by R. J. Groves
Emily shook her head from side to side. “I knew it,” she said. “Why didn’t you just bring the guy you were telling Mum and Patricia about?”
“Because he doesn’t exist,” she admitted, grimacing. “I made it all up to get them off my case about being single.”
Emily laughed. “Why didn’t you just start chain dating like Marcus? That would have stopped them criticising you for being single.”
Lacey scoffed. “And give them something else to dig at me about? I don’t think so.” She handed another plate to Emily to dry.
“All, right, so what’s your plan? Are you going to marry this guy, keep the façade going a little longer and fess up when you’ve got four kids?”
“Two kids,” Lacey corrected. “I only want two kids—a girl first, then a boy.” Emily’s eyes widened. “But to answer your question, we’ll break up after the weekend. I’ll say it just wasn’t working out.” She chuckled. “At least it wouldn’t be too unbelievable if everyone else could see what you did. Just don’t tell anyone, please.”
Emily pulled her into a hug—as much as she could with Lacey’s hands still in the water, at least. “Don’t worry, I won’t ruin it for you.”
“Thanks, Em.”
“But if you want my opinion,” Emily said, nudging her shoulder against Lacey’s. “He does seem like a good guy. And he’s hot. It’s really a bit of a shame you don’t date your work colleagues.”
Lacey poked her tongue out, splashing some dishwater on Emily in fun. But her heart still wasn’t really in it, Emily’s words ringing in her ear. Maybe it was a bit of a shame. But there’d be no way Adam would even be remotely interested in her after the weekend. She’d known him for three years—the whole time she’d been working at the company. And sure, he’d made his sly comments like calling her sweetheart, but they’d always been professional. She was sure it was only because he knew he annoyed her.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts, focussing on washing the dishes. She couldn’t let herself even entertain the idea—she was romanticising, nothing else. Seeing him with her family—getting along with them and caring for them—it stirred something in her. But he was just playing the part. And she had to play hers.
΅ ΅ ΅
Lacey and Adam stood at the end of the bed—the big, double, only-one-in-the-room bed—and stared at it. She hadn’t thought about how this part was going to play out. Sharing a room wasn’t exactly in the job description for her fake boyfriend and, honestly, she’d somehow stupidly thought she was still going to sleep alone. But then, she couldn’t exactly ask him to sleep on the couch and it would certainly be rude to ask him to sleep on the floor. Adam dropped their bags beside them and kicked his shoes off.
“You didn’t tell them we hadn’t reached this part of the relationship yet?” he teased.
Lacey sat on the end of the bed and took her own shoes off. “We’ve been together for a year,” she mumbled.
“Oh, so we have reached that part of the relationship, then.”
He took his shirt off and slid his trousers down, leaving only his boxers on. Lacey felt a flush of heat coursing through her body as she tried to divert her gaze, which turned out to be a more difficult task than she thought. God, he was solid. She’d always seen him dressed businesslike. She’d never thought that he might have been hiding a freaking six-pack and muscles that looked like they’d almost be bullet-proof. Not to mention the b…
“Well, I’d keep playing the part, but I’m pretty sure no one’s watching us. And I think I’ve, ahh, got a headache coming on.” He slid into the bed and lay with his back towards her.
Lacey smiled at his comment, as ridiculous as it was, and slipped into her pyjamas as quickly as she could, sliding into the other side of the bed and placing a wall of pillows between them. If they were going to have to share the bed, she wasn’t going to make it easy for him to make any advances. Though, whether it was his advances or hers she was trying to prevent, she couldn’t be sure. She stared at the ceiling for a few moments, contemplating on how the day went. Today was just the warm-up. Tomorrow was the party where they would really have to be convincing. After that, they could go home and put this whole thing behind them.
“Adam?” she whispered.
“Mmm?”
“Thank you.”
He rolled onto his back and turned his head to face her, pressing down on the pillow wall with his arm. “What for?”
“For all of this,” she said, twisting her hands together. “For pretending to be my boyfriend in front of my family, and for dealing with all those questions so well. I really am grateful.”
He smiled a real, sincere smile that sent a flutter to her chest and a blush to her cheeks. “That’s what our deal was, right?”
She felt the flutter in her chest flatten. Of course, she knew that it was a deal. She would be illustrating his book and bringing him coffee for the next two months just because he’s doing this. If anything, it was her own fault for even asking him to play the part. She could have brought Bill from IT. But she didn’t. She brought Adam knowing that he’d hold true to their deal. She shouldn’t be disappointed about it.
“Right,” she said, hoping that she didn’t sound the same as she felt.
“Goodnight, sweetheart,” he said—the same way he’d said it in the elevator the day before.
He rolled over again, his back towards her and, in a few moments, his breathing was slow and steady. But Lacey felt as though she had no chance of getting any sleep. Not like this.
“Goodnight, Adam.”
Chapter 5
Lacey’s eyes fluttered open with the strange feeling someone was watching her. It took her a moment to gather her bearings and remember where she was—her childhood room. She furrowed her brow, trying to remember which part of the day before was a dream and which part actually happened. If she could, she’d very much like to slap dream Lacey for deciding it was even remotely sensible to bring Adam home with her. She rolled onto her back, stretching as she did, and startling when she felt movement next to her.
“Morning, sweetheart.”
Her eyes shot towards the deep voice and found Adam sitting on the bed next to her, leaning against the headboard. Oh, that’s right—that part was real. The very inappropriate things they got up to after going to bed was a dream. She hoped. The side of the bed that he slept on was made, the pillows she’d made a wall of were behind his back. He was dressed and smelled fresh, of citrus and musk and something uniquely him. She cleared her throat in an attempt to get rid of that morning croak.
“Were you watching me?” She propped herself up onto her elbows and rubbed her eyes.
“Only when you started mumbling my name,” he said, his eyes flashing.
Oh, no. Her eyes widened, and she flopped back onto the bed, pulling her pillow over her face. “Oh, God,” she groaned.
“Mmm, no, it was a little bit sexier.” He switched to a high-pitched breathy tone. “Oh, Adam, don’t stop!”
She grabbed the pillow that was on her face and whacked him with it. “It’s. Not. Funny!” she said, hitting him with the pillow on every word.
“You’re right, it’s hilarious,” he teased, stealing the pillow, and putting it behind his back with the others. “But it’s all right, I won’t tell anyone. Or maybe I should. It might help our case.”
“Don’t you dare,” she warned.
He nudged his shoulder against her. “Relax, I’m just kidding.”
She rolled out of bed and got her clothes to change into, deciding a shower was well deserved after such an embarrassing awakening. As her hand touched the doorknob to leave the room, Adam’s voice stopped her, surprising her by sounding so close.
“Lacey?”
She turned, pressing her back against the door as she discovered why he sounded so close—because he was standing only inches away from her. She couldn’t find her voice to say anything, so she just looked up at him, her eyes questioning. She could feel the he
at of his body reaching her through the narrow space between them, and his eyes were searching hers.
“You’re welcome,” he said. Her brows furrowed. “What you said last night. I’m actually kind of enjoying being here and I’m really jealous of you for having such a great family. It’s nice. My family isn’t like yours—they’re all too busy chasing their careers to focus on whether or not I’m dating.”
His hands squeezed her shoulders gently and she wondered when he’d even started touching her. But she didn’t really care. All she cared about right now was how even just his closeness had her mind frazzled, her breath catching, and her hairs standing on end. How his intense eyes searching hers made something stir inside her that she’d never felt before—a warmth radiating from her core and forming goosebumps on her skin.
“Oh.”
It was more a breath than a word. How could she be expected to know what to say when he was standing so close to her she could feel his breath mingling with hers? She watched as he swallowed, his jaw set, something flashing through his eyes as though he were fighting an internal battle. She wondered if it was the same battle she was fighting. Then, as though the last few moments hadn’t happened, that mischievous look returned to his face.
“So, how was I?”
Just in case she wasn’t already feeling confused enough. “What?”
“Well, dream Adam,” he said, scrunching his nose, his lips curving into a grin. “Was he good?”
Oh, God. She was never going to live this down. She pressed her hand flat against his chest, feeling that stirring inside her as she felt his solid muscles beneath the fabric—begging to be let out—and gently pushed him a few steps back, opening the door as she did.
“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” she said, making sure her tone was laced with flirting.
He shook his head slowly, his grin widening. “You little minx,” he said, his expression almost … proud.
“And you,” she said, winking at him as she moved through the doorway. “Are still an asshole.”
As she closed the door behind her, she could hear him laughing—a rich, amused laugh that made her stomach flip even more than it already had. She rested her back against the closed door for a moment. Part of her told her she should try to shake the smile that was spreading on her face—he annoyed her, always had. The other part of her told her to let the smile shine because he put it on her face. She’d never liked his jokes or his teasing before. But now, for some reason she couldn’t find words to explain, she was actually starting to … enjoy … them.
She knew she had to be romanticising. She knew she was probably reading more into it than there was. But maybe there could be something between them. Something that had possibly always been there, and they just hadn’t noticed. Something that, if watered and nurtured, could blossom into something beautiful.
Maybe.
΅ ΅ ΅
Lacey’s shower did wonders for straightening out her thoughts and regaining control of herself. Sure, she may have put on an extra spray of her favourite perfume and given a little bit more attention to putting her makeup on than she usually would. And she may have tried various styles for her hair before settling on her usual—dead-straight, dyed-red hair only seemed to suit the shape of her face in a few styles, left out with one side clipped up being one of them. But she was in control—totally in control—and she couldn’t let herself lose it like she almost did before.
Adam wasn’t in the bedroom when she returned to put her pyjamas away, but he was in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal while he leaned back against the countertop. Two cups of coffee sat on the bench, and he had a little dribble of milk on the corner of his lips. She fought the urge to wipe it away, relieved that he did it himself once he saw her. He indicated towards the cups.
“Since you’ll be bringing me a coffee every morning for the next two months, I figured I may as well make you one on your last day of freedom.”
Lacey scoffed, picking up the cup closest to her and taking a sip. Damn—he made good coffee. “See, I don’t see how that’s the same,” she teased. Wait, when had she become a tease? “Especially since you made this using my parent’s coffee and I’ll be buying coffee from the café down the street from work for you.”
His grin widened, his eyes playful. “Well it is what we agreed on,” he said. “But maybe I’ll broaden our options and buy a coffee for you sometime, too. Maybe even a slice, if you’re lucky.”
She tilted her head to the side. Was he asking what she thought he was? “Like a—”
“Oh, you guys are finally awake,” Emily said, barging into the kitchen with about five or six shopping bags in her hands.
Adam held Lacey’s gaze for a few seconds before refocussing on his cereal. She could have sworn those few seconds said more than he might have been able to, if Emily hadn’t interrupted. But she knew one thing for certain—she wasn’t the only one who was getting these feelings. Well, she didn’t think she was. She’d never been good at reading signs or knowing when a guy was into her, but she was about seventy percent sure he was. Possibly. She took another sip of her coffee, training her gaze towards Emily who was starting to pile the shopping on the bench.
“I thought you didn’t need help setting up the party.” Lacey narrowed her eyes.
“We don’t,” Emily said, simply. “Mum’s already done the baking and we had both David and Marcus around earlier to help with the lifting. Marcus had to go though, saying something about getting ready with his date.”
Emily rolled her eyes and Lacey smiled. She was sure she heard a scoff come from Adam, but when she glanced over at him, he just shrugged, a smile on his face. While Lacey was the person in the family who was perpetually single, Marcus was the one who was perpetually dating. They were both probably equally as bad as each other.
“What I do need your help with is the boys.”
“All right, what do you want us to do?” She hadn’t realised until she felt Adam’s gaze on her that she’d included him in her statement. Playing the part was starting to get a bit too easy for her.
“I need you to take them to the park for an hour or so to get them out of the way while we decorate.” Emily’s expression was almost begging. “Jack’s just been undoing all of my work so far.”
Jack was their youngest at four years old, Aidan was seven. Lacey never really knew how to connect with young boys very well, and she never saw them often enough to really bond with them greatly. She glanced over at Adam and he shrugged. Hopefully, he would at least know how to entertain boys. It shouldn’t be too hard, right?
΅ ΅ ΅
Lacey and Adam walked side by side, Aidan and Jack running on ahead with a football. She still couldn’t believe how quickly Emily had ushered them out of the house—she barely even had time to grab a slice of bread to eat for breakfast. She focussed on each step she took, glancing up at the boys as they started chasing each other on the grass, until they came to a park bench close enough to the boys to keep an eye on them.
She sat down, and Adam sat next to her, stretching his arm across the back of the seat. She could feel the heat of his body scorching the few inches between them and reaching her like a wildfire. And she felt the touch of his fingertips tracing between her shoulders, awakening every cell in her body. It made her heart quicken and her breaths shallow, but she kept her focus on the boys.
“You know that we don’t have to play the part here, right?” she said, wishing that she hadn’t said anything at all.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Lacey,” he said. “Kids talk—especially about what aunt Lacey gets up to.”
“I guess you’re right,” she muttered, relieved that he hadn’t moved his arm away from her. To be honest, she was actually enjoying it. Even if it wasn’t real.
He scanned the park around them and Lacey followed suit. There was a playground in the corner and a barbeque area next to it. A wide, grassy area was in the middle, with scattered weeping willows skirting the r
emaining three sides. Under some of the trees, she could see some people sitting, laying, relaxing. Some by themselves, some together. She remembered sitting under some of those trees growing up—studying, reading, sleeping. It was a quiet park, secluded, and no one ever bothered you.
“You know, if I was really your boyfriend, I’d bring you on a date here.”
Lacey let his words process for a second then looked up at him. His eyes were trained on her. Not on their surroundings like she’d expected they still were. Not on the boys. On her. She could feel it—he could see her, right down to her core. She was an open book, despite always building walls to protect her heart, and focussing on her career so that she wouldn’t get caught up, moving from one bad relationship to another. And he was reading her. He tucked some stray hairs behind her ear with his free hand and let his fingers linger against her cheek, shooting another pulse of electricity to her core.
“Maybe we would get a coffee and a cake from the bakery and bring it here—have a bit of a picnic.” He traced her jawline with his thumb until he reached her chin. “Or do our own thing.”
His face was only inches from hers. She could feel his breath mingling with hers and the intensity in his eyes had her forgetting everything around them. There was just them—Lacey and Adam. He wasn’t joking or playing some game. He was serious. She felt her breath catch in her chest as his lips nudged closer to hers. There would be no going back from this. What happened between them couldn’t be undone if they acted on it. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to take that step, even though her body was acting against all rational thought.
“Lacey,” he whispered.
His lips hovered no more than a centimetre away from hers but, before they could touch, a football landed on her lap and the voices of two young boys rung in her ears.
“Lacey and Adam sitting in a tree…”
She dropped her gaze to the ball, pulling away from him, the boys continuing to sing their song and dance around each other. When she glanced back up at Adam, he was staring at the ground in front of them, his body tense. Had the interruption been a good thing?