Dex laughed. "That's typical for a breeding. Not every dog can have Charlie's prowess."

  "You said you've studded Charlie out. I hope you didn't have to handle him." I grabbed a fry.

  "No. I'm not a dog-penis handler," he said. "I was once offered snake-penis wine in Hong Kong, though."

  I grimaced. "Did you drink it?"

  He laughed. "No. It's supposed to be an aphrodisiac. I'll stick to chocolate."

  "Yeah. Me too." I liked him. "And, to be honest, despite my anger earlier, I'm glad Charlie was Bella's first. At least she has that to remember. Her experience with Bruno the stud was a yawner."

  "But they tied, you said?"

  "Yeah."

  "Let's hope it gives you at least one Corgi puppy." He pulled his phone out. "I have three dog-sitting prospects for you. All of them excellent. Bella here will be in good hands with any of them. I thought you might like to interview them before I book one for you."

  "No. I trust you," I said. "Pick one and book it."

  He nodded. He got into his Puppy Love app and was done within a minute. He texted me the booking information. "There you go."

  "You seem familiar with this burger joint," I said. "And not at all afraid of the peanut butter and jelly burger. Which I admire, by the way. Peanut butter is the best, and that jelly is smoking hot. Have you been here before?"

  "Many times." He pointed up the street. "My cousin Lala used to live in an apartment on California before she married Justin Green."

  "Wait," I said. "Justin Green? The Justin Green? CEO and founder of Flashionista?"

  Dex nodded and beamed. "Yeah. Jus is a college buddy of mine. We were two young geeks who stuck together through years of rejection from women. I take credit for that marriage. I introduced them. And helped things along in ways I'm still not allowed to talk about.

  "They'll be at the wedding this weekend. You'll meet them. Lala is a family pet name for my cousin Kayla."

  "Wow. I love Flashionista," I said, genuinely impressed. "I order from them all the time. They're basically responsible for singlehandedly decimating my paycheck too many months."

  "Excellent," Dex said. "Points for me. Do well as my date this weekend and I'll see about getting you access to one of their employee-and-friends-only sample sales."

  He was such tease.

  "I'd like that," I said with a wink in my voice. "But even better, I'd love unlimited access to their sample storeroom."

  "And so she drives a hard bargain."

  "Get what you can. Aim for the moon and shoot for the stars. Are Justin and Kayla in on this charade?"

  Dex shook his head ever so slightly. "No. No way. Lala is one of the main people I'm trying to get off my back about dating. Your main job will be to help me fool her."

  I bit my lip. "Are you sure you want to do this? Fool your friends? Wouldn't it be easier to let them in on the secret? Won't they be mad if they ever find out they've been duped?"

  "Huh," Dex said, making a mock look of surprise. "I've been too arrogant. I thought my reputation would have preceded me. Fooling them is part of the game, the thrill, the adventure. Maybe even the most fun part."

  He crumpled up his hamburger wrapper and set it aside. "In my inner circle, I'm known as a world-class prankster. And, believe me, if anyone should understand a fake relationship, it's Jus and Lala."

  "Oh."

  "Did I just lose points with you?" He stroked Bella beneath the chin.

  "Um…no." I was actually kind of excited. I liked role-playing.

  "Good," he said. "That's part of the reason I wanted to meet in person—to set the ground rules. On my side, everyone has to be fooled. That includes my good friend and Puppy Love VP, Ellie Martin, and her fiancé Christopher. They'll both be at the wedding. And, most importantly, the groom's father, my mentor Charles Kangley. Whose daughter Paige, I must warn you, will be trying to sabotage our budding 'relationship.'"

  "Okay. I like a challenge," I said. "But what does she have against me? I don't even know her."

  Dex's grin deepened. He was enjoying our sparring. "Nothing against you. She has a grudge against any woman I date that isn't her. Charles sees me as a second son. He'd be ecstatic if I did fall for Paige."

  "He's not shotgunned you into it?"

  "Not yet," Dex said. "I'm not going to give him any reason, either."

  "And you've resisted Paige because…"

  "She's not my type."

  I cocked my head and raised an eyebrow.

  "She's a cat person." He winked.

  "Oh, no." I tried not to laugh. "You don't like cats?"

  "Love them," he said. "Not as good as dogs, though, in my opinion. But she doesn't like dogs."

  "Irreconcilable differences," I said.

  "Exactly. I can't even be seen dating a woman who doesn't love dogs. Imagine what that would do to stock prices." He was obviously teasing.

  "It's all down to the profit motive, is it?" I shook my head.

  "Anyone who says they aren't driven by profits is lying." He waved his phone. "On to other matters. In light of our mission, I've prepared a top-secret dossier on myself. It includes my likes and dislikes. My favorite color, for example. All the things a woman in love with me would find adorable."

  "You have adorable qualities?" I teased back, resisting completely fawning over him. "Besides your modesty?" Where did this boldness in me come from?

  "Many. As you'll find out when you read this dossier." He somehow managed to keep a straight face. "Keep this valuable information to yourself. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could be dangerous."

  "To who?" I raised an eyebrow.

  "To me. To Puppy Love. I warn you—there are women who would pay good money for it."

  "I'll take good care of it." I crossed my heart. "I'll swallow it before I'll turn it over to another woman. I promise."

  "It's a digital file," he said. "Just delete it and we'll be good."

  "Damn. I was hoping it would self-destroy." I shoulder-bumped him. "I'd love to see that."

  "I'll AirDrop it to you."

  I nodded.

  "We need a story and we need to get it straight beforehand. The world is built on storytelling. That's where my dossier comes in. The goal with our story is to show that we have so much in common, are intuitive about each other, that our 'insta-love' will be completely believable. Sweet. Miraculous."

  I kept nodding. He was a prankster.

  "Are we in love already?" I asked, a bit stunned and a lot amused. And happy. "So I know how to play my role."

  "Absolutely," he said. "I fell madly in love with you the moment I saw how hot you are when you get worked up."

  My heart almost stopped. He sounded sincere. Either he was a brilliant actor, or…

  He thinks I'm hot. Did that sound too schoolgirl?

  "I couldn't resist the way you came to Puppy Love ready to defend Bella's honor to the death," he said.

  "I see. To the death is a little extreme for me. But to the point, you like fiery women?"

  "I like intelligent women who stand up for themselves and their bitches."

  "I thought you were going to say bitches who defend their bitches. I was pretty hot under the collar the first time we met."

  "It shows you have passion."

  Wow, he could flirt.

  "So you fell instantly, madly in love with me," I said. "Which was why you stalled me at Puppy Love with lunch on you while you went to your meeting?"

  "Absolutely," he said.

  "I see," I said, wishing, crazily, that this were real. "And asked me, impetuously, to go away with you for a three-day weekend to a local destination wedding."

  "There was nothing impetuous about it," he said. "The first rule of Dex—I do nothing without thinking it through and making a logical decision. I only make calculated moves. All my friends know this about me. I thought about it long and hard during that hour of interviews."

  "I see," I said. "That rule is in the dossier? And many more?"

  "What do you think?"

  I loved the way his eyes lit up. "You've never done anything crazy? Just spur of the moment? Spontaneously?"

  He paused. "Only if I've thought about it first. But I think very fast on my feet. To the average person, it would look totally spontaneous."

  "So if you fell headlong in love, it would be a logical move?" I asked.

  "The heart has its own logic," he said. "I don't pretend to understand it. It's the head's job to follow the heart and give it what it wants."

  Wow. I loved that. He wasn't an emotionless automaton like I'd worried.

  "That's beautiful. And smart." I paused. "Have you been in love before?"

  My blunt question took him by surprise. For a moment, he looked at a loss.

  "Sorry," I said. "I need to know so I know how to play my role. If your friends have seen you in love before, they're going to expect a certain manner between us." I thought fast on my feet, too, apparently. "Are we cuddly, or get-a-room, or what?"

  It took him a minute to answer. "No. I've never been in love."

  "Not even a little?"

  "Nope." His expression became serious. "I was a total dweeb and nerd through high school and college. The kind of guy other guys bullied and girls only played up to when they wanted help with their homework. I was usually smart enough to see through their machinations."

  My heart broke a little for him. If he wasn't playing me, that was. Looking at him now, it was hard to believe anyone would ever have dared bully him. Maybe he was truly, deeply modest. He certainly seemed to be unaware of how hot he was now. And not because of his money. Not in my book, anyway.

  "That's awful," I said.

  "You learn to deal with it. After college, I became a workaholic." He paused as if weighing his thoughts. "I haven't dated much. No time. To be honest, my friends will probably be shocked when I show up with a date for the weekend—and suspicious I'm up to something."

  "With good reason, given your reputation," I said.

  He laughed. "Yeah, you're right. We'll have to be on our guard. But we're in the clear as far as having a standard to live up to. Free to improvise. We have no previous expectations or preconceived notions to live up to. Dex in love is an unknown quantity."

  "Okay, so we can be as goofy and sappy as we want," I said.

  "Or as adult and logical."

  "You're no fun." But suddenly I was rising to the challenge. "We'll play it by ear. For the record—have I fallen in love with you, too? Or am I still in process? On the fence?"

  "What? Of course you fell in love with me. Before I fell in love with you. This can't be a one-sided relationship. I'd never put up with that."

  "No, you're right." I was trying so hard not to laugh. His feigned indignation was hot. "But people don't always fall in love with each other at the same pace. Usually one person is more invested than the other. Which gives the less invested one more power."

  "I never take the less powerful position. Certainly not in this fake relationship."

  We'll see, I thought.

  "You've been in love before," he said, leaving unsaid that I must have been in the power position in my last relationship.

  "Yes, of course. I wouldn't have gotten engaged to Mitch if I hadn't been in love with him."

  "Or thought you were," Dex said.

  I cleared my throat, not wanting to talk about Mitch. Or the other men I'd been in love with. Or believed myself in love with. Or whatever. Maybe Dex was right.

  "Speaking of him, people might think I'm on the rebound—"

  "Rebound." Dex snorted. "Damn what stupid people think. I'm no rebound guy, and everyone knows it. You fell in love with me the moment you spotted me, your head turned by what a hot guy I am and how I took control of the situation at Puppy Love." He was teasing again.

  It was so easy to flirt with him.

  "I see. I like a man who takes control, then? Is that it?" It was hard not to laugh at what was clearly a charade, but not so far off the truth.

  "You do now," he said.

  But I had the sense he was watching me closely to see if it were true.

  "I was so crazy for you," he said, "that I couldn't go a single day without seeing you. So I asked you out tonight under the guise of meeting Bella."

  Why did that sound so genuine? And why did I want to believe it?

  "We already know she and Charlie like each other. And you and I like each other. And Charlie likes you enough to want to do the nasty with your leg. But if Bella doesn't like me, the deal is off, the relationship doomed. We're star-crossed lovers at best."

  "Yes," I said softly. I was losing touch with where reality and fantasy intertwined. How much truth was there to his words?

  "It's like having children," I said, eyeing Bella, who was curled in his lap, mesmerized as he petted her. "Of course everyone has to get along for it to work. When Bella turned out to be crazy for you, it threw the door wide open for our love. And the weekend."

  I tapped my phone. "I will read this dossier with interest and commit it to memory."

  "Good. And I'd like you to make a dossier on yourself and send it to me before Saturday. Follow my lead. Use mine as a template—"

  "Sure. I can do that. I like piña coladas and long walks in the rain. That kind of thing?"

  "Exactly." There were two fries left in the basket. He eyed them.

  "Take them," I said. "They're yours. I'm full." And I was. But there was always room for two more shoestring fries.

  He grabbed them. "Thanks. So, you?"

  "What?"

  "Will you be swearing anyone in to keep our secret?"

  I thought about Zander and Staci and how happy they were that I was dating. "When we break up, can we do it with dignity and remain friends?"

  "Absolutely. Friends forever." He rubbed the salt off his hands.

  "Then it's just our little secret. It's more fun that way." I fed the last bite of my burger patty to Bella. I had to keep up with Dex in her affections, too.

  "Let the games begin." He slid his phone back in his pocket.

  "You're a gambler, aren't you?" The words popped out of my mouth. First engage brain…

  He tilted his head and studied me. Again there was that look like he was trying to place me. "You couldn't have read my dossier already."

  I smiled smugly and shrugged.

  "Yeah, I like to gamble. And I cheat," he said.

  "So do I."

  "You won't regret this, Shelby." His smile highlighted his dimples. "I can be an attentive and awesome fake boyfriend when I choose."

  Chapter 11

  Dex (Date planner, hamburger aficionado, dossier creator.)

  By the time we finished eating our burgers, it was dark out.

  "Let me drive you home," I said to Shelby. With absolutely no ulterior motive. Except wanting to spend every last minute I could with her.

  "There's no need. It's a safe neighborhood. Bella enjoys the walk."

  "I'll walk you home, then."

  "It's not necessary—"

  "I'm an excellent walker."

  She shook her head. "Really—"

  "Are you trying to keep where you live a secret from me?" I joked.

  Her answering smile was coy. Damn, I liked it.

  "Afraid I'll go fake-boyfriend stalker on you?" Other girls in high school had had that fear. I wasn't the stalker type. Though if I'd wanted to be, I had the technology.

  "Not at all."

  "I'll have to see it Saturday anyway. I'd rest better if I made sure you two ladies got home safely." I gave Bella a quick pet. "This little girl is still in heat. You'll need someone with my dog-handling skills to fend off the other horny bad dogs in the neighborhood. I can't guarantee they'll all be as purebred and polite as Charlie. Unless you want to risk a triple paternity litter?" I raised an eyebrow.

  "You're exhausting. You know that?" She rolled her eyes, but I was pretty sure she was flirting. "You have a comeback for everything."

  "So they tell me. And purely selfish. I want as much opportunity for Charlie puppies as possible."

  She blew out a breath that ruffled her bangs. She had a cute habit of it when she didn't know what to say. When she was stalling. It was her tell.

  I found it hot as hell. It made her look young and almost vulnerable in a way that made me want to play white knight.

  I am many things. But I've never been accused of being sentimental or wanting to knight-in-shining-armor any woman. Unless you count having the answers to the calculus homework as qualifying for knighthood, I was more comfortable as the court jester.

  Her lips were pink and generous. The way her lower lip stuck out when she blew upward to send her bangs floating made me want to take her in my arms and suck that beautiful lip until she moaned. Kiss her deeply until we were both breathless. It gave me all kinds of wild ideas of being a lover I wasn't.

  And it sparked a faint shadow of a memory. Something pleasant, but buried so deep that it might never surface. It had been relegated to being a somatic response.

  "Bella and I managed to make it here safely on our own. But now that you've scared me—"

  "Made you see the light."

  "Do you have that dog silencer on you?"

  "In my pocket."

  "All right." She grinned. "For Bella. She's already had one bad sexual experience today. Why risk another? It's barely worth the gas, but let's drive. There's no reason for you to walk back here in the dark in this bad neighborhood."

  Shelby was right. The drive was just minutes. We'd barely driven a few blocks when she directed me to pull to a stop at the curb. She lived in a typical West Seattle bungalow. Typical also—it was uphill from the road.

  It was an old neighborhood that was being revitalized. Between the car and the house were a grass strip, an old sidewalk, more grass, and steps up to her lawn and the walkway to her front door. From the way the house was situated, I imagined it had a nice view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. The house needed work. It was a working-family house in a blue-collar neighborhood when it had been built. Now the location and view made it worth plenty.

  "My grandparents left me the house," she said, gesturing toward it. "That's the only way I'm able to afford a house in West Seattle. Someday, when things take off again, I'm going to remodel. My neighbors probably hope sooner rather than later."