Page 19 of Fake It For Him

“You’re coming with me to my family compound to make the introductions,” he said easily. “I want my family to think that we’re together and that we have been for a month or two. Otherwise, they’ll assume that I’m bringing a one-night stand or something to the wedding, and I can’t have that.”

“Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing, though?”

He laughed. “Nothing gets past you, does it? Come on, let’s go. It’s a bit of a drive.”

With that, he pulled out his wallet and dropped some cash on the table. Then he reached for my hand. I sighed but got up and took it, then rushed to keep up with his long strides as he led me to the door.

All the while, I couldn’t stop wondering why he had to pay such an astronomical amount of money for someone to do this with him. As much as he’d hurt me before, objectively, the guy was still insanely hot.

With that styled brown hair, so dark that it was almost black until the light hit it and the chocolate shone through, and his tall, strong frame, and regal features, I just didn’t understand why he couldn’t get a real girlfriend if he wanted one. Obviously, he didn’t want one though.

That was the only explanation I could come up with.

I ducked my head and flipped my hood up as we left the café, but as I looked up and down the street to search for a cab, the lights of a black car flashed in the parking space right in front of me. The space right in front of the door.

Despite the cold and the rain, my feet slammed to a stop for a moment, refusing to move as I realized that the car was his—and that it was a Bugatti SUV, super flashy and so expensive that it brought tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Back in high school, Mikey had gone through a dream-car phase. It’d kept him motivated to study hard, and eventually, it’d spilled over to Kara and me. We’d made all sorts of vision boards for what we wanted our futures to look like, and almost all of us had had that year’s equivalent to this very car on those boards at some stage.

While I wasn’t exactly a fanatic about it these days, I could appreciate the sleek lines of this vehicle all the same. What made it even better was that this particular model was equipped for the New York winters.

He tugged at my hand as I stared, frowning when he realized I’d frozen completely. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just that it’s a beautiful car.” I hadn’t planned on complimenting him, but I couldn’t help it. That was some damn vehicle.

He gave me a cocky smirk. “Yeah, well, hurry up and get in before we get soaked.”

“Good point,” I muttered.

The last thing I wanted was to get that thing’s seats wet. If I somehow managed to ruin any part of that thing and he expected me to pay for the damage, I’d probably lose most of the money I’d be getting out of this sham arrangement.

To my surprise, he came to the passenger door with me and even opened it, waiting until I’d climbed in before he shut it behind me. My brow puckered. I hadn’t taken him for a gentleman, but wondering whether he truly was one would have to wait.

Right now, I have marveling to do.

And I did it.

I gawked openly at the luxurious interior of his car, taking in the dash that looked more like that of a top-of-the-line spaceship than a car driven by a mere human. Every line was just as smooth and sleek as those of the body, and I knew from having read an article a while ago that everything in here was hand stitched.

This was not a mass-production car, and once he’d dropped into the seat beside me and shut his own door, he confirmed it for me. “It’s a concept car. The only one in the world. I had it custom made because I’ve always been a big fan.”

It was about the most personal information he’d ever given me about himself, and I was starting to wonder just how rich he really was even before he spoke again. “Maybe I’ll show you my collection sometime. You like cars? Most women wouldn’t have stopped to stare at it in the rain.”

“I, uh, I appreciate the engineering, is all.” Bullshit.

Calan smirked at me again and started weaving through the traffic. “The engineering, huh? Okay, I’ll bite. Is that what you were doing in Scotland all this time, admiring the engineering from European cars?”

“Oh, no. I left Scotland a couple of weeks after you did. There’s a lot more to admire in that part of the world than just the cars.”

The corners of his eyes tightened like he was curious, but he wasn’t looking at me anymore, so I couldn’t be sure. Really, it was a good thing that he was focused on the road because he was driving like a demon straight out of hell now that we’d gotten underway properly.

I gripped the interior door handle and gritted my teeth, my eyes wide, but I was determined not to let on that he was making me nervous. I didn’t want to give him anything to hold over me.

As I was wondering where this family compound of his was and how long I would have to endure this, he suddenly pulled over before we reached the city limits and parked in the heart of a shopping district. I frowned.

“Your parents live here?”

“Nope. You need to look the part before you meet them. Jeans and sneakers? It’s not working for me.”