SIGNED TO BE HIS

The restaurant was packed.

Grace barely had time to process what was happening before Jax opened the car door and stepped out, sunglasses on, jaw clenched.

And then—it was instant chaos.

Flashes exploded around them. Voices shouted over each other.

"Jax! Over here!"
"Who's the mystery girl?"
"Are you two official?"

Grace's entire body locked up. Oh, hell no.

Jax barely reacted. He reached for her hand—her hand!—and pulled her forward like this was just another day in his life.

But before they could reach the entrance, a reporter shoved forward. "Jax! Is she your new girlfriend?"

Jax stopped. Paused.

Grace's heart jumped to her throat.

And then—he nodded.

"Yeah," Jax said, voice steady. "This is my girlfriend. And I'd appreciate it if you all gave us some space."

The flashes intensified. The voices rose.

Grace felt her stomach twist.

This was it. This was real.

At least, to the rest of the world.

Jax didn't wait for more questions. He simply pulled her toward the entrance, brushing past the chaos like it was nothing.

The restaurant's manager was already there, waiting for them with a nervous smile.

"Welcome, welcome," he said quickly, holding the door open. "Come inside, we have your table ready. And don't worry, we've made sure no one else will disturb you."

Grace blinked. No one else?

She turned to Jax. "Did you know about this?"

Jax shrugged. "Nope. But I'm not surprised."

Finn suddenly appeared from inside the restaurant, eyes wide. "Grace, what the hell?!" he whisper-yelled. "You're on every freaking news site right now!"

Grace groaned. "Don't remind me."

The manager clapped his hands together. "Right this way, Mr. Riot."

Jax sighed, slipping his sunglasses off. "Let's get this over with."

Their table was in the corner, surrounded by high-backed booths for privacy.

Grace sat down, trying to act natural.

Which was nearly impossible when Jax Riot was sitting across from her, stretching his arms over the back of the booth like this was the most normal thing in the world.

She exhaled. Okay. She could do this.

Jax grabbed a menu and lazily flipped through it. "So... what's your favorite fake meal, sweetheart?"

Grace narrowed her eyes. "Don't call me that."

He smirked. "Relax. It's all part of the act, remember?"

She clenched her jaw. Oh, she remembered. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

Jax leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting with amusement. "You know, if you keep looking at me like you want to murder me, people are gonna start wondering if this relationship is abusive."

Grace forced her lips into a fake sweet smile. "Oh, don't worry. I'd never hit you in public."

Jax laughed. Like, actually laughed. A real, genuine laugh.

Grace blinked.

She... hadn't expected that.

But before she could even process it, a waiter appeared.

"Mr. Riot," the guy said, practically trembling as he held up his notepad. "It's, um, an honor. Can I get you something to drink?"

Jax glanced at Grace. "What do you want, babe?"

Babe.

Grace bit back a groan. "Just water."

Jax smirked. "Water for the lady. And I'll take a black coffee."

The waiter nodded so fast it looked painful. "Of course! Right away!"

Grace watched him nearly trip over his own feet on his way back to the kitchen. She sighed. "Is this what it's like everywhere you go?"

Jax leaned back, stretching again. "Pretty much."

She studied him for a moment. His usual cocky confidence, the way he seemed so used to people fawning over him. And yet... there was something else. Something tired in his eyes.

But before she could think too much about it, Jax suddenly nodded toward the window.

"Look."

Grace turned her head—and instantly regretted it.

Paparazzi. Dozens of them.

Cameras pressed against the glass. People pointing, snapping photos, whispering to each other.

Grace's stomach twisted. "This is insane."

Jax smirked. "Told you."

She turned back to him. "Okay, so... how do we do this?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"

Grace gestured vaguely between them. "The whole fake dating thing. What are we supposed to do?"

Jax grinned. A slow, lazy, devilish grin.

"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, leaning forward, "you really think too much."

And before Grace could react, before she could even process what was happening—

Jax reached across the table and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Soft. Casual. Effortless.

Her breath hitched.

The flashes outside went crazy.

Grace swallowed. This was a game to him.

Fine. If he wanted to play, she could play.

She forced herself to relax, tilting her head slightly and smiling. "You're so full of yourself."

Jax chuckled. "And yet, here you are."

Grace rolled her eyes. "Only because I'm getting paid."

"Mm," he mused. "So cold. You really need to work on your acting skills."

Their drinks arrived before she could throw her napkin at him.

The rest of the lunch was... surprisingly not terrible.

Jax, despite being a massive pain, was actually funny when he wanted to be. And Grace, despite herself, found it hard not to laugh at some of his sarcastic comments.

But the cameras never stopped flashing.

And no matter how casual they tried to be, Grace could feel the weight of the world watching them.

When they finally got back in the car, Grace collapsed against the seat with a groan.

"That was the longest lunch of my life."

Jax snorted. "You're welcome."

She turned to him. "For what?"

He smirked. "Making it entertaining."

Grace rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

Jax started the car, but before he pulled out of the parking lot, he glanced at her. "You did good, by the way."

Grace blinked. "What?"

He shrugged. "You kept up. Most people don't."

She frowned. "Was that... a compliment?"

Jax smirked. "Don't get used to it."

Grace shook her head, fighting back a smile. This was going to be a disaster.

And she had no idea how much worse it was going to get.