[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  She rolled down her window, and he could see she’d been crying.

  “What’s wrong?” he demanded.

  She wiped at her face. “Nothing.” She gave him a sheepish grin.

  His heart pounded, trying to make sense of everything. “Why are you sitting here?”

  She shook her head and clenched the steering wheel, looking out the windshield at the palm trees. “I seem to be having trouble leaving.”

  Rick stared at her, not understanding. “You don’t want to leave?” Did he dare hope?

  A moment ticked by before she blushed. “I’m sorry. I’m being silly. I should go.” She put the car into drive.

  He opened her car door. “Get out.”

  She looked up at him. “What?”

  “Get out,” he said, his voice lower. His palms grew sweaty. If she was having trouble leaving, maybe he had a chance with her. Maybe he could talk her into staying and trying things out. “Please.”

  She put the car into park and unbuckled, then awkwardly climbed out of the car, her door open and making a dinging noise. Now that they were face-to-face, he wasn’t sure what to say. How could he let her know how he felt about her?

  Before he could think about it, he cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, and the kiss turned more passionate. She smelled of vanilla and almond, and he couldn’t get enough of her. Heat enveloped him as he wrapped his arms around her.

  He kissed her jaw, and then her neck. She let out a soft moan. He pulled back. “I don’t want you to go.”

  She pulled away from him. “But Kylee and I . . . we need to start our life.”

  “Your life is here. Stay with me.” He looked into her eyes and gathered up his courage. “I want to give this a shot.”

  Chapter 25

  Tara wasn’t sure she heard Rick right. “Give what a shot?”

  “Us.” His eyes held vulnerability. Uncertainty.

  She swallowed hard. “There is no us,” she whispered.

  He ran a finger down her jaw, causing all kinds of havoc inside her. “Don’t you feel it? It can’t be just me.”

  “Of course, but a life together can’t be built on chemistry.”

  He frowned. “What I feel is more than that.” His gaze flicked to Kylee sitting in the backseat. He turned back to Tara, his gaze penetrating through her. “I’ve been fighting it, but I can’t anymore. When you drove off, I thought I would never see you again. That I’d never get a chance to tell you how I really feel. Tara, I’m in love with you.”

  Tara’s pulse raced. He loved her? Her knees felt weak, and she didn’t know what to say. Had her dreams really come true? Rick felt the same way she did?

  Sweat formed on Rick’s forehead. “If you don’t say something soon, I’m going to go crazy.”

  Elation filled her, and she laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I’m so happy to hear that, because I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”

  Relief flooded his face and he kissed her again, this time more leisurely. Tingles erupted through her. He pressed closer until she was backed up against the car, his hands on either side of her. The feel of his muscles against her made her lightheaded. When he finally pulled back, she smiled at him. “Have I ever told you you’re a really good kisser?”

  He chuckled. “Can’t say that you have.”

  “Dang. Remind me to do that.”

  He ran his fingers up her arm. “I will.”

  It was hard to concentrate with the way he was making her feel. “Rick?”

  “What?”

  “Has your attorney filed the divorce papers yet?”

  His gaze traveled to her lips. “No.”

  “Good.”

  His lips twitched. “Why?”

  “Because I think I’m going to enjoy being married to you.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “I’ll tell him to chuck the papers.”

  Kylee kicked her feet. “I want to get out.”

  “Okay, just a minute.” Tara pointed to the open door, still making a dinging noise. “I’d better drive this thing back up the hill.”

  “I’ll follow you,” Rick said.

  WHEN THEY WERE BACK up the driveway, Rick grabbed Kylee’s Winnie the Pooh and ran to get her out of the car. When Kylee saw the bear, she held out her hands for it. “Pooh bear.”

  Rick picked her up and held her close. She wrapped her little arms around his neck. He’d almost lost her. Almost lost the feeling of belonging to something bigger. Of mattering to someone so small. He’d never mattered to anyone before. The feeling was indescribable.

  He opened the trunk on the rental car and pulled out Tara’s garbage bag of clothes and brought them inside. Tara came in with the box of Kylee’s toys.

  “I need to go talk to my attorney,” Rick said.

  Tara nodded. “Go.” She reached for Kylee, but the little girl clung to Rick and shook her head.

  He laughed. “No worries, this Ladybug can come with me.”

  Kylee giggled at the nickname he’d taken to calling her. “I’m a little girl,” she informed him.

  “I know, Ladybug.”

  More giggles.

  Rick called his attorney and told him not to start on the divorce papers. “We’ve had a change of heart,” was all he said.

  Nerves filled him as he walked back into the other room. Were he and Tara really going to stay married? Was this thing for real? He could hardly believe it.

  Tara approached him in the great room. “I asked Eliza to make us something special for dinner. I hope that’s okay.”

  He raised one eyebrow. “Since when are you okay with Eliza waiting on you?”

  Tara made a face. “I’m not, but if I’m going to live here, I have to adapt to the way things are done. I don’t want Eliza losing her job, or being upset with me for displacing her.”

  “Wait, you don’t want to move to Iowa? I thought you had your mind set on it.”

  Tara stared at him. “I thought . . . I mean, I thought you were asking me to stay.”

  “Stay with me. Stay married. If Iowa is where your heart is, I’ll go there with you.”

  Tara blinked. “You would do that?”

  Kylee wiggled and he set her down. Rick pulled Tara to him. “I already chose my career over love once. I don’t want to do it again.”

  Tara laid her head on his chest. “I don’t want you to move to Iowa. I want to stay here, but it means a lot to me that you were willing to go.”

  He kissed the top of her head, emotion flooding through him. “I thought you hated L.A.”

  She smiled up at him. “It’s grown on me.”

  “Really?”

  “You’ve grown on me, really. And I know how much you love L.A.”

  He hugged her. “There are some nice things here. Things to do.”

  She pulled back from him. “There’s only one thing I want to do right now.”

  “What’s that?”

  She brushed her lips over his in a feather-light kiss. “Be with you.”

  Epilogue

  Tara resisted the urge to shield her face from the camera flashes. She should be used to them by now, but for some reason, it still seemed surreal. Rick tucked her under his arm and grinned at her. The flashes went off with more intensity. He patted her baby bump. Now that it was too large to hide, the press was going wild.

  “When is your baby due, Rick?”

  “Is it a boy or a girl?”

  “What’s your next movie?”

  Rick put up his hand and gave them all a stellar smile. “No more questions, please. Thank you, folks. We’ll be heading inside now.”

  He held the door for her to the restaurant. The smell of freshly baked bread teased her nose as she entered. The restaurant was dimly lit, flickering candles on the tables. The walls were covered in deep red wallpaper. They were seated at a quiet table in a secluded area. Rick pulled out his menu, still grinning.

  “You love that, don’t you?” she aske
d.

  “What?” He couldn’t stop grinning.

  “All the attention. You’re just glowing.”

  He chuckled. “No, you’re the one who’s glowing.”

  She ran her finger along the edge of her menu. “There’s a lot to celebrate tonight.”

  He reached across the table and took her hand. “I’m so proud of you getting into graduate school. You’re going to rock it.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “I’m proud of you, too. Sounds like this remake of Rear Window is going to be a big deal.”

  “The cast is amazing. They’re pulling out some big names for it. I think it should do well.”

  She nodded. When the story came out that they had actually fallen in love through their fake marriage, and after they stayed married, they became Hollywood sweethearts. The public loved them, and Rick’s career took off again.

  The waitress stopped at their table. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Just water, thank you,” Rick said.

  Tara smiled. Rick still had the occasional drink, but he’d put the binging and getting drunk behind him. She knew he had only been using the alcohol to forget Scarlett. Or to cover up his guilt over how they broke up. But together they’d worked through that painful part of his past.

  They placed their orders and Rick sat back in his chair, his gaze traveling over her. “I can’t believe we’ve been married for five years.”

  “Seems like just yesterday when you strutted around me like a peacock, commenting on my nice ‘hometown’ look.”

  He laughed, his eyes crinkling in that sexy way. “And you spilled coffee on my lap.”

  She blushed. “Yeah, that was classic. I’m still amazed you didn’t fire me.”

  “I couldn’t have fired you. You were too adorable.” His cell phone made a chime and he looked at the screen. “Kylee’s asking if she can go to Heather’s house tonight.”

  “Did she finish her chores? When I checked, she was sitting in her room, pouting. If she can’t find time to vacuum her floor, she doesn’t have time to go to Heather’s.”

  Rick typed into his phone. “You’re such a mean mom.”

  “I know. That’s why she’s asking you.” She laughed. “You’re a pushover.”

  He shrugged. “I pay a staff to keep the house clean. It keeps food on their table.”

  Tara didn’t want to get into it with him, not on their anniversary, but she had to stand her ground. “That’s fine. We’ve come to that agreement. But Kylee needs to learn how to do these things for herself, or when she moves out her house will look like . . . well, have you seen Hoarders?”

  Rick cringed and set his phone down. “Alright, I told her she needed to clean her room before she could go to her friend’s house.”

  Tara picked up her water and took a sip. “Are we all set for my parents’ visit next month?”

  “Yes, I made all the arrangements. Your father even called me twice to make sure we had it on our calendar.”

  She shook her head. “He sure has mellowed out.”

  “I think he started liking me after I hit Bobby in the face.”

  “I think so too,” Tara said, fighting back giggles.

  “Speaking of Bobby, is he up for parole this year?”

  “No. I think it won’t be for another year.” She still couldn’t believe her ex-husband had filed for bankruptcy, then tried to conceal assets. What an idiot.

  The server brought them their food, setting the hot plates in front of them. Tara picked up her fork. “When will filming start?”

  “Not for a couple of months.” He stabbed a piece of shrimp and stuck it in his mouth. “We’ll have time to get the nursery ready.”

  Tara grinned, thinking of the ultrasound they’d had earlier. “Should we do neutral colors like yellow and green? Or go all masculine?”

  “Oh, definitely masculine. My son’s not sleeping in a yellow room.” He winked at her.

  “Then blue it is. I’ll do some shopping tomorrow.”

  After they ate dinner, they climbed back in the limo. Rick told the driver to take them home. He slid his arm around her and she snuggled into his side. “Thank you for coming after me that day. I was considering going back to tell you how I felt, but as I thought about it, I had convinced myself it was stupid. I was about to drive away when you showed up.”

  Rick kissed the top of her head. “Even if you had driven away, I would have searched until I found you. I wouldn’t have lasted a day without you.”

  She looked up at him. Before she could say anything, his lips were on hers. Somehow, even after five years of marriage, he could still make her insides tingle. She returned the kiss, running a hand through his hair.

  He tugged the fastener out of her hair and it spilled down over her shoulders. She smiled, ruining the kiss.

  “What?”

  “You never did like my hair up.”

  “It’s a little triumph for me when I can pull it down.”

  She laughed. “I love you.”

  He nuzzled her neck, kissing along her collarbone. “I love you too.”

  Tara closed her eyes, basking in the feeling of Rick’s kisses. How did she end up so lucky? She was truly amazed that she had everything she ever wanted. She just hadn’t known she wanted Rick Shade.

  THANK YOU FOR READING my Married series. If you enjoyed it, be sure to pick up Her Big Fat Fake Billionaire Boyfriend, about free-spirited Kenzie Bennett who hires billionaire Camden James to be her fake boyfriend for her sister’s wedding to keep her family off her back. She thinks Camden is just a construction worker. Things get messy when Camden goes along with the ruse because Kenzie intrigues him.

  GRAB it here now!

  HERE’S A SAMPLE OF Her Big Fat Fake Billionaire Boyfriend:

  Camden James stared at his drink as the quiet clinking of glass behind the bar and the gentle hum of conversation filled the room. His sister’s words swirled around in his head. Dating is simply playing the odds. The more you do it, the greater your chance at finding love. Easy for Kelly to say. She was happily married with kid number two on the way. He wasn’t so lucky; somehow he brought out the crazy in every girl.

  He glowered and sipped his bourbon. His last girlfriend, Lexi, had been the worst. She seemed nice at first—but soon turned nuts-o. She accused him of cheating on her and followed him to make sure he wasn’t with other women. He caught her sneaking onto his computer. She even took pictures of him when he was with clients. The last straw had been when she burst into the room in the middle of a meeting.

  She didn’t take the breakup well this morning. Too bad she lived in his apartment complex. He wasn’t looking forward to running into her again.

  He shuddered, shoving Lexi out of his mind. If this was how his relationships were going to go, he’d rather pronounce himself a permanent bachelor at age thirty. Sure, he was lonely, but his business kept him busy. And if he stayed single, he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone dating him just for his money. He could think of at least three or four women who had fallen into that category.

  His construction company was his passion, and that had paid off in a big way. He’d built it from the ground up. Now it’s a national business, with offices in one hundred and sixty cities across the United States. His business had made him a billionaire. In some ways, he missed the days when he was in the mud, handling the steel, and working the large machines. That was why days like today were good for his soul. He looked down at his muddy jeans and work boots. He’d had a ball at the construction site. Unfortunately, tomorrow he’d be back in his office.

  A woman walked into the restaurant. She was hard to miss. Curls that ran down her back. Hair so deep red it almost looked burgundy. She glanced around the room as if she were looking for someone. When she spied Camden, she headed over to his table.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said, flashing him a dazzling smile and removing her raincoat. “I got caught in traffic.” She hung her coat on the chair and
reached across the table, and her large bracelet with dangling charms swayed and clinked. “I’m Kenzie Bennett, but you probably already know that. I’m sure they told you everything about me. And of course now I’m babbling because I’m nervous.”

  Camden blinked, shaking her hand. She wore a long shirt and leggings with a crazy pattern on them. He opened his mouth to correct her, but she continued. “I have never done this kind of thing before, so forgive me if I ask too many questions.” She sat down, continuing to talk. “It’s not every day a woman hires a male escort.”

  Camden sputtered. “What?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, that’s not what you’re called, is it?” She blushed. “See? I’m already making a fool of myself.”

  She finally paused long enough for him to say something. “I think you have me confused with someone else.”

  HERE IT IS ON AMAZON!

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  Ava Gilmore has a huge problem. She’s in love with Oliver, her sister’s fiancé. What’s worse? She’s their wedding planner. Now her sister has run off to Paris and left her and Oliver to plan the wedding together.

  Get Her Sister’s Fiancé FREE!

  OTHER NOVELS BY VICTORINE:

  The Billionaire Series

  The Fake Marriage Series

  Falling for the Beast – A Beauty and the Beast retelling

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