“You did? We did?” My breath caught in the back of my throat. This relationship might be fabricated, but the number of surprises he sprung on me was unexpected. He was definitely taking his role very seriously.
“A cabin?” Winter repeated, surprised. “Would there be room for us, though? We wouldn’t want to intrude if—”
I laughed, interrupting Winter. “When has that ever been a concern?”
She giggled and took a sip of her refilled wine glass.
“It’s got six bedrooms, two of them with two sets of bunks.”
“That doesn’t sound like a cabin,” Arie said. “More like a lodge.”
Maddox shrugged. “If you don’t mind arm wrestling Tessa’s brothers for who gets the bunks, then I don’t see a problem.”
“I’d love to sleep in bunks,” Samantha nearly squealed. “This is going to be so fun, and we’re not skipping our tradition.”
I smiled and glanced at Maddox, who seemed to be waiting for my reaction.
I slid my hand to his and squeezed it. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you.”
“That is so special.” Winter clutched her heart, and I swear I saw tears in her eyes.
“Eat your meat,” I instructed, laughing. “We don’t need to scare the nice man away.”
“He does seem really nice,” Arie agreed.
“Indeed.” Samantha beamed before sticking another bite of steak in her mouth. “And he’s an amazing chef.”
“Wow. You’ve gone from cook status to chef.” I laughed. “So, my parents know?”
His eyes stayed on mine, and he nodded. “I thought it would be a fun surprise for your birthday, and they thought it sounded better than just dinner to celebrate the big 3-0.”
“I’m actually touched.”
And I was.
In the real world, I might be a bit suspicious of the timing, but I knew we had a plan, and he was doing everything he could to stick to the timeline. Things were moving fast because it was a ruse. Nothing more. I let myself enjoy without the worry, and it was kind of fun.
“So, Maddox.” Winter straightened in her chair slightly. “Have you ever been married before?”
Maddox grinned. “I wondered when it was coming.”
I giggled. “I did too.”
“No. I have never been married.”
“What about engaged?” Arie piped up.
He shook his head. “Never engaged either.”
My chest tightened slightly. He’d never been engaged, and here I was asking him to treat something so sacred as if it meant nothing more than a prank to be had.
My eyes fell to my plate as I wondered if I should just call it off.
“I wouldn’t want to ask someone to marry me just for the sake of being married. When I finally find that someone, it will be for real. As real as it gets.”
My eyes darted to his and guilt nearly bubbled over. “I, uh—”
“I agree,” Winter interrupted. “I think that’s how we all feel.”
Arie nodded. “Which is why we scare away easily. Any red flag and I’m out the door.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” Maddox reached his hand to mine and held it. “You don’t want to settle when it comes to finding the person to spend the rest of your life with. You’ll know. You’ll feel it deep in your bones, your soul will be screaming at you to pay attention to the signs, and then life will just work out.”
I tried to focus, but my mind was spinning.
Was this part of his schtick, or did he mean what he was saying? Or if he did, why would he agree to play this prank? I drew my hand from his and rubbed my temple.
“But there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun on the way to finding your soulmate.” He held up his water glass for a toast, and Winter eagerly clanked her wine glass.
“Here, here.” She grinned.
“So, never married and never engaged.” Arie pressed her lips together for a brief spell. “Any kids?”
“Nope.”
I waited for the one-liner I’ve heard so many times from dates, Not that I know about, and was relieved when it didn’t roll off his lips.
“Do you want kids?” Winter asked. “Tessa wants a herd.”
“Not exactly a herd,” I clarified. “But great way to scare him off. Thanks.”
She laughed and held her head. “I’m awful. I’m so sorry. I’m just so excited for her.” She looked at Maddox and then at me. “For you.”
“Yes, I can see that.” I laughed and took a bite of the melt-in-your-mouth steak.
Granted, I didn’t date much, but my friends were like vultures, circling him, waiting to pounce, and pecking him to death with questions. It was awful, and I knew I’d never bring a real candidate around them until I knew he wouldn’t run away screaming.
“I’m looking forward to starting a family. Yes.” Maddox smiled.
“What about that she lives on Fireweed and you live in Seattle?” Arie cocked her head.
“Logistics shouldn’t get in the way of true love.” Maddox glanced at me, and I was grateful he was a pseudo boyfriend, or I was positive he’d be out the door, on his bike, and at the ferry with this line of questioning, but it only proved my point more.
My besties needed to be set straight. Besides, it would only help them in their own pursuit of true love.
“What about favorite food?” Winter asked.
I groaned. “How is that relative?”
“Well, if he hates seafood and you love it…”
“We’d find a way.” I laughed, shaking my head.
“I suppose.” Winter’s eyes narrowed on Maddox. “What if she wants to have a girls’ trip out of the blue?”
“What if?” Maddox teased.
“Would you let her?” Winter’s brow arched.
“Have you met Tessa before?” Maddox laughed. “Would I let her? She’s not my captive.”
“Thank you for that.” I chuckled. “Guys, all I know is that Maddox is an outstanding sport on so many levels. You would have scared away most men.”
“Maybe that’s our problem.” Arie laughed.
“I’m not saying…” I teased.
“Do you have any nicknames?” Winter asked, trying to take the questioning in a different direction.
“Not that I want to admit at the table.” He took a bite of steak, and I noticed how effortless spending time with him was, but I refused to go down that path. We’d known each other for barely a week, and things could and probably would take a sudden turn once we let these facades down.
“What is your best quality?” Arie asked, brows raising.
Maddox glanced in Arie’s direction and sat back in the chair. “Loyalty.”
“And the worst?” she asked.
“Stubbornness. No doubt about it.” He smiled and looked at me.
I wanted to ignore the feelings charging through my system, but looking into his deep blue eyes made my entire head cloud with fuzziness and my whole body warm with expectation.
“Well, I’d say Tessa is extremely stubborn and loyal too, so that could be either really good or really bad.” Winter scowled, looking befuddled.
“Great assessment,” Arie joked.
“Let’s quit freaking poor Tessa out,” Samantha said, finishing her steak. “It was already sweet of them to let us crash their evening. We should probably take off.”
I glanced at my friends’ plates and realized they’d already eaten everything while I still had most of my dinner left.
“It’s okay.” I shook my head. “You don’t have to.”
Winter and Arie stood. “No, I think we should. Besides, sounds like we should start packing.”
“Absolutely.” Maddox stood and nodded. “T will send the details tomorrow.”
“T?” Winter smirked. “You already have a nickname for her?”
I shot daggers in her direction, but I had to admit that I loved hearing him call me T. I’d never been called T before. It was always Tessa.
I stood up next to him, and he rested his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently as my friends came to hug us both and let themselves out. The moment I heard the cars drive away, I spun around and placed both hands on my hips.
“Okay, I’m all for surprises, and I totally get that I’m a rotten actor, but a trip away?” I shook my head. “My parents even know?”
“I thought it would be a nice gesture. I’ve been working tirelessly behind the scenes,” he teased.
I nodded, folding my arms over my chest. “A nice gesture, for sure. But is it too nice?”
“I thought we agreed your family needed to be there for the engagement?” He took a step forward.
“I suppose we did agree to that,” I nearly grunted. “But I just feel like I’m so out of the loop. Like, what are our boundaries? What lines don’t we cross? We never spoke about any of that.” I noticed the heat in his eyes, and my breath hitched. “Like that kiss.”
He bit his bottom lip, and all I could think about was being kissed again, so I dropped my gaze to the floor.
“I couldn’t even answer my friends’ questions like does he have a tattoo or—”
“The answer is yes,” he interrupted, touching my chin softly so our gazes met.
“I don’t even know where your office is, where your home’s located…” I drew a deep breath. “I’m starting to panic. I need to know personal things or I won’t be able to pull this off.” Turning away, I let out the air I’d been holding in. “And I don’t know what your expectations are or what lines we shouldn’t cross. It’s all becoming blurry.”
I couldn’t believe this had been my idea, and I was suddenly getting cold feet.
“Did I overstep my bounds?” he asked, sounding concerned. “If you weren’t comfortable with that kiss, I won’t—”
I shook my head, sliding my hands up my chest to my shoulders to relieve the tension that suddenly sprang up. “No. I liked the kiss. I mean, I think it was important to set the stage, play the part.”
“Even though your friends didn’t see it.” His eyes stayed fastened on mine.
“Right.” I laughed nervously. “Because we both know what a horrible actor I am, so if I believe the part then…”
“You’ll be a better actor,” he said, his voice low.
“Yeah.”
“And you need to be good at acting.” He closed the gap between us, sliding his arms around my waist.
“But boundaries.” I shook my head. “Do we need them?”
His eyes darkened, and his gaze fell to my mouth. “You tell me.”
The urge to kiss him or be kissed was uncontrollable.
“I…I don’t know.” The ache to be touched by Maddox was overtaking every ounce of logic I’d held so dearly.
But nothing about this escapade was logical. We were both adults trying to teach other adults a lesson in the most bizarre of circumstances, and I was falling into the part way too easily.
Clearly.
I had to remind myself that this was a part, a character to be played.
I popped up onto my tiptoes and looped my arms around his neck, feeling his hardness press into me, which only made lines blur even more, but I had to prove to myself that I could kiss him and leave him.
“I don’t know what lines not to cross with you,” I whispered, seeing the intensity in Maddox’s gaze deepen. “But I want to be kissed again.”
“Purely for research.” His lips curled slightly as he pulled me in tighter, the strength in his arms embracing me, his mouth touching down to mine. My world spiraled into a million different directions.
I wanted this kiss to be real, but I knew the ease of this encounter was only because it was pretend.
This wasn’t real life.
Life wasn’t easy.
Relationships weren’t meant to be easy.
But this wasn’t a relationship.
Yet, as he parted his lips, every emotion toying with me for days surged through me. He traced his tongue softly against my mouth, and it felt so good.
Our kiss deepening.
Maddox’s hands running down my spine.
My hands skimming his chest.
His gentle kiss turning hard, more demanding.
My world spinning into a complexity I didn’t understand.
I pulled away, blinking my eyes open as Maddox watched me.
A long exhale left his lips as he waited for me to say something.
It wasn’t possible. I knew it was illogical, but I realized that what I was feeling was real, and I didn’t know how to say it or stop it.
Chapter Eleven
Purely for the sake of research, I was driving off the ferry and into Seattle to stop by Maddox’s residence. If I were going to be surrounded by my friends and family all weekend, I needed to be able to play the part.
The first step was to see where this man spent his days and nights.
Maddox had left last night shortly after the kiss, and I’d been quite proud of myself for not succumbing to sleeping with him.
It was for the best.
That was what I’d been telling myself all day. I didn’t need to start practicing one-night stands. Although, I suppose if I kept sleeping with Maddox, it wouldn’t be a one-night stand any longer. Nevertheless, I was obviously confused. Even the walk to school this morning hadn’t helped to clear my mind.
In less than a week, I’d fallen for a man.
In a fake relationship.
Ugh. I wasn’t sure who was getting taught the lesson any longer.
Well, technically, we’d hit a week since the first encounter.
I could lie to myself and pretend I knew him in high school, and then I wouldn’t get the insta-love judgy types, but since the whole thing was an act, what did it matter?
All I cared about was how I’d make it through the next thirty days without falling head over heels in love with a man who checked every box and then some.
Or was that merely the fabricated Maddox?
I didn’t even know any longer.
As my phone’s GPS led the way to Maddox’s home, my stomach knotted at the thought of seeing him again. We’d planned to meet at his house tonight, and all I could think about was last night’s kiss. It was one thing to end the evening on my turf last night, but on his own grounds, I might just fall into the fantasy too much.
Maddox lived in some new high-rise in Belltown, which probably cost more a year in rent than I made. But good for him for doing so well, and he probably needed all the money he could earn with a brother like Morgan and a dog like Thistle.
Apparently, Maddox’s office was a short walk from the building he lived in, and he thought it would be easier to find parking at his residence, which then led to me wondering if we’d share a kiss again and whether we’d make it out of his apartment and to his office.
As the GPS led me to the front of his building, I quickly found parking just down the block and regrouped in the car for a couple of minutes since I was a little bit early.
The city was bustling as the workday ended and the restaurants and bars quickly filled. I looked up at the tall, graceful skyscraper he called home and wondered what it would be like to live in something so modern.
The building was called Starrivé, and I suppose if you could afford to live there, you had arrived. I locked my car and made my way to the front of the building where Maddox had been waiting.
Restaurants, cafes, and shops filled the bottom level, and the swank meter was off the charts. I was so used to my florals and pastels and beachy motifs that I wasn’t sure what to make of so much stone, angles, and leather. It was very…masculine.
“It’s good to see you.” He smiled and opened his arms and gave me a hug.
It felt like a friend hug versus a we’re dating hug, so that told me exactly what I needed to know. He was doing better at separating the two worlds than I was. Maddox knew how to act around me to pull out the romantic bits, and when we were discussing business or do
ing real research, there was no need for the fluff.
And I had been falling for the fluff.
“You okay?” he asked, lowering his voice as we parted.
“Oh, yeah. Totally.” I glanced around. “This place is cool.”
He led me around, explaining that the first eleven floors were a boutique hotel but shared the amenities with the leaseholders and how he worked so much, he didn’t even know what they were.
I noticed several attractive women near the elevators that we headed toward, and I glanced away, even though they were eying Maddox. It wouldn’t be too hard for Maddox to find someone. Gorgeous women were crawling all over this complex.
As we stepped inside the elevator, Maddox looked over at me. “What? Why are you smiling? You look like you’re onto something.”
I chuckled and waited for the doors to close. “I honestly can’t believe how many good-looking females all seem to congregate in one spot. Now I know why you live here.”
Maddox’s laughter filled the tiny space, and he took a step closer as the elevator began to ascend.
“None are as gorgeous as you.” His eyes fell to my mouth, and I pushed a lump out of my throat so I could speak.
“I doubt that, but thank you.” I smiled wider, feeling the heat rolling off his body. “I’m just surprised you’re single. That’s all.”
He shook his head and drew a deep breath as the elevator came to a stop. “It’s not easy to find someone to love forever.”
I bit my lip and glanced at the doors opening. “I suppose not.”
Maddox slipped his hand over mine and tugged me gently off the elevator. “I won’t bite. I promise.”
I laughed and followed as we walked to his door. Maddox’s locks were keyless, and he effortlessly opened the door to reveal a beautiful view directly at the end of the foyer hall.
“Wow,” I muttered. “That’s an incredible view.”
Puget Sound rippled in the distance and pink and tangerine filled the sky as night tempted day.
Thistle came bounding and sliding along the floor as she ran to greet Maddox and check out the new female. I could see why Maddox fell for her. She was a bit straggly with endearing eyes and a personality to make up for it all. She kind of reminded me of myself, but I wasn’t sure about the personality part.
Mr. Mistake: A Fake Marriage Romance (Mr. Mistake Series Book 1) Page 11