Blue Lines(21)

Shaking his head, feeling like this was going nowhere, Erik closed his eyes and turned his face up toward the ceiling. When he glanced down, Piper was leaning against the counter, her forehead on the surface, her breathing labored.

“Okay, maybe you don’t owe me, Piper, but I need your help. I love my life here, and I don’t want to leave my brother and Ally. And now our baby.” Not a total lie, but definitely another approach he was hoping would convince her.

“You don’t care about our child,” she whispered, shaking her head against the counter.

“I do,” Erik said, taking a step forward. He placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to glance up at him.

“So you want us to play house,” she whispered. “Live as if we are the happiest, most in-love couple, expecting their little bundle of joy.”

Erik nodded. “Yes.”

She shook her head as the tears began to fall.

“You can’t cheat on me. I will already look like an idiot for marrying you.”

“What? So you want me to go without sex?” he asked in shock. “I gotta have sex, Piper. I’m a man.”

“I don’t care. You promise me right now that you will not cheat on me, or I’m not even going to consider this ridiculous proposal. I have my pride and reputation, too, and I will not have you ruin it with your man-whoring.”

Erik paused for a moment. Could he go without sex for several months? He didn’t really have a choice.

Glancing back at Piper, he said, “I promise.”

She choked on a sob and shook her head.

“This is insane,” she whispered.

“It really isn’t,” he said softly.

Still shaking her head, she muttered, “You don’t want this. Why do this to ourselves? There has to be another way.”

Erik shook his head. “There isn’t. This is the only option. I’ll pay you, if that would make it better.”

Offended at his suggestion, Piper angrily responded, “You can’t buy me. I don’t need or want your money.”

“Fine.” Erik threw his hands up in the air. “Please, Piper. I think this will help both of us out.”

“How is this helping me?” she asked, shaking her head. “It will only give me a headache.”

Erik thought for a moment. “Okay, maybe it is only helping me.”

“Yeah, it is,” Piper said, shaking her head. “I need some time to think.”

“We don’t have time,” he said emphatically.

“Why?”

Erik cleared his throat as he met her eyes. “My lawyer and agent are in the car, waiting with the paperwork. Afterward, we have an appointment at the justice of the peace to get this finalized.”

Is this guy serious? Piper was starting to worry and she knew she shouldn’t make any snap decisions. She needed to at least consult Audrey or someone else with a level head who would be able to help her sort through this—she knew her mind could not wrap around this, since some part of her was excited for the opportunity to be married to Erik. Maybe she could show him what he really was missing in not wanting to be with her for the long run. God, she was nuts.

“Are you serious?” she just had to ask. This was too crazy.

“Yes.”

“Oh my God,” she mumbled as she went to the window.

He watched as she looked out and when she saw he wasn’t kidding, her head fell forward in defeat.

“What if I say no?”

Erik swallowed loudly. “Then I’m fucked.”

She turned slowly and then pinned him with her sad blue eyes.

“I should say no, just to get back at you for how you ended things with me. And knowing that this charade will end no better.”

Erik nodded. What could he say? It will end, this marriage will not be forever, and there won’t be any sex to keep us together. This was purely an arrangement to salvage their reputations and his career.

“I deserve that, but I don’t think you are that type of person.”

“I’m not,” she said as she blinked her eyes, “but Erik, I don’t know about this. It just doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“Why? What could go wrong?”

Her eyes were so serious as she said, “Feelings could get in the way.”

Erik shook his head.

“Won’t happen. We both know going in that this is fake, no sex, and it will be over in no time. All we have to do is be mature and civilized and this will go easy.”

She looked away, and he knew it was because she felt something for him. She wasn’t worried about him falling for her; she was worried that she would fall for him.

“Piper, I’m not the guy for you. I am a dick, an asshole, a man-whore, remember?” he said, trying to reassure her. “Living with me for the next couple of months will show you that you don’t want to be married to me. Don’t worry, we will leave with no hard feelings and maybe even be friends at the end of this. Up until this point all we’ve done is fight. Maybe we will work things out and we can be good parents for the baby.”