Page 6 of Caught Looking

His thumb grazed my cheek—the way a lover might caress their partner—and my heart skipped a beat. “Owen likes to brag. I’ve heard his stories.” His eyes widened. “Fuck, I might have heardyourstory.”

The very idea of Owen telling stories about me, of Seth nodding along, made me nauseous. I pulled away. Seth might not be the playboy I saw in the media, but he was still a stranger.

Did he laugh at my story? Was he revolted? If I told him details, would he recognize it? Why would Seth play golf with someone as vile as Owen Montgomery? “If he’s so awful, why do you hang out with him?” I hated this push and pull I felt towards Seth. One minute he was a womanizer, the next he was helping a kid, then he was friends with an asshole, but now he was here, helping me, looking like he wanted to murder Owen on my behalf. I couldn’t keep up.

“Ever heard of keeping your enemies close?” He hung his head and sighed. “Owen’s one of those guys who loves to brag, loves to hear himself talk, but he also loves to burn reputations alive. So I go. I laugh at his lame ass jokes and l listen to him tell his sick fucking stories, and at the end of the day he puts me in the friend column and stays the fuck away from me andmystory.”

My story.Seth was protecting himself. And tonight he protected me.

Could I really hate him for acting out of self-preservation?Maybe.But that was a puzzle I wouldn’t be solving tonight. I had a feeling figuring out Seth Butler was next to impossible. Besides, there were bigger problems to deal with.

“I can’t believe our new owners hired him.” At first, getting bought out by the musical superstars Kristin Holt and Travis Brantley was a dream come true. We got a real practice facility, better equipment, and now each player was landing better sponsorship deals. Not to mention our bumps in salary.

But now? Did any of it matter if someone like Owen Montgomery would be entrusted with telling our story?

“We have to keep pretending,” Seth said, his gaze locked on me as I fidgeted.

I froze. “Pretending?”

“To be dating.” He didn’t blink. Didn’t stutter. Seth actually thought this was a good idea. It was in the determined set of his strong jaw, the laser focus of his entirely too sexy eyes.

Shouldn't he be searching for some actress to screw or model to escort to a fancy party? Instead he was here with me, in a freaking parking lot, suggesting we what? Fake date? “Let me get this straight. You, Seth Butler, want to pretend to be my boyfriend?”

“Absolutely.” He nodded once.

“Locked into a monogamous relationship with me?”

He ground his teeth. “Yes.”

“I’m not an actress. I’m not sleeping with you.” Not that it wouldn’t be tempting to use the excuse to relieve some stress.

Wait, what the hell was I thinking?

Seth sighed. “Yes, Annalise. I would like to be your fake boyfriend. Monogamy and all.” His eyes softened into that liquid brown that made my knees weak.

Damn him!

It was that look that made me believe him. No one was that good of an actor. “What is this, some nineteen-nineties rom com where I keep the dangerous man away with a fake boyfriend? Antics ensue?” I made jazz hands.

Seth shook his head, his shoulders dropping. “Annalise, you know full well that Owen is an alpha asshole. He responds to ownership. If he thinks you’re dating me he’ll leave you alone.”

“Fat chance. Owen does what he wants. He might wait for an opportunity to strike because you’ve metaphorically peed on me, but that won’t stop him from doing whatever the hell he wants.”

“Exactly!” Seth yelled at the sky. “Fuck, you’re stubborn, which is why I like you, Annalise. It’s why I can’t stand the thought of that man being anywhere near you. If pretending to be your boyfriend for a few weeks makes him think twice about coming near you, then fucking use me.”

My heart skipped and then did a double beat. Seth…cared? Then my mouth went dry.Fucking use me.

“Use me, Annalise,” he said again, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.

I stared at our linked hands. Marveled at the heat that traveled up my arm and somehow made it harder to breathe. I’d never reacted so easily, so quickly, to a man before. Was this why so many women fell at his feet?

Was I destined to become another?

Fake date Seth Butler? What would that look like? A few friendly dates? Maybe have him show up at practice one day to look supportive? I could put up with that if it meant Owen stayed busy with his documentary and not fixated on ways to make me squirm.

“I’d owe you. What do you want?”

Seth’s face fell again. “Nothing, Annalise. Just to know there's one less person out there being haunted by that man.”

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