Dream Lover (Propositions and Proposals #1): A Fake Boyfriend Romance

by Ryan Michele

  The pair of us strolled to the elevator. The door closed with only the two of us on board, and I couldn’t help but think of the scene in Fifty Shades of Grey when Christian slams Ana against the wall and makes love to her mouth. I felt my pulse pick up. That kiss was something to write home about. Hell, to plaster on billboards. That was a kiss of all kisses.

  Conner smirked at me as though he knew exactly what I was thinking about. I looked away, a blush staining my cheeks. I wished I knew what was going through that handsome head of his. One thing I never learned was mind reading.

  The elevator stopped, the doors slid open, and he trailed behind me with our bags. I swore I could feel the heat of his eyes on my ass but blew it off. There was no way in hell he’d be doing that. This was Conner, and well, I was me.

  We walked down the hall, and I turned right.

  Conner coughed. “Your other right.”

  Looking back at the sign, he was right. I was going the wrong damn way. Turning, we found room seven-seventy-seven. After opening the door, my jaw hit the floor and my heart squeezed.

  A single king-sized bed sat in the center of the room. Yes, single.

  Heat crept up my spine and spread up my neck. How was I going to share a room, let alone a bed, with the man I had crushed on for years? Conner shuffled past me, putting our bags by the foot of the bed as I surveyed the room.

  No couch, just two large chairs with a small table in the center. To the right was an armoire. The television was next to it mounted to the wall.

  Under the television was a small fridge and when I opened it, I stopped dead. It was filled to the brim with drinks and snacks. On top of the fridge was the same.

  “Wouldn’t touch that unless you want to pay ten bucks for a bottle of water.” I pulled my hand back instinctively.

  “Ten bucks?”

  He nodded and moved to the large window, opening the curtain to allow the sun to enter the space. “Yep. Snacks are harsh too.”

  Damn.

  My gaze drifted back to the one bed covered in a red and gold comforter. It was large enough for the two of us, but still… It was awkward. Rebecca did reserve the rooms, Quinn.

  His gaze came to me, and his jaw ticked. “What? Is something wrong?”

  Wrong? Well… “Not exactly… It’s just there’s one bed and no couch.” Not that I needed to point that information out. He could see clearly for himself.

  “And?”

  “Well… I … um… You see…” I struggled for words.

  Chuckling lightly, he found my uneasiness amusing. Tongue darting out to wet his lips, the man had no idea the things that image did to me. Improper thoughts of all the things he could do with said tongue raced through my mind.

  Conner shrugged, completely unbothered by the situation we were presented with. “Don’t sweat it. We slept together in tents growing up. Won’t be any different than back then. Be like old times.”

  Yeah, like old times, except we were both adults now, and it was only the two of us. Carrie and Drew wouldn’t be sharing our room or sleeping in the bed next to us. This was nowhere near the same as when we camped in our backyards as kids.

  For one—neither of us smelled like bug spray. Two—he looked nothing like he did at say, twelve. Three—we were going to be sleeping in the same bed for the next week. Four—I didn’t know what my four was because I was suddenly distracted by him lifting his shirt over his head. Lord help me.

  “Why don’t you order us a pizza or something. I’m going to grab a quick shower if you don’t mind.”

  Oh hell, he was shirtless and in impeccable shape. The six-pack abs and the V that dipped down to his happy trail was making me all warm and fuzzy in places I didn’t need to be tingling at the moment. And boy was I ever tingling in all the right places but at the wrong time. All I could manage to do was nod. I was afraid if I opened my mouth, drool was going to drip down my flipping chin. I blinked and pulled myself together. I could handle this, couldn’t I? “What do you want on the pizza?”

  “I’m not picky. Get whatever you like.” He disappeared into the bathroom, and I collapsed on the bed and sighed, hearing the water go on and thinking about him naked and wet inside the shower. A groan escaped me as I rolled over.

  Reaching into the drawer of the nightstand, I pulled out some takeout menus. I wasn’t going to order from room service, at least not for pizza. Flipping through the stack, one caught my eye, and I pulled it out. Conner said to order what I wanted, so I went with my favorite on half, sausage and black olives and, if I recalled correctly, he was picky when we were kids and only liked pepperoni and banana peppers.

  I called and placed the order just as my stomach growled. I threw in a couple of waters considering they were only three bucks at the pizza place as opposed to this damn room.

  Rolling on my back, I stared at the popcorn ceiling thinking about what this week would bring. What kind of challenges could Rebecca come up with? That part made me a bit nervous. There was no telling what she’d do. Knowing her she crafted each one with torturing me in mind.

  Minutes later the bathroom door opened, and Conner stepped out holding the corners of a towel at his hip, dangerously close to flashing me his package.

  The man was trying to kill me. First there was him taking his shirt off, and now he was standing in front of me basically naked as the day he was born, looking too damn tempting. I guessed in his defense he thought nothing of it. Me, on the other hand, I was thinking all too much about it. I averted my eyes as he shifted, bending down to unzip his luggage and grab some clothes. I noted he wore boxer briefs. While this information wasn’t special, it was something new I learned about him.

  “Food should be here in about fifteen minutes,” I told him, attempting to deter my dirty thoughts of ripping that damn towel from his grasp and licking the droplets of water from his chest as they rolled down his skin.

  “Cool.” I watched him retreat to the bathroom and flipped the TV on, pressing the up button to find something to watch.

  He returned wearing these gray sweatpants that dear God in Heaven showed the outline of his cock. Him in those sweats should have been illegal. Surely if he posted that picture on Facebook, they’d ban him because Conner was seriously packing. And I knew for a fact he was not that big when we were growing up. I’d seen him in the bathroom once, surprising the hell out of him, but all he did was smile. My loving brother decided to blab to my mother, and I got in trouble for it, but it was totally worth it.

  The bed dipped under his weight, and I prayed he hadn’t noticed me staring at his package. Arms crossed behind his head, he stretched out and crossed his ankles, looking comfortable as hell. “What are we watching?”

  “You pick. I can’t find anything.”

  “You’re not supposed to. It’s Vegas. They want you out on the town and in the casinos. Not sitting up in the room watching movies,” he said as I handed him the remote control. His thick fingers slid over my palm, and sparks flew across my skin. Face flushed and not wanting him to see, I scooted closer to the edge of the bed.

  “I don’t bite, Q.”

  “You sure about that? I remember you being a biter when you and Drew would wrestle, pretending to be on Monday Night Raw. You’d always bite him to win if I recall.”

  “You didn’t let me finish.” He flicked through the channels, appearing to have as much luck as me. “I was saying, I don’t bite hard unless you ask me too.” My belly fluttered just as a knock sounded at our door.

  I was saved by the pizza delivery man from having to respond to his remark. Was Conner flirting with me? Surely, I was reading more into this than what there was. He was just being Conner, and I’d always liked him.

  I popped up to get the door, but he beat me to it. He was like a black panther full of grace and power as he moved. It almost detoured me from our current scenario.

  “I’m paying, Conner!” I called out as he walked down the narrow hall.

  “No,” was his response as
I scurried from the bed and grabbed my wallet.

  “Conner,” I argued as he opened the door, handed the man some bills, then shut the door. “I can’t believe you just did that.”

  “Believe it,” he muttered, walking past me and into the room.

  “You could’ve at least let me pay for the tip.”

  “Yeah. No to that too. A man pays; end of story.”

  My stomach growled, needing food. “Whatever,” I grumbled. I sat cross legged on the bed and reached for the pizza box, grabbing a slice with a ton of black olives.

  Some action movie played on the flat screen television, supplying background noise of explosions and gunfire.

  “You remembered.” Conner motioned to the pizza, his eyes glued to me. A rush of the past swept through me. The times in his parents’ basement playing video games and being stupid, Conner, Drew, Carrie and me. All the while our parents were upstairs doing whatever they did. We didn’t pay much attention to them.

  The laughter and teasing lasted through the night, even when we got into our sleeping bags for bed. We stayed up all hours no matter how many times our parents yelled at us to go to bed.

  “Well, we’ve had pizza together so many times, it’s kind of one of those things that just sticks with you, ya know?”

  “Yeah, I know.” He paused and grabbed a slice and took a bite, then replied, “So Drew’s really going through with this whole wedding thing?”

  I shrugged. “You’re his best friend. You’d know better than I would.”

  “Rebecca has done her best to keep me out of the loop. If you didn’t notice, my invitation to this shindig must’ve gotten lost.” There was a bit of disdain in his voice. Rebecca obviously didn’t have his stamp of approval. But, then again, neither did I.

  “I can’t believe that bitch cut you out of the wedding, Conner. It’s not right. Drew should grow some damn balls and say something. If she’s like this now, just imagine how it will be if they have kids.”

  He smirked. “You’re not a fan either then?”

  My head shook as did my pizza, and my stomach growled once again. “I don’t know what he sees in her.”

  “Love will make you do crazy things.”

  “I guess so.” A moan escaped my lips as I bit into my slice of pizza. Holy hell, it was so damn good.

  Conner’s brows shot up as his eyes penetrated me. “Orgasmic, huh?”

  My face grew hot as I swallowed. “You could say that.” What he didn’t know was watching him eat his pizza shirtless was orgasmic to me. Almost better than sex, at least what I could remember of it. It had been over two years since this body had seen any action. I had dated off and on casually, but never anything overly serious that got anywhere.

  “What about you? You settling down anytime soon? Any special woman in your life?” Quinn, you’re a moron. Why the hell did you ask that?

  “Not yet, but I’m hoping the right woman will come along and change my ways.” Carrie told me over the years what his ‘ways’ were. He’d had more than enough women warming his bed, but he was smart and attractive. What woman wouldn’t fall head over heels just from his smile?

  “Whoever she is, she’ll be lucky to have you.” And I’ll hate her. Not to be a jealous bitch or anything, but I knew whoever he ended up with wouldn’t deserve him. The thought of him settling for someone like Rebecca sent my teeth on edge.

  “I’m surprised you’re still single. A catch like you.” He let out an exaggerated whistle, making me laugh. He was so far from the truth.

  “I’ve dated, but none of those dates went anywhere. So I decided to hold out for Mr. Right. Unfortunately, I’m not sure he exists.” What I left out was my Mr. Right has never seen me as anything more than his little sister’s best friend. No matter the time apart, he’d always been my one. It was just some stupid silly childhood dream. We were grown now, and I really needed to move on.

  “He’s out there, Quinn. Have a little faith.” He used Carrie’s words on me, making my lip tip.

  “Maybe.” We finished up eating, and I sat the pizza box on the dresser. “Do you need in the bathroom before I get ready for bed? We’re supposed to meet early for breakfast.”

  I was sure going to bed this early in Vegas was a sin—it was Sin City—but I loved my sleep. I was worn down from my day of travel.

  “Go wild. I’m all set.” He kicked back with the remote, and I gathered my toiletries and pajamas, thanking God I picked the cami and short shorts. No way was I going to parade in front of him in a skimpy towel. Though, to be honest, I was tempted to see what type of reaction I could yield from him. My body wasn’t rail thin. There were curves that I loved, and I wondered what Conner thought of them.

  The shower was half the size of the luxurious bathroom. They may not want you to stay in your room in Vegas, but they went all out for showers. It had three different showerheads. Turning it up full blast and stepping in, the warm spray glided over my skin. Head down, my hair fell all around me from the water. On my back side another spray was positioned perfectly.

  Minutes. Hours. Days. Who knew how long I spent under the never-ending hot water spray. What I did know was when I stepped out, my body felt relaxed.

  After drying my hair, moisturizing my face, and brushing my teeth, the exhaustion of the day had set into my bones.

  Conner laid on the bed under the covers, the television going with Matt Damon in Borne Identity. I loved that movie.

  I climbed into bed, resting my head on the pillow next to Conner.

  “You smell so much better,” Conner teased and, without a thought, I lifted my hand and smacked him playfully on his.

  “Shut it.”

  Conner started laughing. It was deeper than I remembered. “Some things never change.”

  He was right. Some things didn’t change, and for that I was grateful. Him being here felt good. Conner always made me feel safe. I always chocked that up to him being an older brother, but I was starting to wonder if that was simply a Conner thing.

  Laying on my back, I stared at the television for a long while, my eyes starting to droop as the thoughts of earlier drifted through my head. The old lady stuck out like a sore thumb. Guilt churned through my insides.

  “Earlier I took a muffin from an old lady.”

  I could feel Conner’s eyes on me, but I didn’t open mine as the fatigue started to claim me. “Yeah. I did. I woke up late because I didn’t charge my phone. Then I was a bitch to this little old lady who hit me several times with her cane, but I deserved every thwack. It was selfish and stupid. If I knew who the old lady was, I’d buy her a basket of muffins from the baker down the road from me and send them to her. They would be much better than the cardboard one I ate. But that’s what happens when you’re an ass—you get paid back tenfold.”

  How my mouth kept rambling I didn’t know, but I was so tired it wouldn’t stop. “I’m not making excuses for myself. This wedding has set me on edge. It’s so close, and I thought Drew would pull his head out of his ass by now, but no. He still wants to go through with this. He’s going to be miserable with Becky. She’s going to dictate his life every step of the way. He’ll probably be forbidden to even talk to my parents or myself. And if they have kids, I doubt very highly their Aunty Quinn will be allowed anywhere near them except for maybe the shower when Becky would get a gift.”

  I felt the bed shift but didn’t move.

  “Everything is so jacked up. Becky won’t let my parents sit at the head table, but hers are. Then with the pictures, did you know she has three ushers. Two to seat guests and one to walk me up the aisle because I’m the only one in the wedding party who isn’t coupled up with a groomsman. How shitty is that?”

  A yawn escaped. “And for the pictures this usher is to be by my side, so they don’t look wrong or awkward. Then at the head of the table the usher is by me as well, so the table doesn’t look uneven. I mean, why even take the time to have me in them if I’m such a burden? Why not just save all of us the he
adache of including me?”

  A warm hand came to my arm, rubbing up and down. Slowly I felt myself fade into sleep, but not before I felt a strong leg brushing against mine.

  Conner

  A GOOD MOOD IS LIKE A BALLOON, ONE PRICK IS ALL IT TAKES TO RUIN IT

  Immediately upon waking, a smile curved across my face then quickly faded. My hands moved over my crotch where I was sporting a massive erection like I was fifteen again.

  To my left, Quinn was stretched out like a purring kitty cat, sleeping so peacefully I almost hated to wake her.

  Every bone in my body ached to reach out and touch her. Caress each inch of her exposed flesh.

  Quinn was a natural beauty, never needing a drop of makeup. She’d always been that way; the full package, and she never saw it.

  Not only were her features striking with full kissable lips shaped in a perfect cupid’s bow, with the bottom lip being plump and tempting. Her nose tipped just a bit at the end giving her a button nose effect. Adorable.

  It was her eyes, though, that had always struck me. Even closed, I could see them clear as day in my mind. Those pale green olive eyes with amber around the edges were mesmerizing and always pulled me to her.

  Her dark hair fell like a soft sheet across the pillow. It had always been long except for the one time in fourth grade when she thought cutting it short was the way to go. She never did it again. Her brother and I may have teased her relentlessly. I wasn’t sorry for it, not one bit. I loved getting a rise out of Quinn; even back then she was cute when she was pissed off.

  Now she was temptation personified. The curves of her body as she laid on her side gave me a great view of her hips and just a hint of her breasts. The full globes had grown, and I ached to touch them. Touch her. Tease her, like she’d been doing to me for years.

  I’d always been attracted to Quinn. That was never the problem. The timing always had been. First, she was too young and Drew’s baby sister. Those were two strikes right off the bat. Then there was always something or someone standing between us as we grew. College, boyfriends, girlfriends, work. You name it, it had been there.