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“Wow!” Jarom exclaimed behind them. “He’s giving me a stand-up example to follow, eh?”
Hays released her from the kiss and shot at Jarom, “Don’t even think about it.”
Jarom held up his hands.
Hays whispered for only her to hear, “Knock knock.”
“Who’s there?” she whispered back.
“Alfie.”
“Alfie who?”
“Alfie terrible if you never love me back.”
She did. She loved him desperately and only wanted him to hold and love her. But this wasn’t the time, and she feared if she told him how deep her love ran, it would hurt him even worse when they were ripped apart by her father.
“We need to get in our places,” Aiden cautioned. “Elizabeth, just pretend you’re into Jarom. Your friendship developed into something deeper recently, and when he hired me to rescue you, you realized how intense your love was for him.”
“All right,” she said. Strange—she’d just thought how deep her love ran for Hays.
Hays’s dark eyes haunted her as she hurried to Jarom’s side and in view of a large screen and camera. The beautiful scenery of a Colorado mountain late afternoon was framed in the large windows behind them. Aiden instructed her to follow his lead and act madly in love with Jarom.
She could portray that deception. She’d been taught by one of the best deceivers of all time. It was frustrating not to know the entirety of the plan, but she suspected Aiden was holding a lot close to his chest to make certain nothing leaked. He would reveal it piece by piece.
Jarom wrapped his arm around her waist and she leaned into him, looking up into his blue eyes. He was a fabulous guy to risk himself like this for them. She suspected he couldn’t understand the danger he was placing himself in, but then she didn’t know that anybody except her truly understood.
Sadly, Jarom felt all wrong against her. She didn’t want to cuddle, pretend with, or kiss anyone except Hays.
But when in her life had she ever gotten what she wanted?
Chapter
Eighteen
Hays clenched his fists and counted slowly down from a hundred in his mind as he watched Jarom and Elizabeth fawn all over each other, convincing the exuberant talk show host and hopefully America that they were madly in love, that Aiden Porter had actually rescued Elizabeth from the mercenaries who’d kidnapped her and then returned her to Jarom’s arms.
Aiden and Jarom were charming and played off each other with jokes. Jesse seemed to be eating it up. Elizabeth was breathtaking, but she appeared far too interested in Jarom for Hays’s state of mind.
Elizabeth’s kiss had been incredible. Did it mean anything to her? In his mind, her actions said she loved him, but she wouldn’t say it, even after he tried to prompt her with a cheesy knock-knock joke. He shouldn’t have done that. He’d told himself he wouldn’t force her to say she loved him, even if he swore to never leave her side so he could keep her safe.
He folded his arms across his chest and noticed Jarom’s gaze flick nervously to him. Good.
Rolling his eyes at himself, he backed up a few steps and tried to stand down. He was acting more like hot headed Jagger than himself. Yet this was Elizabeth being touched by a billionaire bachelor most women would die to even meet.
This was bigger than his jealousy. If they could truly draw Benjamin Oliver to a party to celebrate this fake engagement and expose him, Aiden and Quaid claimed they’d ‘hit him from multiple angles’, Elizabeth could be safe and free, her siblings as well. Would Hays stand a chance with her then? She’d kissed him back both times he’d kissed her. Yes, she’d definitely kissed him back.
But they were in a battle zone. This was no time for sweet yet passionate kisses and begging the woman he loved to love him back.
Jesse’s voice broke into his thoughts as she declared that the ‘heartthrob Jarom Love’ had officially made the ‘breathtaking Elizabeth Oliver the luckiest woman on the planet.’ Hays’s gut churned.
When Jesse asked them to kiss, he had to look away. Every muscle in his body tightened, but miraculously he didn’t leap across the space and throttle Jarom. The preppy billionaire was risking his life for a lady he only knew socially and because his good friend was close to Aiden. Hays should be praising Jarom’s name, not wanting to choke him.
They finally signed off. Elizabeth immediately pulled away from Jarom’s arms, helping Hays’s blood pressure calm a little.
“That went well,” Aiden said. “On to the next step. Calling your father.”
Elizabeth’s face blanched, and she swayed on her heels. She glanced at Hays, stark terror in her blue eyes. That was all the entreaty Hays needed. He strode to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to his chest.
