by Erika Wilde
Her father resumed finishing his meal. “So, I take it you were able to work around your business obligations to get some time off?” he asked Leo.
“Yes.” Leo casually picked up Peyton’s hand and held it for her parents to see, as if he’d done it a hundred times before. “I have some meetings set up with potential clients a few of the days while I’m here in San Diego,” he said, utilizing that part of the discussion they’d had the previous evening. “But at night, I’m all Peyton’s.”
He glanced back at her, and holding her gaze, he brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, acting the sweet, attentive boyfriend.
Her mother sighed softly. “I have to tell you, Leo, I was beginning to think that you were all a figment of Peyton’s imagination,” she said with a teasing laugh, though Peyton suspected there was a kernel of truth to her mother’s comment.
“As you can see, I’m definitely real.” He grinned. “I wanted to do whatever I could to be here for Peyton, and of course, to finally meet the two of you. Peyton has told me so much about you both, and I know how important this trip was to her.”
Dear Lord, the man was a natural, and so convincing she believed him.
They spent the next half hour finishing dinner while Leo conversed with her parents as if the two of them really were a couple—about his business, the things they did in New York together, and how well Peyton’s job was going for her—yeah, the job she no longer had. By the time her father paid the check and they were walking out of the restaurant—with Leo holding her hand—Peyton’s mother was clearly smitten with her fake boyfriend, and he’d gained her dad’s approval and respect, as well.
“I rented a car for the week,” Leo said to her parents when it was clear their vehicles were located at opposite ends of the parking lot. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take Peyton for a little while, but I’ll drop her off at your place on my way back to my hotel.”
Her mother’s bright smile fell a bit in disappointment. “You’re staying at a hotel?”
Leo nodded and slid his arm around Peyton’s back, keeping her close to his side and making her very aware of the arousing scent of his cologne and the warm heat of his body. “I had my secretary book me a room at the Sheraton,” he said, which Peyton assumed was a cover so he’d be able to stay at his own place at night. “I really don’t want to be a bother or inconvenience you with another person in your house.”
“You’re not a bother, for goodness sakes,” Tawny said, waving a hand dismissively. “You’re Peyton’s boyfriend, and you’re not staying in a small, stuffy hotel room for the next week.”
“Really, I don’t mind,” Leo said, and Peyton struggled to contain a laugh because he wasn’t going to win this argument with her determined mother.
“Nonsense,” Tawny said, patting his arm as if that settled that. “You can stay in the guesthouse with Peyton so the two of you will have your own space and privacy. After all, you’ve been dating for nine months now, so you don’t have to pretend with us that you haven’t, well . . . you know.”
Oh my God. Peyton’s cheeks flamed at her mother implying that they were sleeping together. “Mom!”
“Well, it’s true,” Tawny said, as if discussing her daughter’s sex life was a normal thing, which it wasn’t. “Your father and I would like to think we’re modern, open-minded parents in this day and age, and if you’re in a committed relationship, then it’s only natural that certain intimacies develop between a couple, like—”
“Tawny,” her father cut in. “I think you’ve made your point.”
Thank you, Dad! Peyton didn’t think she could be any more mortified. She cast a sidelong glance at Leo and didn’t miss his amused smirk. He was totally enjoying this embarrassing conversation at her expense.
“I take it this guesthouse is on your property?” he asked, more conversationally than anything else.
“Well, it was originally a pool house that we had converted into a studio apartment,” Tawny explained. “We had it renovated for Peyton in hopes that she’d move back home, but then she met you and we figured we’d use it for a guesthouse. Anyway, Carson and I insist that you stay with us. No more arguments.”
She felt Leo squeeze her waist as if to silently say, help me get out of this, but he’d been the one to arrive unannounced and had thrown her whole evening off-kilter, so why not return the favor? The fact that he was here pretending to be her boyfriend told her that he was on board with helping her out, so why not play up the charade for good measure?
She met his gaze, batted her lashes coquettishly, and poured on the affection to put on a convincing act for her parents. “Honey Bear, I promise not to hog all the covers if that’s what you’re worried about,” she said, establishing that they had, indeed, been intimate.
She watched him arch a dark brow when he caught the challenging tilt to her lips. “And here I thought I’d be getting a break from your snoring,” he replied as he casually slid his palm lower and squeezed her ass in his hand.
She managed, just barely, to keep from sucking in a shocked breath at his bold move and was grateful that her parents hadn’t noticed. “I don’t snore.”
“How do you know?” he asked, his eyes glinting mischievously as he continued the pretense of being a long-term couple who knew each other’s worst habits. “You’re sleeping when you do it. I’m the one who has to hear it all night long.”
Oh, he was asking for trouble, and she didn’t mind giving it to him. Turning toward Leo, she slid one hand inside his leather jacket and along his chest while rising on the toes of her sandals so she could brush her lips against his warm jawline, establishing even more intimacy between them. “If my snoring is so bad, Honey Bear, then maybe you should wear those noise-canceling earplugs I bought you for your birthday.”
When she pulled back, the sudden heat in his eyes caused her heart to race and made her wonder if she’d pushed him too far. He looked like he wanted to pounce on her, and probably would have if her parents hadn’t been standing a few feet away. She couldn’t say that she would have stopped him, either.
“Oh, you two are so cute,” her mother said, almost gleefully.
Peyton lowered her hand from Leo’s chest and settled back beside him, though it was hard to ignore the sexual tension now shimmering between them. Somehow, she managed a bright smile for her mom and dad. “I’ll go with Leo to get his things and check out from the hotel so he can stay in the guesthouse with me,” she told her parents. At least they’d have a little alone time to finally discuss him agreeing to be her fake boyfriend.
Her father slid his hands into the front of his slacks, seemingly just as happy as Peyton’s mother that their daughter was in a stable relationship. “If we don’t see you tonight, then we’ll definitely see you in the morning in the main house for Sunday breakfast. Come hungry, because Tawny will probably make enough to feed a small army.”
Leo chuckled while lightly tracing his fingers down the indentation of Peyton’s spine in a sensual caress. “Not to worry, sir. I’ll definitely bring an appetite.”
Peyton shivered. Dear Lord, why did those words have such a sexual connotation to them? “We’ll definitely be there.”
“Okay, we’ll see you then,” her mother said, giving them both one last delighted look. “Have a good night, you two.”
“Oh, we will,” Leo said, and Peyton hoped she was the only one who heard the wicked connotation in his voice.
Chapter Four
As Peyton’s parents walked away, Leo secured her hand in his much bigger one, which was becoming a much too familiar experience she was coming to enjoy. He led her to a black sporty Mustang and opened the passenger-side door for her to get inside before he rounded the car and got behind the wheel. As soon as they were enclosed in the car together and all alone, he leaned his head back against his seat and groaned.
“I guess we’ll be living together for the next week,” he said, though he didn’t sound that unhappy ab
out the arrangement.
She laughed. “That’s what you get for not calling me so we could talk about all this ahead of time, because I could have told you exactly how all this would play out and how my mother would react. Not to mention her insisting you stay at the house instead of a hotel.”
He turned his head toward her, his warm gaze roaming her face before stopping on her mouth. “We’ll make it work. I can balance business and being an attentive boyfriend, especially if it means I get the benefits that go with that title.”
Obviously, he was referencing their kiss last night, and she couldn’t deny that she wanted more of them, too. “What made you decide to do this for me?” she asked softly, curious to know what had cemented his decision.
“Two reasons, actually,” he said as he lifted a hand and grazed his fingers along her cheek while his thumb skimmed across her bottom lip. “One, I genuinely like you, and two, because it’s been a long time since I’ve just enjoyed being with a woman who makes me laugh and feel good.”
His honesty prompted her own. “Same here,” she admitted, unable to stop the tightening of her nipples beneath her blouse as he trailed those fingers down the side of her neck. “The guys I’ve dated since I’ve been in New York are what I like to call alpha-holes.”
The corner of his mouth quirked curiously. “Alpha-holes?”
She nodded and explained. “Basically, a guy who is a controlling asshole.”
“Ahhh,” he said thoughtfully. “I’ve never been called an asshole, but I have to admit that I do have a few alpha tendencies. I like to protect what’s mine, and I can be a little controlling . . . in the bedroom.”
The breath whooshed out of Peyton, because she could easily envision Leo being sexually assertive. The way he’d kissed her last night had given her a taste of that dominant man who took what he wanted, and it was a quality she admired in a guy. Especially one she was so attracted to.
“So, here’s to a fun, enjoyable week together,” he went on, laying out his own rules. “No pressure for anything more than our pretend relationship, no strings or expectations to complicate things, and then we go back to our regular lives. Me here in San Diego and you in New York.”
She knew he was being practical, and what he was proposing made sense because they did live vastly different lives on opposite ends of the country. But a part of her wished they didn’t have over twenty-three hundred miles separating them, that they could spend the time to see where their attraction might lead if it had the opportunity.
But in reality, the distance between them would be an issue, especially with his business in San Diego. And for all she knew, Leo was still carrying a torch for Amanda. She had no idea how or why they’d broken up, but he’d asked Amanda to marry him and that was as serious as a man’s feelings could get for a woman.
“We both know exactly what to expect, so it makes this arrangement easy and clear-cut,” Leo said, shifting her attention back to him and the way his thumb was gently pressing against that pulse point at the base of her throat. “You get a devoted boyfriend for a week, and I get to spend it with you . . . with one caveat.”
“Which is?”
Even in the dim interior of the vehicle, the desire in his eyes was unmistakable, and she reveled in the knowledge that it was all for her. “As your boyfriend, I have the right to kiss you, anywhere and anytime I want. Does that work for you?”
Peyton swallowed hard and decided that if one week was all he was offering, then she was going to take advantage of every moment with him. With that thought, she leaned across the console toward him and tipped her lips up toward his in a deliberate temptation. “It does work for me, as long as I get the same privileges.”
“Consider it a deal,” he said, right before he curled his fingers around the back of her neck and claimed her mouth in a slow, deep, mutually pleasurable kiss.
* * *
Leo drove his car toward the townhome he’d recently purchased so he could pack up some clothes and toiletries for his unplanned stay with Peyton at her parents’ place for the next week. He kept his hands wrapped around the steering wheel—and off of the woman sitting beside him—and willed the stiff, aching erection in his pants to subside.
Easier said than done when, every time he inhaled, he caught the warm scent of vanilla that seemed to cling to Peyton’s skin and the sweet taste of her still lingered in his mouth from kissing her so damn thoroughly that he was surprised they hadn’t gone up in flames. It had been a close call, though, and the only reason they’d stopped was because a car had pulled into the empty parking spot next to them, which had brought him back to his senses.
Leo hadn’t intended for that kiss to spiral out of control, but the moment his tongue slid along hers and she purred so seductively in the back of her throat, he had to have more of her, and it quickly became clear that she felt the same. They’d made out like two sex-starved adults—which he suspected they both were—their mouths equally ravenous, while their hot and heavy breaths mingled with deeper, more urgent moans that had escalated the desire between them.
They’d been totally in sync, and all the blood in his body had rushed to his cock, making him throb with lust and the overwhelming urge to haul Peyton across the console so she could straddle his lap and give him better access to unbutton her blouse so he could continue those hot, damp kisses down to her pert breasts and suck on the tight furl of her nipples.
Fuck. He swallowed back a groan and shifted in his seat, grateful that they’d finally arrived at his townhouse so he could get out of the car and give his mind time to clear and his dick the opportunity to cool off so he didn’t do something rash like jump Peyton once they were alone in his place. The garage door opened with a press of a button, and he parked the Mustang inside.
“Come on in,” he said, keeping his tone casual as he glanced her way. “You can hang out in the living room while I pack a bag with some of my things.”
“Okay.” She smiled as she got out of the car and followed him inside the house.
The garage door led into a utility room with a washer and dryer, then transitioned into the kitchen and open-concept living room. “Would you like something to drink while you’re waiting?”
“I’m good,” she assured him with a wave of her hand. “Go do your thing. I’ll be fine.”
He headed up stairs to his master bedroom and pulled a large duffle bag from his closet. He filled it with enough clothes for a few days, since he’d be able to get more shirts and pants during the week if he needed them. After gathering his bathroom essentials, he put everything into a leather toiletry bag, zipped it up, and added it to his luggage. Fifteen minutes later, he was done and back in the living room, where Peyton was looking at the only framed photo he had on display.
When she heard him approaching from behind her, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “I recognize your brothers from some of your pictures on Instagram, and I’m assuming this is your mom?” she asked curiously.
He nodded. “Yeah. That was taken recently, at my brother Aiden’s wedding, when he married Daisy.” The only reason he even had the framed picture was because his sister-in-law had given it to him as a gift, which Leo appreciated because his mother truly meant the world to him and they were lucky to still have her in their lives after her cancer scare.
“You all look so happy,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest before tentatively asking, “Your father isn’t in the picture . . . Is he not around?”
He dropped his duffle onto the couch and shrugged. “He’s around . . . somewhere.” He wasn’t surprised to hear the bitterness that still coated his voice when he talked about his dad. “My parents are divorced and he wasn’t invited to the wedding.”
Startled by his abrupt tone, her eyes went wide. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, because I’m not, and neither are my brothers. My father is a selfish, egotistical prick.” He saw the curiosity flicker across her expression, and before she could ask, he went ah
ead and explained. “When my brothers and I were teenagers, we found out that my mother had breast cancer . . . and my dad decided that was the perfect time to tell our mother that he was having an affair with a much younger woman, and he wanted a divorce.”
Peyton gasped in shock.
“My dad didn’t bother to stick around while my mother battled the disease and went through months of chemo,” he said, not doing a thing to temper the resentment he still felt toward his father. “My brothers and I took care of her, and as far as we’re all concerned, he doesn’t deserve to be a part of any of our lives, weddings included.”
“I would agree,” she said softly. “That’s a really crappy thing to do to your family.”
Realizing how tense the conversation had made him, he rolled his stiff shoulders and focused on the positive. “My mom is an incredibly strong woman. She’s in remission and healthy and has a great guy in her life who is everything that my dad wasn’t.”
“I’m glad everything worked out for her,” Peyton said, her words and the caring tone of her voice sincere and genuine. Then, as if sensing it was time for a change in topic, she glanced around his spacious living room. “By the way, this is a nice townhome you have. Especially compared to my incredibly small seven-hundred-square-foot apartment I share with my roommate in the city.” Her tone was wry.
“Ahhh, the scene of the crime,” he teased, grateful for the lighter subject. “The location where you Photoshopped all those pictures of us and posted them on social media?”
She ducked her head, but not before he saw the adorable blush spreading across her cheeks. “Yeah, that would be the place.”
He pulled his phone from his front pocket and entered the pass code to unlock the screen, not overly questioning what he was about to suggest, even though it normally wasn’t something he’d do. “What do you say we take a real selfie and post it?”
“Okay,” she said with a smile.