Breaker (Book Two): Breaker, #2

By Layla Valentine

She needs a fake boyfriend,
But this guy? He's a little too qualified.

Him:

I'm a con man; a breaker of banks, and hearts.
And she's a girl in need of a boyfriend, if only for show.
The moment we met, I made her my mark.
Sure, I'd play the charming, wealthy boyfriend for her parents.
All while planning a bigger scheme of my own.
So why can't I go through with it?
I've always been a heartbreaker, and I'm damned good at what I do.
But I've got something else in mind for this one.
I don't want to con her,
I'm gonna make her mine.
 

This is the second book in Layla Valentine's Breaker series of romance books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Layla Valentine
• Release date: May 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201775186

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

SIERRA

THREE DAYS LATER

Istepped into the sunny bistro, my eyes settling on my friend Maggie at a table at the far end. She stood up to greet me, her expression cheerful as always, her face framed by her curly red hair. She was dressed in hip, stylish clothes as usual, today’s outfit a cute sundress paired with sneakers.

There she is! she called out, catching the attention of nearly everyone in the restaurant. Then she squealed and threw her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.

Maggie had been my friend from all the way back in high school. We’d stayed in close touch over the years as the rest of our little social group broke apart, most moving off to New York or LA or wherever else. She’d stayed in Baltimore, working in the fashion industry and making a pretty good name for herself in the process.

And it pained me to realize it, but her success only made me more aware of my own lack of direction in life. Not to mention it seemed like every week she was with a new guy, all with interesting jobs like professional surfer or documentary filmmaker. It made me painfully clear on how lame my own love life had been.

I had to admit, as anxiety-ridden as I’d been over the last few days, Maggie’s sunny disposition always managed to be infectious.

After the hug, I sat down across from her. She regarded me with her big blue eyes, her pretty face in an expectant expression.

I can’t believe we’re actually hanging out, she said, shaking her hands as she folded her arms on the table.

I know, I said. How long has it been?

Too freaking long. Like a month. I was starting to think text messages from you were all I was going to get from now on.

Well, I’ve got nothing but free time now, so you’re going to be seeing a lot of me.

Her expression turned into one of concern. Does that mean you did it?

I pursed my lips and nodded, knowing there was far more to the story than that.

I did it.

Her eyes went wide again. Holy shit…that’s amazing! Like, you actually sat down with your parents and told them that you were dropping out of med school?

Um…kinda sorta.

Kinda sorta?

As in, I told them, yeah. But I wrapped it up in a pretty big lie. And I got this guy to go along with it.

Maggie shook her head, as if she was having trouble processing what I’d said. What does that mean? You got some guy to go along with it? What guy?

Oh man. Where to begin?

She grinned. Start from the very, very beginning. Because I’ve got a feeling this is going to be good.

I took a deep breath, collected my thoughts, and went into it. I told her everything, about how I’d gotten hit on by some strange guy at the bar, about how Caleb had come to the rescue. Then I told her about how I sat down with my parents and blurted out a lie, one that resulted in me enlisting Caleb to be my fake boyfriend.

And then…I went into the rest of the night, about how we’d hit it off and gone back to his place and hooked up, then hooked up again that next morning. Maggie listened enraptured to the entire story, waving away the waitress when she came by to take our order.

Holy shit! She reached over and grabbed my shoulder, giving it a squeeze and shaking me a little. Sierra, that’s amazing! I mean, you got out of med school, told your parents, and met a hot guy in the process. What’s not to like about that?

"Well, there’s the fact that I’m a college dropout with no school or career prospects. And then there’s the fact that I told my parents a total lie. And then there’s the fact that I hooked up with a stranger who hasn’t gotten back to me since it happened."

Oh, she said, her expression dropping a touch. Well, at least you got a good story out of it all.

But I don’t know what to do. I got so wrapped up in the idea of being on my own that I didn’t think about what I’d do next. Then I was scared of telling my parents the truth, so I spun up a lie. And then I let myself get swept off my feet by some charming guy who, for all I know, just wanted the night with me.

Well, let’s start with the most interesting part—what about this guy? What’s his name?

His name’s Caleb. And he’s some kind of businessman. But it’s weird…

What’s weird?

Okay, I don’t want to sound superficial or materialistic or anything, but when we went to his apartment, it was kind of…run-down. Like, I don’t care if he has a fancy place or anything like that, but it was strange that a businessman would be staying in such a dump.

What are you thinking? That he was lying?

I don’t even know. But does it even matter? I went out of my way to give him my number and he hasn’t called me back since. I haven’t even gotten a text.

Maybe he’s playing it cool, she said. "Guys are dumb like that. They think they have to play all these games so you don’t think they’re too into