by Renee Rose
I’m going to have to put on a bridesmaid’s dress and big smile and stand across from Scott. He’ll have three days and two nights to harangue me about dating him again. He’s probably the groomsman escorting me down the aisle. Jenn planned this all when she thought we’d be together. She even joked about it being a trial run for Scott and I. I never told her about the cheating.
Why did I let the farce between me and Scott run so long? Because I was too nice to end things, even though I wasn’t interested. I hate hurting people’s feelings. And now that I think about it, some of the feelings I was worried about hurting belonged to Jenn and Geoff. Like I owed them to keep dating their friend just because they set us up.
God, I really am a pleaser!
Obviously Scott doesn’t share that trait. Control and criticism are his favorite relationship tools. And cheating. The only thing I got out of the relationship was my father’s approval.
This is an all-out emergency. I’m tempted to call Jenn and claim I have mono. But she doesn’t deserve that. And I’ve already taken time off for the wedding.
There’s just one thing to do. I gulp down a glass of wine, and pull up Deke and my text chat on my phone.
Here goes nothing.
“I need another favor,” I text him. “But it’s big. Really big.”
Ten seconds later, my cell phone rings.
“What do you need?” Deke asks. No hello, no preamble, no nothing. I take a deep breath. I should’ve drunk more wine.
“Sadie, you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Is it Sears?”
“Scott? No. Well, not exactly. But I have to ask you for a favor. A huge one.”
There’s a pause where I remember what he asked in return for the last favor. As if he’s thinking the same thing, his voice softens. “Yeah, baby?”
Crap, now I’m super turned on. “Um, yeah.”
“How big?”
“Really big. I would owe you so much. On top of what I already do.”
“I’m sure we can work something out.” He sounds playful. OMG, we’re flirting now! I flop down on my bed.
“Maybe.”
“What is it? Just tell me.”
“I need a date to a wedding,” I say and continue in a rush before I lose my nerve. “A pretend date again—not a real one,” I add quickly.
“Pretend.” Does he sound disappointed?
“Um, it’s at a resort in Santa Fe, so it would be for the whole weekend. I’m in the wedding party, so I have to go a day early. Scott will be there. He and I were going to go together, but—”
“Say no more,” Deke says.
“Really?” I feel as if a fifty pound dumbbell lifted off my chest. “You’ll do it?”
“Babe,” is all he says to that. I take it to mean: Of course. “When is it?”
“Two weeks from Thursday. I already got the time off, but I pushed it out of my mind because I didn’t want to deal with it.” I give him the details. “I can drive, but I don’t think you’ll be comfortable in my little car.”
“I’ll drive. What time should I pick you up Thursday?”
“Um, are you sure?”
“Yep. What time?”
“Around noon?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Thank you so much. I owe you big time.”
“Mmm.” His voice is a dark rumbling hum. Like he loves the idea of me owing him. Or like he’s going to collect more than a kiss this time.
Oh God, I really hope so! I liked the last favor he cashed in with me.
“Do you have a suit to wear?”
“Babe,” he says again and hangs up.
I laugh into the disconnected phone. Deke is like no man I have ever met.
Deke
My dick is hard by the time I hang up with Sadie, my thoughts of collecting on favors turning dirty fast.
Oh shit. What did I just get myself into? I disobeyed a direct order from my alpha by agreeing to go with Sadie.
But there was no fucking way I was going to let her down. No fucking way I’d let her spend a long weekend with her ex as her date when she doesn’t want to.
My wolf already wants to tear that guy apart for bothering her.
Spending an entire weekend in close quarters with humans—at a wedding, no less—is a special kind of hell for me, but for Sadie, I’d do anything. I’ll keep my wolf in check. I’ll try to act civilized. Speak in full sentences. Make a decent impression as her fake boyfriend. Hell, I’ll even find a goddamn suit.
I stand, a shiver of pleasure running through me, coming straight from my wolf. I sense his desire to yip and spin around.
Well, I’ll be damned.
My wolf is happy. Excited, even.
I walk out of the lodge and down to the river, hiking uphill along the bank to release some of the pent-up energy. I need to figure out what I’m going to tell Rafe. How to present this.
It’s a mission. Not a date.
I’m not engaging with a human on a social basis. It’s a job.
A half mile up, I come across Lance fishing in the stream. I shake my head because I seriously don’t get it. We’re predators. We hunt animals on four legs. We don’t need to stand at the water’s edge in human form with a fishing pole to catch food.
“Don’t say it,” Lance murmurs, correctly reading my thoughts. I presume he’s speaking quietly to not scare off the fish.
“I didn’t say a word.” I stand beside him. The sounds of the wilderness register as peaceful for once. I always crave the wild, and I absolutely love living here where we can roam the mountain on four paws or two wheels at any moment, but this afternoon feels different.
Like I almost understand Lance’s urge to fish. It’s not about the catch. It’s about the quiet. Standing at the cold water’s edge and watching it babble by. Listening to the trees.
Why is my wolf so calm?
Sadie, I almost hear him whisper.
I shake my head. I can’t have Sadie. Sadie’s not for keeping.
Lance shoots me a curious look. “You seem… different.”
I don’t answer. I can’t tell him about Sadie because there’s nothing going on. And nothing will go on.
“It’s the teacher, isn’t it?”
I draw in a sharp breath at the mere mention of her.
“She calms the madness,” I finally admit.
“She seems sweet.”
Just hearing him talk about her makes my heart surge up and bounce in my chest. “She is,” I say gruffly. “But it’s not like that. I’m not getting involved.”
“Right.” Lance looks into the river, probably so I don’t have to lie to his face.
“Her ex is bothering her,” I explain. “And she asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend to scare him off.”
Now Lance looks over and his brows pop up in surprise. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I scrub a hand over my face.
“Fuck, Deke. That sounds like trouble. Does she know you’re likely to put that ex of hers in a body bag?”
A sick feeling stirs in my gut. “That won’t happen,” I say gruffly although I’m not even half sure that’s true.
If that guy laid one fucking hand on her, I would kill him. No question.
But that doesn’t seem to be the nature of her perturbance. The fact that she doesn’t seem too hurt by the guy in general soothes my wolf’s need to exact justice for her. It seems like he’s more of an annoyance than a real threat—to her heart or to her person.
“I don’t know, Deke. The last human female you protected landed you with an assault and battery charge. And you would’ve flat-out killed the guy if we hadn’t been there. I’m not saying you weren’t justified, I just—”
“I know,” I snap. “I lose control. My wolf goes into war-mode in every situation.”
“I would hate for that sweet teacher to ever see that side of you,” Lance says in a gentle voice. “That’s all.”
A low growl rumbles
from my chest. I actually think my wolf is growling at the idea of me scaring Sadie. It’s true I would want to punch my own face if that ever happened.
“I won’t touch the ex,” I vow. “But I’m not going to refuse Sadie the favor.”
I couldn’t.
I feel bad I’m leaving for the weekend when the team is trying to discover how we got made in Switzerland, but at the moment it feels like we’re chasing shadows, and Sadie needs me.
“I get it.” Lance snags a fish on his hook and tugs, pulling a flopping rainbow trout out of the water.
I rumble my appreciation. If he catches a few more, we can all have fish for dinner. He gently withdraws the hook and drops the fish in his net in the water. “Just be careful. I like Sadie—”
He breaks off when a ferocious growl erupts from my throat.
“Not in that way,” he says quickly. “Not at all. Dude—that’s what I”m talking about. I don’t know if you can pull this off.”
Shit. He may be right. But backing out now is not an option.
“I’ll pull it off,” I swear. “Sadie will be safe with me.”
Chapter 7
Sadie
My belly is full of butterflies on the day of the wedding trip. I only told my friends about my plus-one to the wedding but not my dad or even Scott, who tried very hard to get me to drive with him. I knew if I told Scott, he’d go running to my dad, and I didn’t want to deal with the mountain of judgement that would crash down on my head over associating myself so closely with what my dad would clearly describe as an unsavory character.
The day dawns bright and beautiful. I take a long shower and shave my legs. I can take my time because I’m not rushing off to school. I left the substitute for my class with full lesson plans, so everything should be fine in there. So long as she or he has experience with younger students.
I consider things, and then I shave a little extra. I packed my good underwear. I tell myself the extra silky thongs are so I don’t show panty lines under the bridesmaid dress. Sure they are. My ovaries aren’t fooled.
For the drive, I’m in a sweater and yoga pants and my cute grey faux fur lined boots that double as hiking boots. The resort has private trails, and I’m sure Deke and I will have time to slip away and hike one of them. I get the feeling he likes nature. I remember how nice it was when he took me to the bridge on his bike.
If we have some time alone, will he cash in on the favor again? Ask for a kiss… or something more?
I’m sure we can work something out.
Maybe I should ask him. Just tell him what I want. I’ll make it clear I have no expectations. That I know it’s not a real date. That he’d be doing me another favor. The resort has a spa and outdoor hot tub. I packed a bikini just in case.
And I won’t let Scott spoil our fun. I’m hoping he’ll see Deke with me and leave me alone the rest of the weekend.
“Don’t you want to play?” crackles a creepy voice in the corner. I jump and whirl at the same time, but it’s only the stupid Jackalope toy in the corner. It’s been malfunctioning, going off at odd moments unprompted, so I brought it home from my classroom. Probably shouldn’t have bought it from a sketchy knockoff toy warehouse online.
A roar of an engine outside gives me a shiver. Deke. I toss the Jackalope into my bedroom closet and grab my suitcase.
Deke’s car is a big, black, boxy-style Mercedes with a suped up engine. Loud and growly, like his bike. He’s already out of the driver’s seat and coming around to meet me. He’s wearing his usual biker man outfit—big boots and faded T, black jeans and bad ass smirk. Of course, he’s not dressing up for the weekend.
Oh my God—I was nuts to ask him to be my date. The entire wedding party will think I’ve lost my mind.
Have I? I may have. My sexy little pink thong’s already wet. I fumble with my keys but by some miracle lock the door and race down to meet him.
“Deke.” I’m so short compared to him, I have to dance up on my toes to greet him. I throw my arms around his neck because I’m absurdly glad to see him. Because I want to thank him for doing this favor for me.
He stiffens for just a moment, and I realize I’ve overstepped. It’s not a real date, of course. I shouldn’t act so friendly. But then he wraps a big hand around the back of my neck, tugs me to tiptoe and kisses me right there in front of my townhouse. In broad daylight, in front of my neighbors—and after a second with my lips pressed to his firm ones, I don’t care. His mouth is warm on mine, dominating but not demanding. His breath is a little minty.
He tilts me backwards, so I’m just the tiniest bit off balance. Without thinking, I drop my suitcase and grab on to his giant biceps to hang on. His cock bulges in his pants, twitching against my belly.
I’d happily call the whole weekend off just so we can stand here and smooch. He breaks the kiss but doesn’t back away. Instead he presses his forehead to mine for a moment.
“Sadie,” his deep voice rumbles through me. His eyes are bright green in the sunlight. My ovaries swoon.
He backs up and helps me straighten, picking my suitcase up and supporting me with his free hand at my back.
Oh my.
“Good idea,” I say breathlessly once I’m in the car and Deke’s returned from putting my suitcase in the back. He also held the door for me and buckled me in, which is good because my limbs are jelly after that kiss. My heart is still fluttering. My ovaries are still out cold. “We should practice being boyfriend and girlfriend, just in case people ask.”
“Practice… yeah, definitely.” He puts his G-wagon in gear, and we’re off. In a few minutes, we’re flying down the road to the highway.
“I think it’s a good idea,” I insist, trying to calm the flapping butterfly wings in my belly from the kiss. “People are going to think I’m still with Scott. We’ll have to explain.”
“Will there be a quiz?”
“Maybe.” I frown at that. “They all know Scott. They’re his type of people.”
Deke grunts at that, and I feel even more unhappy. Jenn is a good friend, but what if the rest take Scott’s side? They’ve got that upper class way of being rude and condescending in the politest way possible. Under their polo shirts and shiny smiles is coiled razor wire.
“Sadie,” Deke calls, and I realize I’ve been staring out the window. The glass reflects the worry lines in my forehead. “Relax,” he settles his hand on my knee and squeezes.
And I do, settling into the plush seat. For a rugged military-looking vehicle, the interiors are pretty posh.
“And we can definitely practice, if you want.” His voice sounds lower and rougher than usual. Another squeeze of my knee, and arousal spreads through me.
“Practice does make perfect,” I trill. Who cares if Scott’s friends don’t approve of my life choices? Deke will protect me. Some rebellious part of me I never knew existed sort of revels in the idea of shocking everyone at that wedding this weekend.
And who knows, when we’re in private, I might even shock myself with my behavior.
I shiver and do a surreptitious butt wriggle.
“Cold?” Deke turns on the fancy seat warmers. He ups the cab temperature and makes sure the warm air is blowing my way.
“This is good, thanks,” I say.
“Sure? I got a blanket in the back.” He reaches behind my seat, rummages around then hands me a water bottle. “I also brought snacks.”
“You did?” He’s so freaking thoughtful. “This is perfect, thank you. I take it back. You don't need to practice.” I smile at him. “You're already the perfect fake boyfriend. Way better than Scott.”
Deke snorts. “That’s probably not hard. I can’t imagine that guy paying attention to anyone besides himself.” He signals his turn before getting on the highway out of town. “None of my business, babe, but what did you see in him?”
“I’ve been asking myself the same question. I think I only dated him because my father wanted it. And I think he only dated me to align with my
father.”
“No love lost, then?”
“No. I think I tried to believe I loved him, but… yeah. I don’t think it was love. I just didn’t want to make waves with a break-up. So when he cheated on me, it was a relief.”
“He cheated on you?” Deke says incredulously, like I’m some kind of sex goddess no man would ever stray from.
“Yep. But like I said, I was glad. Good reason to do what I secretly knew I should’ve done two years earlier.”
“You close with your dad?”
“Not at all. The opposite, but when my mom left, he sued for full custody. She let him have it, even though I wanted to go with her.”
“That sucks,” he says softly after I’ve fallen silent.
“It was a long time ago. Okay, let’s get our stories straight,” I say as Deke guns it past the mountain. “How did we meet? What do we say?”
“The truth. I saw you across the plaza, and I wanted you.”
I flush. “You wanted to meet me.”
He suppresses grin and says, “Sure.”
A fire kindles between my legs. I squeeze my inner thighs together and clear my throat. “And I saw you with your biker friends and wanted to meet you too. And for our first date you took me on a bike ride. Then home, but you were a perfect gentleman.”
“Babe,” he looks pained. “Don’t tell them that.”
“You are the perfect gentleman. And you ride a motorcycle and drive the type of car all the rap songs sing about.”
This gets a real grin. “You listen to rap?”
“Not a lot. I used to think Shawty was a rapper that all the other rappers knew. That’s how much I know about rap.”
It’s a long time before Deke stops chuckling at that one. I might have encouraged it by singing the first few lines of In Da Club by 50 cent, and explaining that I thought the song was about his friend Shawty celebrating a birthday.