Page 45 of Boss with Benefits

Her cheeks warmed.

Ms. Crawford came around the table to stand directly in front of them. “Hold on a second. You gave her flowers?”

Brady shrugged. “I saw a stand on my way into work today.”

“You brilliant devil.” Crawford grinned. “Keep the receipt, and I’ll find out if there was a video camera in the area. You did it before Jessica was served, so it will mean more to the judge. Think of other things you’ve done. Document everything.”

The irony wasn’t lost on Jessica. For two weeks, they had done everything in their power to keep people from knowing they were hooking up after work.

“Wait a second!” She stared up at Brady with wide eyes. “The motel. We were there almost every night for two weeks.”

Brady shrugged. “We used fake names, and I always paid in cash.”

Crawford spoke up. “We’ll check video cameras in the surrounding area, just in case. Hopefully, you were caught together.”

Jessica’s heart plummeted, and she whispered to Brady. “We were supposed to be married before then. Why would we be sneaking around to a motel?”

“Honeymoon.” He shrugged. “We didn’t want to be bothered.”

She swallowed, hoping the judge would believe them.

Crawford dismissed her people, and they filed out of the room while chattering amongst themselves. Brady turned to Jessica. He smoothed a hand up and down her arm. “That wasn’t why I brought you flowers.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I want you to know I didn’t bring you flowers because I was trying to prove we’re a real couple.”

“Whydidyou bring me flowers?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I... uh, saw the stand and thought of you. It’s no big deal. It’s not like I can’t afford it.”

She smiled at his nervous shifting from foot to foot. Brady had the habit of boiling everything down to financial gain or loss,especially when he felt cornered. She decided not to put him on the spot about the flowers.

Instead, she hooked his arm with hers as they walked out the door. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us. For the first time since getting Bridget’s frantic call in your office, I feel like we’re winning this fight. I feel like I may not lose my son.”

“You won’t lose him,” Brady said. “No matter what I have to do, I’ll make sure you don’t lose him. You can take that promise to the bank.”

“What do you think we should do now? How do we convince the world we are a normal, happy couple?”

He placed a kiss on the side of her head through her long curtain of hair. She barely felt the brush of his lips. It was too quick and over too soon. Then he whispered close to her ear. “The trick is in not pretending. Let’s just be a happy couple.”

Her heart soared, and for a moment she allowed herself to believe Brady could change and could get over his allergic reaction to commitment.

Then he ruined it with a little addition to his bold statement.

“For now.”

Chapter Eleven

Jessica stared at her reflection in the restaurant’s bathroom mirror while dabbing her sweaty arm pits with a dry paper towel. The sexy black dress she wore had a plunging neckline she was having second thoughts about. Was it too daring?

And the hem on the short dress barely covered her upper thighs. Brady had told her more than once how much he appreciated her long legs, so she’d worn it for him without thinking other people would see it.

Her hair looked flat despite her many attempts to give it more volume. Her critical eye caught every flaw in her reflection. She wanted to kick herself. Why had she agreed to a fancy dinner date with Brady? Maybe she should tell him she had a stomachache and wanted to go home. It wouldn’t be a total lie.

She couldn’t hide in the restroom forever. Brady was probably already wondering what was taking her so long. The problem was, she hadn’t expected him to take her to Seattle’s hottest restaurant, a place where only the ultra-rich and famous could get a table. She was way out of her depth.

The door swung open, and she tossed the paper towel. A woman wearing her weight in diamonds gave Jessica a haughty look before refreshing her lipstick. The fleeting look said it all. The woman knew Jessica didn’t belong there and probably thought she should be standing on the street corner instead.

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