The Pretend Girlfriend (A Billionaire Love Story #1)(22)

"So this is the one you've been telling me about," he said. His voice was smooth, deep, and confident. A voice used to being listened to.

Aiden slid his hand across the seat to hold hers. He gave her an insistent squeeze. But Gwen still reeled from the shock of that kiss. It had been totally unexpected, totally out of line on his part. And, she had to admit, totally amazing. Electric, even.

"Gwen Browning, I'd like you to meet Henry Manning, my father. Mr. Manning will be our host for this evening."

The car started moving, vibrating gently.

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal, boy. Gwen's a pretty name. Please, call me Henry."

This was all some sort of test, Gwen realized. A test for Aiden, put to him by his father, and doubly for her, put to her by both Aiden and Henry.

But it was that kiss that worried her the most, and the way it made her feel. She glanced at Aiden, smiling at him. He smiled back and nodded. Was it a genuine smile? Had he felt something there, too?

She looked between the two Manning boys.

I'm in trouble, she thought.





Chapter 9


This had to be the most intense car ride Gwen had ever taken. Static electricity practically crackled at the midpoint between Aiden and Henry, between father and son.

And, despite her position sitting beside Aiden, Gwen felt like she was stuck right in the middle of it.

So far, the journey in the back of the limo had lasted about ten minutes. In that brief span of time, Gwen nearly forgot about her night in with B. It felt like she'd been watching When Harry Met Sally with Beatrice a month ago, instead of the less than half an hour it had actually been.

Gwen felt herself trying to let the plush contours of the limo's leather interior swallow her up so that neither man could put their cold eyes on her.

What have I gotten myself into? she wondered.

Henry Manning had the type of imperious glare to put a king to shame. Something well-honed over years of ruthless business practice, she assumed.

He was probably the most frightening man she'd ever met face to face.

But what was more surprising was how Aiden matched it with one of his own. Henry might have perfected the look over the last few decades, honing it to perfection. But Aiden, Gwen realized, had been born into it, had probably been subjected to it his whole life.

She couldn't really imagine how that must have been, growing up under a look like that. It intimidated her just sitting there, and it wasn't even directed at her!

"So... This is a nice surprise..." Gwen said, "I thought we were holding off on meeting the parents for now, honey?"

But this was an old contest, it seemed. Aiden's jaw clenched stubbornly and she didn't think either man blinked. Or noticed her. She squeezed his hand, which still held hers with quite the grip.

"He doesn't hear things, at times," Henry said.

"At least I hear things other than what I want," Aiden said.

Gwen could practically feel the wattage of the tension increase. It came across as a stiffening of the spine, as a crackle in the air just beyond sensing, but somehow still there.

"Really? Well, did you hear the question your lovely lady friend just asked you?" Henry said.

Aiden's fingers squeezed hers again, and she thought for sure that it was panic, that he hadn't in fact heard her. That he'd lost this little duel already. She wondered if she could repeat herself without it seeming too strange.

"Yes, of course I did. I listen when someone important to me speaks," Aiden said, offering Gwen a sidelong glance and a smile. His eyes flicked right back to his father, though, as though the older Manning were a snake waiting for a moment of distraction to strike.

"And what is your answer?" Henry said. The smallest of smiles touched his lips.

And then Gwen understood. At least partly. Henry Manning had no faith in his son. Perhaps Aiden had been a disappointment all his life, had never really lived up to however Henry perceived the Manning name.

She felt sympathy for Aiden, then, having to grow up with this kind of disapproving presence in his life. She thought back to her own childhood. Her parents had always been rather cold to each other, but they'd also always been careful to praise and nurture their daughter whenever possible.

"Gwen," Aiden started. "As soon as Henry heard about you, he insisted on meeting you right away. Insisted."

She saw then that both men watched her. Two sets of those cold eyes froze her in place. And what was worse was that they expected some sort of reply or comment from her.

"Umm..." she started. It was an experience rather like being called out in the middle of class by a teacher who'd just caught you dozing, that moment of standing up to answer a question you hadn't heard and realizing just how screwed you were.

"Oh, don't put her on the spot like this, boy," Henry said.

She decided then that not only was she afraid of Henry Manning, but that she didn't like him at all. He and his son shared similar features in both body and face, but what she assumed to be the influence of his mother softened Aiden's features just enough so that they didn't look cruel and harsh like his father's.

And Gwen wasn't about to let Henry win this particular fight. She smiled at him sweetly. "Oh, you're not putting me on the spot at all. In fact, I've been planning on asking to meet you anyway. I have to say, you're not like your son at all." The sweet smile never left her lips.