Gray eyed the smug woman beside him apprehensively. He knew she had a plan but wasn't sure what it entailed. Why invite the Hales to their place? They had been there only once before.

"Care to explain that?" he asked, his voice returning to normal now that he wasn't acting.

"I will," Mandy promised with a laugh. "But first, do you really use that voice all the time? Doesn't it hurt your vocal cords?"

It did a little, but he'd gotten used to it over the years. That voice attracted people far better than his old accent had. It made him seem powerful and charming, qualities lacking in his youth.

Gray shrugged. "I'm used to it. You have no idea how hard I worked to lose my accent in college. Sounding refined suited my needs better then. You're actually the first person to hear my natural voice in decades."

She snuggled against him, sighing. "Well, now you're depressing me. But I have a plan to further confuse your family. We'll dress up in various outfits, take pictures all over New York, and create the illusion of a long-term relationship."

Gray didn't understand at first. Why bother with something so silly? Then he realized that engaged or married couples often displayed family photos throughout their homes.

Aaron might not recognize her as the waitress from their recent dinner, but he'd certainly know they hadn't been together long, based on their conversation that day. Displaying pictures suggesting a long-term relationship would definitely confuse him.

It would drive him crazy not knowing the truth; Gray knew that much. Aaron liked to be informed, which is why he'd hired the genius hacker, Aiden Quinn. Knowing something was amiss without an explanation would infuriate him.

"You want to annoy him," Gray surmised. "Why?"

Mandy smiled innocently. "He's always barely polite to you, even when you care about him. It's an eye for an eye, wouldn't you say?"

His heart skipped a beat as the implication sunk in. She was upset about his brother's treatment of him and wanted revenge. No one had ever been so mindful of his feelings before.

Had anyone ever been indignant on his behalf? He didn't think so. This was a wonderful first.

Gray picked her up and settled her on his lap. He might not know what love felt like, but if anyone truly loved him, it was Mandy. That much was clear.

And if he was capable of loving someone, he loved her. It felt wrong to say it, even though they were planning to marry. He'd only met her again a couple of days ago. Insane.

"Let's do it," he replied.

Gray hadn't pulled a prank since he was about twelve, after a foster brother's pranks led to a failed—and overly severe—retaliation. His foster parents promptly sent him elsewhere, even though their son started it.

Mandy planned everything, so Gray simply followed her lead. Wear this. Pose like that. She dragged him all over the city for a few pictures.

At least she was enjoying herself, laughing half the time. He couldn't entirely hate it, given how much he loved seeing her laugh, but it was exhausting. He never did anything like this.

"This is the last one, I promise," she assured him as they entered a photo studio.

Five minutes later, they were in front of a green screen. He had a good idea what she planned: a digitally altered background depicting an exotic, touristy location they couldn't have possibly visited in the past week.

She threw her arms around his waist, snuggling close with a wide grin in a stereotypical couple's pose. Gray shook his head indulgently and hugged her back, grinning.

After getting a shot Mandy liked, the photographer showed them scenery options: the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Sydney Opera House—all popular tourist destinations.

"What do you think?" she asked. "Which seems least likely we could have visited since you last saw Aaron?"

Gray checked flight times between those locations and New York City. He might be many things, but when committed, he gave it his all.

"Probably Australia. A flight from here takes almost twenty-four hours," he said.

Mandy clapped her hands. "Great! Australia it is."

An hour later, they were back at the apartment, hanging the pictures. Mandy had already decided on the arrangement, and Gray was in charge of hammering. He'd never hammered before and hit his thumb more than once.

Each time, she grabbed his hand and kissed it "to make it feel better." His mother used to do that. He hadn't been kissed like that since.

Maybe it was a motherly thing. Mandy had a young grandson; it was probably habit. But it still made his heart race.

Every minute with her made him more reluctant to let her go—not that he had to. He now ran his empire almost entirely from his apartment. Since she'd quit her job, she'd been by his side for days.

He'd been used to solitude, but this week spoiled him. He never wanted to let Mandy out of his sight now that he knew how wonderful having someone special could be.

Aaron's possessiveness toward his wife made much more sense now. Gray could see himself becoming equally desperate for his woman's attention.

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