Among the Echoes (Wrecked and Ruined #2.5)(61)

I swallow around the lump in my throat and look up into his eyes. "Really?"

"One night, but if your harebrained plan doesn’t work, we move on to mine. Deal?"

I smile in agreement but suddenly get very nervous. "What if she’s amazing and you fall in love with her and never want to come back to me?" I try to lighten the mood, but it’s a very real worry for me.

He laughs and pushes me back toward the bed. "Erica, I’m trying to figure out how to keep myself from cringing when she touches me and you are worrying that I’ll fall in love with her?"

I fall against the bed, and he quickly covers me, sealing a kiss over my mouth while reaching toward the nightstand. He snatches his phone and dials while supporting himself on his elbows above me. I nibble on his neck as he begins talking.

"Mitch, it’s Andrews. I need a date for the fight. Five four, brunette, dark eyes." He pauses to glance down at me, shaking his head. I can hear the man loudly chattering on the other end of the line, but Slate quickly cuts him off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just make it happen." He hangs up and tosses it up the bed.

"Thank you," I whisper.

"Get naked. You can thank me that way." He smiles, pushing open my bathrobe with one hand.





One week later…





"So, are you gay?" Bella asks as we sit in the VIP room, waiting for the fight to begin.

"No," I respond shortly while staring straight ahead at the TV showing the pre-fight interviews.

"Then why do you need a fake girlfriend?" She slides across the leather couch until she’s sitting practically in my lap. Her perfume is suffocating, and it’s all I can do not to openly gag.

I stand up and head to the bar positioned in the corner of the room. I’ve never been a big drinker, and I usually stick to beer when I do. However, tonight, I’m in serious need of something stronger. Hell, I’d drink rubbing alcohol at this point, but only after I poured it over my body to disinfect all the places she has touched me tonight.

I have no idea what the hell Mitch told her about this little setup, but she definitely got the wrong idea. I picked her up about three hours ago, and in that time, she has dragged her boobs across my arms no fewer that seventeen times. And that isn’t even the half of it. I decided to be a gentleman and at least take her to dinner. I am, after all, using her to keep dangerous criminals away from my girlfriend. Dinner seemed like the least I could do. I also figured it couldn’t hurt to get to know her a little better in case questions arose.

I’m a quiet guy, but I don’t care how big of an introvert you are. You shouldn’t be able to sit through a ninety-minute dinner and only utter six words. The first five being "So tell me about yourself?" The sixth was "Whoa" when she ran her foot under the ankle of my jeans and up my leg. I don’t know when it became socially acceptable to rub your naked foot against someone’s bare leg after knowing him for less than twenty minutes, but I’ve never been so glad to be off the dating scene in my life.

I might be overreacting just a bit. Bella isn’t all terrible, but she has one major flaw that I can’t get past—she just isn’t Erica.

I pull out my phone and shoot her a text. I miss her. When Erica and I are together, she comes alive, but she isn’t the only one. I had my own walls built up, but one glance at those blue eyes sent them all crumbling to the ground.



Me: I love you.

Erica: I love you too. How’s it going?

Me: Vision Quest

Erica: Are you finally coming around to my way of thinking or are you having that much fun? I know you love that movie.

Me: I’m not weird like you. I watch GOOD movies to cheer myself up. So no, Vision Quest still rocks, but tonight is absolutely horrible.

Erica: Yeah. It’s a Vision Quest night for me.

Me: I’m rethinking that three months thing. I hate being away from you.

Erica: Good. I hate it too.



"Hey, handsome," Bella says as she slides up behind me and—what do you know—rakes her boobs across my back.

"Hey." I pick up the shot I ordered and toss it back.

"I think they are ready for us." She rubs a hand up my chest. I quickly grab her wrist and gently peel it away.

"Save it for the cameras." I try to keep the annoyance out of my voice but fail.

"Just so you know, we need to make this believable. So if you wanted more than just that one kiss we discussed, I’d be okay with that. My agent’s phone has been blowing up since we became an item." She dabs her lipstick.

"I’m glad this is working out for you. But one kiss, that is all. I swear, if you try for more, we will have a very public and embarrassing breakup when I walk out. I’m not trying to be a dick, because I really appreciate what you are doing here. But don’t get any ideas of going off script, okay?"

"God, you are cranky."

"I can live with that." I move towards the door, but just before I tuck my phone into my pocket, I send out one last text.



Me: Heading inside to my seat. I love you. Don’t forget that.

Erica: I love you too. Don’t forget that.





"Hurry up, Erica! It’s going to start soon!" Leo yells from the rec room.