He shook his head. “I should probably head back.”
“But you’ll freeze.” Maddox glanced up the street, and my gaze followed his.
“That’s your bike?” I asked in disbelief. “There’s no way I’m going to let you drive onto a ferry dripping wet while you’re sitting on a motorcycle in the middle of the Sound.” I clasped his hand and tugged him off the dock toward my car.
“You’re probably right.” He smiled gratefully.
“I know I’m right.” I shook my head. “Getting you warmed up is the least I can do.”
“I can think of a few ways to do that.” His voice lowered, and I knew the moment he stepped into my house, it would be impossible to resist him.
Chapter Seven
As we pulled into my driveway, my shoulders sank and I groaned.
So much for my one-night stand.
“Do you have roommates?” Maddox asked when he spotted a car in the driveway and a person’s shadow behind my living room curtain.
“Nope. Just two brothers who seem to think I run a B&B on the weekends.”
Maddox smiled and nodded. “Well, it is a charming place. I hope you charge them more than I charge my brother.”
I turned off the car and threw my head back. “I totally forgot that Brendan was coming over this weekend. He’s into photography, and some of the wildflowers have really started blooming along the coastline. He mentioned it last night and I put it out of my head. He’s my older brother.”
“I don’t have a problem riding the ferry back. I don’t have to go inside.” Maddox glanced at me, and I flashed a wry grin.
I giggled. “He’s so used to my having absolutely no social life that this might just throw him for a curve. It’s good to keep him on his toes.”
I climbed out of the car and hopped up the steps with Maddox catching up behind me.
“I’m happy to oblige,” Maddox said gruffly and in a way that told me he would be happy to oblige in many ways, which only made me more annoyed at my brother’s timing.
Before I had a chance to open my own front door, Brendan swung it wide, holding a plate of chocolate chip cookies. His expression fell when he spotted Maddox, but it quickly turned around when it registered who he was.
“Did she push you into the Sound?” my brother asked, laughing and smacking Maddox’s sopping shoulder. “She can be a bit feisty.”
I let out a grunt and pushed past my brother, snagging a cookie on the way.
“Maddox, this is my brother, Brendan.” I smiled. “Brendan, meet Maddox.”
“I know who he is.” Brendan chuckled. “Samantha filled me in.”
My gaze snapped to my brother’s. Samantha? Why was he talking to Samantha?
Had it been Brendan who’d slept with my best friend? I cringed at the thought.
“Why are you scowling at me? I made you chocolate chip cookies with coconut.” Brendan glanced at Maddox. “She loves coconut.”
“I gathered that from the party.” Maddox laughed. “Everything, including the shrimp, had it in it or on it.”
“So, do you want to explain why he’s drenched?” My brother eyed me, then Maddox.
“I dropped my phone in the water, and he dove in after it. He managed to save it, somehow.” I pulled it out of my bag and took a closer look at it.
Maddox really did save my phone from a fate worse than death. I flipped to my photos, and they were all there, and my emails functioned as they always had.
“Wow. That’s nice of you.” My brother pushed his mouth into a skeptical look, and he narrowed his eyes.
“I rode a bike to the ferry, so your sister was kind enough to—”
My brother shook his head. “We’re all adults here. Don’t let me get in your way.”
“I was only going to dry his clothes in the dryer while he showered,” I explained, noticing Maddox taking a bite of cookie and watching me closely.
“Go for it.” Brendan smiled mischievously. “So, you pedaled all the way to the ferry and then to Fireweed?”
A laugh erupted from my belly, and I shook my head frantically. “No. A motorcycle, obviously.”
Maddox stood watching us, and a familiar flutter ran through me.
“Oh. Right. Obviously, because you’ve always been known to date men who ride motorcycles.” My brother rolled his eyes. “Golf carts, maybe, but not…”
My hand flew up. “That’s enough. We’re not actually dating.”
Maddox’s brows flew up. “We’re not?”
“Well, I mean… maybe, we are.” I turned to my brother. “Don’t you have flowers to photograph or something?”
“Most of the natural light is pretty much gone, so… no.” He shrugged and glanced at the puddle at the bottom of Maddox’s shoes.
“Oh, geez. Sorry. You’re dripping wet, and I’m just babbling.” I shook my head and jogged down the hall to my linen closet, hearing my brother pester Maddox with question after question.
I pulled a stack of my best towels from the closet and made it to Maddox in record time merely to shut my brother up.
“I’ll be in the spare room if you need anything,” Brendan hollered over his shoulder as he took the plate of cookies with him.
“Sorry about that,” I muttered as Maddox finished unbuttoning his shirt and slid it off his shoulders.
I handed him a towel and tried impossibly hard not to stare at the definition rounding his shoulders. Without realizing it, I’d begun patting the dampness off his chest in a trance with another towel. The images of him on top of me spun through my mind as I fantasized right in front of him.
And by the way he was looking at me, my thoughts were as plain as day.
“You’re very good at this.” His voice was low and his eyes were transfixed on me.
I dropped the towel and knelt as I began wiping the water from the tile floor.
“Well, this wasn’t the image I thought I’d see on a first date.” His voice rumbled through the foyer.
I glanced up at him and laughed once I realized where my head was positioned.
His hands had been resting on the button of his jeans, and my heart skipped a beat when I realized how close I was to everything I’d been daydreaming about. But this wasn’t how I was going to go about it.
I cleared my throat and left the towel on the floor as I stood up. “Don’t get used to the view.”
He hid a smile. “Want to point me in the direction of the washroom so I can finish up?”
“Oh, right. Just down the hall, and the bathroom is the second right. I’ll be there in a second with a change of clothes.”
He cocked his head slightly. “You have something that will fit me?”
“Not well, but it will do while your clothes are in the dryer.”
My phone rang again, and I pulled it out of my purse only to have missed the call once more, but I did see a voicemail from earlier, so I hit Play.
Before I realized what was happening, Winter’s voice echoed over my speakerphone, and I froze.
“Hope you’re making passionate love and talking about babies with Mr. McKenzie, and when that’s all done, give me a call. I think I might know who Sammi is sleeping with or has slept with. Okay. Love you. Bye.”
I slowly lifted my gaze to meet Maddox’s, and my cheeks were on fire with embarrassment.
“I’m telling you, my friends have one-track minds.” I shook my head, staring at the floor. “It’s awful. Mortifying, really.”
“Well, we’ve actually managed one of the two things.”
My gaze snapped to his.
“You know, talking babies.”
Just hearing him say those words made my heart flutter, and I had absolutely no idea why. I wasn’t baby crazy. I always knew I wanted children, but I didn’t center my life around it.
“Umm. I’m sorry.” My stomach knotted, thinking how ridiculous I must look.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’d love to make passionate love to you.” He flashed a wry
grin and walked down the hall as I stood in a trance, unsure whether I wanted to kill Winter or take Maddox up on the offer.
It wasn’t until the door closed behind him that I could finally breathe again.
And the first thing I did with that newfound oxygen was text Winter.
Thanks for the message! I just mistakenly played it on speakerphone for Maddox to hear, so that has really boosted my confidence level. I’m totally done with this Mr. Wrong thing.
Within seconds, another text came over.
OMG. I’m so sorry. It never dawned on me that he was still there with you. It’s kind of late, and I’m really, really sorry. Do you still love me? How can I make it up to you? Please don’t give up on Mr. Mistake. What if he’s the one?
I glared at my phone as if Winter could see me and typed back a quick response.
You can’t, and he’s not. There is no “the one.” Not for me. I’m doomed and okay with it.
She wrote back.
Does that mean the date isn’t going well?
I texted back.
He’s naked in my bathroom. It’s going too well.
Another text.
I’m confused.
My brother walked down the hall toward me and grunted a chuckle.
“With friends like those, who needs enemies?” Brendan asked, chuckling even more as he made his way down the hall toward me.
I cringed. “You heard?”
“Sure did.” He glanced around the room and held out a pair of pants and a shirt for Maddox. “Scared him away?”
I laughed and sighed. “Not yet, but I’m sure any second now, I will. Now, vamoose.”
I picked up the towels and Maddox’s wet shirt, and I made my way down the hall. I stood in front of the bathroom, no longer hearing the water run, and tapped on the door.
“I’ve got some clothes for you.” I drew a deep breath. “And you can hand me over what you need me to dry.”
The door opened slowly to reveal Maddox standing in the bathroom with a pink towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was wet, and water droplets still ran down his chest from stepping out of the shower. It was all I could do to stand still. He looked beyond delicious.
It was both a blessing and a curse that my brother was only a few feet away as I shoved the fresh clothes into the bathroom.
“Here,” I mumbled and turned around quickly, trying to regain a little bit of composure.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” He smiled, stopping me in my tracks. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what it would be like.”
I spun around. “What what would be like?”
He only smiled wider. “But I see what you mean about your friends.”
“They mean well,” I started up again. “They love me too much for my own good.”
“Indeed.” He nodded, still holding the clothes. “But maybe they do need to be taught a little lesson.”
My brows shot up. “You’re gonna do it?”
He pressed his lips into a thin line and scratched his chin as if contemplating something fundamentally challenging.
“In the shower, a thought occurred to me.” His lip curled slightly. “Well, many thoughts occurred to me.”
I laughed, grateful I was so many feet away from him. He wasn’t getting any less attractive, and the more he spoke, the more I realized it would be challenging to stop myself from doing something crazy.
“And?” I let out a deep breath, placing my hand on my hip.
“What is something that you could do that would scare them to death?”
“Besides jumping out of an airplane?”
“Oh, that’s not so bad.” He shifted his weight, and I secretly prayed for a towel malfunction.
“You’ve jumped out of a plane?” I asked, surprised.
“Several.” He smiled. “But what about my question?”
And I knew the answer. The very thought that had occurred to me when my fake surprise party turned into a pickup scene courtesy of my besties was at the tip of my tongue.
“I won’t be offended.”
I laughed. “Maybe up it to marriage in record speed?”
“They want you to be happy on their terms as long as you fit in the appropriate box.” He smiled, knowing all too well.
“Precisely. I’m the straitlaced friend. They can tease me about making babies and sleeping with men. No offense...”
He winked. “None taken.”
“But it would be far from okay if I just threw caution to the wind and walked down the aisle with you and had Elvis waiting for us.” I giggled. “That would blow their minds.”
“Mine too.” Brendan laughed, reappearing from his hideout.
“You’re impossible.” I shook my head.
“But I think you two are onto something.” My brother smiled and walked past me and the open bathroom door as Maddox was pulling the T-shirt over his head. “Your friends are always meddling, and it would be fun to mess with them. They’ve driven me nuts since junior high.”
I turned to watch my brother as Maddox began sliding on a pair of jeans, and it became almost painful not to catch an accidental glimpse.
“I’d feel awful playing a trick on them like that.” I sighed as Maddox walked out of the bathroom.
My brother and Maddox traded a glance, which was worrisome.
“But doesn’t it get old?” my brother asked.
“What, in particular?” I cocked my head, following Maddox to where my brother was sitting.
“Always going out for drinks. Whining about men. Having them try to analyze you. What went wrong with your relationships. Yada-yada.” My brother’s brows pulled together, and he crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for my response. “And then leaving messages about babies and marriage from one date with a guy?”
“Sometimes.” I sat down. “Well, a lot of the times, actually, because I’m happy here. I like my life, and until someone turns up who’s on the same page as me, I’m okay with being single.” I smiled, thinking about my three best friends. “They’re only doing it because they love me. That’s why I thought just an engagement would freak them out enough.”
Brendan smirked. “Play that message back, and tell me it wouldn’t be fun to play a little prank.”
“Faking a marriage isn’t exactly a little prank.” I glanced at Maddox, who seemed wholly spellbound with the idea. “I probably wouldn’t have three best friends by the end of it.”
Brendan swatted the air. “I think they’ll recover.”
“Why would you ever go for something like this?” I turned my attention to Maddox.
He folded his hands and his shoulders relaxed. “I can’t imagine wanting to pretend to marry anyone else, and my schedule is clear.”
Maddox cleared his throat. “And I’m a little sore for your friends trying to hook you up with my brother.” He smiled. “You know, the crush I had on you and all.”
Brendan coughed. “Okay, so I don’t care about any of that, but I think we should let our parents know. Dad wasn’t particularly pleased with all the men they invited for you to date. In fact, Dad was talking to one of them and he’d just gotten out of prison two months ago.”
My gaze flashed to my brother’s. “Are you serious?”
He nodded.
“You know what?” I slapped my knee. “You guys are right. And if I can stop this game from going on before their thirtieth birthdays, then that will be even better. We don’t need any more ex-cons showing up places.”
Maddox smiled, and his gaze stayed on mine.
“So, how are we going to do this? I mean, to make it look real.” I drew a breath and waited for his response.
Chapter Eight
It was the Tuesday after Memorial Day, and a distinct buzz was in the air as I looked at my antsy students. There were only four more days of school left in this school year.
Only five more days until my thirtieth birthday.
And only an afternoon between havin
g to meet up with my besties for drinks. We’d planned on meeting up on Fireweed tonight, and my mind had been whirling with stories I’d have to spin and guilt I needed to push away.
As the students prepared for their summer vacation, I’d be preparing for my fake engagement and wedding.
The whole prank took on a life of its own once my dad got involved. He loved nothing more than a good joke. He only wished he could recruit the ex-con from the surprise party to pull it off, but my dad was at least worried enough about my safety to stick with Maddox. Finding out how little Winter vetted any of the single men she’d invited did little to put out the fire I had in me to get this right.
However, my mom was slightly worrying me because she was throwing herself into this process as much as my dad. Maybe she thought this was her only shot at planning a wedding with me, which was sad in and of itself.
“Okay, class.” I smiled, and everyone quieted instantly. “Since the sunshine is in the forecast for the next four days, I say we go outside and enjoy some rays as we present our class projects. Does anyone need anything electronic for today?” I looked at the list of presenters today. “Rachel? Max? Tim? Selma?”
They all shook their heads, and the class sighed in relief.
“Okay, grab your backpacks and let’s head outside.” I glanced at the gorgeous oak tree. “Find a place in the shade under the oak.”
The sound of rustling bags and scraping chairs filled the classroom as the students filed out the door. Every fall, I was excited to greet my students for the first time, and every spring, I was sad to let them go. They became like family, and it was hard not to see them all summer.
As I followed my students outside, I spotted Tori and her class near the student-kept perennial gardens.
It wasn’t that Washington didn’t have sunshine and warm weather. We did, but a blue sky was always a pleasant surprise because it tended to happen spontaneously after days of rain. It made a person grateful for days like these.
Mr. Mistake: A Fake Marriage Romance (Mr. Mistake Series Book 1) Page 8