If he was, it stood to reason that people would know. That it’d be plastered all over the internet. The fact that they seemed to hold a completely different opinion of him seemed to mean that she was wrong, but just as I was starting to relax, his phone rang and he groaned when he glanced at it. “Shit, I’m going to have to make a quick stop at the office.”
“That sounds like fun for you,” I said.
He slid his hand into mine and started tugging me toward a crosswalk. “You’re coming with me.”
“Marvelous. Do I have to?”
“Yes.” He smirked. “Do try to contain your excitement.”
My eyes rolled again, but he just laughed and slid an arm casually around my shoulders, guiding me toward the W&S building. I leaned into him a little, inhaling the masculine scent of him and finally even slipping my arm around his waist.
I wasn’t sure if we were doing it for show, but I also didn’t care so much right now. It felt too good to overanalyze it. When we eventually arrived at their headquarters, though, I straightened up and let go of him.
The building itself was tall and imposing, but the looks we got as we strode across the lobby intimidated me far more than the glass and steel structure. I glanced up at him as we waited foran elevator, genuinely confused as to how he just went about his business when he was constantly being gawked at.
“Do they always stare at you like that?” I murmured. “I mean, this is your workplace. Surely, they must be used to be you being here.”
“Nah. It’s not always. Only on days ending iny,” he joked, then waved me into the elevator ahead of him. “Besides, I don’t think it wasmethey were staring at.”
I sighed. “Well, that’s comforting. Anything I should know about what we’re walking into here? Other than the fact that your entire office seems obsessed with me.”
“Only because I am,” he joked, but after that, he paused for a beat before he shrugged, the movement tighter than usual. “I’m not actually sure what we’re doing here, but we’ll be fine.”
“Excellent.” I blew out a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair. It wouldn’t help me look much less windswept, but any change was bound to be an improvement. “Who are we meeting with?”
“Probably Nate and Zach,” he said. “Maybe Alex too.”
I nodded slowly, nerves thrumming through me as the elevator let out a low ding that told me we’d arrived at the correct floor. The doors slid open silently and Jesse led me down a hall, pushing open an office door without pausing to knock.
“What’s up, boys?” he said when he walked in, and I wondered if he felt out of place in his jeans and fitted T-shirt.
He’d slid his sunglasses into his collar when we’d entered the building, but he still looked very much like a guy who’d been in the middle of a casual day while the other two men in the room had on suits and ties.
I followed him in, knowing that I, for one, felt completely out of place. Thankfully, the first person I spotted was a familiar face. I remembered him from the dinner and I nodded whenhis gaze met mine, figuring I might as well try for polite since professional wasn’t going to fly today.
Jesse had brought me here wearing jeans and jumper, for heaven’s sake. “Hi, Nate.”
“Hey, Jacqueline,” he said, friendly but seeming stressed about something as he swept a hand toward the other man. “Have you met Zach yet?”
I shook my head, my gaze drifting to the younger brother. He was very handsome, with blond hair and light green eyes, and he seemed immediately quieter than Jesse. Calmer and more composed, like he’d apologize if someone bumped intohim.
“Hi,” I said eloquently. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jacque.”
“Hey,” he replied, finally rising from behind the desk and walking around it to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot.”
“Bad things?” I asked.
He smiled, but even that was shier than Jesse’s beaming sort of grins and cocky smirks. “Not a single good word.”
“Hey,” Jesse protested from my side, sending a mocking glare toward his brother before he ambled to a sitting area in the corner and dropped into an armchair. “That’s bullshit and you know it.”
Zach chuckled and gave me another smile, a softer, more apologetic one this time. “It was all good stuff. I promise.”
Nate’s sudden frown drew my attention away from the younger Westwood. As I watched, his gaze flicked from Jesse to me and something visibly clicked into place behind his eyes. “So you’re the fake girlfriend.”
I nodded.
Zach looked between Jesse and me, his confusion very much still intact. “This is a fake relationship? Why?”