Just One Fake Date: A Contemporary Romance (Flatiron Five Fitness Book 1)

by Deborah Cooke

  “Not boring either. Reliable.”

  He raised his hands and made a sound of anguish, one that she knew was supposed to make her laugh. She did, then went around to the passenger side at his gesture.

  When Tyler reached for the door handle, she saw the ring. It was gold with a Celtic knot design and he was wearing it on his right thumb. She stared at it in surprise, then reached out to touch it with a fingertip, as if it might be a mirage.

  “I bought it at my sister’s show,” Tyler admitted. He pulled back his cuffs. “And a new pair of cufflinks.”

  They were silver and sculpted, each one with a small gemstone. One was a dragon’s head, with a red stone for its eye, and the other was a phoenix’s head, holding a small pearl in its beak. They were intricate but substantial, beautiful but not feminine. “They don’t even match!” she said, astonished that he’d chosen them.

  “Well, they’re a set, but not the same.”

  “A phoenix and a dragon.”

  “It’s that yin yang duality thing, apparently.” Tyler shrugged. “I just thought they were kind of cool. It’s hard to believe that Katelyn made them.”

  “I like them,” Shannyn said, wanting to encourage him. “And that ring is hot.”

  “Hot?” He looked up.

  “It draws attention to your hands, and you have great hands.”

  “Thank you.” Tyler smiled and that familiar heat crackled between them.

  “Next you’ll be getting a tattoo and shattering all my assumptions.” It was supposed to be a joke, but Tyler’s expression turned thoughtful.

  “Where did you get yours done?”

  “An artist named Chynna. She has a shop called Imagination Ink. I think she does great work.”

  “So do I.” His voice was dangerously low and his gaze dropped to her lips.

  Shannyn raised a finger. “Lipstick warning. And it’s a fake date anyway.” She wondered who she was trying to convince, but slid into the seat. She felt the heat of Tyler’s interest and glanced up in time to catch him looking.

  “You have great legs,” he murmured and the back of his neck colored a little, as if he hadn’t expected to say that out loud.

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “The fact that you routinely hide them away is a tragedy beyond all reason, maybe a crime against humanity.” His tone was light but she sensed that he meant the words.

  “I want people to look at me, not my legs.” As soon as she said the words, Shannyn regretted them because Tyler remembered his manners and averted his gaze.

  He went around the car and got in, then backed out and headed for the expressway. There was a tension in the car she hadn’t expected and Shannyn wondered whether it was her fault. “If you’re worried about furniture, I promise not to spot any,” she said. “I’ll close my eyes.”

  Tyler chuckled. “I’d promise not to look at your legs, but I’d have to close my eyes. That might not be a good idea.”

  “No.” Shannyn sighed with mock regret. “I guess I’ll have to endure it.”

  “It’ll make our fake date seem more credible if I can’t stop looking.”

  Shannyn shifted her legs to get comfortable, sliding them against each other as she did so. Her stockings made a faint sound, one she wouldn’t have noticed, except that Tyler flicked a glance at her legs again.

  As if he couldn’t stop himself.

  Then he swallowed.

  At least she wasn’t the only one feeling hot and bothered.

  “Tell me about the show,” she invited, to return to a safer topic. Anything to distract herself from the prospect of provoking him and how much she’d enjoy that.

  “I was wishing you were there,” he said easily, pulling out his phone when they stopped at a traffic light. “I took some pictures of Jared’s paintings.” He passed the phone to her and they talked about the paintings as she flicked through them. As before, their conversation flowed easily with a little simmer of awareness beneath the words. She was surprised by how soon he was driving down a residential street lined with old trees.

  “I have to admit that I didn’t expect rule number three to give me so much trouble,” Tyler confessed unexpectedly.

  Shannyn felt ridiculously pleased. “You wanted to call?”

  “I like talking to you at night.” He flicked a glance her way. “Actually, I like talking to you anytime.” He pulled up to the curb in front of a large house which saved her from needing to reply.

  The house was enormous, with a big well-tended garden out front. The driveway was full of cars and SUV’s, most of them new or almost so, and all of them expensive. The street was crowded with parked cars too. The only place Tyler was able to stop was at the end of the driveway.

  “Big party,” Shannyn said, not having realized the bridal shower would be so well attended. The outward signs of affluence reminded her that she was an outsider and made her confidence falter a little.

  Tyler touched her hand and she turned to find that he’d taken off his sunglasses. He looked concerned. “Will you be okay as I park the car?”

  Shannyn made a joke. “Just how scary is your family?”

  “I’m not going to answer that.” He shook his head. “I’ll be as quick as I can.” He got out and came around to get her door, then retrieved a gift from the trunk. It was exquisitely beautiful, wrapped in silver and blue with an elaborate bow.

  “Either you have unexpected giftwrapping skills...”

  “Or the store wrapped it. Option B.”

  “What did we get them?”

  “One of those fancy single serving coffee makers. A word to the wise: never get between Katelyn and her caffeine.” Tyler handed her the gift, then bent to look her in the eye, so earnest that Shannyn wanted to reassure him. “I’ll hurry.”

  “I think I can fend for myself for a few minutes,” she said and he smiled.

  “Got to love that confidence.” He touched her cheek. “Too bad about the lipstick,” he murmured, his caress and the glow in his eyes leaving her yearning for the kiss she hadn’t gotten.

  Then he was back in the car and heading down the street to park. Shannyn made her way toward the front door, heart thumping. How bad could it be? Tyler was the adored older son and she was his date. She guessed that there wasn’t a woman alive that any of his relatives thought was good enough for him, but people with buckets of money were polite.

  Mostly.

  She raised a hand to ring the bell but the door was flung open before she made contact. “You must be Shannyn!” an older woman declared. She was tall, attractive and slim, and Shannyn thought she glimpsed a resemblance to Tyler in her features. “I’m Colleen McKay, Tyler’s mom. Come in, Shannyn. Everyone is dying to meet you!”

  Shannyn stepped across the threshold, convinced that everything would be just fine.

  But even she was impressed by how quickly everything went to hell.

  Ty hadn’t thought that anything could go wrong in the few moments that it took him to park the car, but once again, Shannyn proved him wrong. He walked into his aunt’s house, greeting relatives, seeking Shannyn. He didn’t care if they thought he was lovesick. He had a bad feeling and he’d learned long ago to trust his instincts.

  The gift he’d bought was on the table in the living room along with all the others, so she’d made it that far. He looked into the dining room beyond, with the French doors open to the garden, and spotted Shannyn on the patio.

  She was chatting with Lauren and his mom, laughing at something one of them had said. Her gaze flicked to him and she smiled, as if to reassure him, and Ty’s heart thumped with relief. He saw Paige and Derek approaching Shannyn and she turned to shake hands with Derek. Ty was almost there.

  Then Paige thrust Ethan into Shannyn’s arms. Ty had forgotten about the Mommy Test and he certainly hadn’t warned Shannyn, and that had been his mistake.

  Shannyn looked as if she’d been struck to stone, and was holding the baby like he was a ticking bomb.

>   Her expression lasted only a heartbeat but it spoke volumes. Ty had no idea what was wrong, only that he had to fix it. He cut through the crowd between himself and the patio, and plucked Ethan out of Shannyn’s arms. He didn’t miss the flash of relief in her eyes.

  “Look at you!” he said to the baby, holding him high overhead. Ethan gurgled and kicked with delight. “You must be double the size of when I saw you last.” He swung Ethan down, prompting the baby to laugh, then settled him in the crook of his elbow on the opposite side of Shannyn.

  She seemed a bit subdued, which he couldn’t explain.

  Until he realized his mom was watching her closely.

  That had to be record time for things going to shit.

  Ty put his other arm around Shannyn and pulled her against his side, dropping a kiss to her temple. “Have they terrified you yet?” he teased in a stage whisper and everyone laughed lightly.

  Shannyn slid her arm around his waist and held on, a move that spoke volumes.

  Paige, Derek, and his mom greeted him, then Lauren teased him about finding a safe enough place to park his car. He admitted it was in Maine. They all laughed together, then Ty glanced down at Shannyn again.

  “You don’t even have a glass of wine yet,” he said, then shook his head. “Some kind of welcome you offer around here. My date walks in the door and you give her a baby.” He sniffed. “Isn’t there something that needs tending?” he asked and handed Ethan back to Derek. He let his hand slide to the back of Shannyn’s waist and traced little circles there with his thumb, hoping to reassure her.

  “We were just talking about Shannyn’s house,” Paige said.

  “And Paige’s diabolical plan to guide the conversation to the furniture Shannyn scored,” Derek added in an undertone.

  Paige swatted him. “Not yet,” she whispered and Derek rolled his eyes.

  “I only got it home with your help,” Shannyn said to Derek with a smile. “Thank you.”

  “No worries. It was kind of fun. Especially to see Ty out of his element.”

  “Show Mom that picture,” Paige prompted and Derek dug out his phone.

  “Can’t the lady have a sip of wine first?” Ty pulled Shannyn closer. “Come on. Knowing my aunt, there will be a dozen kinds, so you’ll need to choose.” Without waiting for her answer, he took her by the hand and led her away.

  “Thank you,” Shannyn whispered when they were out of earshot of the others.

  “I should have warned you about the Mommy Test.” He stopped and pulled Shannyn into his arms, bending to whisper to her. He meant it to look like they were lovers, but it felt good to hold her like this. It felt even better that she didn’t pull away.

  And his family, apparently able to take a hint for once, kept their distance.

  Ty knew that wouldn’t last.

  “You couldn’t have known,” Shannyn said softly.

  She placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him as he tightened his embrace. He liked the feel of her against him and the smell of her perfume.

  “I know what they do...”

  She flicked an intent look up at him. “No, you couldn’t have known how I’d respond.”

  “But...”

  “Because you don’t know why. I’ll tell you later,” she whispered, such an appeal in her eyes that his heart clenched. “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have guessed.” She reached up to touch a fingertip to his mouth, silencing him with a gesture. He kissed her fingertip and not just for show, remembering her words. He smiled slowly and watched her eyes light. Shannyn’s voice turned husky. “I was just surprised, and I admitted to your mom that I don’t want kids.”

  “That would not have been well-received.”

  “Nope, it wasn’t.” Shannyn’s tone was resolute and she averted her gaze from his. Ty didn’t know the details but he understood the bottom line. Someone had hurt her. It had something to do with a baby. Had Cole taken their child? Had a baby died? Ty’s imagination went into overdrive, taking his protective urges to a new high.

  “I’m sorry,” he said and meant it.

  “They mean well,” she acknowledged then squared her shoulders. “And now I’m ready for them. It won’t happen again.”

  But Ty had seen the assessment in his mom’s gaze and knew Shannyn’s reaction wouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon.

  In the meantime, he needed to make her smile. He ran his fingertips up and down the back of her waist and watched her eyes darken. “I’m thinking that maybe we need a diabolical plan of our own.”

  “I don’t think that’s all you’re thinking.”

  Ty grinned. “Go ahead and guess.”

  “Maybe you’re trying to make it look like we’re crazy in love.”

  “Is that such a bad idea?”

  “It’s not going to make any difference to your mother.” She spoke with the conviction of a lesson learned, which also intrigued Tyler. “What’s this plan?”

  “That we give Princess Paige a run for her money.”

  “How?”

  “She wants the furniture. You want a roof.”

  “She already told you that they’d make a deal.”

  Ty nodded. “So, let’s make it a better one. You’re the one who likes to barter and I’m guessing that any money you don’t spend on the roof can be used for another repair.”

  “True.”

  “So, let’s get the cash component of the deal as low as possible.”

  She met his gaze and smiled. “You’re taking this as a personal challenge.”

  “We have to do something here other than talk about seating arrangements, napkin colors and diaper services.” He rolled his eyes, which did make her laugh a little. “Otherwise, this is going to be a really long afternoon.”

  “Okay.” Shannyn tapped a finger in his chest. “I challenge you to make a deal that involves no cash whatsoever.”

  Ty gave a low whistle. “Nothing like setting the bar high.”

  “Everyone makes everything too easy for you.”

  “Thank goodness I have you around, then,” he teased. “Okay, what have you got to offer?”

  “Aidan,” she said immediately. “He could help. He works for food.”

  “And you said he’s handy.” Ty led her toward the bar, thinking. “Lunch for the crew?”

  “Oh! I can totally make lunch. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Plus you have the furniture, which will be restored.”

  “And reupholstered,” Shannyn said. “Aidan’s bringing the cushion covers back, and Mom told me how to rebuild the cushions. It’ll be done this week.” She chose a glass of sparkling water and the bartender poured it into a champagne glass. Ty had the same. “Do you really think you can do this?” she whispered, and her hope was obvious to him.

  “I think you have a gift for compelling me to lift my game,” he confessed, liking how she laughed.

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “It’s one of the things I most admire about you,” he said, holding her gaze. She looked a little flustered, which he took as a win. Ty clicked his glass to hers. “Come on. Shannyn Hawke. Let’s go make a deal.”

  There was something about watching a man do what he did best, knowing that he was doing it for you.

  Shannyn was fascinated and impressed by Tyler. He knew when to walk away and let Paige worry about it. He knew when to taunt his sister. He knew when to sweeten their deal.

  And all the while, his body language told his family that he was madly in love with Shannyn. He never stopped touching her. If his arm wasn’t around her waist, he was holding her hand. He kissed her temple and her fingertips, he bent to murmur to her like lovers do, he made her laugh and he periodically led her away from the others for a private moment. Shannyn was glad he was the one negotiating, because she was a hot mess within twenty minutes of their arrival.

  All she could think about was getting Tyler naked.

  Even she found his performance persuasive.

  Sh
annyn also liked her sense that she and Tyler were working toward a common goal. It was kind of nice to not be alone against the world, to have a partner or someone to watch her back. It felt good to have someone she could count on—even if that wouldn’t last for long. As the afternoon progressed, Shannyn became more and more convinced to enjoy these few weeks with Tyler, and not worry about what happened after Katelyn’s wedding.

  She’d made the rules: she could break them.

  She and Tyler mingled, meeting family and chatting, but always circling back to Derek and Paige for another round.

  The big issue for Derek was the cost of labor. They agreed the roof could be done on the first sunny weekend and that Aidan would help out. Shannyn was shocked when Tyler added to help, too.

  “What do you know about roofing?” Paige demanded, giving his suit a disdainful survey.

  “It can’t be rocket science,” Tyler countered.

  “Heavy work, often in the sun, and repetitive.” Derek considered Tyler’s physique for a minute. “But in a way, you’ve probably trained for it. You have to wear a harness, but you’re on.” He calculated quickly. “Three of us, and an apprentice, if I can convince Paul to work a weekend, then we can get it done in two good days.”

  “Isn’t Paul the guy who loves to eat?”

  “He’s got the metabolism for it. He’s all of nineteen, too.”

  Shannyn caught Tyler’s sidelong glance and understood what he meant. “I’ll cook lunches for you. Homemade meatball sandwiches.” She watched Derek’s eyes light. “Two kinds. Italian Saturday and banh mi Sunday.”

  “That’s a game-changer,” Derek said. “Homemade lunch. Can you cook?”

  Tyler lifted his hand as if the question was insulting. “Do your math,” he invited. “Shannyn needs another drink.” He led her back to the bar. “Are you sure you don’t want something stronger?”

  “Are you trying to get me drunk?” she teased and he laughed.

  “No. Stay sharp. We’re close.”

  And they were. Shannyn could feel it, too.

  By the time they left at six, the roof was booked for the next weekend, assuming the weather would be good. The cash outlay was only for the cost of the shingles. Derek was going to cover Paul’s wages for the job.