Just for Kicks by Tracy Solheim

Two

* * *

DEX RECOILED AT the suggestion.

Married.

The very word gave him the bloody shakes. A loving companion, a family, happiness. Those weren’t in the cards for him. Not after he’d taken all that away from Niall.

Too bad his agent’s wacky mother didn’t know that.

“Problem solved.” Mrs. Hilbert punctuated her declaration with a saucy wink.

Her companion, on the other hand, remained wide-eyed and mute. Blue eyes, the color of the cornflowers in his gran’s window boxes, studied him overtly. Potent arousal flickered within their depths before she quickly doused it. Not surprising. He was used to that look from women.

What did surprise him was the swift crackle of awareness that traveled up his spine when their gazes clashed. This woman was so far from his type it was almost laughable. Slim and petite, with a slender chin and pixie-like ears to go with her doe eyes, she was more like one of those wee highland fairies his little sister was always searching for in the garden, right down to the pink hair pulled back in a loose ponytail.

“Actually,” Kurt was saying. “That’s not a bad idea. It could work.”

Dex opened his mouth to object, but the fairy beat him to it.

“Whoa, hold on just one minute.” She jumped from her seat. “I came in here for legal advice.” Those blue eyes grew even wider as her gaze frantically darted around the room. “Sure, my situation may be a little dire, but not dire enough to marry some dude who’s aged out of a boy band.”

Not dire enough to marry who? What the bloody hell did she mean by that? Someone needed to inform the little pixie that women had actually proposed to him, thank you very much. And what was this bullshit behind her ‘boy band’ insult?

“What did you just call me?” he demanded.

She gestured to his plaid. “Halloween is two months away, Jamie Fraser. If you’re not in a boy band, what’s up with the skirt?” Her eyebrows went up a fraction. “Unless you work at one of those strip clubs. In that case, no way am I marrying a man who spends more time getting waxed than I do.”

A low growl escaped the back of his throat as he took a step closer to her. “How many times do I have to tell you Sassenachs? It’s nota bloody skirt!”

“Fireworks already.” Mrs. Hilbert clapped her hands together with glee. “This is going to be one passionate marriage.”

Kurt stepped between him and the fairy. “That’s enough, Mother.” He pointed to a chair. “Sit,” he ordered. “Both of you.”

Dex locked eyes with the annoying pink-haired woman. She notched up her chin but took her seat as directed. Reluctantly, he sank down into the chair Kurt indicated.

“Dex,” Kurt said. “This is Annie Larsen.”

“Andi,” she snapped. “My name is Andi. A. N. D. I.”

Kurt rubbed his head. “Sorry, Andi Larsen. Andi is a friend of my mother, and she is in a bit of a financial bind right now.”

The revelation had her shoulders sinking a notch.

“Andi,” Kurt continued. “This is my client, Declan Fletcher. Dex is the placekicker for the Milwaukee Growlers football team. Fortunately for you, he needs a wife temporarily, and he’s got the funds to solve your dilemma.”

Dex braced himself for the requisite fawning, but she remained stoic. He couldn’t decide if he was irritated or relieved that she didn’t seem to care he was famous and wealthy.

“So, to clarify, he’s not a stripper,” she commented. “Just an over-paid professional athlete.” She jutted her chin toward his plaid. “Who makes unusual fashion choices, presumably for attention.”

Irritation quickly won out.

“He’s Scottish, Andi. The kilt is his schtick,” Mrs. Hilbert explained with a loud whisper.

He let out another low growl. “For your information, there seems to be a dress code clause in my damn contract.” He glared at his agent who had the grace to look chagrined. “It stipulates that I wear my plaid for bloody photoshoots. I don’t trot the blasted thing out every day.”

Mrs. Hilbert tsked. “Of course not. This is Milwaukee. I imagine . . . things could get very cold under there.”

The fairy’s lips twitched. Kurt groaned. Dex felt like his head was going to explode. He leaped from the chair.

“I have three days to get this situation resolved, Kurt. Can we please find another room where we come up with a solution that doesn’t involve me getting handfasted?”

Kurt held up a palm. “Hear me out, Dex. Whatever we come up with is going to take longer than three days. Not to mention involving a lot of favors and publicity. If you want to avoid going home to Scotland, a fake marriage is probably the quickest way. It will just be a formality so you can keep your visa, and we can sort this all out at the end of the season.”

“And this is who you pick to be my pretend wife? A tiny fey creature?” Dex gestured to his head. “With pink hair, no less? Do you really think anyone will believe I’m daft enough to marry some pixie fairy?”

Andi rolled her eyes at his description. At least she could take what he dished out. Mrs. Hilbert shot him a horrified look, however.

“It’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” his agent argued. “Andi needs you as much as you need her. All we need to do is draw up a prenup stating the terms, and you two can jet off to Vegas tomorrow, get married, and you’ll be back in time for practice on Monday.”

“She marries me to get out of debt, but what’s to stop her from selling me out the next time she lands in ‘a bit of a financial bind’?” Dex asked.

“It wasn’t my fault!” she declared fiercely.

“The prenup will state she can’t divulge any of this to the media or anyone else, now or in the future,” Kurt interrupted her. “Not to mention the fact that she’ll be complicit in a federal crime.”

“Wait, no one said anything about breaking the law.” She shook her head. “Yet another reason why I am so not doing this.”

At least she had good judgment. Whatever she’d gotten herself into, it likely wasn’t illegal. He felt a small measure of relief at the knowledge.

Kurt stared her down. “I’ll give you seventy thousand reasons why you should do it, Andi.”

Dex rocked back on his heels. “Seventy thousand dollars! I’d say that’s a wee bit more than a financial bind.”

Her shoulders slumped again.

“It definitely is,” Kurt added. “And getting out from under that kind of debt could take a lifetime for most people, Andi. I’d think very carefully before I said no. I’ve known Dex for ten years. He’s a decent guy. You only have to play the part of a loving couple in public. The rest of the time, you can live your own life.”

The room grew quiet as she studied the floor intently.

“How long? How long would we carry out this ridiculous charade?” she murmured after a long moment.

“Six months should do it,” Kurt answered. “By then, the season will be over, and we can readdress the situation.”

Mrs. Hilbert reached over and patted her hand. “Andi, honey, the law doesn’t stipulate that the people entering marriage have to be in love. If that were the case, half the marriages in the world would be illegal at some point. You just need to look at this as a simple business transaction. Nothing more.”

Dex had to concede that the older woman made a valid point. If he looked at the situation as simply a means to an end, it could work. Too bad it wasn’t in his wheelhouse to ignore all the other probabilities for failure.

“Can Tinkerbell and I have a few minutes alone?” he surprised himself by asking.

She shot him a frosty look, but at least she remained in her chair. He still wasn’t sure this was a good idea. But it beat the alternative of returning to Scotland.

That he could never do.

“Come on, Mom.” Kurt helped his mother from her chair. “Let’s give them the room.”

At the sound of the door closing behind him, Dex slid back into the chair he’d vacated and stretched his legs out in front of him.

She sighed wearily. “Surely, there are a bevy of women vying for the title of Mrs. Declan Fletcher within your contact list. I mean, just those legs alone should be incentive enough.”

“Aye,” he replied. “Sadly, all of them are more interested in the fame and glamour that goes with being the wife of a professional football player. You just want my money.”

She snorted. “Don’t kid yourself. They want your money, too.”

“True.” He surprised himself yet again by laughing. “That’s twice you’ve mentioned my legs, lass.”

Damn. Now he was flirting with her.

Her nose twitched slightly. “They are your money makers.”

She had him there.

“Have you no family to help you?”

She shook her head. “It’s just me.”

Her eyes dared him to pity her. He doubted she’d allow it. Little Orphan Andi was stronger than she looked. She likely had to be. Perhaps this make-believe marriage could work after all. Given how she sparred with him, there was something more than air between those cute little ears. But then how had she managed to owe seventy thousand dollars? He was about to ask when she stood from her chair.

“Look, I need to get back to work.”

He stood, too. “We haven’t resolved anything.”

Sweat began to bead on the back of his neck. Everything in his being told him not to let her leave. Without her, he’d be sent back home to face his past. Crazy as it sounded, a fake marriage to a pink-haired nymph he barely knew seemed the lesser of two evils.

“Do you really want to do this?”

He was surprised at his body’s powerful reaction to her softly uttered question.

“What choice do I have? What choice do you have?” he added, hoping to guilt her into agreeing.

Her eyes darted past him, taking in the panoramic view of Lake Michigan afforded by the exorbitant fees Kurt charged his clients. She was silent for several long heartbeats before responding.

“We’d get married in Las Vegas?”

“I believe that would be the most expedient, yes.”

She nodded. “Fine. Have Mrs. Hilbert text me the details.”

And with that, his future make-believe bride walked out the door.

* * *

“I CAN’T BELIEVEyou’re going through with this.” Clive was still wearing an expression of worry as he looked back at her from the front seat.

His concern was ironic since she’d spent the years they were in foster care looking out for the scrawny kid whose homosexuality ended up getting him picked on more times than not. He’d been Lenny back then before emerging from the system out, proud, and with a new name fit for a genius with scissors, a razor, and hair color. It wasn’t long before others recognized his talent and he had a list of clients who traveled from as far as Chicago. When he decided to open his own salon, he sought out financing from a local bank but got more than he bargained for in his partner, Daniel, an investment banker.

“I can believe it,” Daniel chimed in from the driver’s seat as he took the exit for Mitchell airport. “Have you seen that guy’s eyes? They’re so gorgeous it’s practically a crime. And his legs?” He lifted a hand off the wheel to fan himself. “Damn, that man is sexy.”

Andi could relate. When that slow smile broke over Dex’s face yesterday, it transformed him from the brooding Highlander to a gorgeous heartthrob. Feeling a traitorous flush begin to warm her body, she’d hightailed it out of the lawyer’s office before she did something stupid. Not that agreeing to a fake marriage with him wasn’t stupid.

Or reckless.

“Don’t worry, Clive. We’re not getting married.” She’d already violated the terms of the contract—prenup—she’d signed this morning by sharing the details with Clive and Daniel. But they were her family, such as it was. And, if she was jetting off to Las Vegas with a total stranger, she at least needed to let them know where to look for her body. “He’s probably found someone more suitable by now. Or paid someone off to get his visa renewed.”

That was not disappointment in her voice. After Google searching her fake-fiancé late last night, she’d confirmed her theory that he had a revolving door of arm candy in his life. Judging by the adoring looks on their faces when they’d been photographed with him, all of them would throw down for the right to be his wife—pretend or not. Not only that, but any one of them would come with a cheaper price tag than Andi.

“I doubt he’ll even be on the flight. But I will. I’m not going to pass up a free ticket to Las Vegas where I can track down that sleazeball Kenny and get him to own up to what he’s done.”

She didn’t miss the look the two men exchanged.

“What?” she demanded.

“Sweetheart, that loser isn’t ever going to own up to what he’s done.” Clive left out the I-told-you-so, but she heard it in his tone nonetheless.

Unlike her, he had seen through Kenny right away. Andi hated to think her inability to pick up the warning signs about her deadbeat ex was due to jealousy over Clive finding his ‘family’ with Daniel. Had the prospect of being alone again made her tone-deaf to her friend’s warnings? Apparently. But that was a mistake she didn’t plan on making ever again.

“Kenny committed fraud,” she insisted. “One way or another, he’s going to pay for what he’s done.”

Daniel pulled up to the kiss and ride. “Las Vegas is a big place. How will you even find him?”

Sliding across the backseat, she tapped her phone. “He’s all over social media boasting about some big poker game tonight. Obviously, he hasn’t lost all the money he stole.”

Clive pulled open her door for her. “There’s no messing with you when you’re on a mission. I almost feel sorry for the piece of chicken-shit.”

“At least enjoy your wedding night,” Daniel teased from the front seat.

She blew him a kiss. “Not gonna be a wedding, Danny-boy.”

The nerves she’d been so valiantly trying to hide bubbled up when she turned to face Clive. Her childhood friend saw through her immediately. He pulled her into a fierce hug.

“You don’t have to do this,” he murmured against her hair. “Daniel is brilliant with money. Let us find a way to help you.”

Shaking her head, she pulled out of his embrace. “I can’t let you do that. I’ve been standing up for myself since I was ten. I’m not going to stop now.”

He smoothed down the arms of her ice blue Abercrombie blouse. She paired it with dark jeggings and Steve Madden flats she’d found at a consignment store. Her grandmother’s silver cross was the only piece of jewelry she wore.

“I wish you’d let me dye your hair back,” Clive said. “You’d still have your pretty blonde color were it not for that hair show last week.”

“It’s fine. Besides, if anyone compliments me, I can tell them it’s your work. I even have a Shear Envy T-shirt I can wear in the casino.”

He smiled warily. “Just don’t do anything too crazy, okay?”

“Promise.” She gripped the handle of her borrowed carry-on with a bit more determination than she felt. “I’ll text you when I get there.”

With another wave to Daniel, she made her way inside and followed the signs to security. The airport was smaller than she’d imagined, and before she had time to change her mind, she’d reached the TSA checkpoint. Her stomach fluttered as she stepped in line only to have it bottom out when a male voice spoke behind her.

“I thought you might chicken out.”

She spun on her heel. Declan Fletcher inched up nearer to her in the line. A Milwaukee Brewers baseball cap shoved low on his head, and a pair of wire-framed glasses did nothing to diminish his virility, but she suspected they were his attempt at a disguise. Not that Andi objected. The less she saw of Declan Fletcher’s body, the better.

“I didn’t recognize you without the . . . kilt.”

The corners of his mouth turned up. Whether he was amused or irked, she couldn’t tell because he was already stepping ahead of her in line.

“We need to hurry. Our flight boards in ten minutes.”

Andi followed the lead of the other passengers as they passed through security, making sure to mimic exactly what they did. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself. She was still slipping on her shoes when his toned legs began to stride toward the gate. Dragging her bag behind her, she had to trot to keep up.

What she should have done was turn around and head right back out to the kiss and ride. She’d been so sure he wouldn’t show. That he’d find another solution. And now, here he was, seemingly eager to jet off to Vegas and marry her.

Her conscience nagged her. She couldn’t marry him. But she couldn’t afford to fly to Vegas to confront Kenny. And now that she had the opportunity, she was reluctant to let it go.

The gate attendant was announcing first-class passengers could board. Dex made his way to the kiosk and scanned the boarding pass on his phone. Andi’s hand trembled when she followed suit. Her heart began to hammer wildly as she trailed him down the jetway.

His attempt at a disguise didn’t fool the flight attendant who greeted him with a smile that held the promise of extra attention during their trip. Unbidden annoyance flared in Andi’s chest, but it was quickly trampled out by dread. The cabin was a lot smaller than she expected. He stopped at the first row, one that would afford him ample leg room, but was awfully close to the door for Andi’s comfort.

“Slide in.” He indicated the seat next to the window.

She hesitated. Everything about this was a bad idea.

“Hurry, before the rest of the passengers begin boarding and get a good look at us.”

Someone greeted the flight attendant behind her. Andi sucked up her courage, handed him her bag to stow, and took her seat. He was beside her in an instant. His muscled body blocked her escape route. Her breath began to saw through her lungs. A stream of passengers filed down the aisle. Dex was careful to avert his face, but that meant he was studying her with those pale eyes of his. Guilt and fear warred within her making her palms sweat.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“What do you mean you can’t?” His face grew hard. “You signed a contract this morning.”

“I can’t do this,” she repeated.

“Can’t? Or won’t?”

There was a loud bang on the tarmac and the plane jerked a bit. Andi stifled a shriek, but her body began to shake.

“Jaysus. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of flying? Why didn’t you mention that beforehand?”

“Since this is the first time I’ve ever been in an airplane,” she managed to snap. “It wasn’t exactly an issue I was aware of.”

The flight attendant began talking about flotation devices and air masks. Thoughts of both made an army of black dots start to swim in front of Andi’s eyes.

“Lass, stay with me.”

Dex’s plea sounded as if it was coming from a long tube. Suddenly, she was being wrapped in a warm blanket. The armrest between their bodies disappeared, and he snaked one arm around her shoulders while he cradled her face with his fingers on his other hand.

“You’ve got this,” he murmured. “You’ve survived worse. I know you have. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

At the sound of his reassuring words, her eyes slowly regained their focus. Except now she was becoming lightheaded concentrating on the sensual way his lips moved as they coaxed her to breathe.

“That’s it. In through your nose and out through your mouth.”

Embarrassed, she tried to pull away, but he had a death grip on her shoulders.

“Relax.” The low timbre of his voice sent shockwaves through her belly so that she was far from relaxed.

“We have an audience,” he continued.

She peeked through her lashes around the first-class cabin. The flight attendant eyed her curiously from the jump seat across the aisle. The plane began to pick up speed on the runway and so did Andi’s heart rate.

Dex nestled her in closer to his chest. “Just keep breathing.”

Somehow, she managed to do just that, and before she knew it, they were airborne. A couple of dips and bumps later and the plane settled into a smooth ride. Andi’s pulse did the same. Of course, the warm body wrapped around hers didn’t hurt.

“I think I’ll be okay now,” she announced when the flight attendant began to move about the cabin.

His only response was a grunt, but his arm stayed put. She glanced over at him. His eyes were closed and his face was pale. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who didn’t like flying. And yet he’d ignored his own discomfort to soothe her. Andi’s chest squeezed. What she was doing was so wrong. She needed to tell him she couldn’t marry him. He still had two days left to find another solution.

“Dex—”

“Something to drink?” The stewardess leaned in so he had a birds-eye view of her abundant cleavage.

Too bad for her, he didn’t bother lifting his lids, but he was quick to pull Andi in closer to his body. “Two glasses of champagne, please.”

The other woman pinned Andi with a surprised glance before stepping away.

“We’re supposed to be playing it cool, remember?” Andi reminded him, all the while trying but failing to free herself.

“It would look odd if we didn’t act as if we were at least a couple.”

He had a point. And likely a reputation to keep up. She conceded the inevitable and relaxed against his hard chest, ignoring the little somersault in her belly when she did.

“I guess a weekend in Las Vegas is a pretty common date for you celebrity athletes.”

His long lashes snapped open and his gaze locked with hers. This close, she could see the dark rings around his gray pupils. Daniel was right; it was a crime for a man to have such gorgeous eyes.

“I’ve never taken a woman to Vegas before.”

There went her stomach again, doing more backflips than an Olympic gymnast. “Oh.”

The flight attendant arrived with their champagne. Dex released her to take both glasses. She immediately felt bereft. Stop it, she ordered her traitorous body. Moving a little closer to the window to put some distance between them, she took the glass from him and swallowed a few hefty sips of the champagne.

“Whoa, there, lass.”

When she looked over at him, he was wearing a lop-sided grin that had her girl parts quivering. She gulped the remainder of her champagne.

“That’s one way to overcome your fear of flying.” He took the glass from her hand. “But contrary to what one would think, you have to be sober to get married in Las Vegas.”

She closed her eyes. He intended to go through with the wedding. With her as the bride. The champagne sloshed around in her stomach as she tried to work up the courage to tell him she’d never intended to marry him. But when she lifted her lids and her eyes collided with his, her tongue refused to move.

“Tell me about yourself,” he urged quietly.

“There’s not much to tell.”

“You didn’t just hatch as a full-grown woman.”

“Perhaps I am the pixie fairy you think I am.”

His smile was full now, and she nearly moaned in ecstasy at its potent effect. She should look away. Stupid woman that she was, she didn’t.

“My parents died when I was young.” She deliberately kept the details brief when she spoke of her childhood. The pity people doled out upon hearing her life’s story was too often suffocating. She suspected, given his kindness earlier, his reaction would be even more painful. “I lived with my grandmother for a while, but when she passed, I went into foster care. It’s not Oliver Twist, but it’s not like you’re growing up in the Tanner household, either.”

“And yet, here you are.”

The admiration she detected in his words made her chest squeeze.

“When I turned eighteen, I had to leave the family I was with to make way for another foster child.”

His eyes grew wide. “Did you have a place to go?”

“I had friends who aged out before me. I lived with them for the first couple of years. Right now, I rent a small garage apartment near the Marquette campus.” Luckily, she’d had Clive and a small military survivor benefit account from her mom. “I go to school at night and I work at a salon during the day.” She gestured to her hair. “It’s temporary. My boss needed a model last week.”

“I’m finding myself warming up to that pink hair. It suits you. Not quite fiery, but definitely unique.”

She swallowed roughly, surprisingly pleased at the unexpected compliment.

“And what about your family? How will you explain this—” She flailed a hand between them. “—to them.”

His face suddenly grew hard and his eyes shuttered. “I won’t. They must know nothing of you. Of this.” He mimicked the gesture she had just made with her hands. “Ever.”

A sudden chill seemed to overtake her. She gripped the blanket more tightly around her shoulders. Disappointment snaked through her limbs. Of course he wouldn’t want his family knowing he’d married a nobody like Andi Larsen. Why had she expected anything different?

The joke was on him though, because they weren’t getting married. She’d just ignore her conscience and wait until they arrived in Las Vegas to break the news to him. When a fan came up and asked Dex for his autograph, she took the opportunity to turn toward the window and feign sleep.