Love For Hire (5 page)

“Oh yes,” Matt drawled, leaning back in his chair, making a show of adjusting his clothes before giving him a big leer.

“Oh for the love of…,” Jayden grumbled before he headed back inside to change once more.

This pattern repeated quite a few times until Jayden had gone through every single pair of potential new underwear, and when he was done, his cock was straining and passion was singing in his veins. From the way Matt’s posture had changed from casual to tense over the last few minutes, he knew he wasn’t alone. Their attraction was clearly mutual, and maybe soon, Matt would act on it.

Jayden would be willing, of course, but not because he had been paid for. For once, he actually wanted to have sex with a man, and if Matt asked, he would gladly fall on his knees.

Eventually, though, they were finally done and the hellish morning was over. Dressed in designer jeans, new boots, and a way-too-clingy shirt, Jayden followed Matt to the till. He hummed, blocking his ears with his hands when the sum was mentioned, because he honestly didn’t want to know what kind of fortune Matt was leaving behind in this place.

“You can keep the clothes when we’re done,” Matt offered out of the blue after giving out his address for the delivery. Of course the store would deliver to the house because someone like Matt couldn’t possibly be asked to walk out with actual shopping bags.

“What?” Jayden asked, not believing his ears.

“I said,” Matt repeated, voice slightly strained because apparently he didn’t like to say the same things twice, “when we’re done, you can keep the clothes.”

“Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

“Let’s get some lunch, shall we?” Matt asked quite cheerfully, causing Jayden to smile wildly in return.

“I could eat,” he confessed, ducking his head shyly for a moment.

A hand came out of nowhere, ruffling his dark hair, and for the first time, when Jayden looked up, he found Matt returning his smile.

“You look good,” Matt simply said.

Jayden spluttered, unsure what to say, so he merely sent him a smile as an answer. His dimples were showing, and for a moment, the heat in Matt’s blue eyes could have set a flame alight, if such a thing were possible. There might or might not have been a possessive growl coming from Matt, but Jayden paid it no heed. Right now Matt had every right to be possessive, because as far as the world was concerned, they were in love.

A thank-you was on Jayden’s lips, but the words caught in his throat when Matt placed a quick kiss on his lips. Of their own volition, his fingers rose, touching his tingling lips. Had that just happened?

When he came back to himself, Matt was already heading outside toward their waiting limo. Jayden hurried after him, rushing into the car and taking his seat next to Matt. The leather welcomed him back like a long-lost lover. A sigh escaped his lips, and his eyes momentarily closed. No wonder rich people were so spoiled.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“There’s this new trendy place over at Harrison Boulevard,” Matt answered.

“Ah,” Jayden agreed as if he knew what Matt was talking about. A thought occurred to him. “How are we going to explain my sudden appearance in your life?”

“Keep it simple,” Matt answered. “Don’t offer any explanation. Just present people with the facts.”

The plan was so simple it might actually work. Still, he would feel better if something with a little bit more backbone were in play, but then again, was it really his problem? If Matt was fine with this skeleton of a plan, then so was he.

Eventually, they pulled into a parking lot. Jayden was thankful it was a nice sunny day as it gave him the excuse to put on his brand-new shades. His eyes could give away too much, and he figured staring like a wide-eyed country bumpkin at everything wouldn’t help him play his role convincingly at all.

The other cars in the parking lot were shiny and probably expensive too. When they walked up to the front door of Marina’s Heaven, Matt’s chosen lunch place, a hostess greeted them with a big smile.

Matt only nodded in greeting, and Jayden followed his lead.

Matt’s demeanor was pleasant, friendly even, but even though they had just met, Jayden could tell the smile never reached his eyes. Matt was guarded all the time, and maybe it took someone like Jayden, someone who had faced abuse and pain up close, to recognize coping mechanisms when he saw them. Something dark and ugly was twisting Matt up inside, and maybe, if the blond let him, Jayden could offer some help. Or maybe not.

What made Jayden think Matt was going to open up to him of all people? Surely the man had friends and family who would be much better suited to this task than a random stranger.

How no one else had spotted the pain lurking beneath the laughing face was beyond him, but then maybe Matt was just good at pretending not to have a care in the world. Or, a more sobering thought, maybe Matt actually didn’t have anyone in his life who cared enough to try and look beneath the pretty surface.

Even though the restaurant was clearly busy, the hostess didn’t even blink an eye when Matt requested a table on the veranda, and moments later they were led outside. Jayden kept his head low, wondering if the hostess had displaced other people in order to get them a table. Matt’s callous attitude was grating, but then again, money talked, and maybe he simply didn’t know any better.

The sunshine was welcome after the rainy days of recent weeks, but when they sat down, Jayden was glad for the sunscreens that allowed for some shade.

“We’ll have two beers and the cheeseburger with extra fries.” Matt’s voice broke through his lazy thoughts.

Jayden pushed his glasses down, peeking over the rim and staring at the man.

Matt simply smiled at him, as if he hadn’t just ordered Jayden’s meal without consulting him first, and he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from telling him off. He might have been poor, but he most certainly was able to order for himself! The audacity of the man to assume he knew what Jayden wanted! That Jayden had actually wanted to order the same thing was of no consequence at all. Principle was at stake here!

 “And bring us some extra onions,” Matt added, “on the side.”

Matt put the menu down and nodded when the waitress took it away. “You like burgers, right?”

Now
he asked?

Jayden glared, his eyes showing over the rim of his glasses, but with a huff, he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

Matt snorted. So, the man wasn’t as oblivious as he liked to pretend.

Jayden reached out to pour himself some water when a sudden sharp pain in his side had him hissing. His hand snapped back and he gently held his side, as if putting his fingers on it would magically make the pain go away.

“Here,” Matt said, pulling something out his pocket. “I’ve got some painkillers for you”

Jayden eyed them, feeling tempted, but then he shook his head. “Nah,” he said slowly, with an easy drawl. “I just forgot to move carefully. I’ll be fine in a second.”

Matt gave him a long, lingering look, but in the end he pocketed the pills. “If you change your mind…,” he offered.

Jayden sent him a soft smile. “Thanks.”

He couldn’t recall the last person, apart from Danny, who had taken a moment to consider Jayden’s welfare, and even though they were only pretend boyfriends, it still warmed his heart to know that Matt cared just a little bit.

The waitress returned, and with a flirty smile directed at Matt, she placed the two beers on the table. “If you need anything else, just let me know. The food should be with you shortly.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, and she had been right in doing so, since Matt only grunted in response, lifting the beer up to his lips almost instantly.

Jayden congratulated himself on not having taken the pills, because while you were sitting in the sun, nothing tasted better than a cold beer, and if he had taken those meds, he would’ve had to let the drink go to waste. He knew some people didn’t mind mixing alcohol with pills, but he liked to be cautious. If a warning label cautioned you about something, then there was probably a good reason for it.

Even though they had already discussed the topic, Jayden felt it necessary to bringing it up again. “You sure you don’t want to agree on some backstory?” His voice was wary, since he was mindful of angering the blond, but he was convinced they couldn’t just move ahead with nothing. Maybe he should drop the subject because this was Matt’s problem and not his, but he couldn’t quite ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He couldn’t let it rest. So he brought it up again.

“Just smile like you do, flutter your eyelashes, and play stupid; I’m sure you can manage,” Matt answered.

This time, Jayden reacted before his common sense could intervene. He shoved the beer away, liquid sloshing over the table, and his sunglasses hit the table with a loud thump. “I’m not some idiot who you can order around,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “I owe you my life, but that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like shit.”

Matt blinked, his body moving away slightly, as though he were surprised by Jayden’s outburst. “I do pay you…,” he said tentatively, almost unsure how Jayden was going to react next.

A thrill of something foreign jolted through Jayden. Could it be he liked keeping Matt on his toes? Jayden’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Paying me doesn’t give you the right to insult me.”

Thankfully, he had been aware enough to keep his voice low, and when Matt leaned forward, blue eyes sparkling for once instead of shining ice-cold, Jayden almost scooted backward, shocked by the sudden change.

“You’re feisty,” Matt drawled. He definitely seemed to appreciate Jayden’s outburst. “I like it. It’s good you have a temper. No one would believe I would fall in love with someone who has no backbone.”

The comment left Jayden staring, unsure how to respond. Had he just gotten insulted or complimented?

“Look,” Matt surprised him by saying, “I’m sorry if I was out of line. If it makes you happy, we can say something like this.”

Jayden actually eagerly leaned forward, and after giving him a funny look, Matt did the same.

“We could say we met a few months ago at some random party. We kept in touch and I invited you to visit. We fell in love, the end.”

“Not very romantic, is it?” Jayden complained, but he did it with a smile, which Matt returned.

“Most stories aren’t romantic; I leave such nonsense to fairy tales.”

Matt had a point there, so Jayden simply nodded, agreeing with him. Most fairy tales tended to give him nightmares anyway. Just consider the one where a wolf ate the grandma to get to the little girl! Or the one where some poor princess was locked in a tower! Or where… well, the list went on, and despite their reputation, fairy tales were grimmer than some modern horror stories Jayden had come across.

Matt was still a conceited ass used to getting what he wanted, but this short moment had proved he wasn’t totally a lost cause. Apparently, some decent human behavior and compassion had to be beaten into him, and with a sigh, Jayden wondered why this task seemed to have fallen on him—the fake boyfriend.

Jayden took a long sip of his beer again because, really, what else could he do? Matt was so hard to read; one moment he appeared to be nice and easygoing, and the next there was this dangerous glint in his eyes telling Jayden he was no stranger to violence and that he was used to getting his way.

And there was the other side of him, the one that seemed to always shimmer underneath the calm, smiling exterior. Jayden was pretty sure this hidden part wasn’t something his overactive imagination had cooked up. He wondered what other sides there were to Matt Archer and if there was anyone out there who knew them all.

After the casual meal, which, despite the strained beginning, Jayden had actually enjoyed, they went for a walk, and even though they hardly talked about anything, it was nice to be able to share a comfortable silence with someone who, for the moment, wanted nothing but his presence.

When they got back to the mansion, Jayden excused himself and went back to his room. There had been no grand announcement of any sort, but since no one had said any differently, he figured the room he had woken up in would be the one he was going to be using for the duration of his stay.

At first glance, nothing seemed to be different, apart from the fact that someone had actually turned down the bed and put some chocolates on his pillow. Did people really live like this? Well, apparently they did!

He bit his lower lip, wondering if his new clothes had already arrived. He wanted to change into something more comfortable for the night, and while he didn’t object to sleeping in the nude, for some reason he didn’t feel at ease doing so right now.

He caught sight of something peeking out of a drawer, so he made his way over, and when he opened it, his mouth fell open. He opened another, and then he opened the doors to the closet, and the picture never changed: someone had already unpacked and sorted all his new belongings!

He rifled through them until he found some new underwear and loose sweatpants, and he bundled them up, took a towel from the rack, and headed into his bathroom.

Having a bathroom all to himself was new, and having such a grand place was even better.