Except… except Wade got along with the entire world, and she had to admit it was disturbing that they didn’t. Couldn’t. But there was nothing to be done about that now.

Nothing.

She had a job to do. They had a job to do. “I realize you probably don’t want to go over the plan,” she said, feeling at a disadvantage sitting while Wade still stood. “But I really think we should.”

“I know the plan,” he said. “One of the corporations endorsing the Heat has a new, conservative CEO who has high family values, and is upset with our PR troubles-”

“Your PR troubles,” she corrected.

He let out a tight breath and bowed his head in agreement. “And you, the Skipper, the owners-hell everyone but me-believes that the world cares about one more ridiculous baseball scandal involving some woman claiming I’ve gotten her pregnant.”

“You can’t blame people for believing it; you do have a bit of a playboy reputation.”

“I never slept with Tia.”

“She produced pictures of you and her on the beach by your house.”

He just looked at her.

“See,” she pointed out. “This is why we have to talk about it.”

“Look, I get what the powers-that-be want from me. From us. We pretend to be a couple in the eyes of the press so I look like a good boy, and our endorsements won’t be pulled. How hard can it be?”

“I don’t know,” she replied cautiously. “How hard?”

His eyes heated. And a matching heat seared through her belly at the inadvertent double entrendre. “You know what I mean, Wade. The plan-”

“The plan is that I have to behave. And you’re supposed to make me.” He paused. “Though I am looking forward to the make me part.”

Oh, God. “You know what? This isn’t going to work.” She was fun, dammit. Even lighthearted at times. Why the hell he made her sound so uptight and stuffy, she had no idea.

Wait. She did have an idea. An exact idea.