“We dated in high school for a little bit. In all honesty, we never had much in common. Jeremy isn’t interested in design or in creating anything. I knew he was a playboy back then, but it was just sort of expected that we’d date. I was a bit of a late bloomer, and I wasn’t really interested in dating anyone at all, so it worked at that time.”
I glance over at her when I stop at the light. A pink hue is covering her neck and adds a little color under her adorable freckles on her cheeks.
“And then what happened?” I ask when the light changes and I pull onto the freeway.
“He left for college first, and then I left. I wanted to attend school in France. Be around my relatives there more. Find my own way. So we remained friends. I dated while at university, but nothing serious. But when I moved back to join my mother at Dubois Designs, there was all this pressure to get back together with Jeremy. You saw us in Vegas. We were hardly the happy couple. I think he likes showing me off, bragging about my family and all of that. But there’s just nothing there. And I don’t know why he cares to pursue this nonsense.”
He cares because she’s a fucking prize. Cosette Dubois is the gold medal of women. She’s gorgeous. She’s smart. She’s funny. She’s the whole fucking package. Of course he cares. He wants the best of both worlds. I’ll never forget the first time I saw her. I met with her and her mom at Dubois Design and could barely string together a sentence when she walked into the room. It’s been nearly a year ago now and I still get tongue-tied around her sometimes.
“He knows he has a good thing. Can’t fault the man for that. But he should have treated you right, and maybe you wouldn’t have left.” I pull into the garage beneath the building.
“I would have left either way. I didn’t leave because he cheated on me, Caden. I mean, that’s not the only reason. I left because I knew there was something missing. I’m also only twenty-four years old. I don’t want a lifetime of unhappiness. I want to live and travel and find a partner who wants the same things as I do.” Her voice is so soft, I fight the urge to pull her onto my lap once the car is in park and I remind myself that none of this is real. It’s all for show even though no one is here at the moment.
I turn to face her and reach for her hand. “You should have all of those things. You deserve the best, Cosette.”
She bites down on her bottom lip. “Thank you. So, am I messing up your game by forcing you to have a fake girlfriend?”
“Nope. I’m exactly where I want to be.”
She nods and her tongue swipes out to wet her lips. “Really? So how long are you willing to play along?”
“As long as you want me to, lover,” I tease.
“You’d do that for me? Why?” she asks as I unbuckle my seat belt.
“Because you’re good peeps, Cosette Dubois. And it’s hardly a hardship. Hell, being your fake boyfriend is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” I jump out of the car and open her door before she steps out.
“You’re good peeps too, Caden Taylor. Even Louie knows it,” she says over her laughter as we slip into the elevator.
“That dog is a trip.” I laugh.
“Uh, yeah, you could say that. But you tell me when you’ve had enough, okay? If you can’t turn the ladies down any longer, you just say the word and we’ll stage a great breakup.”
“The ladies can wait. Not going to happen.” I chuckle and she smiles. “You’ll be jumping ship first.”
We step off on the eighth floor and I walk her toward the vacant condo. When I push the door open, she walks in and I flip on the lights. Her entire face lights up as she takes in the space.
“I can only imagine how bright this is during the daytime. I love the floor-to-ceiling windows. Wow. Did you design these?”
I move toward the windows and stare out at the city. “I did. I felt like the view would be our selling point. Give people a bang for their buck, you know? We made up for it with the budget and the location, knowing that installing these windows in place of the wall would go a long way. I believe it’s the reason they sold out so quickly.”
“And this one is available? How is that possible?” she asks as she floats through the space like a living, breathing fairy.
“The person buying it decided to move abroad. We were just going through the waitlist to decide who to call when you spoke to me about it.”
“And you gave it to me, just like that?” she whispers, moving to stand in front of me. Her chest rising and falling against mine.
I push the white-blonde hair away from her face. My God, she is gorgeous. “Just like that.”
She wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight. “Thank you, my wonderful boyfriend. I’ll take it. When can I move in?”
I laugh and kiss the top of her head. “The inspections are all done. So we’ll get the financial stuff going, but you can move in whenever you want.”
“I can’t wait. So where do you live?” she asks as she pulls away and moves from room to room to check out the space.
“Funny you should ask. Surprising that you don’t know, seeing as we’re so in love and all.” I laugh. “I’m right next door.”
“No way. And you’re sure you don’t mind me sleeping on your couch tonight? I just couldn’t resist with the way my mother was pushing Jeremy on me again.”
I lead her to the door and we flip off the lights before moving toward my apartment. “I have a guest room and you’re welcome to stay in it as long as you want.”
I want to tell her she’s welcome in my bed whenever she wants too, but I’ll keep that to myself. Hell, I’ve felt the pull that lives between us. The force that has been there since the first day I met her. But maybe she doesn’t feel it. Maybe she just needs a fake boyfriend, and I happen to be right here. The right place at the right time, and all that.
As I put the key in the door, there’s a loud ruckus and we both turn around to see Gus, Spence, Jesse, Mya, and Emma heading our way.
“Well, well, well … what do we have here?” Gus says, and his cheeks are flushed.
I roll my eyes as Cosette and I pause at the door. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“We tracked your phone, you dicksquirrel. Knew you were home and wanted to hear about your fake date that appears to still be going strong,” he says in a sing-song voice before making his voice ridiculously deep. “Hello, lovely Cosette.”
Who’s the dicksquirrel now?
I push the door open and everyone follows us inside.
Spence and Jesse greet Cosette, and Mya and Emma are bouncing up and down, excited to see Cosette again. They met her in Vegas when we were all there for a mini vacation and got all starry-eyed about her then too. I roll my eyes because I know they’re going to try to make more out of this than it is. Cosette needs me to play the part of boyfriend to get away from her ex. Was there a smokin’ hot kiss involved? Yes. But do I think she wants more? I really don’t fucking know. And this is new for me. I’m not shy when it comes to women, but I rarely have to make the moves. Women usually have no problem telling me what they want.
Cosette Dubois is different. In every sense of the word.