Fake-Dating The Single Dad (Gems 0f Love Book 3)

by Agnes Canestri

  Sometimes in his unguarded gestures, when he stroked her cheek or squeezed her hand, she thought she saw a grain of truth, but it was most likely wishful thinking.

  She stood and picked up her bag. As she walked toward the guest bedroom, Marcia stopped her.

  The housekeeper held a broom and a bucket full of soapy water. “What do you think you’re doing?” She pointed at Ginny’s bag with an accusing glare.

  Ginny’s brows lifted. “What do you mean? I want to finish unpacking.”

  Marcia shook her head while she waved toward the guest bedroom. “Not in here.” Her index finger moved to the room where Nick’s luggage was stored. “There. That’s the Sir’s bedroom.”

  Ginny stifled a snort. Was Marcia for real? She couldn’t believe she and Nick were going to sleep together, could she? It was a fake arrangement, not an actual engagement.

  “I don’t think so. I’m sure Nick would agree with me.”

  Marcia chuckled. “Sir instructed me only to clean one bedroom and the child room. He seems to be with me on this.”

  Ginny hugged herself, her temples suddenly throbbing.

  Was it Nick’s idea? Besides a few innocent touches, he hadn’t put her in another practice situation yet, and she was glad for it.

  Being called honey or darling from his mouth stirred enough emotions in her. She didn’t need his muscular body next to hers in one bed to remind her how thin of a line she was walking with this hoax.

  Maria arched her brows, watching Ginny’s face. Then slowly, a smug smirk spread on her lips. “Oh, meu Deus, I know this look. Miss Ginny, you like Sir, don’t you?”

  Ginny jerked back like she’d been stung by a bee.

  She shook her head. “No, no. No. Why would you even think such an absurdity? Just because I don’t feel like sharing a bed with him?”

  Maria bounced her head from left to right. “Yeah, that. And also that crimson color your cheeks acquired when you spoke about not wanting to do it. And the triple negation of your interest. All signs, those. And Marcia can read them.”

  Ginny’s throat constricted. Was Marcia right?

  Ginny knew Nick made her nervous and also swoon-y in a very untypical way. His hazel eyes woke questions in her she had never contemplated before. The memory of his lips kept her awake at night. But it was probably only a strong physical attraction. Nothing to do with any words starting with L—not like and certainly not that other one.

  Ginny smacked her lips. “Well, Marcia is wrong this time. I don’t like Nick. I mean, I do as a person but not as a man. He’s handsome I admit but…”

  Oh, darn it. Her words were taking a life of their own. She paused and inhaled. “Anyways, what I want to say is that I agreed to help him, but it doesn’t mean that all ramifications of our deal will be fine with me. But,” she stepped to the door of the room where Nick’s bed stood, “I’m over it now. I’ll unpack my stuff here then.”

  Marcia giggled. “Very well, Miss Ginny. I leave you to it. I’ve set the bed with one large blanket, as we don’t have two singles fitting the frame. Hope that is fine.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  One blanket?

  Did Marcia mean she would need to snuggle under the same cover as Nick? No, she was going to sleep…her eyes darted to a large armchair by the window. Yes, that would do.

  She turned to Marcia, flashing her a smile. “Perfect.” She fetched her bag and put it on the bed.

  After almost twenty minutes of restless unpacking, she’d organized her clothes and Nick’s. It was hard not to lift each of his T-shirts and sniff at them, but she’d managed to keep her urge under control. Was it the right thing emptying his luggage too? She wasn’t his real girlfriend, after all.

  No, but she was still a paid staff member. She could very well please Nick with this small gesture.

  She took out her bathing suit and put it on. When she had left her house, she’d chosen a one-piece, thinking that if she ever took Jacob to the swimming pool, it would be the best choice. It had still a pretty bold cut though, and the teal color played up the shade of her eyes. Or so Giada had sold it to her when they’d gone shopping last year.

  She threw a short flowery beach dress on top, slipped into her flip-flops, and hurried to the door.

  She walked around the large patio to get to the road leading to the beach. As soon as she reached the smooth sand, she took off her slippers and walked barefoot.

  Jacob and Nick were building a castle. It was already well underway. Four robust towers rose proudly toward the sky, and a few tunnels surrounded the thick walls they’d decorated with shells.

  When Jacob noticed Ginny, he sprang up and ran to her. He grabbed her hand and dragged her towards their creation. “Ginny, come, you need to see what we did. It’ll be a base for Jeeg. He can do his transformations from here, see, and there we make the laboratory for Professor Shiba and Miwa Uzuki.”

  Nick glanced up, and Ginny’s breath caught.

  He looked like a sun cream model, with his flexed arms leaning on the sand and his hair sparkling in the afternoon light. “Who is Miwa Uzuki, Jacob?”

  Jacob exhaled sharply. “Oh, Dad, I told you already. She’s Professor Shiba’s assistant and helps Hiroshi turn into Steel Jeeg. She also secretly loves Hiroshi.”

  Nick sat back on his heels, tapping one hand on his forehead. “Ah, I see. Sorry, buddy, my bad. I’ll keep better track.”

  As his sandy hands brushed his skin, some dirt stuck to his cheek. Ginny bent over and skimmed her fingers on his face to clean it.

  His pupils dilated as he peered up at her. “Thanks.” His voice was throaty and rough.

  Her heart skipped a few beats as his baritone infiltrated her bones, turning them into a squishy jumble. “No problem,” she murmured.

  Jacob giggled.

  Nick snapped his head to his son. “What’s so funny?”

  The boy pointed his finger at them. “You two. You look like those couples in the chocolate commercials. It’s cute. I like it.”

  Ginny felt a heat rush over her at his words. Nick and she were only a fake couple, but sharing these moments of intimacy made her want it to be more than that.

  She quickly straightened up and waved toward the two sun-beds further away under an umbrella. “I’ll go and lie down a moment if that’s okay.”

  Without waiting for an answer, she marched away.

  Chapter 16

  Nick watched from the corner of his eyes how Ginny took off her dress. His chest fluttered at the sight of her lean figure in the sexy one-piece. He hadn’t realized she had such a killer figure.

  “Dad, dad? Can I or not?” Jacob’s insistent voice snapped him out of his spying.

  His glance flicked to his son’s hopeful puppy eyes. “What did you ask, sorry?”

  Jacob pointed to their left, where the neighbors’ private beach started. A young girl was waving toward them.

  “That’s Linda, remember? Last time you let me go play with her. She has got gigantic dinosaurs, and one even spits water. Can I go over again? Can I, Daddy?”

  Linda’s mother—Elenor if he recalled her name correctly—stepped close to her daughter and gave Nick a thumbs up as if to indicate that she’d watch out for the kids.

  Fine, why not? At least he could go stay a bit with Ginny. Ever since she’d settled on that sunbed, he’d been ogling her anyways.

  He patted Jacob’s head. “Okay, off you go. But be back for dinner, okay? Marcia’s making fries and nuggets, just for you.”

  A happy smile lit up Jacob’s face. “Thanks, Dad.” He gathered his toys into his bucket, grabbed his robot, and sprinted with loud squeaks toward Linda.

  Nick stared behind him with a sigh. Jacob was always glad when they came to this vacation house, but this time, his son seemed ecstatic. He couldn’t stop blabbering about how Ginny and he should get married, using the Jeeg Robot theme song, and that he could finally invite his school friends over because now he also had a mommy.

  The bad thin
g was he couldn’t blame his son for any of it. Ginny was kind, funny, and very affectionate. Her comments were smart, and her spirit quick. Yes, Nick could totally see why Jacob was so much in love with Ginny.

  Nerves hovered in his belly at this thought.

  Were those startling feelings back again? How could he silence them once and for all?

  Nick’s eyes drifted over to Ginny. He watched her bosom heave as she lay motionless on the bed, and sweet desire tingled inside him. Okay, seeing her half naked was probably the worst medication for his growing interest. Best if he went for a dip. The ocean was bound to cool him off.

  He straightened and walked to the waves. The water felt icy on his hot skin, but he welcomed the sensation. It distracted him from his pounding ribcage.

  He immersed his entire body and swam a few laps toward the depth. When his breath became short, he popped his head up and turned toward the shore.

  In the distance, Jacob’s happy laughter could be heard. His son was playing a splashing game with Linda and apparently having fun.

  Nick’s eyes moved toward his house to search for Ginny. She was nowhere to be found.

  The sunbed lay empty. Where had she gone?

  A heavy spattering behind his back made him turn. Ginny emerged from the water, giggling like a girl. “Oh, Gosh, you should see your face. Did I scare you?”

  Nick let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Well, yes. I was just looking for you. How did you sneak up on me like this? Are you a mermaid or something?”

  Wet drops rolled down Ginny’s cheeks, and her eyes blended in with the sparkling blue of the ocean. She looked in her element. But as his eyes wandered to her delicate neckline and full lips, he wondered whether a tempting siren would be a more adequate choice of words.

  Ginny chuckled. “No, as you can see”—she raised one foot above the surface—“I’m still human. I just love to swim. But I’m not nearly as good as the boys in my family.”

  Nick slid closer to her. “I believe you, but I bet they don’t look half as good in the water as you do.”

  Ginny’s cheeks, despite the chilly temperature of the water, darkened.

  Nick couldn’t help it, his heart beat faster.

  It was a terrible idea to flirt with Ginny while they were away from the watchful eyes of others. Already those little intimate interactions that he kept up for Jacob’s sake were testing the limit of Nick’s self-control. Each time he brushed against her cheek with his lips, the impulse to cup her face and taste her lips rose in him.

  So why was he acting this unruly?

  Deep down, a voice told him it was because he wanted to see what Ginny’s reaction would be. He wanted to test and see whether he had an effect on her when she wasn’t pretending.

  He reached for her hand. “I think my neighbors and Jacob are watching us. Let’s act more like a couple, shall we?”

  Before Ginny could protest, he hauled her into his arms and twirled her in the water. First, she stiffened, but then her body relaxed. She threw back her head and laughed, with a sound so enchanting that Nick couldn’t resist joining in.

  They made a few turns, splashing water in all directions.

  “Stop! Stoo-oop.” Ginny panted between giggles. “I’m getting all dizzy.”

  Nick slowed and put her down. She still had her arms snaked around his neck, and she didn’t draw them back.

  She stared straight into his eyes with an unreadable expression on her face. “Are they still watching us, you think?”

  Nick swallowed twice before answering. Her flesh pressed against his was messing with his voice. “Uhm, they might be.”

  A small smile played on Ginny’s lower lip, and she tilted her head to the right. “Well, then…” She leaned closer to him.

  Her nose brushed against Nick’s cheek, and her breath was on his lips. “Let me just make sure they know we’re together,” she whispered and planted a quick, light peck on his mouth.

  She drew back immediately, as if his lips had burned hers and snapped her head to the side. Her eyes scanned the beach and stayed fixed on Jacob and Linda. “Anyways, it’s only the kids, so no need for more PG13 stuff.” She let her arms fall and floated back.

  Though her gesture had been short and airy, the chain reaction it started in Nick’s soul was destructive. He had wanted to see how she would react to him when she wasn’t pretending. Now it was probably him who looked like a tsunami just swept over him.

  “Yes, you’re right,” he managed to utter.

  Could his voice come out any hoarser? He cleared his throat and tried again. “Wanna get out and dry off? Dinner will be ready shortly.” Not much better, but at least a tiny bit less husky.

  Ginny nodded eagerly. She either must be freezing to be so happy about his proposition or she felt just at uneasy as he did after his bravado of tempting her.

  “Shall we race to the shore?” she asked with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

  Nick’s heart almost stopped at the sight of her. She looked sexy when she was throwing challenges. “Okay, the one who wins decides what we do tomorrow.”

  “Deal. Get ready to lose,” she replied and launched herself into the water.

  Nick followed with fast laps, but he knew he didn’t stand a chance. Ginny swam like a real water nymph.

  He reached her as she stepped out of the waves, shaking her long dark tresses.

  When she noticed him, she gave a small triumphant jump. “Yes, so it’s my call what we’ll do, right?”

  Nick nodded. “Yes, I’m fully yours.”

  Jeez, this came out again a bit ambiguously. Despite making a living out of his words, he wasn’t showing off his verbal skills lately. Why did his brain have to act out when he was close to Ginny?

  Her eyebrows shot up for a second, but then she smiled. “Good.”

  “Daddy, Ginny!”

  Jacob was running toward them, followed by his friend.

  They turned to greet the kids.

  Jacob sprinted to Ginny and grabbed her hand. While glancing at Linda, he huffed, “You see, she’s Ginny.”

  The little girl smiled. “Hi, Ginny! I’m Linda.”

  Ginny beamed at her. “The pleasure is mine, Linda.”

  Nick glanced at his watch. It was almost dinner time. “Kids, we should get inside and shower. Jacob, you know how Marcia gets when we’re late for her food.”

  Jacob sighed. “Yeah,” then he mouthed to Linda, Ask them.

  Linda tugged at her sun protection shirt. “Mr. Peterson, can Jacob come tomorrow to the Wonderland amusement park? My parents are taking me. It would be more fun with Jacob.”

  Nick shook his head. “I’m not sure. I promised Ginny she could pick tomorrow’s plans for our family.”

  Jacob rolled his eyes. “Oh, Dad, Linda means only me. You and Ginny can make another trip. I’d be back for dinner.”

  Nick’s jaw dropped, and his eyes flicked to his son. Wasn’t a five-year-old too young to go on events alone? But then his glance moved to Linda’s pleading eyes. After all, he knew Elenor and her husband; if they were okay with his son tagging along, then he should be too.

  “Is your mother fine with this arrangement, Linda?” he asked the little girl.

  Linda nodded. “Yes. She told me to ask. She says you and Ginny need some alone time since you’re getting married soon.”

  Nick narrowed his eyes at his son. Ah, so Jacob had been gossiping and exaggerating. Then the meaning of Linda’s words dawned on him. If Jacob spent the entire day with Linda’s family, then he would have a full day alone with Ginny.

  His heart gave a few erratic thumps.

  He massaged his neck to ease the tension building up at the thought of how he’d keep himself in check if Jacob wasn’t around. He didn’t want to act out again with Ginny. She’d been more than generous for accepting to help him. He couldn’t abuse his good fortune.

  “Dad? Can I go, please?” Jacob begged, pulling on Nick’s elbow.

  �
��Of course, you can.” It was Ginny who answered. “I’ll plan something fun for your dad so he won’t miss you too much.”

  Jacob hugged Ginny. “Thanks, Ginny, you’re the best.”

  Linda clapped her hands. “I’ll go and tell Mommy the good news. See you, Jacob.”

  Linda sprinted back to her parents.

  Jacob took Ginny’s hand and pulled her toward the house. “C’mon, I’m hungry.”

  Ginny flashed a short questioning glance at Nick. Did she want to know if he minded how she’d overstepped him?

  Nick smiled and shook his head. It was hard to resist the eagerness his son showed at the prospect of spending his day riding roller coasters.

  Ginny seemed relieved and smiled back. Then she let herself be dragged away by a happily chatting Jacob.

  Nick stayed behind, staring at his son and Ginny walking hand-in-hand in the golden sand. Inspiration flickered in his mind. It wouldn’t be hard to add a happier ending to his novel. Maybe Diamond Heart deserved such a treat, after all?

  He lifted his hands and tapped on both sides of his temples.

  What was happening to him? Maybe this fake relationship with Ginny was unnerving him more than he’d planned.

  He needed to stick to what was real—in his books and in his life. And that was the upcoming hearing and getting full custody of Jacob.

  He scoffed and walked to the house, clutching his hands into balls.

  Chapter 17

  Ginny splashed water on her face and dried it in the towel. Mhmm, it smelled a bit like the soap that Nick used, lavender and lemon zest.

  She removed it hastily from her cheeks and hung it back on the rack. The last thing she needed was to send her senses into haywire before entering their bedroom.

  Their bedroom.

  A lump formed in Ginny’s throat, and she gulped. It wasn’t theirs, it was Nick’s. She just had to sleep there because of this stupid challenge Marcia had thrown at her. Ginny had to prove that she didn’t have feelings for Nick and that spending the night in a room with him wasn’t going to affect her.