A Heart in Hiding

She hired him to be her fake boyfriend. She never expected him to be her greatest threat—or her only hope.

Dr. Jordan Reed refuses to let another man control her life. To get her overbearing sister off her back—and prove to her ex that she's moved on—she hires Brock Hamill to play the part of her devoted boyfriend. It's a simple arrangement… until Brock starts digging into her past for reasons far more dangerous than she realizes.

Brock has his own agenda. He blames Jordan for his brother's downfall and is determined to ruin her reputation. Disguising himself as one of her patients, he sets out to destroy her career from the inside. But the more time he spends with her, the harder it is to reconcile the woman he's getting to know with the villain he's built in his mind. Jordan isn't cold or manipulative—she's kind, compassionate, and completely unaware of the storm heading her way.

When a real threat emerges—one that puts Jordan's life in jeopardy—Brock finds himself in an impossible position. Protecting her means betraying his own deception. But can she ever forgive him for the lies he told, even if he's the only one who can save her?

Doctor Jordan Reed squinted, adjusting her eyes to the dimly lit lounge as she sat in the booth at Willow Country Club Lounge. She scanned the advertisement in The Standard Examiner lying open in front of her.

Woman seeking man for short-term business partner. Must be charming and witty. Must be between thirty and forty-five and have acting ability. Call 1-303-777-0001 to arrange interview.

Jordan’s heart sank and her stomach twisted in knots. “No! Erica, what have you done?” With a groan she slumped forward, banged her forehead on the table and let it rest on the opened newspaper. “Why? Why? Why?” she muttered.

Sitting across the table, Erica patted Jordan’s hand. “Don’t be mad at me. Everything will work out. I promise.”

“This ad makes me look desperate.” Jordan shook her head. Her forehead crinkled against the paper. “Then again, maybe I am. I should be the patient instead of the psychiatrist.”

Erica laughed. “Will you stop worrying? I think you’ll be surprised with the outcome.”

Jordan raised her head just enough to look at her friend. Yeah, right. “Really? And how many people will read this ad and take it seriously? I mean, what kind of rational woman seeks a man’s help by taking out an ad in the newspaper, especially in my profession? That’s what people are going to think...and don’t say they won’t.”

Erica shrugged her thin shoulders. “You’re still hurting because of what Kenneth did to you a year ago. People will understand…at least the right people will. And I don’t think you need help. All you need is—” She bit her bottom lip and drew her brows together.

Jordan straightened and looked at her friend. “What do I need?”

The corner of Erica’s mouth lifted into a smirk. “It’s like I told you before, all you need is a social life. You need to start meeting—and dating—men. That will cure all your problems.”

“Good grief. I’m worse than I thought.”

Erica shook her head. “Will you stop thinking so negatively? If you have to, think of it like we’re in one of those reality shows on TV. You get to interview handsome men and pick them to be your date.”

“I never did like those shows, anyway. They were too unbelievable. Besides, this is real life. Meeting men and falling in love doesn’t happen so smoothly.”

“That’s true,” Erica said. “But if you think of this as our little game, you might feel better about it.”

Jordan tapped her fingers on the table. “Why don’t I just make this simple and pick a guy right here, right now?”

She looked across the room slowly. For it being an afternoon, there were several nice-looking men at the lounge for lunch. However, she still didn’t think she could walk right up to one and say, tag, you’re it!

Erica sat up in her chair and scoped out the room with wide eyes. She pointed to one. “Oh, I like that one. And that one over there might be a little too young for you, though. But what about that one over there? He definitely looks promising.”

Jordan aimed her glare at Erica. “Will you be serious?”

“I am. If you’re afraid to meet guys, then I’ll go do it and bring them over here for you to interview.”

Jordan shook her head. “This is getting ridiculous. I might as well just tell my sister the truth – that I don’t have a man in my life, and I don’t know if I ever will.”

“Oh, yeah, and won’t that go over great?” Erica flipped her hand in the air. “Your sister will pity you for not being able to get over your ex after he left you a year ago.”

“Erica, don’t call him my ex. I loathe that word.”

Erica frowned. “I’m sorry, but you know what I mean. Both Serena and that man will think you still have feelings for him. And I know you don’t want them thinking that way.”

“No, I don’t.” Jordan sighed. “I’m a lost cause.”

She rolled her eyes and thumped her head back on the table. Pain exploded like a cannon in her skull. She yelped and grabbed her head.

Gasping, Erica touched Jordan’s hand. “Are you all right?”

Jordan couldn’t believe the way this day was going. Just this morning, she’d ripped a hole in her blouse as she had left the house on her way to work. Then two of her patients were no-shows. And now this…this ad in the newspaper that made her look like a freakishly distressed woman. Could her day get any worse? She was afraid to find out. “I’ll be fine after my head stops pounding.”

Erica chuckled and scooted across her seat to get out of the booth. “I’m going to get our drinks. Do you want me to get you a Diet Coke?”

“Sure. I need a clear head to finish the work day, especially now that I’ve seen the havoc you’ve caused.”

Jordan worked her hands between her head and the newspaper and massaged her aching skull. How had her life come to this? Sure, her secretary, Erica, was only thinking about Jordan, but to actually put an ad in the newspaper? Still, desperate times called for desperate measures. Didn’t they? She’d been without a man since Kenneth left. Kenneth, the same man with whom she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. The man who shattered her heart and left it in crumbled pieces around her feet when he married Jordan’s wealthy older sister. And now they were coming to visit her, and Jordan didn’t know how to tell her sister to leave her husband at home. Jordan didn’t want to see Kenneth at all, but worse than that, she definitely didn’t want him to see her without a man.

As much as she wanted to yell and cuss at her secretary for placing the ad, Jordan had to admit hiring someone to portray her boyfriend wasn’t such a bad idea. Especially since she was running out of time—and options.

Erica was correct in thinking Jordan needed a social life. She did. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time. Or to be more precise, she didn’t make time.

Humiliation spread through her, clenching her chest. She couldn’t allow Kenneth to see just how much he’d hurt her. Especially after he had laughed in her face and told her she’d never have a decent relationship. Then again, he’d always thought he was God’s gift to women. Oh how she wished Serena hadn’t gone against Jordan’s pleas and married the jerk anyway. Not that she blamed her sister. Kenneth had been so conniving and convincing. It made Jordan ill just to think of it.

A warm hand touched her shoulder, before an intoxicating scent of male spice lured her from her thoughts. “Excuse me, Miss. Are you all right?”

Why does everyone ask me that? Did she look and act like she had something wrong with her? Perhaps she really did need to find her own psychiatrist, after all.

She huffed, ready to get rid of the stranger any way she could, and raised her head. She sat up, turned toward the intruder, and opened her mouth to speak. The moment their eyes met, the words faded from her mouth…and even from her brain. It even took a minute to remember to breathe.

He was absolutely gorgeous!

His freshly-shaven, square jaw emphasized his slightly pointed nose and highlighted a beautiful smile. So dreamy! Even in the dimly-lit lounge of the country club, his dark hair grabbed her attention—cut short and slicked back, just the way she liked.

His eyes hypnotized her. Because of the shadows, she couldn’t detect a color, but it was as if his radiant eyes saw right through her. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of a wild wolf lurking in their depths.