His color started returning and nodded his head. “Then you know that some of them don’t take no for an answer and get extra points for that as well.”
“I didn’t see that.” I chewed on my lip and brushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear.
“That is the reason I want you to go along with this. For some reason everyone shies away from Drez. If just being around him keeps those assholes from trying to go after you then you will do it.” Beau put his books back in his backpack. “I like his idea of creating limitations and he knows of my only request regarding this. So I’ll leave the rest of it up to the two of you to discuss. Luke, Charles do either of you have any concerns about this ruse?”
Luke shook his head. “No. If he does something she’s not in to then I have no doubts she’ll let him know it.”
Charles sat on the arm of the couch and said quietly. “Don’t knock her up. I’d hate to have to bury your body or destroy your car.”
I covered my face with the book and leaned my head on the back of the couch. “I hate you guys.”
*****
Drez
Don’t knock her up. Was he serious? There was no way I would have sex with her. Well I would, I just can’t. She’s Beau’s sister, which means she’s off limits. Period. No matter how attracted I am to her. I mentally shook my head before looking around the room. “Grace is off limits, mate. No bird is worth my baby getting hurt. In all seriousness though, we need to discuss if this is going to be a pseudo relationship just during school hours or if we have to fake it all the time.”
Marie let out a huff and put her book down beside her. “I still don’t really want to do this, but I don’t want to be a target for them either. So I guess my only option if I want to still be me is to reluctantly go along with whatever is decided.”
I turned around and placed my arm on the seat of the sofa behind me to get a good look at her. She looked better to me like this than she did earlier all tarted up. Her hair was pulled back in a bun with a few tendrils falling around her face. She had on a tight little black tank top that barely covered the tops of her perky breasts. My mouth suddenly went dry when I spotted a small freckle just a scant millimeter above the lacy edge of her bra, which peeked out of the barely there top. I’m thankful that my hair hung over my eyes or they all would have seen the sudden hunger that gripped me. This might be a lot more difficult than I had originally thought.
I ran my hand through my hair and scratched the back of my neck. “Marie, your participation would be appreciated.”
She caught my gaze and bit her lip before nodding. “All right.”
“What are some of your limitations, rules or what have you?” My pinky picked at the fabric on the sofa beside her foot as I awaited her answer.
She pulled her bottom lip in her mouth and bit down as she thought about it. “Um… nothing more than kissing or anything like that unless the scene calls for it.”
“Scene?” Charles asked nudging her in her shoulder to make her look at him.
“Yeah. We’re acting… right? So it’ll be like improv scenes for everyone.” She turned back toward me. “I’ve been wondering. I mean I know what I’ll be getting out of this but what’s in it for you?”
I shrugged my shoulder at her and admitted half of it. “I do not like to see or hear of any man treating a woman like rubbish. This situation and Roxy’s just brings out what my father taught me about being a gentleman.”
Charles nodded and scratched the fuzz on his chin. “That’s understandable. But we don’t want you to do this for nothing. If you two have to go out on a date or something. I think Beau or Luke should foot the bill same with the gas on you taking her to and from school.”
My pride raised its ugly head. I found myself shaking my head at him. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Pssht! Charles has a point. We live outside the city limits and I know my truck sucks ‘bout an eighth of a tank going to and from school. So I can only imagine how that Charger does.” Beau pointed out.
“Great. I can hear it now if someone finds out. ‘Did you hear that they have to pay someone to date their sister?’” Marie pulled her legs up further underneath her brushing the edge of my hand with hers. Just that simple innocuous touch of skin made my heart race and my blood start to flow in my jeans.
“Only the five of us will know about this arrangement, sis.” Luke stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned on his elbows.
Marie bit her lip again and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “So we’re not even going to tell Roxy? Jess, yes, I can understand leaving her out of the mix but Roxy should know.”
“I’ll tell her tomorrow.” Luke assured her.
Beau took out a notepad from his knapsack and started writing on it. “So far we have my stipulation, Charles’s and the nothing more than kissing unless it’s called for. I think we should also add that during this neither of you can date anyone else.”
“How long is this going to last?” Marie asked cautiously.
I frowned and scratched my arm. “I guess for as long as it’s needed.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “Fine, but I want a public breakup and I want to be the one to end it.”
“What do you mean by public?” I raised my eyebrow at her and leaned back a bit.
“Public as in out in the open with witnesses, if I have to pretend to be in a relationship that will stifle any that I might really want. I want to at least be able to say I ended it in front of people.” She shrugged before a small smirk twitched at her lips.
I clenched my jaw as my pride reared its head again. So she has a crush on me but doesn’t want to date me. I hissed out through my clenched teeth. “If it makes you feel better, pet. That’s fine.”
“Thank you it does, Shug.” She faked smiling sweetly before a frown settled on her face. “So when is all of this going to start?”
Beau looked over the paper in front of him with his reading glasses perched on his nose. “I say we start now. If you two can fool momma then you can fool the school. Now is there anything else someone wants to add?” He glanced up at each of us. We shook our heads no. He looked over at the wall clock and put the notebook back in his knapsack. “Good. It’s almost time to eat so why don’t we go wash up.”
*****
Chapter Four
Marie met me outside of the small bathroom across from her dad’s study. She nervously clasped her hands in front of her and chewed on her bottom lip. She let out a deep breath and motioned for me to follow her. “My thoughts are to keep things simple in here, no elaborate lies or whatever.”
I grabbed her shoulder to stop her from entering the room while rambling. “That’s fine, pet. Don’t worry about it.”
She looked up at me through her lashes with banked anxiety lighting those golden orbs. “I can’t help it. I know momma’s not going to say anything in front of the boys so that’s not bothering me. It’s daddy I’m worried about.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside the dining room.
I forgot all about her father. When I met him yesterday I acknowledged that he was a tall fit man but I hadn’t really paid attention to just how fit… until now. He was an inch shorter than my 6’5” frame but broader. If I had to guess, I’d say he outweighed me by at least two stone of solid muscle. I swallowed my sudden nervousness and followed her into the room.
The twins were already seated in the same chairs as yesterday. They both looked up when we entered the room. The shy one gave me a quick smile and turned back to his brother. The other one glared at me then gave me a smirk that would rival any evil mastermind before turning to whisper to his twin. I glanced down at Marie. She shook her head in befuddlement and dragged me to the other side of the table.
“Sit here. I’ll be on your left and Luke on your right. Charles will be stuck with the twins. Thank god.” She whispered to me as we made our way to the chairs. I pulled out the chair for her and waited until she was seated before taking my own. She leaned in
to me. Her arm brushed against mine, making my senses tingle. “Let me guess habit?”
“Yes. It’s ingrained in me.” I admitted.
She raised an eyebrow before shaking her head in amusement. “That’s pretty cool. Not that many guys do that anymore. Well guys our age at least.”
“It’s just part of behaving like a gentleman.”
“Yeah.” She gave me a half smile that made her eyes sparkle. “But I can see how some people might mistake it for flirting.”
I chuckled at that. “You have no idea just how often that happens.”
Eva entered the room and before I could stand Marie placed her hand on my thigh. My body froze and heart tripled its rhythm. I glanced down at her hand then up to her face. She had a faint smile on her lips and amusement in her eyes. “You’ll get tired jumping up and down every time she enters and leaves the room. Give her a few minutes for her and Beau to bring everything in.”
I swallowed hard. I don’t think I’ll be able to stand up for a while now. Her hand was only a few inches away from my cock and that was getting harder by the second. I looked down at her hand placing mine over top of hers and gently moved it back to her lap. I leaned over to her ear and whispered. “I’ll keep that in mind, pet.”
I let out a stuttered breath as I sat back up and caught the artic glare of Luke as he walked to his chair to my right. He cleared his throat and muttered under his breath at me. “Hands off.”
I suppressed a groan of frustration and replied in a hiss. “Tell her that.”
He snorted out a laugh before he covered his mouth to hide the rest of his mirth. Marie craned her neck and asked him. “What’s so funny?”
He shook his head at her and waved her off. “Nothing. Just want to say good luck. Dad looks like he’s had a real shitty day.”
The shy twin popped his head up and asked just as their mother carried in the last dish. “Good luck with what?”
Charles took his seat in between the two. “Yeah, Marie go ahead and tell them why you need luck.”
Her cheeks heated to a pink. “Drez and I have um… agreed to date.”
Eva stood still at the end of the table in the middle of taking her seat as Nate walked in on our announcement. He narrowed his eyes at me for a brief moment before taking his seat. “Beau, remind me to clean my guns this weekend.”
“Daddy!” Marie gasped.
The evil twin giggled. “He looks like a deer in the headlights.”
Eva took her seat and spread a napkin over her lap. “When did this start?”
“Today. She wanted to make sure it was okay with her brothers before agreeing to it though.” I cleared my throat before taking a drink of water.
“Humph.” Eva looked down the table at Nate.
He held up his hand. “We’ll discuss this after grace. Remi it’s your turn to say it.”
I bowed my head and snuck a glance down the table to Beau who sat there smirking. He had to have known they’d react this way. I raised my eyebrow in question at him. He shrugged his shoulders and mouthed. ‘Just an insurance policy to make sure you don’t hurt her.’ I shook my head incredulously at him. Remi finished grace and snarled at me before piling his plate full of food.
Nate released a deep breath. “So, Drez. Is that your real name?”
“No, sir. My name is Marcus William Dresden the third. My mates on the team started calling me Drez a few years back. It has stuck with me since.” I slowly took a bite of food and chewed slowly.
“Where do you live?” He took a drink and stared at me.
My mouth snapped shut and my fist clenched under the table. “My aunt has custody of me.”
“How old are you?” He leaned back in his chair and gaged my response.
“Seventeen. Until February.”
“And you are a junior?” He rested his elbow on the arm of his chair and leaned his chin on his hand.
“Yes, sir.”
“What do you plan to do with your life after you graduate?”
“I honestly don’t know. I would love to go back to England and visit someday. As far as a career? I am completely undecided.” I took a drink of water and placed my glass back on the table when Marie reached over and grabbed my hand under the table to give it a reassuring squeeze.
“So you plan on applying for citizenship?”
“I have dual citizenship thanks to my mother.”
“She was related to the woman that currently has legal guardianship of you?”
I slowly nodded my head. “Yes, sir.”
“What are your intentions toward Marie?” Eva asked after wiping her mouth with her napkin.
“I’d like to get to know her to see if her personality is equal to or surpasses her beauty.” I looked over to Marie whose cheeks had turned a very deep shade of red.
Her father cleared his throat to get my attention. I looked over to him frowning at me. “You said yesterday that your parents had passed. What happened to them?”
My face dropped. The memories of that day came crashing back. My aunt and uncle were visiting us that week. I had just come down with a stomach flu the morning of the accident. My aunt decided to stay with me and insisted that my parents and brother go on with their plans for the day. A few hours later after my stomach settled down, we were notified that their Discovery 67 yacht had exploded and the only survivor was my uncle.
I coughed to try to dislodge the lump in my throat. “They were killed in a boating explosion along with my little brother.”
“Nate, enough.” Eva glared over the table at him.
“It’s alright, Eva. I understand his need to find out more information about the guy interested in his daughter.” I looked directly at Nate. “But I will refrain from speaking more about my family. I’m sure you can find out the information online. I do remember the papers covering it for few weeks.”
Charles bit his lip to keep from snickering. Everyone turned to look at him. His body shook with his contained laughter as his face turned purple from holding his breath. “Out with it, Boo. What is so funny?” Eva chastised him.
“Dev go ahead and ask Marie what you did me.” Charles guffawed.
Dev, the shy one, frowned at Charles and placed his fork down. “Does this mean you could be pregnant too and will have to get married like Luke and Roxy?”
Beau snickered behind his hand, Luke spit out his drink, Marie turned a deep shade of scarlet and Eva gasped her hand flying to her throat. Nate sat at the head of the table stunned speechless. Dev looked around the table awaiting the answer from anyone willing to offer it to him.
I carefully set my glass back on the table and shook my head no. “What makes you ask that?”
“Well the only time we’ve met anyone that one of those four dated was Roxy. And she might be…. Remi what did they call it?”
“Knocked up but Charles says that means she might have a baby in her belly.” Remi nodded his head matter of factly and took another bite from his fork.
“Yeah, knocked up and Luke will have to marry her. So we thought that if we get to meet someone they date that they’ll be knocked up and have to get married.”
“Your sister is not pregnant and does not have to get married to me.” I leaned a little over the table to whisper to him. “To be honest, I don’t think I’m good enough for her.”
Remi mumbled under his breath at me. “That’s true.”
*****
Marie
After the fiasco that was dinner, I walked Drez out to his car. The sun had already set and the moon shone down on the surroundings casting it all in soft hews of blue. I stopped beside the driver door and wrapped my arms around myself to knock off some of the chill.
“I’m sorry about my father giving you the third degree.” I rubbed my upper arm and leaned against the car in an effort to block the wind.
He leaned beside me on the car and sighed running a hand through his hair. “Don’t be. At least you know he cares about you enough to do that.”
/> “True.” I sighed and stepped away from the car kicking a loose stone into the grass. “So all this goes live tomorrow huh?”
He crossed his ankles and nodded. “It should be fine though.”
“I hope so.”
“Can I ask you a favor though?” He scratched the back of his neck before looking at me.
“Depends on what it is.”
He opened his mouth and started to say something then shut it. After taking a deep breath, he tried again. “Never mind.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “What is it?”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s getting late I need to get going.” He opened the car door and looked over it at me. “I’ll be here to pick you up for school.”
“Come a little early so you can grab some breakfast.” I grabbed his arm to stop him from getting in. “To use Roxy’s line, I will not take no for an answer.”
He gave me a crooked grin and shook his head. “Are you going to be as bossy as her too?”
I took a step toward him and gently poked his chest with my finger. “Shug, you haven’t even begun to see bossy.”
Just a few inches separated us. His eyes flicked down to my mouth then back up to my eyes. My breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t believe that I was this close to him. I suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss him. I mentally shook my head to get rid of those thoughts. This was all pretend. I should just treat him like a brother or at least try to treat him like a brother. His body tensed up as I placed my hand on his chest. His heartbeat was as uneven as mine was and his breathing became staggered. I leaned up on my tiptoes and placed a chaste sisterly kiss on his cheek.
“Drive carefully.” I stepped back and headed toward the garage. “No later than seven in the morning. I mean it.”
*****
With the twins now bathed and in bed, I made my way downstairs in hopes of grabbing a book to read from dad’s study. I grabbed hold of the doorknob and froze when I heard my parents’ voices. I placed my ear against the door to listen.
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