Page 66 of Baited

The false name rolled off her tongue and her brows pinched together. He’d caught her off guard, but that had also been part of the plan. Her reaction needed to be on point.

Out of the corner of her eye, more than a dozen pairs of eyes rested curiously on them. One pair was Ethan’s and curiosity didn’t cover it. His arms folded tightly over his chest, his brows snapped down and his jaw locked. Had this not been entirely fabricated, she’d have been sweating bullets for poor Damon.

Nate coasted the back of his knuckles over her arm. “I missed you. You’ve been gone more than a month, baby. I thought I’d surprise you.” His voice was soft and thick, yet slightly affronted. Riley took a deep breath, the rehearsed words clotted on her tongue.

Jenny moved from behind her. “I’m going to grab a drink with Eric. Catch you later, Riley.” Jenny’s gaze moved over Nate and her eyes narrowed disapprovingly.

Nate smiled and stepped forward, his hand circling her waist. “Let’s go talk, honey.”

Riley opened her mouth, but Ethan’s wide bicep filled her vision. He moved between them, bringing him nose to nose with Nate. Silence fell around the crowd. Every eye that hadn’t been trained on them was now focused on the tension circling the two men.

“Can I help you?” Ethan’s voice was low and menacing, but projected around the room.

Riley inched behind Ethan’s broad back, shielding herself from the shocked glares. Ethan’s arm reached behind him and clamped over her wrist. His thumb moved reassuringly across her knuckles.

Nate scratched his head and gave a rude laugh. “For starters, you can move the hell away from my girl.”

When they’d planned the confrontation, Riley hadn’t given a second thought to the onlookers and the spotlight it would put her under. She closed her eyes and pressed the pads of her fingertips between her brows.

It’s not real, get a grip.

She wasn’t one to give a damn about what people thought. But at the moment, fifty sets of eyes thought she was sleeping around.

Ethan’s back bunched beneath his shirt and Riley sunk lower. God, they weren’t going to fight, were they? That hadn’t been in the notes.

“Your girl?” Ethan’s hand fell away from her and slowly, he turned to face Riley.

If she could have willed the floor to swallow her up, she would have been long gone. His eyes pinned her to the spot and his hands flexed at his sides. The harsh lines of his face deepened. “Is that true?”

Riley swallowed, her heart slammed against her breastbone as she fought for the words she’d recited twenty times. “Technically. We were on a break and—”

Ethan brushed past her, his shoulder nearly knocking her unsteady legs out from under her. The crowd swallowed him up as he shouldered his way through. A knot formed in her stomach. Nate turned to the people who still lingered around, watching as if her life was a damn sitcom.

“All right, nothing to see here. Everyone mind your own business.” Nate barked.

Quickly, people snapped their attention away and the loud drone of voices and music resumed.

He turned back to Riley, pulled her against his side, and moved her to a table. “You did good, hon. Need a drink?”

“Oh god, yes.” She slipped onto the stool and rested her head into her hand. Nate signaled the waitress and put in an order. “No one can hear us, so relax. E’s heading to your place now and you can leave soon.”

She nodded and lifted her eyes to his friendly ones. “Why did it feel so real?”

A small smile touched his lips. “Because Ethan’s in pretty deep with you, that’s why.” He paid the waitress when she dropped his beer and Riley’s glass down in front of them. Riley squirmed in her seat. The urge to question Nate about what that meant clawed at her throat.

“Get your bearings; we still need to have our little spat.”

Riley shifted her gaze over Nate’s shoulder. Jenny leaned against the wall, a drink in hand, and a deep scowl on her face. Riley’s insides cringed. She had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

“Don’t worry, it’s good that your friends think you’re an ass right now. It will only help the story spread faster.”

“They already think I’m a slut.”

He winced. “Why is that?”

She sighed and took a swig from her drink. “Because I tried luring men at bars to find Hanna’s kidnapper.”

Nate grimaced and the skin around his mouth creased. “Ah, well that was an unconventional plan.”

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