The Sweetest Seduction, Breakaway Hearts (41 page)

For the first time since he’d left home, a full-bodied laugh erupted from his chest. “Agreed. We’ll have to come up with a unique call sign for you.”

“Second, how long can you stay in town? If my plan is going to work, we’ll need a few days.”

This sounded promising. “I can stay until Sunday morning. Even though I’m on my post-deployment R&R, I have to report back to Eglin so I can meet the movers Monday morning.”

“Plenty of time. Where are you staying?”

Uh-oh—the first hiccup in his hastily thrown together plan just revealed itself. He’d been so certain he’d be able to coax Kourtney back that he hadn’t even thought about overnight accommodations. Hell, he hadn’t even packed a suitcase.

And Alex knew it, judging by the “I thought so” expression on her face. “Let me make a phone call.”

She pulled out her cell and punched in a number. “Hello, Miss Martha, how are you this evening?” After a few uh-huhs and a “You’re so sweet,” she continued. “Do you have any rooms available at your B&B? My date for the wedding just got into town, and he needs a place to stay.”

Her date for the wedding?
A moment of panic kicked his heart into high gear, but Alex just kept on going as though nothing was wrong with this scenario.

“Well, I would invite him to stay with me—once you get a look at him, you’ll understand why—but I don’t want to set tongues wagging.”

Oh, she’d definitely have one wagging tongue—his. Not to mention her sister’s.

“You only have a room available until Wednesday morning, huh?” She slid her gaze back to him, her drawl becoming more syrupy by the second as she twirled her hair around her finger. “That should be fine. Perhaps by then, I won’t care about my reputation.”

He could almost hear the other woman on the line giggling with Alex.

“That’s so sweet of you. I’ll send him over in a bit. Thank you again.” She ended the call and set her phone on the table. “I’ve got you a room at the Honey Bee Bed and Breakfast for the next three nights. Miss Martha’s a great cook, so you’re in for a treat.”

“Back up a minute, Alex. What’s this about me being your date for the wedding?”

“That’s where my plan comes into action. Mama and Kourtney have been harping on me for weeks because I don’t have a date for the wedding, so if you pose as my date, that gets them off my back for a few seconds.”

“Just one problem—I’m here to convince your sister to marry me, not sit beside you as she marries that asshole.”

She reached for his half-drunk bottle of Purple Haze and helped herself to a drink from it. “Just hear me out. As my date for the wedding, you’re automatically invited to all the pre-wedding bullshit, meaning you’ll have more access to my sister.”

His jaw fell lax. He hadn’t considered that.

“Furthermore, I know my sister, remember? I know for a fact she always wants what she can’t have. If she sees the two of us together, she’ll want you even more, especially if she thinks you’ve moved on to me of all people.”

“Are you sure of that?”

“Do I look like I’m trying to pull a fast one on you?”

No, Alex had never been one to beat around the bush. She was frank and direct, more one of the guys than some girl who got off on playing head games with men. And as crazy as her plan sounded, it might actually work. “What’s the rest of your plan?”

She dragged her chair to his side of the table and beckoned for him to lean in closer as she dropped her voice. “Starting tonight, we’ll show up in places where I know the town gossips will be and act like we can’t keep our hands off of each other. It’ll get back to Kourtney, and when we show up at Mama’s house on Wednesday afternoon to help with the reception favors, Kourtney will be so crazy with jealousy that you’ll have her in the palm of your hand.”

It almost seemed too easy, except for one small problem. He’d have to pretend to be crazy about Alex when all he could think about was her sister. “And you’re okay with me using you like this?”

He didn’t miss the flicker of pain in her eyes or the way her smile tightened. “It’s not like guys haven’t done it before. I’m used to them pretending to like me only to get closer to Kourtney.”

That was the only hitch in her otherwise perfect plan. Alex was a nice girl, one he’d consider introducing to his brothers. She was fun, no-nonsense, always grinning. Hell, if he hadn’t met Kourtney first, he might have considered dating her. “Listen, Alex, I don’t want to hurt you—”

“Who said anything about me getting hurt? This is my idea, after all. And I know going into it that you have your heart set on my sister, so there’s no deception or anything on your part. Just do me one favor, though.”

“What’s that?”

“Just don’t call me by her name.”

Books by Crista McHugh

The Kelly Brothers

The Sweetest Seduction
, Book 1

Breakaway Hearts
, Book 2

Falling for the Wingman
, Book 3 (Mar. 2014)

The Heart’s Game
, Book 4 (July 2014)

The Soulbearer Trilogy

A Soul For Trouble

A Soul For Chaos

A Soul For Vengeance

The Elgean Chronicles:

A Thread of Magic

The Tears of Elios

The Deizian Empire:

Tangled Web

Poisoned Web

Deception’s Web

Shattered Web

The Kavanaugh Foundation:

Heart of a Huntress
, Book 1

Angelic Surrender
, Book 2

“A High Stakes Game”, Book 2.5 (a free read)

Kiss of Temptation
, Book 3

Night of the Huntress
(Print Anthology of Books 1 and 2)

Other titles by Crista McHugh

The Alchemy of Desire

“A Waltz at Midnight”

Cat’s Eyes

“More Than a Fling”

“Provoking the Spirit”

Eight Tiny Flames
(part of
A Very Scandalous Holiday
Anthology)

Author Bio:

Growing up in small town Alabama, Crista relied on story-telling as a natural way for her to pass the time and keep her two younger sisters entertained.

She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.

Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she’s had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.

And she’s also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days)

For the latest updates, deleted scenes, and answers to any burning questions you have, please check out her webpage,
www.CristaMcHugh.com
.

Find Crista online at:

Twitter:
twitter.com/crista_mchugh

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CristaMcHugh

Newsletter Sign-Up:
http://bit.ly/19EJAW8

The Sweetest Seduction

Copyright 2014 by Crista McHugh

Edited by Gwen Hayes

Proofreading by Victory Editing

Cover Art by Sweet N’ Spicy Designs

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.

ISBN-13: 9781940559919

Breakaway Hearts

Copyright 2014 by Crista McHugh

Edited by Gwen Hayes

Proofreading by Victory Editing

Cover Art by Sweet N’ Spicy Designs

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.

ISBN-13: 9781940559926