by Emma Hart
I closed the trunk and pulled out the handle of my suitcase. “Can I check in before we descend into drama, please?”
“There’s no drama here,” Mom sniffed, looking every bit as annoyed as she sounded.
“Yes. Let’s get you checked in.” Rosie grabbed my arm and tugged me toward the steps. “Now.”
I couldn’t agree more.
***
“This is your room,” Rosie said, tapping the sensor with the keycard. “I made sure our families got the best ones, so it’s actually more of a mini-suite.” She pushed open the door, revealing a huge room with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto the beach.
“Holy—”
My sister grinned.
There was a TV and a sofa, and an open door led to a giant bedroom with giant patio doors that led out to a balcony.
“So, your room,” Rosie said. “There’s an en-suite and a walk-in closet just off the bedroom. The phone is on the bedside table. They do room service twenty-four-seven for when you’re avoiding Mom—”
“You get me.”
“—Just set up your card at the main desk and they’ll charge it all to that, okay?”
I nodded. “Sounds good.” I wheeled my case into the bedroom. “How is everything going?”
“It was going well until Mom showed up.” She sighed and perched on the arm of the sofa. “I swear, I’m going to be Bridezilla in the next twenty-four hours if she doesn’t chill the fuck out.”
“Oh, God. I was afraid that would happen.”
Rosie shook her head. “Don’t. You’d think it was her wedding. She’s constantly trying to tweak things, and she forced me and Mark to have dinner with her last night.” She met my eyes. “It was torture. Pure torture. I texted Celia and made her fake Rory being sick just so I could get away.”
“And you left Mark with them?”
“Look. I’ve grown up with her picking. He’s marrying into it. Think of it like a warm-up.”
Cruel. So cruel.
“Then, this morning, she showed up at our suite when we were having breakfast. She freaked out that you were showing up today without your plus one, and because you were showing up alone, she’s certain your plus one will desert you and not come.” She ran her hand through her hair. “He is coming, isn’t he?”
“He said he was.” I shrugged. “I can’t reach up to Orlando and drag him down here, can I?”
“Oh God.”
“He’ll be here, okay? Don’t worry. I promise.”
Rosie stood and clasped my hands. “Phew. Okay. Will you call me when he arrives? I want to meet him.”
“Of course.” I smiled. “Do you need me to do anything?”
She shook her head. “Mom has your weekend itinerary. I’ll text Dad and see if he can get it from her to bring up to you, but if not, you can get it tonight. All you need to do is get your plus one here and show up in the Palm Ballroom for tonight’s pre-wedding reception, okay?”
A pre-wedding reception? Whose wedding was I attending—my sister’s or a British royal’s?
“Got it. What time?”
“Seven on the dot. Six-thirty would be even better.”
“I’ll be there at six,” I smiled wryly.
“You are the best!” She hugged me again. “Okay, I have to go find Celia and Rory. I promised her she could spend the afternoon on the beach since she’ll have Rory all night.”
Ah, yes. Their live-in cleaner-slash-nanny who was the most adorable woman. Not to mention she was from Alabama and made the best peach cobbler I’d ever tasted.
“Okay. No problem. I think Adam should be here in time for the party, but I can text him and check.”
“Okay, good. Cool. Awesome.” She took a deep breath. “This is the most peace I’ve had since yesterday morning.”
With that, she gave my hand one last squeeze and left me alone in the suite.
I pulled my phone out of my purse and texted Adam.
Me: Hey. Do you know what time you’ll be here?
His response came much quicker than I thought it would.
Adam: I was just about to text you. My meeting got canceled, so I left early. I’ll be there around four. Is that good?
Oh, thank God.
One: he’d be here in time for the party.
Two: he was still coming.
Me: Perfect. See you then!
Adam: See you then, Red.
CHAPTER FOUR - POPPY
Friday Night Frights
Adam: I’m in the parking lot. Which room are you in?
I texted him back the room and floor number and tossed my phone on the sofa. Butterflies fluttered through my stomach, and when I pressed my hands against my tummy, I realized I was nervous as hell.
I was insane. Truly, truly insane. Why did I ever think asking a one-night stand to be my weekend date was a good idea?
And why the hell was I nervous to see him? And why right this second, knowing he was here? I hadn’t felt this way all day. Granted, I’d spent the entire day on the beach with my nephew, Rory, and Rosie, but still.
Ughhh.
Every second that passed felt like a nightmare. Where was he? Was he on the elevator? Down the hall? Downstairs? Still in his car?
Three knocks sounded at the door. I jumped and stared at it for a minute before moving to open it.
He was just as handsome as I remembered him. That dark hair, that stubbled jaw, those bright eyes…
“Hey,” he said, voice dipping at the end of the word.
“Hi.” I smiled, my cheeks flushing a little, and opened the door completely wide. “Come in.”
“Thanks.” He stepped into the room and glanced around. “Nice. Great view, too.”
“Definitely. I think my sister is buttering me up for having to deal with our mom,” I said, grabbing my water off the table in the middle of the room. “The bedroom is through there. There’s a walk-in closet if you want to unpack.”
“Got it.” He pulled a slate-gray case into the bedroom. “Hey, Red. Do they do room service? I need a shower and I’m starving.”
“Yeah, they do. Want the menu?”
“I got it.” He strolled back into the room, pulling his shirt over his head. “Sorry. I’m sweaty.”
Yeah. Well. If only being sweaty made him look a lot less worse, because from where I stood, sweaty or not, he was hot as hell with his tight abs and rippled muscles.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
Adam glanced up from the menu to shoot me a sexy half-grin. “True. Are you hungry?”
Actually, I was.
I nodded.
“Do you mind ordering while I take a shower?”
“No,” I said. “I don’t mind. What do you want?”
“I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger with a Pepsi,” he replied, handing me the menu. “Give me fifteen minutes.”
I took the menu, nodding and smiling. He disappeared into the bathroom, and I blew out a long breath.
Well, that hadn’t been too awkward. Except for that second where he ripped his shirt off.
I scanned the menu, quickly deciding that the bacon cheeseburger and Pepsi sounded perfect and called through to room service to place the order. The sound of the shower running filled the room, and I dropped onto the sofa with my water. I picked up my phone and texted Rosie that Adam was here, so she could stop freaking out, and sighed.
First things first: when Adam got out of the shower, we needed to figure out the things my mother was going to ask. If we were going to pass him off as my boyfriend, the very basics needed to be nailed down before it could go horribly wrong.
My mother was like a bloodhound. She could sniff out the tiniest lie if you didn’t cover your tracks adequately enough.
The shower stopped running, and I tapped my fingers against the soft material that covered the sofa cushion next to me. How did I bring it up? Did I just go straight to the point, or mention it gently?
“So,�
�� came Adam’s voice. “Have you given any thought about how we convince your family we have a real relationship?”
I turned my head, then froze.
Uhhh.
He was standing in the doorway. Tall. Tanned. Muscular. And wet.
Very, very wet.
His dark hair hung over his forehead, dripping water onto his shoulders where the droplets trailed over his chest. I saw one even trickle right over his abs and into the fluffy white towel he had secured at his waist.
“Red? You listening?”
I jerked my attention from his waist back up to his face. His lips were twisted in a knowing smile, and he wiped his face with another towel.
“I’m listening,” I said. “You asked how we’re going to convince my family this weekend isn’t a ruse.”
“Oh, good. You retained the information. I thought it might have gotten lost somewhere between my shoulders and my cock.”
I glared at him. “I’m regretting this already.”
“Don’t. I’ll remind you later why this is a very good idea.” He winked. “Well? Do you have any ideas?”
“Yes, but, honestly? Please put on some pants. If the person who brings our dinner is a woman, you’ll have her fainting in the hall.”
He stared at me for a second, then burst into laughter and turned back to the room. He emerged again two minutes later, this time wearing light gray sweatpants.
“All right,” he said, sitting with me on the sofa. “What’s the plan?”
“For you to wear more clothes so I stop getting distracted,” I muttered, ignoring his quiet snort. “I think we need to agree on the most basic things: where we met, when we met, and how serious the stage of our relationship is.”
Adam nodded and scratched his jaw. “Well, I vote we stick to the truth where possible. We met in a bar, so let’s actually use that.”
“I agree. But when?”
“Let’s say a few months ago. That’s vague enough to make our relationship serious enough that you’d bring me to a wedding, but not necessarily needed to bring me up in conversation with your family.”
“You’re good at this. Have you done it before?”
“No. Believe it or not, I’m not in the habit of accompanying random, hot women to family weddings.”
I blushed at him referring to me as “hot.” Damn it. He was charming. “Okay, so, we met in a bar a few months ago and just recently stepped toward being more serious. How does that sound?”
He nodded. “I think that’s good. We should be able to deflect any others. The key is to not be split up, and if we are, find each other to fill any gaps. Agreed?”
I took a mouthful of water and returned his nod. “Agreed. Failing that, we pay someone to cause a distraction so we can run away.”
His grin made his eyes sparkle. “I saw those heels in the bedroom. Do you think you’ll be able to run in them?”
Shit. “Absolutely fucking not.”
“Don’t worry, Red. I got you. I’ll throw you over my shoulder and we’ll run into the sunset.”
He looked so damn serious I couldn’t help but laugh. Of course, that made him break the serious persona he had on, and he laughed, too. “No, but seriously, if you can’t run, I’ll handle it.”
“You have my full confidence,” I managed to eke out between giggles.
He got up at the sound of two knocks and a call of, “Room service!” He pulled open the door and shot the poor young woman on the other side of it a dazzling grin. “Thanks. I can take this in. Don’t worry about it. Do you have the check?”
Wordlessly, she handed him a slim leather wallet and a pen. Adam opened it and scribbled on the bottom with a flourish.
“There you go. Thanks.” He smiled once again, pulled the tray inside, and shut the door on the poor thing.
“Well, that was smooth,” I said. “And they were supposed to charge it to my card. It’s on file.”
Adam shrugged. “I set up my card on my way up. They didn’t question it.”
“What? You’re here doing me a favor. I can at least buy you room service.”
“Hey, I get something out of it, too. Fake boyfriend, real sex. Remember?”
I did remember.
“And if there’s real sex, you need sustenance, and I’m happy to pay for it. So…” He pushed the tray right in front of me. “Eat up, Red. You’ll need it to get through the party…And for what I have planned for you later.”
“What—what you have planned?”
He grinned and picked up his burger.
Oh, man.
I should have ordered a shot of vodka with this Pepsi.
***
“Are you ready to do this?”
I looked at Adam. He was dressed in a white shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows. His black pants were perfectly tailored to fit him like a glove, and even his black shoes were so shiny that, if I got close enough, I’d probably be able to see my reflection in them.
Aside from the obvious? No. No, I wasn’t ready. I regretted telling Rosie I’d be there at six. Nobody else would be there to distract my family from the fact I was bringing a super hot guy as my date.
Hell, I needed distracting from that. I’d already seen his ass in those pants.
Never mind two people meeting eyes across a crowded room—I’d be searching out his ass to find him.
I just wanted to…you know. Reach out and pinch it. Like a crab. Pinch, pinch, pinch.
“Red. Pay attention.” Adam clapped his hands sharply.
“Oh my God, if you want me to focus, get ugly or something!” I snapped, smoothing out my tight-fitting dress.
He laughed. “Right. This from the woman who has my cock twitching right now.”
“It’s not the only thing that’s twitching.” I moved uncomfortably. “I’m not a fancy-dress kind of person. I prefer t-shirts that make my mom feel awkward.”
“Is that why there’s a t-shirt in the closet that says, ‘I’m sorry, I’ll try to stop swearing,’ followed by a claim it’s a lie and someone can fuck off?”
I nodded solemnly. “I was going to wear it to breakfast tomorrow, then change into the one that says, ‘I’m allergic to stupidity, I break out in sarcasm.’”
“What is that? A warning to anyone who talks to you?”
“All my t-shirts are. Including the one that claims I’m winging it, and the other that says, ‘Not today, Satan.’”
“Is that one for your mom?”
“No, but it’s about to be.” I smiled. “Thanks. That’ll really piss her off.”
He snorted and walked over to me. “You’re welcome. Shall we try this conversation again? Are you ready?”
“Uh, no.”
“I figured. You look like you’re about to walk to your death.”
“I might as well be. If my mom figures out that we’re faking this, I’ll never hear the end of it. She’ll mention it at my future birthdays, my wedding, my funeral.”
“She won’t figure it out.” Adam ran his hands up my arms. “I promise. We’ll pretend the fuck out of this relationship.”
I peered up at him. “This would be so much easier if we knew anything about the other person beyond how good they are in bed.”
“It was your crazy idea, Red. Now you have to deal with it.”
“I didn’t expect you to agree to attend a stranger’s sister’s wedding.”
“Neither did I.” He chuckled. “Come on. Four days. How hard could it be?”
“You are not prepared for my family, Adam.”
His chuckle quieted, and he twisted his lips. “Maybe not, but by the sounds of it, you’re not either, and you know them.”
“Get ready for the crazy.”
“I’m ready. But, first…” He dipped his head, bringing his face close to mine.
I took a short, sharp breath, my eyes fluttering closed right as his lips touched mine.
It was better than I remembered.
The kiss was firm, but his lips were soft.
Warm and slow, he kissed me thoroughly, sliding one hand into my loose curls and cupping the back of my head.
My heart thundered against my ribs.
“There,” Adam murmured, lips barely a breath from mine. “Now we can go.”
I nodded. “We can go.”
He pulled away and darted his gaze over my mouth. “No lipstick smudges. You’re all good.”
“Thank God for that,” I muttered under my breath, following him toward the door.
His shoulders silently shook as he guided me out of the room with a hand on my back. A shiver ran down my spine, and I did the worst possible job at hiding it if the fact his laughter when from silent to…not so silent…was any indication.
We made our way to the elevator and waited in silence. It was awkward—at least for me. Adam didn’t seem to be bothered about it at all. He was totally relaxed. A little too relaxed if you asked me.
Not that anybody did, but I was in the terrible habit of giving my opinion anyway.
We stepped into the thankfully empty elevator. My phone buzzed inside my clutch, and I dug it out as Adam hit the button for the second floor where the Palm Ballroom was.
Rosie: I’m going to kill her
Me: I’m going back to my room
Rosie: COME AND SAVE ME FFS
I sighed.
“What’s up?” Adam asked, sliding his gaze to me.
“My sister texted me begging me to come save her, which means my mom is all sunshine and fucking rainbows,” I replied. “Can’t wait.”
“I should cheer her up, right? Wasn’t she expecting you alone?”
“She fully expected you not to show up,” I agreed. “So, you’re right. You should cheer her up for a good, oh, fifteen minutes.”
He quirked a brow as the doors pinged open. “You’re not terrifying me at all, Red.”
“I warned you,” I reminded him as he guided me out of the elevator, too.
His hand was so gentle against the small of my back. That didn’t stop the tingles that ran across my skin without him even touching it.
I held my clutch against my stomach as I turned us in the direction of the ballroom. It wasn’t hard to find. Mark’s family had booked out the entire resort for the weekend, but there were still white and baby pink signs that pointed guests in the direction of the ballroom.