nodded.

“He says he wants to sell it,” Mark was saying.

“No, forget it. He’s not getting it.” Even if the early morning and lack of coffee wasn’t making her cranky, the opposing attorney’s request was one she refused to waver on. Her client’s husband had cleaned out their savings to support his gambling hobby. She wasn’t giving him anything else to sell to support his addiction. He was lucky his wife wasn’t planning on airing his other addictions in court, as well.

“What about the fishing gear? Mrs. Leslie admitted she doesn’t fish.”

“Maybe she’ll develop a sudden interest.”

The flight attendant stopped by her row and gave Hayley the evil eye.

“Bye, Mark. See you in court next week.” Her tone was final. “Sorry, done,” she told the flight attendant, turning the phone off and dropping it into her purse. It would be the last time she answered it for days, and the thought nearly brought on an anxiety attack. Marvin’s rules for the company retreat were simple—no work. He’d made them all clear their calendars and move appointments to make sure they could focus on team building throughout the retreat. Thank God she could count on her assistant to take care of important things like filing affidavits and booking court dates for her return.

She sighed, sitting back in the seat. Right now she had enough to worry about, trying to keep her job. Before leaving the office the day before, she’d stopped by Marvin’s with the perfect excuse for why her fiancé would be unable to attend the retreat, but her boss had already left for the day. Now she had the entire flight to stress over his reaction to her arriving solo.

She needed this job. While no one ever said it, everyone knew that her father’s influence had secured her current position at Marshall and Thompson after she’d been fired from the law firm in New York where she’d been working since graduating from Harvard. As a well-respected corporate law attorney, he had a lot of friends and he’d used his connections. She appreciated his help, especially since being let go had made it impossible to secure interviews with some of her top firm choices. Annoyance rose in her chest when she thought about it. She’d only gotten fired because she’d made the mistake of sleeping with a senior partner at the firm. Once she’d ended things, he’d turned her recent lack of success in the courtroom into a reason to let her go.

As the plane filled and the seats next to her remained empty, she entertained the hope that she’d have the row to herself. But of course there was always that one guy, Hayley thought as a man hurried onto the plane. The one who was never early for a flight, the one who thought the plane should just wait for him, the one who was...drop-dead gorgeous.

Hell, if she was a plane, she’d wait for him, too.

He towered over the flight attendant, which would put him at about six feet, and his shirt—open at the top—revealed that it was six feet of tanned, sculpted muscle. His dark hair was gelled in a messy tousle and when he smiled at the young attendant, his cheeks gave way to the deepest dimples she’d ever seen on a man.

Either an actor or a model. The only people on earth that had the right to be that good-looking, serving as eye candy for mere mortals.

“Hi,” he said, stopping next to her row. “This is me.” He pointed to the aisle seat as he stuffed a small carry-on into the overhead compartment. He looked for a place to hang a dark garment bag from Joseph’s Formal Wear.

Of course he was sitting next to her—fate hated her. The hottest guy on the planet was going to Maui for a wedding. She scanned the aisle behind him, expecting to see a dazzling, supermodel-gorgeous woman rushing to take the middle seat between them, but the aisle was empty. “Hi.”

“Here, Officer Hartley, let me hang this in the cockpit for you.” The flight attendant who’d earlier given her a menacing glare showed no signs of the terrifying authority now as she touched his arm.

Officer? This guy was a police officer? She studied him more closely. Okay, she could see that. Looking beyond the obvious physical qualities was a strong, sturdy, cautious air about him... And now at least the gash above his left eyebrow made sense.

“Thank you,” he told her, handing her the garment bag. “Everyone on this airline is so friendly and helpful,” he said to Hayley.

“Yeah, I don’t think it has anything to do with the airline.” The man couldn’t possibly be humble enough to think that the flight attendants treated everyone the same. She was sure he’d stirred the same body-tingling, pulse-racing effect in every woman he’d passed on the way to his seat, including the crew.

He laughed as he sat, and all cop-like attributes disappeared. That easy, confidence-filled sound was anything but good, decent and safe. It was the bad-boy heartbreaker soundtrack. “Chase Hartley,” he said, extending a hand toward her.

Suddenly chitchat with a perfect stranger didn’t seem so inconvenient. Really, only five hours? “Hayley Hanna. On your way to a destination wedding?” She nodded toward the disappearing garment bag.

“My sister’s. And you? Vacation or obligatory attendance at a family event?”

Cute. He was definitely cute. “Work, actually. A corporate retreat.”

“Corporate retreat—that makes you a...doctor?”

“Lawyer.”

His smile faded slightly.

“Divorce and family law,” she added.

The smile was back with a vengeance, bringing out the big guns—those two never-ending dimples in his five o’clock shadow that were even more fantastic up close. “That’s a relief. It would be a shame if we couldn’t be friends.”

A shame indeed. Terri-Lynn’s advice echoed in her mind.

Have lots of vacation sex—the best sex you’ll ever have.

She didn’t doubt for a second that this man could fulfill that fantasy. An image of his incredible body lying on top of her as those tempting-as-hell lips kissed her everywhere flashed in her mind, and a wave of heat crashed over her. It had been far too long since someone had kept her awake all night with mind-blowing sex. Hell, it had been months since anyone had appealed to her as a potential candidate.

What was she thinking? For all she knew, this guy was meeting someone in Maui and she had more important things to think about, like...um...surely, there was something.

“So, Hayley, corporate retreat—as boring as it sounds?”

“Let’s just say I’m looking forward to it about as much as you’re looking forward to the wedding.”

He grinned and oh, my God—the smile was perfection, the laugh was mesmerizing, but the grin was sexy and mischievous. “That obvious, huh?” he asked.

“You’re not flying with the rest of the wedding party,” she said, “and by the look of disappointment on your face when you barely made this flight, you were hoping the plane would leave without you. I’m guessing that duffel bag you somehow found space for in the overhead is the only piece of luggage you’re bringing other than the tuxedo that you’d rather burn than wear.”

He clapped. “You nailed me.”

Wouldn’t that be a dream?

“It actually sounds like you know something about avoiding weddings.”

“My best friend got married twice—last year...making me the maid of honor twice in one year.” Only for Terri-Lynn would she put herself through that. She just prayed her friend wouldn’t rush down the aisle again anytime soon.

“I thought all women loved weddings.”

“Common misconception. Women love their own weddings. Other people’s weddings just remind them how alone they are and create a panic—that their biological clocks are ticking and to hurry up and find someone before they die alone.”

“Harsh assessment,” he said with a note of amusement in his voice.

“I don’t sugarcoat much.” Which was exactly why she’d ended up in hot water over that stupid article. Maybe she needed to adopt a more bullshit-your-way-through-life approach. People who did that seemed to get into trouble a lot less.

“Should I be worried that I’m sitting next to a walking time bomb?” Chase asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Nope, not me... I’m blissfully betrothed to a dentist who unfortunately cannot make this corporate retreat because he’s performing emergency dental surgery on Wednesday afternoon.” She toyed with the fake engagement ring on her finger.

Chase frowned as he cocked his head to the side. “He knows about an emergency surgery in advance?”

Good point. She was glad she’d tested her fabricated excuse on Mr. Heartbreaker Hartley. “Thank you. I didn’t think of that.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a lie I’m trying to perfect,” she said, not really caring if she was making a bad impression. After this plane ride, she’d never see him again anyway. Both a relief and somewhat disappointing. He might be the only person on the tropical island she’d have enjoyed spending time with.

He turned in his seat to face her. “Okay, I think this is a story I need to hear.”

* * *

HAYLEY HANNA WAS by far the most entertaining, sexily compelling woman he’d ever met, Chase decided by the time she’d finished her account of her current dilemma.

“So, there you have it. I’m screwed unless I can convince my boss that I’m in line with the company’s core values.” Hayley kicked her feet free of her strappy sandals and tucked them under her on her seat.

Her perfectly manicured toes and deeply tanned legs didn’t escape his notice. In fact, nothing about her had. From the wavy blond hair, held off her face by her gem-encrusted sunglasses, to the light, crystal-blue eyes framed with long, dark lashes, to her full, bare lips that were just a shade darker than her skin. She was as close to perfect as he’d ever seen. And the way his body was reacting to the smell of her soft, intoxicating perfume surprised the hell out of him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d fought the urge to kiss a complete stranger and felt the pull of temptation to run his tongue along her neck to see if she tasted as good as she smelled. Her slight standoffish air helped put a damper on the spark sizzling between them as their flirty banter continued, yet somehow it made her that much more appealing.

“I find it weird that the firm puts so much emphasis on those things,” he said. “It’s your personal life. What should it matter if you’re married with kids?”

“In the board’s eyes, a single woman who seems to take on only female clients with major hate-ons for their husbands is not really presenting the firm the way they would like.”

“That’s ridiculous. You’re winning cases. That’s all that should matter.”

“Do you want to tell my boss that?”

He paused as the most absurd idea hit him. Maybe he couldn’t defend her to her boss, but he could offer to help her with this charade. Be a stand-in for the man she’d just broken up with to help her get through this corporate retreat.

“What?” She frowned when he was silent.

“Give me a second—I’m working through something,” he said, rubbing his forehead. She seemed like a nice woman, crazy sexy, and definitely someone he’d rather hang out with that week than the marriage-obsessed bridesmaids. Of course, he had to attend the obligatory rehearsal dinner and the wedding, but the rest of his time was his own... Or at least it would be if his sister thought he was falling in love. And while love was never going to happen, the possibility of a vacation fling was far too tempting. “How about we help each other?” His mind was made up. Now to convince her—though she had admitted to briefly considering an escort service, so this shouldn’t be difficult.

“How?”

Removing his cell phone from his pocket, he opened his mail app.

“Don’t let the flight attendant see you,” Hayley said, scanning the aisle.

“It’s on airplane mode.” He searched for the most recent email from Kate and opened the attachments. He moved closer to Hayley and held out the phone as the first image appeared on the screen.

“Wow, she’s gorgeous...those can’t be her real eyelashes,” she said, leaning closer to inspect the picture of Kate’s former college friend, Trish. “Who is she?”

“Just one of the three single women attending the wedding that my sister would like to set me up with.” He clicked on the remaining two images. Three beautiful, successful, smart women. His sister had good taste—he’d give her that. But the other thing these women had in common was their desire to be Kate’s next wedding-planning client, and marriage was not in his future. He’d made that choice the moment he’d joined the police force. He’d seen what his chosen career could do to families...far too many times. He refused to put a wife and kids through the torment and possible danger. Relationships were not something he could do—he’d tried once and failed. He was done with anything more than casual sex. Unfortunately, his hopelessly romantic sister refused to believe that.

“I still like the first one best,” Hayley said. “What’s with the numbers on the bottom of the photos?”

“It’s Kate’s crazy rating scale.” He had to hand it to his sister, she was thorough.

Hayley laughed. “It’s actually a good idea. How do I help you with all of this?”

He tucked the phone away. “You need a fake fiancé. I need a date for the wedding so my sister doesn’t pimp me out all week to her lonely friends...especially now that you’ve terrified me with the knowledge that they’re ticking biological time bombs.” Not to mention, a part of him didn’t want to show up alone when the one woman he’d truly cared for would be there with his youngest brother—her new husband—sporting a five-month baby bump. He decided to keep the last part to himself. He still hadn’t quite worked through his feelings on that one. He’d only found out two months ago when Adam had been in town and they’d had dinner together. He’d dropped the bomb somewhere between the third and fourth tequila shot that he’d eloped with Chase’s ex-girlfriend and they were expecting a baby. “So, what do you think?”

“I don’t know...it seems kind of crazy,” she said, but he could see the wheels turning in her mind. “What night is the wedding?” she asked finally.

“Friday. Ceremony starts at sunset—around six thirty.”

She reached for her carry-on and pulled it free. Then unzipping it, she retrieved her daytimer. “Friday... Friday...” she muttered, flipping the pages that were full of different-colored highlighted sections and sticky notes and business cards, making the thing burst at the seams.

Organized, insanely busy woman.

Someone who just might be as busy and career-driven as he was and who wouldn’t demand all his time and attention... He shook the thought away. A date for the wedding was all he needed. And if they got tangled up in his sheets at some point during the week, he’d consider it a win.

“We have dinner and a guest speaker that night to wrap up the retreat but as long as I’m there for the opening speech at six and then back later... It could work.” She tucked the book into the seat pocket and bit her lip as she turned to stare at him. “You’d really do this for me?”

“We’d be helping each other.” Chase and his brother hadn’t spoken since Adam had delivered the news and he had no idea how hard it was going to be seeing his brother and ex-girlfriend together. Kendall had been the only woman he’d even considered trying to have a future with. Having a date would help him save face, and this setup was perfect.

No complications of a real relationship.

“During the day I’ll be in conference meetings, so your time would be your own... It would just be the evenings.”

“Where are you staying?” he asked, praying it wasn’t the same resort where the wedding was being held.

“The Westin Resort and Spa.”

“Down the beach from the Sheraton. Perfect.” He’d been to Maui with his family over a dozen times, so he knew the place well. Their hotels were in short walking distance, but far enough that their events wouldn’t collide.

She didn’t look convinced. She was silent for a long moment before finally shaking her head. “I’m sorry—I can’t. I mean, I’d love to. It would make my life so much easier.” She paused. “No, I can’t,” she said more firmly this time. “But thank you, Chase.”

He sighed. “Okay... Well, if you change your mind.” He held back—barely—before suggesting an alternate arrangement for that week.

“I won’t.”

Damn it. She probably wouldn’t. But for a second, this trip hadn’t seemed quite so bad.

* * *

CHASE SCANNED THE terminal at the Maui airport for the shuttle bus to take him to the car rentals. He insisted on driving whenever he was on vacation, liking the freedom to venture farther from the resort. And this trip he might need a car to escape the wedding party.

The open-air terminal looked exactly the same as it had when he’d visited years before. The fresh ocean breeze filled him with nostalgia. Those family vacations were some of his best memories. Days on the beach playing volleyball and learning to scuba dive, the incredible sunsets over the water and the hours spent checking out girls at the pool. Being with his parents—that had been the best part of all.

“Excuse me, I think you left this in the back of the seat in front of you,” a young woman said, coming up behind him just as the white budget car rental shuttle pulled up to the curb outside the airport.

Hayley’s daytimer.

“Oh... Actually, it’s not mine, but I can get it to the owner,” he said, taking it with a smile. “Thank you.” He adjusted his garment bag over his arm before rushing off to catch the shuttle.

He scanned the area one last time for any sight of her but didn’t see her. After deboarding the plane, she’d said a quick goodbye and rushed off before he’d had an opportunity to ask if she’d like a ride to her hotel instead of taking the shuttle that would stop at eight different resorts along the way. The truth was he had been disappointed to end their time together. For a woman he barely knew, he kind of liked her. She was funny, smart and sexy—an irresistible combination...and she’d had enough integrity to refuse his crazy scheme.

Nope. He wouldn’t miss another opportunity to see her. Boarding the shuttle, he took a seat up front, securing his duffel bag at his feet. The warm island breeze coming through the open windows rustled the multicolored sticky notes extending past the pages of the daytimer. He stared at it. This is private property—do not open it. Though, she had left it on the plane... She was lucky that he knew where she was staying so he could return it. One peek wouldn’t hurt, he decided, opening the book to that day’s date. Flight to Maui was written on the top of the page and highlighted in green. Wailele Polynesian Luau was listed toward the bottom and highlighted in pink. The rest of the page was blank. No harm done. Not much here he didn’t already know. He closed the book.

How busy was her week? Maybe he could show up somewhere some evening and buy her a drink? No, that was stupid. If she had wanted to see him again on this trip she wouldn’t have taken off the moment she was free from the confines of the plane. Besides, what good would come of a drink with a beautiful woman like Hayley?

His knees bounced and he looked everywhere but the source of temptation on his lap. He wouldn’t want anyone flipping through his personal belongings. Respect her privacy...

What the hell. Once he gave back the book, he’d never see her again anyway. He flicked it open and started to scan its pages... Ten minutes later, he knew she was a Harvard graduate—based on her alumni event later that summer—that she had regularly scheduled eye and dental appointments and once she’d attended them she gave herself little star stickers, and that her next vehicle maintenance was booked for the following month at Los Angeles BMW. The woman had great taste in vehicles.

Other than that, court cases and appointments with clients filled the remaining pages, all the way to Christmas. No vacations planned, no family dinners, no dates... She was obviously as career focused as she’d claimed and not at all interested in a relationship—exactly the kind of woman whose help he could really use that week.

If only she’d taken him up on his offer.

3

AN HOUR LATER, Hayley struggled to breathe. And not from an asthma attack induced by the island’s humidity. Nope, this was a full-fledged panic attack. She dug through her purse, her carry-on and her suitcase, frantically tossing items aside on the floor of the hotel lobby while she waited in line to check in.

Where was her daytimer? She couldn’t have lost it. Her life was inside that book. Her court cases and client appointments...things were color coded and organized...and she didn’t even have a backup, refusing to use the firm’s public appointment calendar. She was accountable to herself and no one else...but now, damn it, she wished she’d put her court dates at least into the micromanagement system.

“Checking in, ma’am?” A hotel desk clerk appeared next to her with flower leis over his right arm. He draped one over her head as she glanced toward him.

Freaking out actually.

“Would you like assistance with your bags today?” he asked.

“No, thank you,” she said, shoving everything back into her suitcase. She stood and tossed her carry-on over her shoulder as she approached the desk, racking her mind for where she could have tucked that book.

Come on, think. When was the last time...? Oh, no. Her eyes widened. The plane.

She shook her head, remembering the momentary lapse in judgment when she’d actually thought about taking Chase up on his offer to act as her fiancé for the week. It was crazy... It would never have worked...right? She’d had her moments over the last forty-eight hours when desperation had caused her to contemplate actions that severe, but luckily she hadn’t gone through with any of them.

“Hayley!”

Great, now she was hearing his voice. She really was frazzled. At the desk, she handed her reservation confirmation to the smiling woman behind the computer. No doubt she backed up her important information. “Checking in—last name, Hanna.”

“Um... I think your husband is calling you,” he said, nodding behind her.

“I’m not married.”

“Well, there’s a man looking for you.”

Hayley sighed as she turned to see Chase coming toward her. Better yet—holding her daytimer. Oh, thank God. She’d never in her life had the urge to kiss someone as much as she was tempted to kiss him at that moment. Rushing toward him, she grabbed her book and hugged it to her chest. “I missed you,” she said, oblivious to the man staring at her with open amusement. “Not you—the book,” she said in case there was need for clarification.

“I got that,” he said with an unoffended laugh. “I was actually going to wait until your bikini wax next Wednesday to return it, but I thought you might need it sooner.”

Her eyes widened. Her bikini wax? He’d read her daytimer? “Hey! This was a piece of personal property—you had no right to snoop through it.” She wasn’t sure which embarrassed her more—the fact that he’d seen her bikini wax appointment or the fact that it was probably the most interesting thing in there. She tucked her planner into her carry-on and folded her arms across her chest, noticing that his gaze followed. “Hey, up here.” Sure, she hadn’t minded him checking her out on the plane, but that was before he’d discovered her color-coded analness...and oh, she prayed he hadn’t seen the “Good for you” and “Way to go” star stickers throughout. Or worse, her daily affirmations written in the back of the book.

“Sorry,” he said, looking anything but. “Look, I didn’t read through it...just a few pages to find out how I could return it to you. You’re welcome.”

He had returned it and really that was all that mattered. “Thank you,” she said. “Oh, no.” She groaned, noticing Cornelius Thompson and several board members entering the hotel lobby.

Chase turned. “Your coworkers?”

“Board members and one partner at the firm,” she whispered, moving to stand behind Chase. Maybe by some stroke of unexpected and unusual luck, they wouldn’t notice her. Man, why couldn’t she be as tiny as Terri-Lynn? Her friend could have hidden behind the thin, tall, potted palm trees next to the check-in counter.

“Hayley, hi,” Cornelius said a moment later, leaning around Chase to see her. “I thought that was you. Just checking in?”

Numbly, she nodded. If she pretended Chase was a bellboy, would he go along with it? He had offered to be her fiancé, and at least this way, he’d get a tip.

“Great. You know Kelly Miller and Ian Kelsey.” He did the introductions, but she wasn’t paying attention. “And this is your...” He paused, looking at Chase.

Don’t just stand there, she thought. Tell them who he is. Her lips refused to move.

“Her...um...fiancé, Chase Hartley.”

She blinked. Huh? That wasn’t the right answer. She swung to face him and started to shake her head, but Cornelius was already nodding his approval as he extended a hand, which Chase accepted. What was going on here? They’d agreed that his idea was a bad one. She shot daggers at him, but he ignored them.

“Nice to meet you,” Cornelius said.

Say you were kidding... Tell my boss the truth, she silently pleaded. She would, if she could find her voice.

“You, too, sir,” Chase said instead.

Hayley could do nothing but hold her breath, force a smile and watch in horror as the two shook hands.

Shit, shit, shit.

* * *

“OKAY—LET’S HEAR IT,” Hayley said as she unpacked her suitcase in her room. Chase’s family and the rest of the wedding party weren’t expecting him in Maui until much later that evening. Therefore, they’d decided to do the introductions with her other boss and coworkers first at the luau that evening.

Chase paced in front of the open patio doors leading out onto the beach. In his khaki shorts and unbuttoned white dress shirt blowing in the warm ocean breeze, he was by far the best thing she’d seen on this island, even though he’d just screwed her an hour ago—figuratively, of course.

“Let’s see how much I remember—you grew up in San Francisco...an only child, parents divorced at twelve...”

How casually he said that. As if it hadn’t been the worst experience of her young life. Having a front-row seat to her parents’ divorce was no doubt the primary reason she suffered from trust and commitment issues. Three sessions with a therapist hadn’t exactly been necessary to figure that out. After her parents had divorced, her mother had never remarried, her resentment toward all men only growing over the years. Her father on the other hand had one relationship after the other... His current girlfriend was a woman two years younger than Hayley. But that was way too much information, so she simply nodded.

Then it hit her. Oh, God, was she going to have to meet his parents on this trip? Pain spasmed in her chest.

Forget about that for now, and focus on getting through this part. Hanging several jackets in the closet, she waited for him to continue.

“Your dad is a corporate law attorney... Your mom never worked.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that. She thought raising me and dealing with my dad’s interference was the hardest job on the planet,” she said, unpacking her toiletries and lining them up on the counter in the bathroom. “Where did I go to law school?” she prompted when he’d stalled.

“Harvard, Miss Smarty-pants.” He followed behind her as she worked and bent to pick up a red lace bra from her suitcase. “Fantastic taste in lingerie and by the look of this, I’d say about a 34D?”

“Give me that.” She took the bra from him and stuffed it along with three others into a dresser drawer.

“Just trying to be thorough,” he said with that sexy grin.

“No one is going to need to know my bra size,” she said, far too aware that the hottest man she’d ever met was in her hotel room, showing more of his chiseled body than she’d seen in quite some time. James had kept himself in good shape, but he’d had a marathoner’s body—thin, lean muscle from daily five-mile runs and biking. Chase was built like a linebacker. One that could easily scoop her up into big strong arms, lay her on her white heavenly king-size bed and fulfill every last fantasy she’d had about him since meeting him six hours before. Her cheeks warmed and she turned away. “Let’s move on.”

“Well, there is one important thing we haven’t covered.”

She couldn’t think of anything they’d missed. They’d gone back as far as high school and had discussed favorites from food to television shows and books. At this point he knew her better than almost anyone. “I doubt that, but ask away.”

“Are we planning to have kids?”

He was right, they hadn’t covered that. “You know, I don’t think it will come up,” she said, waving a hand. “Let’s not worry about it.”

“I think we should have a game plan if it does. Since my sister and Cooper got engaged, it’s all anyone asks them... When are the kids coming? How many of the precious little monsters they plan to have.”

“Precious little monsters? I think we have our answer right there.” She laughed.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love kids, but my own? Never.”

Another similarity in life views—could it be possible that she’d met someone who understood her love of independence and appreciated her mistrust of relationships? She hesitated a fraction longer. “You’re sure you want to do this?” It wasn’t too late to back out. She could just find Cornelius and tell him it had been...a joke—that was it. Before this whole thing got completely out of hand.

“I can’t think of a good reason not to, can you?”

“If we get caught lying to everyone, the shit will hit the fan.”

That dangerously sexy grin spread across his face as he said, “But only if we get caught.”

* * *

“SO REMEMBER, WE GOT engaged six months ago...no real wedding plans or a date set yet,” Hayley whispered as they made their way across the crowded hotel lobby an hour later. Long lines of people waited at the luau entrance and she pointed out her group, taking their seats near the stage where Hula dancers performed.

The familiar sounds of the island music had an unexpected warming effect on Chase. Hawaiian luaus had always been a favorite of his. “I got it,” he said as they approached a man and a woman dressed in traditional Hula clothing, waiting to greet them with another lei. So far, he’d gotten lei’d more in three hours than he had in over nine months.

Nine long months. His last casual fling had lasted three weeks with a French ballet dancer who’d been performing in LA. He’d given her a ticket for double parking in a fire lane, she’d spewed a string of swearwords at him that he hadn’t understood and then they spent the rest of their whirlwind love affair naked.

The perfect, no-strings-attached situation. No one got close, no one got hurt.

“What’s wrong?” Instant panic filled Hayley’s voice.

“Nothing, sorry...” Stay focused. He could worry about the future of his penis later. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he told her.

She turned to him with a nervous look in her clear eyes. “There’s my other boss at the far left table.” She nodded toward the stage. “Ready?”

“Yes,” he said, placing a hand on the small of her back. The fabric of her breezy, floral-print halter top was soft against his rough skin and hugged her 34Ds like any man’s dream. He prayed he could pull off the expression of a doting fiancé and not the lustful stranger he actually was, but it was tough to look anywhere else when those perfectly shaped breasts peeked over the top of her shirt like that. “Wait.” He stopped her and, taking her hand, he pulled her around the corner to privacy.

“What?”

Taking a step toward her, he grabbed her thin waist and drew her firmly against him. His grip tightened as his eyes fell to her pale pink glossy lips. Lips that had begged to be kissed all afternoon. Full, pouty, delicious-looking lips that had tormented him since she’d smiled at him on the plane. Only his own nerves about their plan had prevented him from acting on the impulse when she’d emerged from her hotel bathroom that evening looking drop-dead gorgeous.

Bending slightly, his gaze searched hers for encouragement, but he only found a look of surprise in return.

Screw it.

Leaning forward, he pressed his mouth to hers. His arms tightened around her waist and he felt her body collapse into him. Her hands pressed against his chest, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue along his bottom lip as her arms went higher to circle his neck.

Her mouth was warm, welcoming...her lips soft and hungry...

His body came alive as shock mixed with an unfamiliar sensation—longing? He broke away.

Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her lips. “What was that?”

He had no idea. It was supposed to be just a kiss to ease some of the sexual tension between them, but damned if it had only made things hotter. He swallowed hard. “I...uh...just thought we should get the first kiss out of the way before we’re forced to do it in front of an audience.” That, and since the moment he’d seen her sexy lingerie, it had been all he could think about. But with one quick kiss, this noncomplicated plan had just gotten complicated.

“Do you really think we’ll have to kiss in front of my coworkers?” she whispered.

Her expression fell somewhere between intrigued and terrified at the prospect.

“Yes, if we hope to pull off the performance of a lifetime. Kate and Cooper can’t keep their hands off one another.” He shuddered, the thought of his coworker and his sister making him nauseated. Though the idea of kissing and touching Hayley all evening worked to erase all other thoughts. It also worked to create a bulge in the front of his khaki shorts. If a simple kiss had him this excited, he wasn’t sure how he was going to get through the next few days.

“Well, I hadn’t really given it that much thought. I am now.” She paused. “Is this... I mean, is kissing me again—only if necessary, of course—going to be a problem?”

He tilted her chin upward. “Trust me, Hayley. Kissing you whenever the need arises will most definitely not be a problem.” In fact, not kissing her might be.

* * *

AWARE OF THE curious eyes watching them, Hayley led the way straight to her boss on unsteady knees. Get a grip, she commanded herself. It was just a kiss. So why did it have her feeling dizzy? Because no other kiss in the history of kisses had ever made her body spring to life so quickly. Her heart was still racing, and her flushed cheeks and neck weren’t due to the Hawaii heat.

“Hayley!” Lila’s voice behind them made her stop and turn. Good, better to ease into this with someone she could be honest with. Besides sharing an office wall, they’d also shared countless bottles of malbec in the office’s law library during too many late nights. She could count on Lila to keep this to herself.

Chase wrapped an arm around her and smiled brightly at her side.

“Don’t worry, Lila’s an ally,” Hayley whispered before addressing her coworker and her husband. “Hi, guys, this is Chase,” she said pointedly.

“Chase...” Lila repeated slowly. “This is my husband, Craig.” Lila did the introductions and while the two men shook hands, she shot an inquisitive look at Hayley.

“I’ll explain later,” Hayley said, leaning toward her friend.

“Just tell me one thing—is he a...” She raised an eyebrow. “A... You know...”

Hayley swiped her arm. “Of course not.” She’d never admit to Lila that hiring an escort had crossed her mind. Her perfectly happily married friend with the fantastic husband, adorable kids and two-car garage would never understand her desperation. Telling Lila she’d met Chase on the plane probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing, either. “He’s just a friend. Shall we sit?”

Chase held a chair for her and she fought the feminist voice in her mind urging her to insist that wasn’t necessary. Especially when Lila chastised Craig for not making the gesture.

“Quit it, man. You’re making me look bad,” Craig said with a friendly shoulder punch to Chase.

“Sorry,” Chase said, taking his seat next to Hayley. He immediately moved his chair closer and draped an arm over the back of hers.

Were they overdoing it a little?

“Well, I had my doubts, but here he is.” Marvin’s voice boomed behind them.

“Here we go,” Hayley whispered as she turned with a forced smile. “Marvin, I’d like you to meet Chase. Chase, this is my boss, Marvin Marshall—head attorney at Marshall and Thompson Family Law.”

Chase extended a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“So, Chase, what do you do?” Marvin asked.

Seemed like a safe enough question to answer honestly, so she gave a slight nod at his side. She was almost certain she’d never told Martin much about James. He’d never remember that she’d been dating a dentist most recently.

“I’m a police officer with the LAPD,” Chase was saying at her side.

“Tough gig,” her boss said.

“It can be challenging.” He nodded.

“Well, we’re glad you were able to be here this week.” He shot a glance at Hayley. “We were starting to think Hayley had made you up.” His pointed look spoke volumes and she was relieved that she hadn’t had to deliver her speech about her absent fiancé. Her boss would never have accepted it as the truth.

She gave a tight laugh. “He’s real,” she said, squeezing his arm. “Anyway, it looks like the performance is about to start.” On the stage a man dressed in traditional Hawaiian costume, holding a large coconut in one hand and a pointed stick in the other, had silenced the band and taken the microphone.

“Yes, well, enjoy the show.” With a wave, her boss rejoined Cornelius Thompson and his wife at their table and Hayley let out a sigh of relief.

First round, a success.

* * *

“JUST ONE QUICK drink then we’ll duck out.”

“Chase, don’t worry. After the performance you just gave with my coworkers, one drink with your family is the least I can do,” Hayley said, feeling slightly tipsy from the two strong mai tais she’d already consumed that evening.

The luau had gone flawlessly. Chase had been the ultimate charmer and everyone seemed to like him, even her boss. A few times he’d seemed to know her so well she’d paused to remind herself that they had just met hours before, not six months ago, the way they claimed. His thoughtful, affectionate ways had almost made her believe they were a happy couple, relieving her anxiety about their ability to pull this off, but giving her something else to worry about.

He did know this was all an act, right?

“Oh, believe me, what we went through over there was nothing compared to the Spanish Inquisition we’re going to face over here,” he said, opening the door to the resort bar and showing his hotel room key to the hostess. His sister had texted him twenty minutes before asking where he was and suggesting the resort bar for a drink. He’d yet to tell them about her and that worried Hayley a little.

“They can’t be that bad...right?”

He squeezed her hand and it was only then that she realized he was still holding it. “They aren’t. It’s my sister, Kate, who will want to know every detail. And as I said, she’s been trying to set me up with a bunch of her friends, so she may be a little...annoyed and full of questions.”

“Like what?” Now she was nervous. Her boss had been happy enough to see a living, breathing male next to her.

“Like how we met, our first date...” He scanned the busy bar for his family.

“We didn’t go over those things.” Shit. They’d spent most of the afternoon discussing her. She realized now she knew little about him, except that he was a cop and his kiss could do things to her she’d never thought possible. Probably not enough to win over his family.

“Just let me answer her questions,” he said with a wink.

A thought struck her then. “What about your parents? Won’t they be suspicious? Wouldn’t you have told them about the woman you’ve been dating long enough to bring to your sister’s wedding?”

He turned to her with a sad smile as he nodded. “Yeah, I would have...but they passed away a long time ago—a car fire when I was eighteen.”

Her mouth dropped open. “I’m sorry.”

“I should have mentioned it before now... Oh, there’s the group.”

Hayley turned in the direction he’d nodded. Oh, my freaking God. Had half of Los Angeles been invited to this wedding? Didn’t destination weddings mean just an elaborate elopement? Apparently not for Kate Hartley. Three long tables had been pushed together in the center of the bar to accommodate the group of about thirty people. “They all came for her wedding?” she whispered.

“Let’s just say my sister usually gets her way—all the time actually. People have a hard time saying no to her. Including me, which is why you’re here.” He winked.

That was right, she was his no-strings-attached safety harness to keep him from having to entertain Kate’s single girlfriends. Well, if a bodyguard against these crazy ladies was what he needed, she could certainly do that. She wrapped an arm around his waist, appreciating the feel of his muscular obliques beneath his shirt. God, he was sexy. “Let’s do this,” she said, heading toward the group.

He hesitated, moving slowly. “One more thing—Cooper’s going to know something’s up... So he’s probably going to be sending me those looks you got all evening from Lila, but don’t worry. He won’t say anything.”

“Why not?”

“I’ll kick his ass.”

She didn’t think he was joking. She’d suspected that Chase hadn’t been keen on his baby sister’s choice of fiancé, and now that she knew about their parents not being around, she could understand his protectiveness even more.

A second later far too many eyes landed on them at the sound of Kate’s high pitched “Chase!” as she climbed over the table bench to rush toward them.

“Brace yourself for impact,” Chase muttered as his sister—a six-foot Amazon—barrelled into them, claiming him in a hug.

Hayley quickly sidestepped the embrace.

“Kate, I’d like you to meet Hayley.”

Pulling away from her brother, Kate gave her a quick once over before she frowned.

Great, she hated her already.

“My girlfriend, Hayley,” he said quickly.

“Hi, Kate. It’s nice to meet you,” Hayley said, forcing a smile.

“You, too...” Kate said slowly, shaking her head. Her long dark hair whipped back and forth in a low ponytail. “Sorry, I’m confused... Chase hadn’t mentioned he was dating someone.” Her eyes narrowed slightly at her brother.

Crap. Those dark, piercing, perceptive eyes knew something was up. Hayley scanned the restaurant for the nearest exit, but Chase’s grip tightened around her.

“I didn’t mention it because I...uh...didn’t know how serious things were before.” He pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. “But I thought it was time for all of you to meet.”

Great, Chase—that was his cover-up? Now she was going to look like a heartless bitch when they conveniently broke up after this week.

But to her surprise, Kate’s face lit up. “Finally.” She turned to Hayley with a genuine smile this time. “We were starting to lose hope on this one and he’s kinda tight-lipped about his personal life. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone. Chase, why don’t you grab drinks?”

Oh, no, he couldn’t just leave her—he was supposed to be the one doing all the talking and explaining. “Um...actually, I’m okay.”

“I’m not,” Kate said. “Go,” she told her brother.

“See what I mean? Bossy,” Chase whispered. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be back in a minute.”

What? No. “Wait.” But he disappeared through the crowd and she was left at the mercy of his sister.

Fifteen minutes later she’d met everyone and remembered no one’s names, but at least she hadn’t had to answer any of the tough questions. The guest list consisted of mostly friends and two of Kate’s former wedding-planning clients. No other family members—aunts or uncles or grandparents—to worry about. Strange, but she’d take her blessings where she could get them. It seemed the four siblings were the crux of their family unit.

And with Chase back at her side, her worry eased. She would be fine as long as she avoided the single ladies plotting her death at the bar. Kate’s college friends and bridesmaids had left the group promptly after her presence as Chase’s girlfriend was announced. The three women whose photos she’d seen on the plane looked rightly annoyed as their competition for wedding sex with Chase that week was canceled.

Sorry, not sorry, ladies.

“So, how did you two meet?” Kate asked.

Her grip tightened on his hand but he gave a reassuring squeeze. “Actually, I put her in jail.”

Hayley’s eyes wide, she swung to face him. Whatever happened to meeting online or speed dating?

Last time she let him answer a question.

“What?” Kate studied her.

Cooper nearly choked on his beer and all the other ears at the table waited for Chase to explain.

Well, he certainly had everyone’s attention.

Hayley shifted from one foot to the other, waiting to hear what type of crime she was capable of.

“Yep.” Chase was nodding. “I arrested her along with a group of other attorneys who were protesting the teardown of the community center on Sixth Avenue.”

Oh, that didn’t sound too bad. She had participated in a peace rally before. Of course she’d been fifteen and dating a pot-smoking beach-surfer bum, and her father had shown up and dragged her away before the police could arrive and hand out fines for loitering in a public place.

Kate seemed thrilled by the meet-cute story. “Oh, my God, Hayley! How awesome are you? I’m big into protesting for good causes.”

“Kate once chained herself to an oak tree in Heritage Park for three days,” Chase said.

“That’s right. No food or drink, except water... No sleep... I was protesting the park’s anti-dog laws.”

“Did it work?”

“No. To prove their point, they allowed the dogs to wander free and well...”

“She got peed on,” Chase said.

Hayley covered her mouth. “Oh, no,” she said but couldn’t help laughing.

Kate nodded. “Once I surrendered, I was arrested. Guess we have that in common.” She raised her glass to Hayley before draining its contents.

Hayley smiled. Who would have thought she’d be able to form a bond with Chase’s sister over a fake—on her part—criminal record?

“And here is the troublemaker himself,” Chase said as another man joined their group with a short, thin woman who made up for her lack of height with impressive, albeit far too big to be real, breasts.

Eric, she guessed. Chase’s younger brother and his date. She watched as the two shook hands. In a crowd, the brothers and sister were easily identifiable. The same dark hair, dark eyes, long, thin nose—definitely related at least. “Nice to meet you,” she said as Chase did the introductions. Then turning to him, she whispered. “Didn’t you say there are four of you?” She’d yet to meet the other sibling.

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