Counterfeit Kisses

by Cora York

  Maybe if I contacted Violet, I could explain. Say it was all a misunderstanding. No, that wouldn’t work. Despite all the rubbish written online about my business, Violet was in love with my love story. If the superstar discovered it was all make-believe, I would be out of the wedding world forever.

  “You’re so damn self-righteous and so caught up in calling me a liar,” I said, crossing my arms, “but maybe you should look in the mirror. By pretending to be my fiancé, you’re a liar, too. What will Barb say if she finds out?”

  “She’d say she was grateful to have a professional here to clean up the disaster you’re going to make.”

  “Why don’t you tell her now? Go on—” I shooed him with my hands, “—get it over with.”

  He didn’t move. “And take away my fun? You need to understand you can’t lie and cheat your way through life to get what you want.”

  “Who are you to question my integrity? I’ve busted my ass to get where I am, and I won’t let you ruin that.”

  My adrenaline rush slowed, and drunken disorientation swamped me. How could I have been so smug, so stupid? Lying wasn’t the answer, but I’d been desperate. Everything I’d spent the past six years building was about to cave in. All thanks to one white lie and a devil with blue eyes.

  “I’ve had enough of this.” A sob clawed its way up my throat, but I covered my mouth and turned it into a spluttering cough.

  I teetered from the office on shaky legs, followed by Keegan. He grabbed my hand and curled his fingers around mine. A stream of unwelcome shivers charged up my arm and trickled down my spine before pooling at the base of my back.

  My jumbled emotions conspired with my nervous system to take me down. Lust and anger drew a line in the snow and declared war in my body.

  I turned to face him, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. “Don’t do this. Please.”

  “Too late.” He loosened his tie, and an emotion I couldn’t quite place flickered through his eyes. “If I leave now, how will you explain my disappearance?”

  “I’ll say you had urgent business.” My words rushed out. I was hopeful he was beginning to see sense. “You wanted to stay but couldn’t.”

  “Covering lies with lies? Classy.”

  A snow-damp curl fell onto his forehead, and he released my hand to shove it away. “For the next week, you have yourself a fiancé, sweetheart.” He stepped forward until we stood toe to toe. “Congratulations.”

  I looked up, straight into his uncaring eyes. No matter how much he tried, he wouldn’t intimidate me.

  “Don’t try to bully or scare me. I’ve dealt with worse than you and won.” I stepped backward. “And as for being my fiancé, I don’t think so.”

  “Oh, I think so. Look at this place. You actually believe two superstars want to hold their wedding in this hovel? The place is a shit hole. It’ll be a catastrophe.”

  “What if it isn’t a disaster? What if we work together? Make it perfect?” Newfound optimism swelled my heart. If I could get him on my side, promise him some credit for the job, he might soften. “If we form a temporary partnership, will you still tell Barb?”

  He glowered. “Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t.”

  Chapter Four

  Keegan

  Everything Shane had said checked out—the lies, the missing money—but something about Tessa tugged at me. She was either genuinely desperate or someone who could give Jennifer Lawrence a run for her next Oscar. There was a lot more to her story, and I wanted to find out what that was.

  When I had a few minutes, I’d call my cousin Niall. Last month, he’d accepted a detective’s position, and if there was any dirt on Tessa, Niall would find it and fast. A background check was something I should’ve had carried out before booking my flight. Usually, I was obsessively methodical, never impulsive, and always listened to the facts. But when Shane told me about Tessa, logic flew out the window, and until I knew something different, I’d treat everything she said as a lie. She wouldn’t make a fool out of me. Not like Grace had.

  The optimism on her face dug its fingernails into my heart and squeezed, but I wouldn’t weaken. I couldn’t. I had to remember she was a con artist, and the doe-eyed despair was a persona she probably practiced every day. No way was I going to fall for a pretty face and a quivering lip, not again. Never again.

  If I had the sense I was born with, I’d forget about it and head to my parents’ house, but I knew if I tried to walk out the door, my feet wouldn’t move. I’d been in Tessa Maken’s bizarro world for all of ten minutes, and I wasn’t ready to leave.

  “It’s time we got to work, darling,” I said, forcing myself to smile. “Like you said, there’s a wedding to plan.”

  Her nostrils flared, and her clenched fists were all set to pummel me. The way she stood up to me. Stood up for what she believed was right was as sexy as hell. And the fact I found her attractive pissed me off no end.

  “You’re a nasty piece of work,” she spat.

  “I’m sorry you think that. My friends and family would say I’m a pretty decent fella.”

  “I doubt it.”

  The sharp sting in her words annoyed me more than it should have. I shouldn’t care what she thought about me. Shouldn’t care if she despised me or that she’d gladly run me over ten times before setting me on fire, but I did.

  “It must be honeysuckle pink, Mr. McCabe. You’ll find the exact Pantone reference online.” From the staircase, Barb’s scathing voice sped toward us. Brendan trailed behind her, looking like a naughty child. The browbeaten mountain of a man glanced in Tessa’s direction, his eyes sending out distress signals.

  “Brendan will do what he can, Barb.” With liquefied elegance, Tessa straightened her spine, and a cool, professional expression replaced her vulnerability, but she couldn’t hide the slight shake in her hand when she smoothed her hair. “Brendan, if you don’t mind, I’ve emailed you some contracts that I need signed, and Barb, we should FaceTime with Violet to finalize some details. Let’s use Brendan’s office. The wi-fi’s strongest there. You—” she threw me a patronizing glance, “—wait in the kitchen.”

  Oh, she was good, I’d give her credit for that. Unable to resist touching her, I reached out and wrapped an arm around the gentle curve of her waist. “But honey, I should be by your side to help make sure everything runs to plan.”

  She stepped away and batted her sooty eyelashes at me. “That’s not necessary, honey. There are details I want to handle on my own.”

  The corners of my lips lifted into a wide smile. “I disagree. You know how you are when it comes to wasting money. I can help you stay on budget.”

  She stood on her tiptoes, and when her lips grazed my ear, my crotch throbbed.

  “Don’t even go there,” she whispered.

  I dipped my head, the scent of vanilla drifting from her neck filled my senses, and I couldn’t resist nipping her earlobe. The taste of her skin caught me off guard, and the need to taste more almost overwhelmed me.

  Tessa sucked in a sharp, shaky breath. It seemed my touch affected Ms. Maken more than she would’ve liked.

  “Your designer shoes and purse tell me that’s exactly where I want to go.”

  “They’re fake.”

  “Just like you.” I stood back and watched as her shoulders slumped, and her eyes fell in surrender. Victory was mine, but it was a hollow win. Christ, why was I acting like such a cruel bastard? If my mother ever discovered my dickish behavior, she’d clip me around the ear, but something about Tessa pushed every one of my buttons and getting a reaction from her—any reaction—mattered more than everything else.

  “Fine,” she said. “You can sit in on every meeting if you want. I’m sure your input will be valuable.”

  “I guarantee it will be.”

  Barb gave a forceful sigh and a tired eye roll. “If you two are done bickering, I’d like to get started.” She fished inside the black pocketbook hanging over her shoulder and pulled out a vape pen. “I knew the wh
ole fated true love thing you sold Violet was a crock. But she wants a storybook wedding complete with an indoor forest of twinkling trees and fake snow, and I’m going to make sure she gets it. Youse lovebirds better make sure she gets it, too.”

  Tessa’s calcified body pressed against my side. If I shifted my weight, I could break all contact with her, but I didn’t want to. The heat of her body seeped through my many layers of clothes to my skin, causing my chest to constrict. My fingers curled around her waist as if they belonged there. As if the soft curve of her body was designed for my hand alone. Being this attracted to her verged on insanity. She was my nemesis, a fraud, a fake, but instead of removing my hand, I pulled her closer.

  Barb took a hit from her vape pen, the nicotine fix seeming to do little or nothing to soothe the edges of her agitation. “Lemme tell you, if it wasn’t too late to find another wedding organizer, your cute ass would be out the door so fast, you’d leave your skin behind. Violet should have listened to everything I uncovered about you. But would she listen? Would she? No. Said she trusted her gut about you. Had a good feeling.” She folded her arms and continued her tirade toward Tessa. “She also had a feeling about her last goddamn husband. And look what that got her. A twenty-million-dollar sized hole in her bank account.”

  I didn’t want to sabotage Tessa’s efforts—not yet. For now, I’d hold all my cards close to my chest, but when the time was right, I’d expose her for what she truly was. Guilt played on the edges of my conscience. On every level, my plan was wrong, deceitful, but the devil on my shoulder goaded me to stand my ground. That trusting her protestations of innocence the way I’d trusted Grace’s was a mistake.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, addressing Barb. “Tessa’s worked every hour God gave her for the past week to make this wedding the fairytale Violet and Archer want. She’s running on fumes.” A tremble ran through Tessa, and I didn’t know if it was from fear of being exposed as a liar or because of our proximity to each other. “But,” I continued,” I’m here to take some of the pressure off, aren’t I, love bug?”

  Tessa swallowed hard, the color draining from her face. “Yeah,” she murmured. “I guess you are.”

  Barb raised the vape pen to her lips and puffed furiously. “Save the lovey-dovey stuff for another time. Come this weekend you and your work will be on the world stage—” she punctuated each syllable with a jab of her finger and walked toward the office followed closely by Brendan “—and that includes anything that goes wrong.”

  Tessa untangled herself from my arms and followed Barb into the office. The heat of her body lingered on my palm, and I ached to curl my arm around her again.

  “I want an update and an agenda ahh-sap,” Barb said in between puffs. “And I need wine. Red. Pinot Noir. Think you can arrange that, Mr. McCabe, or is this place too backward? Why Violet wants to get married here is beyond me.”

  “I’ll arrange it for you right now.” A smile stretched Brendan’s lips. “If you fancy it, I’ll give you a tour of the wine cellar. It’s well-stocked.”

  “No, I don’t ‘fancy’ it. If I wanted a tour of the wine cellar, I would’ve asked.”

  When Barb turned toward the snow-speckled window, Brendan gave her a one-fingered salute.

  “I can see your reflection, idiot,” Barb snapped, but I didn’t miss the soft chuckle in her words.

  Brendan flinched and rushed out of the room. Why had he agreed to hold the wedding here? Tessa had probably promised him a pot of gold, or maybe he was in on the extortion plan too? I hoped not. Brendan seemed like the salt-of-the-earth kind who wanted nothing more than for everyone to be happy. Plus, he’d been genuinely pleased to meet me when I’d introduced myself.

  I shrugged off my overcoat and slung it over the back of a threadbare chair, which at one time might have been green, possibly blue.

  The scent of Tessa’s perfume floated upward from where it clung to the fibers of my coat, and the throb in my crotch threatened to overtake my brain. I needed to get away from her to clear the fog rolling through my head. The effect she had on me wasn’t a welcome one.

  “Actually,” I said, moving toward the door. “I’ll go talk with the contractors while you two ladies chat about dresses and cakes.”

  “Condescend much?” Tessa raised an eyebrow.

  “Have I ever told you how much I love your fiery temper?” I moved forward, lowered my lips, and skimmed a kiss over her forehead. “Don’t miss me too much.”

  “It’s safe to say I won’t. And be careful. I wouldn’t want you to do something stupid like touch a live wire or fall off a ladder.” She ironed her hands over my shoulders, and I imagined her clawing her nails into my skin while my head was buried between her shapely legs.

  “Ay yai yai.” Barb drummed her red-taloned fingers over the screen of her phone. “If I have to spend the rest of the week with Romeo and Juliet, I’ll stab myself with a blunt butter knife. You, Romeo, go talk to the contractors. Don’t forget to tell them honeysuckle pink paint. You, Juliet, get me the chef. Violet’s extremely particular about what she puts in her body.”

  “As I stated in my email last week,” Tessa said, turning to face Barb, “I’ve secured Tyrone White, a Michelin-starred chef, who’s sourced the best organic food Ireland has to offer. We’ve a tasting scheduled for one this afternoon at his restaurant. We should probably leave within the next thirty minutes if we want to make it on time.”

  At the mention of food, my stomach grumbled. I’d eaten nothing since the congealed Aer Lingus chicken and rice dish over ten hours ago. “How could I forget about the tasting? I’ll meet you outside.”

  Tessa pivoted on her heels and glowered. “But, darling, aren’t you going to talk to the contractors to make sure they do everything as discussed? The correct shade of pink is vital. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “But, darling, since it’s the same chef who’s catering our wedding, don’t you think we should taste the food together?”

  “We’ve planned a different menu.”

  “For Pete’s sake,” Barb bit out. “You’re making me want to hurl. It’s snowing. I’m freezing, and I’m not going anywhere. Bring the chef to me.”

  “But it’s already been arranged,” Tessa protested. “He’s expecting us.”

  “Then he can unexpect us when you unarrange it. I want him here. Got it?”

  “Yes. Sure. No problem.” The corners of Tessa’s lips lifted up with a forced smile.

  She was a regular little miss people pleaser, wasn’t she? Doing and saying anything to keep the peace. I could learn a few things from watching a professional swindler like her in action.

  “And for the remainder of the week,” Barb said, the vape pen bobbing between her lips. “You’re both staying at the castle. I want you close by in case anything goes wrong.”

  “I can’t stay here.” A deep groove creviced the area between Tessa’s eyes, and underlying panic laced her voice. “I don’t have anything with me. Clothes. Toothbrush.”

  Staying at the castle wasn’t something I’d planned, either. I’d planned on surprising my mother by showing up unannounced, but since I hadn’t told my parents I was home yet, there was no reason for me not to stay at the castle for a few nights.

  “Did you say something?” Barb removed the vape pen from between her lips and cupped a hand around her ear. “Because I hope I didn’t hear ‘I can’t.’ If ‘I can’t’ is what I heard, then I can’t transfer money into your account, and I can’t recommend you to anyone else.”

  “I can stay.” A saccharine sweet smile lifted Tessa’s lips. “It’s not a problem.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  “Before the snowstorm hits,” Tessa said. “I’ll have to stop by my apartment. Pick up a few things.”

  “Then let’s go, honey bunny.” I draped an arm over her shoulders. “Maybe we can… catch up on lost time.” A few hours alone with Tessa might help me understand where she was coming from. Might help me understand her despera
tion and might help me understand what Shane’s part in this mess was. But that didn’t mean I was going soft, or that I still didn’t trust her. I wanted the contract and would do what had to be done to get it, even if that meant pretending I was on her side. Shame prodded my gut, but I ignored it.

  “Enough already,” Barb said, sounding more exasperated than ever. “Don’t take too long.” She waved her hand as if dismissing everyone then left the office.

  “Looks as if we’re going to have the opportunity to get to know each other very well.” I couldn’t help but grin.

  “I didn’t think it was possible to hate someone as much as I hate you.”

  She strode toward the door, and I couldn’t help but admire the enticing swing of her hips. Maybe this week wouldn’t be so bad after all. A few years had passed since I’d had a decent sparring partner, and Tessa seemed like she’d be the perfect opponent.

  Chapter Five

  Tessa

  Bloated snowflakes looped and swirled down in a rush to turn everything white. Puffs of my chilled breath misted the air as I wobbled down the icy stone steps at the castle’s entrance, clutching the frosty wrought-iron railings to stop myself going ass over boobs.

  Chaotic thoughts about Keegan tumbled over one another like a group of sugar-high three-year-old toddlers jostling for their mom’s attention. He had to get the fuck out of my life. How had he found out about my pitch, and how had he found out about my not so little white lie? None of that mattered right now, though, because thanks to however he’d found out, I now had to hop aboard his crazy-train to crazy-town and pretend he was my fiancé.

  If my life hadn’t crumbled to crap, and if he wasn’t such a bastard, falling into bed with someone as hot as him would be a no-brainer.

  Nope.

  Not going there.

  I gave my cheek a mental slap. I wouldn’t imagine what he looked like naked. Wouldn’t imagine what kissing those full lips of his felt like, and I most definitely wouldn’t imagine his strong hands moving all over my body.