Bedding the Fake Boyfriend: Bedding the Bachelors Book 10

by Virna DePaul

  They'd spent the better part of the morning with Nana Ginger and Aunt Alice, and she was still stuffed to the gills from the waffles so she shook her head.

  "No, but you go ahead."

  "Actually, I think I'm going to test out the water. Want to join me?"

  She cupped her hand to shield her eyes and looked out toward the water again with a dubious frown.

  "I read something about a great white sighting last summer up this way..."

  "Sorry, I didn't hear you over the wind. Did you say you were a chicken?" he asked, blinking in mock innocence.

  This Gio, with the cocky grin and teasing light in his chocolate brown eyes, took her back to the good old days. The days before she had realized he was out of her league and everyone knew it. The days before the thing at Mary Howard’s party had happened. The days when they were young and infatuated with each other.

  "Chicken my ass," she murmured as she launched herself off the towel she'd been sitting on. "Last one in has to sleep on the floor tonight," she hollered over her shoulder as she sprinted over the hot sand.

  She laughed wickedly as she blew past him. He managed to drop the wine bottle back into the cooler and set off after her, but not until she was halfway to the churning surf.

  The water was like a cold slap against her calves and she sucked in a breath but didn't slow down until it was deep enough to dolphin dive in, head first.

  The water swallowed her whole, waking up every nerve ending as she swam under the next incoming wave.

  When she bobbed to the surface, it was to find Gio standing in the water up to his knees.

  "Oh, would you look at that?" she crowed, standing as she laughed at him. "Who's the chicken now? Looks like I'm the champ. Neener, neener, nee—"

  She saw Gio's expression before she heard his words of warning, but it was all too late. By the time she turned around, the wall of water was only feet away and there was no getting out of its path.

  She took the full brunt of the wave, straight to the face, mouth open. As she sputtered and tried to breathe, the mammoth surf pushed her under and tossed her, ass over tea-kettle, until she didn't know which way was up before dragging her backward, deeper into its clutches.

  I'm going to die here.

  Before her life could pass before her eyes, though, strong hands were hoisting her up and her head broke the surface of the water. She stared into Gio's terrified face backlit by the early afternoon sun.

  "Are you okay, Rose?"

  She tried to answer but all that came out was a series of coughs and some wheezing sounds as smaller waves rolled past, rocking them gently up and down.

  "Hold onto my neck," he muttered, one muscular arm circling her waist as he cut through the water like a knife through butter.

  When she could touch the ocean floor again, he set her down, steadying her with one hand.

  "Can you breathe? Nod if you can breathe," he barked.

  She nodded, and swiped a shaking hand over her nose and mouth to wipe the grit and brine away.

  "I'm okay, I'm okay. Just stunned, I think. It came out of nowhere."

  "I shouldn't have teased you. Fuck, you could've drowned. You were always such a strong swimmer, I had no idea—"

  She laid a hand on his chest to cut him short. "Not your fault. How were you to know some rogue monster wave was going to come at that exact moment? And I still am a strong swimmer. We can have a race if you want proof...once I get the six pounds of sand out of all my crevices, that is..."

  Her jokes had the desired effect and the fear in his eyes began to fade, relief taking its place.

  "You scared the shit out of me. It was like in slow motion. You stood up and the wave just started coming. I couldn't get there fast enough—" He broke off and raked a hand through his wet hair. "I think I probably just aged five years."

  "You? I was having to come to grips with the fact that my last words had almost been 'Neener, neener, neener.'"

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, not ideal, I guess.”

  As her breathing began to return to normal and her heart rate slowed, she became aware of exactly how close they were. Almost on cue, another swell came, shoving them closer together, until her breasts brushed against his chest.

  Her pulse resumed its pounding, but this time, for a whole other reason as Gio dipped his head closer.

  Move, you idiot. Dive deeper into the ocean. Take another tidal wave to the face, if you have to. Anything is safer than kissing Gio Esposito again.

  But when his lips swooped down and captured hers, all thoughts of fleeing disappeared.

  His mouth was slick and salty, but his tongue was sweet as it made a sweep of her mouth. She groaned and pressed closer to him, plastering her wet chest against his.

  He speared a hand into her hair as the other stole around her waist to haul her close enough that she could feel the thick, insistent length of his cock.

  God, how good would it feel to just tug her suit to the side and take it all in? Every hard, throbbing inch, and ride it until they both exploded?

  The piercing sound of a whistle broke into her fantasy and she pulled back reluctantly to find a lifeguard dressed in red board shorts waving his arms at them.

  “Another wave. They’re clearing people out of the water,” Gio rasped, the disappointment written all over his face. “We’ll get ahead of this one and ride it into shore. Ready?”

  She nodded, swallowing past the ache of need in her throat as she turned to gauge the distance of the wave. Luckily, they had time to prepare and they began to swim, side by side.

  The wave picked them up and carried them, skimming along the surface, almost to the water’s edge. When it was over, she was laughing and exhilarated, and turned to find Gio grinning beside her in the roiling, shallow water.

  “Much better when you see ‘em coming,” she said, sweeping the mass of wet curls off her face.

  “Agreed. But I have more sand in my suit than is advised, and I can only imagine you’re in the same boat. What do you say we hose off in those outdoor showers, dry off and take a stroll around and check out the shops?”

  That seemed much safer than lying side by side in the sun half naked, so she nodded enthusiastically.

  “Good plan.”

  They packed up and trudged through the sand back to the truck, stowing away the cooler and grabbing a change of clothes from the bag they’d packed before heading over to the outdoor showers.

  As they hosed off, she made every effort not to peek at Gio a few yards away, but it was no easy task.

  Those golden brown biceps and that perfect chest. But her favorite part? That narrow strip of hair that led from his belly button lower and lower.

  “You buying or just browsing, Rosie?”

  Her cheeks flamed as she caught his gaze and while his words were teasing, his eyes were dead serious. “Uh, sorry, I was just seeing if you had any scrapes or cuts from that daring rescue.”

  His arched brow let her know that he knew she was full of shit, but he let her slide.

  Gio 5, poker face, 0.

  “Yeah, I was doing the same and noticed you had a big scrape on the back of your thigh. When we get back home, we’ll make sure to put some antibacterial cream on it.”

  She wasn’t sure who “we” was, but she was damned sure she wasn’t about to let him do it. She was already a mass of need, and if she had to withstand those hands on her for one more second, she was going to implode.

  She turned off the shower nozzle and dried off quickly before tramping off to the ladies’ room to change clothes. Before she got there, she turned to look at Gio. He was watching her with desire plainly etched on his face, but he didn’t look desperate. He looked confident. Expectant. Determined.

  Because he knew perfectly well she wanted him just as much as he did her.

  Rose didn’t take her time but she didn’t rush to get changed either. When she was almost ready, she faced the cheap, wavy public beach mirror and winced. Her
red hair was a frizz bomb of curls and the smattering of freckles on her nose had turned into more like a spray of them, capping off sun-reddened cheeks.

  Not a great look, no matter how you sliced it.

  She sucked in a breath and puffed out her chest.

  “Okay, girl. Get real with yourself. Gio is a bona-fide 11 hottie. He’s rich, he’s got a great family, and he has a perfect dick. He literally has the world by the balls. And you’re a nurse he once dated who he thinks threw him over for another guy. This isn’t some fairytale where the plain Jane lands the prince. This is real life. Get a grip.”

  A toilet flushed and, to her horror, a moment later, an attractive brunette woman in her fifties stepped out.

  “Look, honey, I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but you’re cute as a button, and he sounds like he’d be a real fun ride at the very least,” she said as she sidled up to the sink next to Rose and gave her the once over. “If he wants you, who are you to question why? Go for it and let the chips fall where they may. It’s not like you gotta marry the guy.”

  The woman began to wash her hands as Rose tried to will herself to disappear.

  Who just started talking to themselves out loud in the middle of a public bathroom without checking the stalls?

  This girl!

  “Yeah, it’s…complicated.”

  “Young people always say that when what they really mean is that they made it complicated.” The woman turned off the faucet and searched for a paper towel before giving up and wiping her hands on her shorts. “You can make it really easy on yourself by accepting it for what it is. Live out some fantasies with Mr. Magic Dick. If it works out, great. If not, you’ll have some hot memories to get you through to the next one. Life’s too short to pass up on the opportunity for great sex, if you ask me.”

  With that little nugget of wisdom, she sauntered out of the bathroom leaving Rose to watch her go.

  Face flaming, mind reeling from a stranger calling Gio Mr. Magic Dick (she wasn’t wrong), Rose considered the woman’s advice. As Rose very well knew, life was indeed too short, and if the last fifteen years was any indication of the next, the opportunities for great sex would be…well, they’d be zero. She’d slept with two guys—two and a half, if you counted one-pump Pete—since Gio, and both had been underwhelming to say the least. And chances for great sex with a guy as amazing as Gio? Were even less than zero.

  Even so, she already had hot memories of Gio, and they’d come with heartache. If she wanted what was left of her heart intact, she would be wise not to let her desire for Gio sway her. She should do what she agreed to do, help him get through the wedding, and then return home with his sizeable donation to Michael’s Way.

  The problem was, this wasn’t just about her desire for Gio of the past.

  She wanted this Gio just as much if not more. He was the same man she’d loved in high school, and yet he wasn’t. He’d obviously matured, and she was seeing him in a whole new light. The Gio who loved his family and went out of his way for them and seemingly everyone else he met. The Gio who had no qualms about donating money to her brother’s charity just because she’d asked, despite how he thought she’d left him for another man fifteen years ago. The Gio who’d probably been with countless women since her and understood the concept of no-strings sex and didn’t want to be in a relationship with her anyway so why not give them what they both wanted with her eyes wide open so neither one of them got hurt when she walked away?

  She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the glass with a sigh.

  “You okay in there?” Gio called through the open main door.

  “Yup, just a minute!” she called back. I’m just a little busy deciding whether it’s a good idea for us to sleep together.

  I want him, she thought.

  “And I can do it. I can be with him and keep my heart out of it this time,” she muttered to herself in the mirror.

  But even as she said the words, she knew she was lying.

  Her heart was, and always would be, Gio’s.

  Chapter 11

  “How’s the ice cream?”

  Rose looked up at him as if she was startled, confirming his suspicions; she might be walking beside him down this cobbled, picturesque New England street, but her mind was a million miles away.

  “Really good. The pieces of cherry are big and juicy, and the cone is delicious. How’s the chocolate?”

  “Probably one of the best I’ve ever had.”

  He wished he’d phrased that differently, because it instantly brought to mind how Rose herself had been the best he’d ever had.

  He’d thought it fifteen years ago. They’d been so fucking young, and she was so innocent. Hell, he’d had to teach her how to kiss. But she was a fast and enthusiastic learner, never shying away or backing down. She didn’t play games or hard to get. If something felt good, he knew it, because her responses were immediate and vocal.

  Add to all that the kiss they’d shared in the water earlier?

  Yes, definitely the best.

  “Uh, Gio?”

  Rose’s voice caught his attention, dragging him back to the present, and he shot her a questioning glance.

  “You dropped something.”

  He looked down to find an empty cone in his hand. With a low laugh, he turned and looked over his shoulder to find a big blob of chocolate ice cream on the sidewalk, already melting in the hot summer sun.

  “Well, shit,” he murmured.

  “Want to go back and get another? Or you can share with me...” she added, sticking her cherry vanilla cone in his face.

  It was only then that he noticed how pink her cheeks were and how frazzled she looked. Almost feverish.

  “Do you feel okay?” he asked, frowning. Maybe she had swallowed more of the Atlantic than he’d thought. He recalled reading a news article just last month about the signs of dry drowning, which could happen even an hour after inhaling water.

  “Yeah, I feel fine.”

  He laid a hand on her forehead, and found it relatively cool.

  He tossed his cone into a nearby trashcan. “No fever, but your eyes look glassy. Maybe we should head back. You’ve had a lot of sun today.”

  She murmured something that sounded suspiciously like, “Uh, okay, Doctor,” but didn’t stop him as he ushered her in the direction of the truck.

  By the time they got back to the house a short time later, though, he was wishing he really was a doctor, because Rose was definitely off. Quiet and withdrawn, but also jittery and on edge. Her leg hadn’t stopped bouncing the whole ride home.

  Maybe it was just the sun, or maybe she was regretting their kiss. Whatever the case, though, he couldn’t seem to squash the desire to fix it.

  “You sure you don’t want me to take you to the walk-in clinic to get checked out?”

  “I’m sure,” she said, wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue.

  But even as she spoke, she wouldn’t meet his gaze, and the second they pulled up to the house, she practically leapt out of the car.

  “Running up to take a proper shower and wash my hair before your family gets back,” she called over her shoulder.

  He grabbed the cooler and trailed behind her, feeling like there was a piece of the puzzle missing and he was too dumb to figure out where it went.

  He’d just reached the front door when another car pulled up. Nana Ginger, Aunt Alice, and his mom and dad began to pile out, calling his name.

  “Long time, no see!” his mom called as she bustled toward him, arms open wide.

  It hadn’t been that long at all. Two weeks at most, but she would’ve said that even if he’d seen her the day before.

  He set down the cooler and pulled her petite form in for a bear hug. “Hey, Ma. You look great, as always.”

  “You flatter me,” she replied, tipping her head back to glance up at him. “You look like you’ve been in the sun relaxing, and that makes me happy. You work too hard.”

  “I play hard, t
oo, Ma. Don’t worry about me, I’m good.”

  “How’s it going, son?” Dad said as he helped Aunt Alice up the porch stairs.

  “It’s going great, so far,” he replied, slinging an arm around his dad’s shoulder. “You’re looking fit. Been playing a lot of golf the past couple weeks?”

  “I have,” he replied with a chuckle. “But don’t ask me how I’m playing.”

  “Let’s put it this way,” his mother said, stepping toward the door with a wink. “He had to buy a new putter last week because his ended up in the drink somehow.”

  They made their way into the house, single file, and he grabbed the cooler and followed suit.

  “Did you drink the wine I sent?” Nana asked, arching a peach brow. “And where is Rose?”

  “We didn’t drink the wine, no. Rose drank too much salt water to squeeze it in,” he said with a wince. “She got nailed by a whopper of a wave and wound up getting tossed around a bit before I could get to her.”

  “Oh, my, yes. The waves here can be rough. I should’ve warned you,” Nana said, clasping the pendant around her neck. “She’s all right, though?”

  “She’s fine. Bruised pride and a little scrape, is all.”

  “Well, we can’t wait to see her,” his mom said with a wide grin. “You’re a real scamp for not telling us that you two had gotten back together. I know I don’t have to tell you how thrilled we are. We love Rose. She was always so polite and sweet. Dad and I are overjoyed.”

  “Me too,” Nana added, as if that was news. “So you better not screw this up.”

  A twinge of guilt shot through him as he excused himself to get their suitcases.

  He’d dated plenty of women and had things not work out. And it wasn’t like he’d told them they were engaged or something.

  Still, aside from Nana Ginger, he couldn’t recall them ever being this invested in his relationship status. His mom, his dad, hell, Michelle too.

  This wasn’t just about seeing him married off. This was about Rose, in particular. Even they all knew she was special. Part of him had hoped that, during their time here, he’d have his rose-colored glasses stripped away and see that his memory of her in high school was just that.