[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  For the first time, Megan allowed the guilt to subside. And while she stood in the kitchen, wrapped in Adam’s warm embrace, she finally felt at peace.

  Chapter 19

  Megan stepped back, suddenly embarrassed to be so close to Adam while wearing her silky robe and pajamas. She hadn’t meant to cling to him like Saran Wrap. She raked a shaky hand through her hair. Changing the subject would be good. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “What was your earliest betrayal?”

  Emotion played across his face, and he swallowed. He seemed to search for words for a moment. “Well, Mom leaving us, but I was too young to understand that. Later, I had a foster brother in one of my placements, Nathan. Something wasn’t quite right with the kid. I think his parents thought having another child around would be good for him.”

  She nodded, silently encouraging him to go on.

  “He acted like my friend, at first. He had a huge collection of Hot Wheels, and we’d spend hours playing with them on the basement carpet. The family had a pet dog. Beautiful collie named Butch. I loved that dog. I think Nate was jealous. One day I came home from school and Butch was lying on the front porch. At first I thought he was sleeping, but as I approached I saw blood. He’d been stabbed. A lot.”

  Her stomach lurched, and her hand flew to her mouth, covering a gasp. “Nate did that?”

  “Yes. They moved me to another family after that.”

  “I’d hope so.”

  “Last I heard, Nate was in jail for armed robbery.”

  She nodded, unsure of what to say. “Wow.” She’d known he’d had a rough childhood, being ripped away from his father and put into foster care, but she’d had no idea it was that bad. What a traumatic event. The thought jumped in her head to pull him close, but she pushed it away. Instead, she put her hand over his.

  He slid his other hand over hers, and squeezed. An unspoken communication passed between them. It was as if he understood why she was holding back, and accepted it. They stood for a few seconds, a feeling Megan couldn’t quite place coming over her. After a moment, Adam pulled his hand back.

  “Okay. Your turn. Most painful childhood memory. Can’t be scraping your knees.”

  “You’re right. All my painful memories have to do with my mother. She’s the one with the temper in our family.”

  “Did she hit you?” he asked, quietly.

  Megan shook her head. “No. But she threw things. Screamed at me. Told me I was no good. I wasn’t really thinking of a single incident. Life was better when she was at work, which was a lot of the time, so I was glad for that.”

  “And your dad?” His tone was soft. Understanding.

  “He always smoothed things out between Mom and me. We had a good relationship.” She blinked back sudden tears. “I miss him.”

  “You don’t get to see him much?”

  She shook her head. “No.” She could have gone into greater detail, but left it at that. With her mother being the way she was, it was difficult to spend time with her father. She forced a smile. “Okay, what about your biggest fear? It’s definitely not losing me.”

  He chuckled, and she realized she liked the sound. It rumbled in his chest, making her pulse jump. “What, you don’t think I care about you?”

  She smirked at him. “You weren’t thinking that, and you know it. Come on, spill.”

  “All right. My biggest fear is probably having Leon make a mockery of my father on national television.” A smile formed on his lips, and he put his arm on her back, sending warmth and tingles through her. “But don’t sell yourself short. You’ve grown on me. I mean, I’m going to propose soon, you know.”

  She froze, the warmth she’d felt a moment ago turning cold. Of course, she knew he was only doing it for the show. And it wasn’t real. But the thought of him proposing sent shivers through her anyway. “When?” she asked, her voice breathy.

  A devilish look gleamed in his eye. “Now, I can’t tell you that. It has to be a surprise.” He moved closer to her, bending low. She couldn’t take her eyes off his lips. Why did she have this sudden urge to kiss him? The pull was almost overwhelming.

  She glanced away to break the spell. “Well, I guess I’d better head to bed. I’ve got a date with Luc in the morning.”

  “Ah, poor man,” Adam said in a bad French accent. “He will lose at this game of love.”

  She tried not to laugh, but a giggle escaped anyway. “You shouldn’t try to speak in an accent. You might hurt yourself.”

  His grin widened. “Or maybe it’s just too sexy.”

  She poked him in the side. “You better get to bed. You’re delusional from lack of sleep.” As she left the room, she heard him chuckle.

  Chapter 20

  The next three days were spent going on outings with Luc, Anthony and Adam. Every interview with Doctor Lemon grew tenser, with the fake doctor pushing Megan to admit she was in love with Adam. No matter how many times she told herself it was only a television show and she’d signed a contract and she needed to say the words, she still couldn’t force them through her lips.

  While she readied for another date with Adam, she blew out a frustrated breath. It wasn’t like she didn’t feel anything for him. She did. Too much, really. He didn’t love her. He was acting, so why did she get butterflies every time she saw him? And why couldn’t she just do some acting of her own? Tell Doctor Lemon she loved him?

  The answer hit her like a sucker punch. She couldn’t say it because she was afraid it was true. Saying it would only re-affirm what she feared. She had fallen in love with Adam. Would Doctor Lemon be able to see it?

  She shook her head, not believing what was going through her mind. Doctor Lemon was a fake! She wouldn’t know a relationship from a monkey’s rear end. Of all the things she should be worrying about, Doctor Lemon finding out she was really in love with Adam was not one of them.

  She slipped into her sun dress and sandals, and finished applying her makeup. The stupid fake doctor was going to get what she wanted in this after-date interview. She’d confess her love for Adam. They were paying her a hundred thousand dollars. She had to go along with it, right? No one needed to know her true feelings.

  Having made the decision, her nerves grew into a tangled mess. Maybe she could put that out of her mind for her date. Ignore the uneasiness making her stomach clench. She stared at herself in the mirror. Who was she kidding? She was going to be a nervous wreck.

  On the way out of her room, she grabbed her clutch purse. She expected to see Adam waiting in the entryway, but it was empty. The camera man followed her as she wandered around the main floor, growing more confused as she went. When she couldn’t find anyone, she stepped out onto the back deck.

  Doctor Lemon sat on the wooden bench. A smile quirked her lips before she smoothed it out. “A car is coming for you and Adam. Please go pack your bags.”

  Panic closed Megan’s throat, and she forgot all about having to confess her love. “What? Are we being kicked off the show?”

  Megan got the distinct impression Doctor Lemon was trying not to laugh. “No. You are going on a date. You’ll be spending the weekend on a romantic beach in Florida. We’ve booked two rooms for you at a five-star resort.”

  Relief flooded through her a second before the realization hit. This was it. This was when Adam would propose. Of course they’d do something extravagant like this. She tried to smile and show a little enthusiasm for the surprise getaway. “Wow. That’s...great.”

  Why had she agreed to do this? Her acting skills obviously stunk. And now the nerves inside her had grown big enough to have little baby nerves to terrorize her. She flashed one last pathetic smile toward Doctor Lemon and fled to her room.

  She tossed some things in her suitcase. In all honesty, she wasn’t paying much attention. Hopefully she wouldn’t get there and realize she’d only packed shirts. She threw in her makeup kit and zipped her rolling case, then proceeded to drag it down the stairs. This
was going to be a nightmare.

  Adam stood by the front doors, his travel bag by his feet. Seeing him made her nerves run rampant. He looked up at her, and a hint of a smile played across his features. “Hey.”

  Why was he so good looking? Why did her heart have to pound like she’d never seen a handsome man before? She gripped her case and took the remaining steps toward him. Oh, dear. He smelled good. “Hi.”

  “I guess they’re sending us to a resort.” He turned away. She’d have thought he was acting shy if she didn’t know him better.

  “Yep.” Had she packed her swimsuit? She wasn’t sure. Didn’t matter. No way was she going swimming with Adam. Better to stay away from wearing skin-tight barely-there things around him.

  He stared out the tiny window. “Have you ever been to Florida?”

  “Hmm?” His words took a second to register. “Oh, no.” Her fingers tingled and felt numb. Was it possible to lose the feeling in your extremities because of stress? Could nerves do that? She stared down at her hands, twisted into a tight knot. Oh. Maybe she was just strangling the blood right out of them. She shook her hands and let out a breath.

  “They’re here.” Adam picked up both their bags and still managed to open the door for her. “After you.”

  It wasn’t a limousine this time, just a regular taxi. The driver was chatty, and Megan was thankful the camera man wasn’t with them. A few of the crew had already flown out so they could set up at the resort.

  When they got to the airport, they boarded a private jet. Megan decided she could get used to that. No long lines, far less waiting, and luxurious accommodations. They even had champagne, although she didn’t drink any. Her nerves were making her nauseous.

  The clock read six thirty-five when they touched down in Florida. Adam grabbed her hand and pointed out the small airplane window. “Look at the sunset.”

  Of course the sky was gorgeous. He was gorgeous. The stupid plane was gorgeous. And she couldn’t enjoy a second of it because she knew what was coming.

  MEGAN TOOK A SMALL bite of her shrimp. She’d been pushing her food around her plate for the last half hour. Adam had finished and was staring at her with this weird expression on his face. Was he about to pop the question?

  Worrying about when he was going to ask was ruining everything. She needed to get a grip. There’d be no enjoying the weekend if she couldn’t get past the proposal. She set her fork down and took a cleansing breath.

  “You seem tense.” Adam placed his hand over hers, and she jumped, and a completely embarrassing squeak came out.

  Heat seared her face, and she hoped the microphone hadn’t picked that up. “Uh, yeah. I guess. Sorry. I’m not used to hopping on a plane and flying off to some island resort.”

  “It is a little weird.” He chuckled, his dimples turning her nerves into butterflies.

  The camera man walked around the table to get a better angle on her, and she tried to ignore him. She stared off the patio at the expanse of darkening sky over the tide coming in. The light breeze carried the scent of seaweed and salt water, and a hint of Adam’s cologne. Her gaze fell on him.

  Was he going to propose tonight? They’d just arrived. Surely he’d wait until they were more settled. Right? It was too early to do it. She studied him, trying to gage his thoughts.

  “Listen, Megan...” He squirmed in his seat as his voice trailed off.

  Oh, crap. This was really it. He wasn’t going to wait after all. And she hadn’t even confessed to Doctor Lemon that she loved him. Would it be unrealistic for her to accept a proposal if she’d never even admitted that she loved him?

  He took a breath to continue, and she panicked. “I love you,” she blurted. Unfortunately, the force of her words caused a blob of spit to fly out of her mouth and land on Adam’s cheek.

  Mortified, she stared at the saliva slowly sliding down his face. Should she apologize and wipe it off? Ignore it? Her throat closed. Ignore it or wipe it?!? What should she do? Maybe he hadn’t noticed. She wasn’t sure if the stunned look on his face was because of what she said, or the ball of slobber leaving a wet slug-like trail down his skin.

  “You, um...what?” He picked up his napkin and subtly patted his cheek. “Say that again?” A sexy half-smile formed on his face.

  Relieved when he didn’t call attention to the fact that she’d spat on him, but rather successfully dealt with it without being obvious, she giggled. It came out high pitched and hysterical. Now she felt silly for confessing her love. Maybe he really hadn’t heard her. “What did I say? I’m not sure. Who knows?”

  His grin grew, and his gaze flickered to the camera. “You said ‘I love you.’”

  A blush warmed her face. “Did I?” No getting out of it now. She had to go with it. “I mean, yes. Yes, I do.”

  He raised his eyebrows.

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Maybe getting this whole thing over was best. Rip it off, like a Band-Aid. “I love you. So, if you have something you want to tell me, go ahead.”

  He blinked, his face blank. “What?”

  “You were going to say something before I interrupted. Sorry. Go ahead. I’m ready now.” She waved her hand to encourage him to get on with it.

  His lips twitched, like he was trying to hide a smile. “I was just going to ask if you wanted to call it a night. You look tired.”

  Really? That’s what he was going to say? She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “Oh.” She picked up her glass and took a big gulp. Her hand shook so bad she almost slopped water all over the table.

  “You seem to have been thinking I was going to say something else.” The corners of his eyes crinkled in a hidden smile.

  “Nope.” She set her glass down. The warmth in her face spread until she was sure she looked like she’d had an allergic reaction to the fish. “Not at all.”

  He seemed to be enjoying her discomfort way too much. “I see. Maybe before we head back to our rooms, we should take a romantic stroll along the beach.” He stood, grabbed her hands, and pulled her up on her wobbly knees. “I think there’s something we should probably discuss.”

  Oh, this was it. He really was going to propose now. She tried to calm her thudding heart as she walked alongside him to the water’s edge. “All right.” Her voice came out breathy and weak.

  They walked through the sand, the camera men trailing behind them, and Adam’s thumb rubbing slow circles over the back of her hand, driving her crazy. The beauty of the moonlit beach provided the perfect setting. Any minute now he would get down on one knee.

  Adam stopped and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his muscular chest. “You look beautiful tonight,” he whispered into her hair.

  Her pulse raced, and she fought to keep control of her head. “Mmm. Thanks.”

  Adam leaned down and kissed the spot below her earlobe, and she swooned. Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure how a person would do that, but she couldn’t think of any other word for it. He kissed her jaw line, then brought his lips to her ear. “Doctor Lemon gave me one last trust exercise to do while we’re here.”

  Her heart pounded in her ears so loudly, she could barely hear him. “What is it?” she asked, breathless from what his kisses were doing to her.

  He grinned. “You’ll find out.” He tucked her arm into the crook of his elbow and began walking them back to the resort.

  The dirty rat. He knew she was expecting the proposal. He knew exactly what she would be thinking. And he was toying with her.

  She glared at him, and all he did was chuckle in response.

  This was going to be a long weekend.

  Chapter 21

  Adam knew exactly why Megan looked like she was going to throw up as they boarded the plane. She’d guessed the purpose of the trip, and it obviously scared her to death. After the first misunderstanding, he decided to make a game out of it. Before breakfast he wadded up a napkin and stuck it in his shirt pocket, making it look like a ring box bulge. Every time h
e patted his pocket, Megan’s face blanched. When he finally reached in and took out the napkin, her wide eyes narrowed and the familiar ‘I’m going to kill you’ look came into her eyes. But then she relaxed, and a hint of a smile played on her lips.

  As they walked along the pier, he knelt down on one knee, only to tie his shoe. She laughed at that one, and relaxed even more. By dinner, she was back to her old self, carrying on normal conversations and throwing her usual zings his way when he got under her skin. That was when he decided it was time.

  The setting sun set the perfect backdrop. A light breeze blew as they sat on the deck of the restaurant and ate the most amazing grilled seafood. Megan sat back in her chair, staring at the streaks of pink and orange that lit up the sky.

  He leaned forward and took her hand. “Megan, dating you has been an experience like no other.” A suspicious look passed over her face, but she replaced it with a smile. “From fine dining off the kid’s menu, to surprise karaoke, I never know what I’m going to get with you.”

  Her smile turned into something more akin to a smirk, and she appeared to be biting the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh.

  “But through it all, I’ve grown closer to you.” He drew her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I’ve grown to love you.”

  Her eyes widened, but then she relaxed, a knowing look on her face. He slipped from his chair onto one knee, pulling out a ring box from his pants pocket. “Megan Holloway, will you marry me?”

  She blinked a couple of times, as if what he’d said hadn’t sunk in yet, then she gingerly took the box and opened it. She stared at the gigantic rock that ABC had purchased, a stunned look on her face. Then she plastered on a stiff smile and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes, I will marry you!” Then she elbowed him and looked at him through her eyelashes. “I thought you’d never ask.”