“Alright. Let’s do it.”
I glanced up, bringing my hands up to my eyes to block out the sun. Gwen’s silhouette stood, towering over me from my spot on the ground. I shifted my back against the tree and stared at her.
“Eh?”
She sighed. “I’ll be your fake girlfriend.”
I frowned. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“No, joke, no. I’ll do it,” she assured me.
I narrowed my eyes. “What made you change your mind?”
She pursed her lips. “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”
“Huh?”
“I’d rather you be the one to buy the ranch than Bill,” Gwen blurted out, glancing behind her shoulder as if he was about to pop out like some kind of boogeyman. I sensed he made her uneasy, and I didn’t blame her.
Slowly, I pushed myself off the ground and wiped my hands together. “Okay. I’m glad you’re finally seeing the light.”
She studied my face, roaming over my features as if searching for something. “I will still get to live and work here, right?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
She looked relieved. “There’s just one more thing. While we’re pretending, I don’t mind holding hands, or even kissing, but there is one line I will not cross.”
“What’s that?”
“No sex,” she insisted. “It’s important to keep the distinction here, and I don’t want any blurred lines.”
Or to get hurt again, obviously. She didn’t need to say, but I could read it all over her face. I paused, and scratched my chin, considering her option. Technically, it wasn’t as if we were going to be tested for authenticity, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
“I won’t touch you unless you want me to,” I promised.
Gwen snorted. “That’s not going to happen.”
I smiled. “If you say so.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t make me change my mind, buster.”
I held up my hands, lips twitching in amusement. “Alright, alright. Let’s go find the executor and tell him the happy news, baby.”
She made a sweeping hand gesture. “You first, love.”
I took her hand in mine and brought it up to my lips for a brief kiss, my hot breath lingering a little longer than necessary. A blush stole across her cheeks, and she tried to withdraw her hand before she gave a slight shake of the head, her grip slackening.
“Try not to look like you’re marching to the gallows,” I whispered into her ear, tucking an errant lock of hair out of her face. She craned her neck to the side and shot me a dirty look.
“I’m not that good of an actress.”
MY SMILE WANED AS I glanced from the executor to Gwen, who looked a little uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other.
“What do you mean it’s not enough?” I asked, trying to keep my tone down.
I’d finally gotten Gwen to agree to this whole façade, no easy feat by any stretch of the imagination, and now the proprietor of my father’s will was expressing skepticism. Granted, it was with good reason...but still.
What more did he want from us?
“It all seems a little too convenient,” he replied, giving me a sympathetic look. “Besides, Gwen was just giving you dirty looks two days ago, and now, you’re telling me that miraculously changed.”
“There’s a thin line between love and hate,” Gwen offered, weakly.
In the background, Bill snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, a smug smile spread out across his features. My fingers flexed, resisting the urge to wipe that look off of his face.
“What are you doing here, Bill?” I asked, through gritted teeth.
“I’m just examining my future property and expressing concern over the authenticity of this here little love story,” he commented, gesturing between the two of us. “Ain’t nothing faker than it, no doubt.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to prove you’re in love,” the executor agreed. “As per your grandfather’s wishes.”
“What are we supposed to do? Go on a date and allow you to tag along?” Gwen blurted.
The executor paused. “That’s not a bad idea, Ms. Parker. I’ll see you at the bar at seven.”
“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO opened your big fat mouth,” I muttered, sliding my hands down to her waist and pulling her closer. “Stop looking constipated, he’s looking our way.”
She took a deep breath, relaxed her shoulders, and leaned into my touch, resting her head against my shoulder. Surprised by the intimacy of the moment, I leaned in and inhaled, apples and mint washing over me.
“Thank you for the flowers,” Gwen mumbled, stirring before she leaned back to look at me, blue orbs confused. “A little too much though, don’t you think?”
I shook my head. “They weren’t for show. I just wanted to say I’m sorry again and thank you for agreeing to do this.”
Her eyes ran over my face, eyebrows knitted together before she sighed. “You’re welcome. Let’s just hope it works.”
I smiled and spun Gwen out, pausing a moment before I spun her back in, letting her land flush against my chest, a red tint to her cheeks. Dressed in a form-fitting green dress that fell just above her knees, with a V neck that accentuated her collarbone, she was every inch as beautiful as the day I saw her, and my heart did an odd little somersault, the butterflies in my stomach stirring.
Shit.
No, I couldn’t go down that path again.
We’d agreed to keep it platonic, and I happened to agree. Even if the connection between us simmered, bubbling beneath the surface, I didn’t want it to complicate things. I glanced down only to find her staring up at me, a dumbstruck look on her face, mouth parted slightly.
“What?” I asked.
“This is nice,” she murmured. “I’m actually enjoying myself.”
“Me, too,” I agreed, leaning my forehead against hers. Her hands traveled up, and she threaded her fingers through my hair, subconsciously pulling me closer. We continued to sway to the music, her body melded to mine; in that moment, nothing else mattered.
Not the ranch or the deal.
Everything else just faded into the background.
Chapter 8
GWEN.
I sighed as I inched closer to Nick, shivering slightly as a cold wind blew through us. He turned his head to look at me and shrugged off his jacket, draping it across my shoulders without saying a word.
“You don’t have to do that,” I insisted, ignoring the slow burn in the pit of my belly.
Going out on a date with Nick was a bad idea – a horrible idea, actually, because it only served to remind me that I was attracted to him. A knees tumbling together, palms sweaty kind of attraction, and there were a few moments here and there when I actually liked him.
But it was all rather inconvenient because we couldn’t explore any of those feelings, not with our current arrangement, not even outside of it. There was just too much at stake, and I wasn’t sure if I could trust him.
Granted, I didn’t think he had any other hidden agendas, but it still didn’t make it right. We needed this farce to be believable, and introducing sex into the mix would just screw everything up and mess with our minds.
As if he sensed my train of thought, Nick slowed down till we stood in front of the main house, a blanket of stars spread out above us. Aside from the animals tucked away in their stables, it seemed as if we were the only two in the world.
“Do you think he bought it?” Nick mused.
I clutched the jacket tighter, resisting the urge to sniff it. “I hope so.”
“I really did have fun tonight, Gwen,” Nick said, offering me a small smile. “All pretending aside.”
“All pretending aside, I had fun, too,” I admitted.
His eyes slid down my face and stopped at my lips, darkening slightly before he hastily glanced back up and took a step back. “I’m going to go before I do something we’ll both regret. I did say I wouldn’t touch you unless
you wanted me to.”
“Right,” I agreed, unconvincingly.
Nick chuckled. “Don’t sound so disappointed.”
I growled. “I’m not.”
“Gwen?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m going to kiss you, okay? If you don’t want me to, just say it, and I won’t,” he warned, taking a step forward and bridging the gap between us, only the clothes on our backs separated us.
I sucked in a harsh breath and tilted my head back, my eyes fluttering closed. “Just kiss me.”
He made a low noise in the back of his throat before his lips descended on mine, warm and persuasive, his tongue pushing his way in. The jacket fell off my shoulders and landed in a heap on the ground as I stepped over it, my fingers going around his neck.
Every touch was electric, and I could hardly get enough, a slow whimper caught in my mouth. A voice screamed at me in the back of my mind, waving its arms as it tried to get my attention, but I ignored it, stomach dipping as Nick’s hands went from my waist to my hips, cupping lightly.
He wrenched his lips away and stared at me, looking for something before he took my hand in his and led me up the stairs, pausing every so often to push me up against the wall and kiss me, knocking the breath right out of my lungs.
Not a moment too soon, we stepped into his room, and I kicked the door with the back of my legs, giggling as it clicked shut. Nick wasted no time in slipping the dress over my body, leaving me in nothing but my plain black underwear and matching bra.
His eyes roamed over my body, leaving a trail of heat in their wake as I squirmed, reaching for him. I fumbled as I tried to get his belt undone, huffing in irritation as I pushed it down to his ankles.
Wordlessly, he stepped out of his jeans and pulled the shirt over his head, tossing it into a heap on the floor. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, allowing my eyes to drink him in, every inch of tan skin and taut muscle. Lightly, I ran my fingers over him, delighted at the grunts he was making, signaling his approval.
Before long, he captured my hand with his and walked us backward, his lips reclaiming mine as I fell onto the mattress, feeling it dip as Nick joined me, body covering mine.
He kissed every inch of available skin, moving his mouth down between my breasts to my navel and pausing at the inside of my thigh. His hands went up around my breasts and unhooked my bra, tongue darting out to lick a sensitive nipple.
My back arched as I cried out, grabbing a fistful of his hair. The other hand moved down between us, tugging on the waistband of his boxers. He smiled and helped me slide them off, so there was nothing but my soaking wet panties left.
He rubbed his nose against my skin, trailing down to the lines of my underwear as he tugged, managing to slid them all the way down before I kicked them off. Nick stopped, looking down at me and holding his body completely still, an indecipherable look on his face.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, voice rich with desire.
I nodded. “Yes.”
His eyes slid back to my lips, and he lowered himself back onto me, kicking my legs apart, so he was poised at my entrance. I tensed, not knowing what to expect. With one quick thrust, he was deep inside of me, adjusting himself.
I moaned as he began to move, my nails digging into his back, raking, leaving a pattern only he could follow. His head fell to the crook of my neck, grunting as he circled his hips, eased out, and then slammed back in.
We moved with the ease of two people who knew each other, our bodies intertwined until the later hours of the night.
Chapter 9
GWEN.
I hummed under my breath, running the scrub over the mare’s hair, pausing every so often to give her a kiss. At first, her tail flicked back and forth, happy with the unexpected attention, but now she was back to ignoring me, not that I could blame her.
Even I could admit that I was a little over the top this morning with my mouth spread into a grin and unable to stop singing or humming underneath my breath. It felt like I was stuck in one of those cheesy rom coms, and I couldn’t get out.
Disgustingly cute was the term for it.
Yet, it was just how I felt, giddy like I was floating on clouds with Nick by my side. The voice of reason in the back of my head was sitting in the corner sulking, having long since given up on trying to talk some sense into me.
Honestly, I knew the risk and all the reasons why we shouldn’t, but I was too focused on the one reason why we could. Simply put, Nick and I were good together – and not just in bed.
Yes, he annoyed the shit out of me half the time, and there were times when I looked at him and wondered how the hell someone like that managed to get under my skin, but he did.
Because there were those moments – unexpected little bubbles in time – when he was real, a man with hopes and dreams, who was sweet and funny... And during those moments, it was like I could hardly breathe because my heart swelled to twice its size.
I was a complete sucker when it came to Nick Parker, but I wasn’t about to admit it to anyone, least of all of him. Besides, I thought, what good would it do when I didn’t even know where we stood?
The arrangement was still in place, and the executor seemed more willing to listen, eyeing us intently when he didn’t think we were looking, but beyond that, we hadn’t really talked about what happened.
What happened several more times, in fact.
Every time I’d buck up the courage to say something, I’d find myself getting lost in those beautiful chocolate irises, and the next thing I know, we’d be all over each other, giggling and grinning like love-struck teenagers.
A part of me thought Nick felt the same. He had to because he couldn’t just fake something like this. There was a big difference between putting on a show in front of everyone, and what happened behind closed doors.
I was almost positive there was something brewing there, but I was terrified to ask, hung up on the fact that if I let it out in the open and it turned out I was reading too much into it, everything would be ruined.
Tainted.
No, it was better not to say anything and just let the chips fall where they may.
The barn door slammed open, and the mare gave a little snort of disapproval before she relaxed, spotting Mr. Owens hurrying towards me.
“Are you alright?” I asked, slipping off the brush and meeting him halfway.
“It’s Mr. Parker. He’s been in some kind of accident with the horse,” Mr. Owens explained, in between puffs of air. My eyes widened, and my heart dropped to my feet as I hurried after him, terror winding its way through my heart.
“THE DOCTOR SAID IT wasn’t that serious,” I informed him, propping up his leg on a set of pillows. “You did sprain your leg, though, so you need to take it easy.”
“I don’t need to be off my feet,” Nick grumbled darkly. “And, I don’t need you fussing over me, either.”
I bit back the retort on the tip of my tongue. After all, Nick was just lashing out because he was in deep pain, not out of some latent desire to hurt me. And, I had no intention of letting him hurt himself again.
Being out of practice had put his life in jeopardy, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why he take such a big risk to begin with, leaping over the block with the horse when it had been years since he last tried.
Nick folded his arms across his chest and pouted. “It was an honest mistake.”
“You mean a rookie mistake,” I corrected, chuckling when dark clouds settled over his expression, and he shot me a dirty look. “It won’t be that long till you’re back on your feet, a few weeks maybe.”
“A few weeks, my ass,” he muttered, twisting to reach for his phone. I reached forward to help him, but he pinned me with a look.
“Stop being such a baby,” I snapped. “Let me help you.”
His expression softened. “Fine.”
Honestly, I could hardly believe that I had feelings for the jerk, but they were there nonetheles
s, persistent and growing in spite of my best attempts at ignoring them, hoping they would wither and die.
Unfortunately, no such luck.
It defied logic, and looking at him now, I was hard pressed to admit exactly why I did have feelings for him. But heaven help me, I did. I could no longer pretend otherwise.
First things first, though. I needed to help him get better, even if he gave me a hard time while taking care of him. The rest would fall into place after. I ran my hands over my overalls and hooked my thumbs through the suspenders.
“I’ll make you some tea,” I announced.
“With a splash of something strong,” Nick called out after me, hope lacing his tone. I rolled my eyes at him before I stepped into the kitchen, muttering about rich city kids.
A few minutes later, I stepped outside, the words dying on my lips as I noticed who was sitting with Nick, chatting like they were old friends.
Sam Wheeler.
My ex.
“Howdy, Gwen.”
Chapter 10
NICK.
Sam had seemed like a nice enough guy, stopping by to visit an old friend, at least until Gwen walked in, and I saw the look on her face. Instantly, her face paled, and she looked like she’d seen a ghost walking amongst the living once more.
She swallowed heavily and set the tray down, keeping her eyes carefully trained on anywhere but Sam, who didn’t look perturbed by her reaction. In fact, he seemed to expect it because he stood up, took off his cowboy hat, and set it aside.
“Well, aren’t ya gonna say hi, darlin’?” he asked, spreading his arms open.
I stared between the two of them, trying to put the pieces together when it suddenly hit me, the reason Gwen was acting skittish. Sam wasn’t just someone she used to know.
No, if her reaction was anything to go by, he was an old boyfriend, and she didn’t look too thrilled with his return. If anything, the fact that she stayed rooted to the spot told me everything I needed to know about their break up.
Not amicable. Not even close.
Secret Series: A Stealthy Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 6