A Deal Made In Texas

Then his mouth trailed over her jaw and along her throat, her skin igniting from the touch. He tugged on the strap of her dress, and it fell down her shoulder. He kissed his way from the base of her neck to her collarbone. Her body was all heat and need. She wanted so much from this moment that she couldn’t even put it all into words.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

The compliment was like a bucket of ice water dumped over her head. She wrenched away, yanking her dress strap back into place.

“Don’t say that,” she told him, shaking her head. “You don’t have to say that.”

Confusion clouded his vivid green eyes. “In my experience, women like to hear those words.”

She swallowed. How was she supposed to respond without sounding like she was fishing for something more? That wasn’t the case at all. In fact, she felt the opposite. She didn’t want or need him to tell her she was beautiful because it simply wasn’t true.

Christine prided herself on being pragmatic about her appearance. Growing up, she’d been a chubby girl with thick glasses and bright red hair that was more frizz than curls. Her mom had forced her to keep it in frizzy Annie-style curls that were anything but flattering. Christine had spent years enduring teasing, much of it led by her younger sister, until she’d become an expert at not being seen.

Aimee, with her larger-than-life personality and classic beauty, had been happy to step into the spotlight. She went to parties and on dates, while Christine spent most of her high school years in her room reading or listening to music. No one in her family seemed to notice or care as she slipped further into the periphery of their lives.

She’d decided to change things when she went away to college. She’d gotten contacts and started running, shedding the excess pounds that had plagued her for years. A bevy of expensive hair products helped her tame her wild mane, and the color had mellowed from the bright orange of her childhood. Her dad had called her “baby carrot” as a kid, and her sister had amended the nickname to “jumbo carrot” due to Christine’s size. Even though she thankfully hadn’t heard the nickname in years, it was how she still thought of herself.

She took pains with her appearance and she knew she wasn’t ugly. She was decent-looking, in fact. But beautiful? No, not to someone like Gavin.

“This is not real,” she said, both for his sake and to remind herself.

Gavin’s thick brows furrowed. “That doesn’t mean—”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Um...blue.”

“Mine’s purple.” She crossed her arms over her chest, aware he was still staring at her like he couldn’t quite follow the direction of her thoughts. Join the club. Her mind and heart felt like they’d survived an emotional tornado, hurricane and maybe a tsunami thrown in for good measure, all in one night. “Favorite food?”

“Pizza.”

“I like burgers and fries.”

His mouth quirked. “That’s kind of cute.”

“Burgers aren’t cute.”

“You’re admitting you like them as opposed to giving me some line about loving salmon and kale. That’s cute.”

“I take yoga classes and run before work. What do you do to work out?”

One brow arched. “So you’re flexible?”

With a groan, she stepped around him toward the hotel room desk. “Do you want me to write all this down?” She picked up a pen and the small pad of paper with the hotel’s logo.

“The ways you’re flexible?”

“Gavin, be serious. You were the one who said your family would find out about us. We need to have our stories straight.” Christine clutched the pen and paper to her chest and fought the urge to whimper as Gavin ran a hand through his hair. She could see the muscles of his arm flexing under his white shirt. “When did we meet?”

“We’ve known each other for years.”

“Right. I mean when did we—”

“It was Thanksgiving break my senior year of college. I was getting ready to retake the LSAT after my not-so-stellar performance the first time around.”

Christine inclined her head, surprised and charmed he’d remember the very first time they met. “You were studying in the conference room at the Fortunado Real Estate office. It was quiet because of the holiday.”

“And I was bitter because my buddies had flown to Aspen for the weekend.” He started undoing the buttons of his shirt, casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal for him to be undressing in front of her. Of course, he wore a white T-shirt under the formal shirt, so it wasn’t a true striptease.

Christine’s heart stammered just the same.

“You were the only one in the office,” he continued. “You kept bringing me coffee and takeout.”

She shrugged. “It was my first week working for your father and I wanted to be helpful in any way I could.”

“Do you remember what you told me after I’d complained to you for the millionth time about life being unfair?”

She shook her head. She hadn’t remembered speaking to him at all. She’d graduated college a semester early and had felt lucky to be hired by Kenneth right away. It had taken almost a year on the job before she believed her boss wouldn’t walk into the office and tell her he’d made a horrible mistake taking a chance on her. Having Gavin in the office during the quiet lull of the Thanksgiving holiday had made her so nervous. All she’d been able to do was refill his mug and send out for sandwiches.

“You told me to channel my inner Elle Woods.”

Christine gave a soft chuckle. “I loved Legally Blonde.”

“Clearly. You gushed about the movie. I didn’t know what you were talking about,” Gavin said with a grin. “I went back to my parents’ house and rented it.”

“You watched Legally Blonde?”

“Oh, yeah. I not only watched it, I was also inspired. I mean, if Elle Woods could get into law school, what excuse did I have?”

She snorted a laugh then pressed her hand to her mouth. “Tell me you didn’t use scented pink paper for your admissions application.”

“Not exactly.” Gavin draped the crisp white shirt over the back of the desk chair then held up his hands, palms out. “If you tell anyone I said I was inspired by that movie, I’ll deny it. But I might have Reese Witherspoon to thank for my law career.” His smile softened. “And you.”

Christine felt her mouth drop open. “I...had no idea.”

“It seemed like a stupid thing to admit at the time. But I’ve never forgotten. You helped me then, and now you’re saving my bacon once again. I owe you, Christine.”

“It’s not a big deal,” she said automatically. But it was. It was that time he’d spent in the office poring over law books that had given her an initial glimpse of who Gavin truly was on the inside. Through the years she’d remained convinced he was more than the rakish attorney who was always scaling mountains or hurling himself down ski slopes in his off time. Back then he’d been nervous, vulnerable, and she hadn’t been able to resist him. Just like she couldn’t now.

She lifted the paper and pen. “We should still go over some more details if we’re going to make this relationship believable.” Not that it would be difficult on her part. One look at her face and it would be clear to everyone that she was already half in love with Gavin.

“How about we watch a movie while we talk?” He winked. “Elle Woods for old times’ sake?”

“Sure,” she whispered.

He picked up his jacket then patted the bed. “Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to order something from late-night room service. Can I tempt you with a hamburger?”

Christine started to shake her head but her stomach rumbled. “No cheese and medium-well, please.”

He nodded. “Got it.”

She placed the paper and pen on the nightstand and climbed onto the bed, butterflies racing across her stomach. She was in Gavin’s bed. Or on it. Close enough.

He used the room’s landline to place the order then clicked the remote to turn on the TV, searching until he found Legally Blonde. “I haven’t watched this movie in years,” he told her.

“It holds up,” she said, choosing not to share that the movie was on her regular rotation of Saturday night rom-coms. It struck her that tonight was Saturday and here she sat watching a movie, as had become her weekly routine. Only tonight instead of curling up with her black lab, Diana, she was in one of the most beautiful hotels in Austin with Gavin.

She loved her dog, but this was way better.

Her nerves disappeared as soon as the movie started. She and Gavin talked and laughed, and then ate when the food arrived. He cleared the empty plates when the movie ended, placing the tray outside the hotel room door.

“I think you should stay a bit longer,” he said, checking his watch. “The reception isn’t scheduled to end until midnight, and knowing my family, they’ll be closing down the place.”

“I don’t want to keep you from going to sleep,” she said, stifling a yawn.

“Apparently, I’m not the one who’s tired.”

“It’s been a kind of crazy night for me,” she admitted.

“If you want to go I can—”

“We could watch another movie?” She smiled. “Something with lots of action to keep us awake.”

“Good idea.” He returned to the bed and flipped through channels until he found an old James Bond flick.

“Who’s your favorite Bond?” she asked.

“Sean Connery.” He moved to the center of the mattress. “In case you’re interested, I make a pretty good pillow.”

Her girl parts went wild. She scooted closer, and he lifted one arm, tucking her against his chest.

“I bet you’re a Daniel Craig fan,” he said, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“Every woman with a pulse is a fan of Daniel Craig.”

She felt his chuckle against her ear, and the rhythmic up and down of his chest. As bizarre as the night had been, it was the stuff of her fantasies to be cuddling with Gavin. If only the night never had to end.

Chapter Four

Christine blinked awake, disoriented for a moment at the unfamiliar surroundings. The something—someone—moved next to her and the previous night came flooding back.

She turned to find Gavin asleep next to her, lying chest down with his hair rumpled and a shadow of stubble covering his jaw. Somehow they’d both ended up under the covers. He still wore his white T-shirt, and she was in her dress. The last thing she remembered was James Bond being served a shaken-not-stirred martini.

Now pale light spilled in from the room’s picture window. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Seven in the morning.

Well, she’d successfully missed the end of the reception, but if she didn’t leave quickly, she might run into the Fortunado family heading to breakfast.

With as little movement as possible, she slipped out of the bed. Gavin made a snuffling sound but didn’t wake. Christine grabbed her shoes and purse. Without bothering to look in the mirror, she let herself out of the room.

She didn’t need to see her reflection to know that she wasn’t a pretty sight. She had no intention of allowing Gavin to see her this way, either.

The door closed with a soft snick, and she turned, only to come face-to-face with Valene, the baby of the Fortunado clan.

Her brown eyes widened. “Hey, Christine.”

Christine smoothed a hand over her tumbling hair. “Hi, Val. Going to work out?”

Valene wore athletic shorts and a fitted tank top. Earbuds dangled from either side of her head. Her wavy blond hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. “Yeah. How about you?” One delicate brow rose. “That’s Gavin’s room, right?”

“Is it?” Christine’s voice was a croak.

“And you’re wearing the same dress from the wedding last night,” Valene pointed out, none too helpfully as far as Christine was concerned. “Schuyler said Gavin left the reception early because he wasn’t feeling well.”

“I think he’s okay now,” Christine answered, purposely ignoring the question in the other woman’s dark eyes. “Well, I should be going. Have a great day.”

Without waiting for a response, she hurried down the hall, only taking a few steps before realizing that she’d be waiting for the elevator with Valene. Why did decisions made late at night rarely hold up to the light of day?

She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed the sign for the stairs, pushing open the door and racing down four flights. The stairwell led out to the parking garage. She shoved her feet back into the heels and made it to her Subaru hatchback and then away from the hotel without seeing anyone else she knew.

Thank heaven for small favors.

Quite small since she understood that although Valene had been shocked enough to allow Christine to escape this morning, there would be no avoiding the Fortunado sisters for long. Valene worked out of the real estate agency’s Houston office but visited Austin regularly to help with establishing a new client base. Even if she didn’t see Valene right away, the sisters would talk. Gavin seemed sure they didn’t have anything to worry about, but Christine remained unconvinced.

Walking into her condo, she was greeted with an enthusiastic bark. Diana trotted toward her, tail wagging and ears pricked up. Christine smiled despite her tumbling emotions. Nothing like unconditional love to work as a distraction.

“Hey, girl.” Christine crouched down to love on the dog. “Did Jackson take good care of you last night?” At ten years old, Diana was fairly mellow and low maintenance. As she did on nights when she worked late, Christine had asked her neighbor’s preteen son to dog-sit Diana.

The dog pressed her head against Christine and gave a soft snort, making the tension in her shoulders lessen slightly. “Let me shower and change, and we’ll go for a walk.”

The dog turned in a happy circle at the mention of her favorite word.

“You would not believe the night I had,” Christine said as she placed her purse on the counter and headed for the bathroom, Diana following close on her heels. The dog had been her roommate and companion for so long, she thought nothing of carrying on a one-sided conversation.

She told Diana about Gavin and their arrangement. The dog inclined her head, as if truly listening. Christine was grateful for the sympathetic canine ear. Most of her girlfriends were in the real estate industry or knew the Fortunados, so she couldn’t share the arrangement with any of them.

Her sister would have a field day giving Christine grief about only being able to find a fake boyfriend. Even as adults, their relationship was fraught with teasing, all one-sided. Christine had never allowed herself to think much of it, although it was strange that they couldn’t seem to shake their childhood roles.

Aimee was beautiful, popular and funny. She worked as a hairdresser in a busy salon in one of Austin’s tonier suburbs. She had tons of friends, a steady stream of rich boyfriends and remained the apple of their father’s eye. Yet she never seemed to tire of pointing out Christine’s shortcomings.

It had been easier when Christine lived in Houston. She’d come up with plenty of excuses over the years as to why she could only return to Austin once or twice a year for family functions.

But now that she’d moved back to her hometown, her mother made it clear she expected to see more of her.

After her shower, she dressed in a sweatshirt and loose jeans, laced up her sneakers and headed out the door with Diana. As always, the dog was thrilled to check out the scents along the walking trail situated about a block from the condo.

Christine waved to neighbors and tried to keep her thoughts from straying to Gavin. Why had she agreed to be his pretend girlfriend?

She had no answer, other than the fact that it was her best—and possibly only—chance of ever spending time with him.

Maybe that was a good enough reason.

Diana whined softly as they got to the open meadow that bordered the trail. Christine unclipped the dog’s leash, and Diana sped off to investigate the nearby trees.

Christine’s phone dinged, and she pulled it out of her pocket, drawing in a quick breath at the text message.

I missed you this morning. Talk soon?

She and Gavin had exchanged numbers in his hotel room, but it still shocked her to see his name on the screen.

How to respond?

Last night had been one of the best of her life, even though nothing had happened between them. Okay, she was disappointed nothing had happened. She’d spent the night in a man’s bed and all he’d done was snuggle her. Did that say more about Gavin or her? She was afraid the answer was the latter.

Yes, she knew he respected her and she’d heard him tell his sister that Christine was special. Now, that felt like an excuse for keeping things basically platonic between them.

But he missed her.

That was a good sign, right?

She tapped in the start of several responses and almost immediately deleted each of them. Too sweet. Too trite. Trying too hard.

Finally, she sent a smiley-face emoji.

And immediately regretted it. Her mother sent smiley-face emojis about everything. All Christine needed was to add an “LOL” along with several exclamation points and she’d officially become the fuddy-duddy she was afraid might be her destiny.

Diana barked at a squirrel, and Christine pocketed the phone with a sigh. She wasn’t sure what she’d gotten herself into with Gavin Fortunado, but there was no doubt she was in over her head.

“Where’s Christine?”

Gavin made a show of checking his watch as Schuyler dropped into the chair next to him. For the morning-after brunch she’d traded her bridesmaid dress for a pair of slim trousers and a pale pink sweater, her blond hair in a low ponytail. He had the sudden urge to tug on it, as he had to annoy her when they were kids. “It’s ten o’clock. Isn’t that too early for an interrogation?”

“One question does not an interrogation make,” she countered, forking up a piece of pineapple and popping it into her mouth.

“Hey, you two.” His youngest sister, Valene, slipped into the chair on his other side. She wore a gray sheath dress and an understated pendant necklace around her neck. When had the baby of the family grown up so much? “What’s the deal with you and Christine?” she asked Gavin.

He glared at Schuyler. “So much for keeping things on the down low.”

“I didn’t say anything,” she told him, arching a brow at Valene.

“She didn’t need to.” Val sipped her glass of orange juice. “I caught Christine doing the walk of shame from your room this morning on my way to work out.”

“Seriously?” Schuyler demanded, eyes narrowing. But to Gavin’s utter shock, her stare was focused on Valene and not him. “You worked out already? Stop making me feel like a slacker, Val.”

Val rolled her eyes and winked at Gavin. “So...”

“She wasn’t doing the walk of shame,” Gavin said through clenched teeth, wishing for something stronger than coffee in his china cup.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Valene told him, ignoring Schuyler’s continued glare. “I approve. She’s a definite improvement over that bimbo you were dating when I came to Denver last year.”

“She’s probably too good for you,” Schuyler added absently. “How did you get her to take you on in the first place?”

“Feels like an interrogation,” Gavin muttered under his breath.

Schuyler chuckled. “You know I’m joking. You’re a catch, Gavin.”

“It’s just a surprise that you’ve let yourself be caught.” Valene bit into a slice of bagel slathered with cream cheese.

“I don’t want to talk about this with either of you.” He inclined his head toward the rest of the family, who were gathered around Maddie and Zach on the other side of the room. “Especially not here.”

“You need our expertise,” Schuyler told him. “Christine is amazing. She’s the kind of woman...”

“I’d want at my side for always,” Gavin whispered, unaware that he’d spoken aloud until both of his sisters gasped.

Schuyler grabbed his arm. “Are you saying...”

“Did you ask her to marry you?” Valene leaned closer. “Are you and Christine engaged?”

Gavin felt his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallowed hard. “I didn’t say that.”

“It’s true, though. I can tell by the look in your eyes.” Valene let out a little squeal of delight then lifted her bagel and smiled blandly at the group sitting at the next table. “Try the blueberry cream cheese. It’s amazing.”

“Can you two be more obvious?” Gavin tugged his arm out of Schuyler’s grasp.

“You’re getting married,” Schuyler told him, and he didn’t dare contradict her. “You can’t keep it a secret.”

Fake dating to fake engaged in twenty-four hours. His stomach pitched as he thought about Christine’s reaction to this new development.

“And there’s no reason to.” Valene dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “Everyone loves Christine.”

“She’s a private person,” he said, realizing the excuse sounded lame.

Schuyler nodded just the same. “I get that, but she’s like one of the family to us. She’s going to be one of the family soon. How soon? Have you set a date?”

He shook his head, trying to reel in his thoughts. What was he doing here? “Not yet. We didn’t want to take any attention from Maddie and Zach.”

Both of his sisters nodded in agreement.

“I’m sure that was Christine’s idea,” Valene said. “She’s so thoughtful. We’ll make sure she knows how welcome she is.” She looked past him, her eyes widening. “Oh, they brought out a fresh tray of pastries. I need to get to them before Everett and Connor snag the best ones.” She pushed back from the table. “I’ll be right back. Who wants a donut?”

“Me.” Schuyler raised her hand. “Bring one for Gavin, too. He’s probably hangry and hungover.”

“I’m neither,” he said, although his head was starting to ache. Was it too early for a shot? “But I’ll take a Bloody Mary, please.”

Valene laughed as she walked away.

Schuyler wasted no time. She turned to Gavin and started in on him again. “Christine is going to get the wrong impression if you try to keep her a secret much longer, especially since you’re in Austin for the rest of the month. She needs to start wedding planning, and I can help. Think about it, Gavin. She’s going to be your wife. I get the business about being private, but if you make her feel like everything’s okay, she’ll believe it.”

“Do you think I haven’t?”

“I think you don’t have much experience with a woman who you can be proud to bring home to Mom and Dad.”

“That’s not—” Gavin stopped, ran a hand through his hair. It was exactly the truth. Even though his relationship with Christine was a complete fake, he hadn’t dated anyone with her amount of class and elegance in years. Christine was the kind of woman a man thought of spending his life with, and Gavin’s stomach pitched at the realization.

“Bring her to the family reunion,” Schuyler told him, breaking into his tumbling thoughts.

“What family reunion?”

“The one I’m planning to introduce everyone to the new Fortunes.”

He shook his head. “I thought we were the new Fortunes.”

She leaned forward, her eyes dancing with excitement. “There are more, Gavin. Dad has a half brother, Miles. He lives in New Orleans and has seven kids. Ben and Keaton put me in touch with the youngest son, Nolan. He’s recently moved to Austin.”

Ben Fortune Robinson had spearheaded the search for his illegitimate siblings after discovering that his tech mogul father was really Jerome Fortune, who’d faked his death years earlier. Jerome reinvented himself as Gerald Robinson and built his tech empire, but in recent years the family’s focus had been on their new siblings. Keaton Whitfield, a British architect who was now living in Austin, had been the first of the secret illegitimate Fortunes Ben had tracked down. Together, the two of them had worked to uncover Gerald’s other grown children and bring them into the fold.

Schuyler was the Fortune expert as far as Gavin was concerned, so he knew from her that Gerald’s estranged wife, Charlotte, had actually known about his other children for the duration of their marriage and hidden the information from everyone. To learn there were even more previously unknown Fortunes out there... Gavin didn’t know what to think.