by Ivy Jordan
He blushed as he looked down, and then looked towards me, wearing just a tank top.
“I thought you were gonna sleep on the couch,” I hissed, gripping a pillow tightly in my hand and flinging it towards his head.
“Whoa,” he snapped back, grabbing the pillow, jerking it from my clutches before I could hit him again.
“You had this planned, this room, the alcohol,” I scorned, grabbing the pillow behind me, and lunging it in his direction.
He pulled out of the way, causing the pillow to just miss him. He reacted with a swing towards me, the pillow he stole from me now slamming into my face.
His eyes were wide and filled with fear as I stared in his direction. I couldn’t believe he just hit me with a pillow. I let out a roar, unleashing the anger that I’d buried all morning, and slammed the last pillow I could reach into his head.
He fell over onto his back, his arm already stretching towards me with the pillow he gripped. Before I could get out of the way, it hit me again, knocking me onto my back.
Aiden pounced onto me, his arms pinning me on either side.
“What makes you think this is my fault?” he questioned.
How dare he insinuate that I was the one who initiated this, even though that thought had crossed my own mind?
I groaned and released a soft chuckle at the thought.
His grin was delicious, his lips so close to mine, even now, angered, I wanted to reach up and kiss them.
“I don’t remember anything from last night,” I admitted.
“Neither do I,” Aiden concurred.
“Yeah, right,” I rolled my eyes.
“Are you going to stop hitting me with pillows if I let you up?” he quizzed.
My blood was still boiling, and I knew I couldn’t make any promises, but I did anyway.
“Yes,” I agreed.
He lifted from me, releasing me. I had a strong urge to reach for the pillow, and with the tension, along with his eyes filled with warning, I started to giggle uncontrollably.
“Don’t do it, Blake,” he scolded.
I couldn’t help myself. I reached beside me, gripping the pillow in my hand, and slammed it into the side of his head.
I laughed, loudly, all the tension rolling from me like waves from the shore. He looked annoyed at first, but his smile quickly appeared, and then his laughter joined mine.
“Well, I doubt we had sex,” he announced, sliding from the sheets and standing by the bed.
My cheeks blushed at the anticipation of seeing his cock in the flesh, not just outlined in the thin sheet. My eyes fixated on a pair of blue boxer briefs, still outlining his manhood, but covering it from view.
“What does that prove?” I sassed, sliding up against the headboard.
“I don’t think we’d get dressed afterward, especially if we were so drunk neither of us remembered even coming to bed,” he declared.
I wanted to believe him, but a part of me didn’t want to believe him. He walked around the room, his ass like two boulders smashed into the blue material of his briefs.
“I don’t see a condom,” he announced with a smile.
“Oh God,” I sighed, fearing that we not only had sex, but unprotected sex.
He let out a laugh.
“Okay, so if we did have sex, and by chance, got dressed afterward, and there’s no condom, how do you feel down there? Couldn’t you tell if we did, if I did?” he stammered.
The arousal from earlier was still slick between my legs, but I didn’t want to accuse that as his. I jumped up from the bed and moved into the bathroom, realizing there still was no privacy with the glass doors.
“Turn around,” I demanded.
When Aiden turned, I slid my panties down and sat on the toilet. I wiped away the small amount of arousal left from earlier and didn’t feel anything else. We hadn’t had sex.
I returned to the main room, smiling with embarrassment.
“So, we didn’t?” he questioned nervously.
I shook my head.
“See, you got all worked up over nothing,” he grinned.
“We still ended up in the bed together, half-naked,” I insisted, certain something had to have happened, even though it was certainly not everything.
He shook his head.
“Blake, I think I can be trusted to sleep in a bed with you,” he smirked.
I didn’t like the way that sounded. Why could he sleep next to me with no urges?
“I mean, when we get back to my house, we’re gonna have to figure something out about the sleeping arrangements,” he informed.
“Why? You have three bedrooms, right?” I asked.
“I do, but only one is furnished with a bed,” he confessed.
When was he going to tell me this?
“So, I’ll sleep on the couch until I buy a bed,” I pointed out quickly.
“Yeah, and my mom or abuela drops by and finds you on the couch, us as newlyweds, how’s that going to look?” he questioned.
I imagined his abuela, Anna-Maria, clinging her chest, having a heart attack in the living room as she cried to God that she couldn’t believe she’d never be a great abuela. Ugh.
“So, you’ll make a pad on the floor in your room, and I’ll sleep in the bed,” I smiled sternly.
“I’m not sleeping on my floor,” Aiden growled, grabbing his jeans and sliding them on. As soon as his chiseled abs were covered with the t-shirt he slid on, I missed them.
“What, do you suggest that I sleep on the floor?” I snapped.
Aiden grinned in my direction, a mischievous grin that made him look much younger than he was.
“We are both adults; we can share a bed. I think we proved that,” he insisted.
My heart raced at the thought of sleeping next to Aiden every night. Last night, I hadn’t remembered, but how would I handle the rest of the nights, the sober nights?
“Until we get you a bed,” he added.
“Okay,” I agreed, happy to hear a compromise was in the works at least.
“I’m starving,” Aiden changed the topic, and I was appreciative.
My stomach grumbled at the thought of food. I didn’t remember eating anything last night and assumed we probably hadn’t.
I dressed quickly, and Aiden and I found a table at the restaurant where we were away from other patrons. We talked about how we would handle delivering the news to everyone back home.
Aiden’s mother and abuela would be ecstatic, but Liam, I feared, would be infuriated, even knowing it wasn’t a real marriage.
“The only thing that will save me from not having a wedding is the fact it’s you,” Aiden commented.
I knew he meant because I didn’t have my parents here, no father to give me away, but he didn’t add any details to his comment.
“Liam is gonna freak out,” I admitted.
“It was partly his idea,” Aiden scoffed.
“Yeah, but not to marry his sister,” I smirked.
It was obvious my point had gotten across to Aiden. He was pretty quiet during breakfast, shoving food into his mouth, smiling oddly in my direction from time to time. The drive back into town wasn’t much better. As we got closer and closer to town, my heart raced, Aiden’s fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, and the tension in the truck could be cut with a knife.
I was beginning to realize what a mistake we’d made. This was going to be a mess.
Chapter Seven
Aiden
I was surprised, and a little relieved to see Luke sitting on my front porch. I stepped out of the truck, grabbed mine and Blake’s bags from the back, and headed towards him.
“What’s up?” I asked casually.
“I hope you don’t mind, I decided to hang around,” Luke smiled, grabbing one of the bags from my hand.
“Not at all,” I grinned, thankful not to be alone with Blake just yet.
“I know you got a lot of explaining to do, so I’m gonna hang around town for a while. I’ll head
over to the bed and breakfast this evening,” Luke insisted.
I wasn’t looking forward to facing Liam, especially not after Blake convinced me he was gonna flip.
Blake followed slowly behind us as we entered the house. She stopped in the doorway, seemingly unsure of what to do.
“Make yourself at home,” I offered, receiving a slight smile.
She was nervous. It was cute.
“Where should I put this?” Luke asked, holding up Blake’s bag.
“In my room for now,” I said slowly, hoping Blake wasn’t getting the wrong impression.
Luke disappeared down the hall. I set my bag down and moved towards Blake with my hand extended to her.
“Let me give you the tour,” I boasted, gripping her hand in mine.
The living room was large, extending the width of the brick ranch. Blake looked around, unwilling to display any signs of her impression.
I guided her to the kitchen, where off to the side, a formal dining room was decorated with roosters and chili peppers, compliments of my mother. The kitchen was huge, offering an island complete with sink and a thick chopping block. It was a gourmet kitchen, one that was designed for a wanna-be chef, which I was not.
“Do you like to cook?” I asked.
Blake rolled her eyes and sighed. “Do you think I’m gonna cook and clean for you?” she chuckled.
“I was hoping,” I smirked, walking her to the back door, a set of French doors I’d installed myself last summer.
The patio was cleaned, the chairs already cushioned, and the in-ground pool cleaned and ready for summer. The house sat on a large lot, a private one, with very few neighbors nearby. I generally preferred to be left alone, but now, that was all about to change.
“I didn’t know you had a pool,” Blake perked up as she pushed through the back door.
“We have a pool,” I corrected her.
She turned towards me with a smile, a warm smile that soothed my soul. Whatever Liam said about the arrangement, however mad he got, that smile made it all worth it.
I watched Blake walk around the yard, stopping at the pool to reach down and run her fingers through the clear blue water. We walked back inside where Luke was already digging in the fridge for a beer.
“You want one?” he offered, holding a bottle towards me.
“Yes,” I agreed, gripping the cold beer in my sweaty palm.
He handed one to Blake, who quickly untwisted the cap and took a long swig. Yeah, she was nervous.
“Let me show you the rest of the house,” I offered, motioning for Blake to follow me as I walked out of the kitchen.
I turned down the wide hallway, stopping at the first door, a bathroom. Blake peeked inside, smiled, and then followed me to the next door.
The office was already furnished with a large wooden desk but lacked any signs of decorations. Blake walked inside, looking out the window that led to the backyard.
“Is this where you work?” she asked.
“I never have. I usually do all my paperwork at the office. You are welcome to make it your own,” I offered.
“That would be great,” she agreed.
I knew she was a freelance writer and that she’d need her own space. I was happy to offer her that and was pleased to see that smile of hers once again.
The next room was empty and quite small. I watched as Blake walked around the room, taking inventory of the space. I assumed this would be her room, at least to sleep, once we got her a bed. But her stuff would have to be in my room, giving the appearance that we were indeed husband and wife when my family was around.
“We’ll get it fixed up,” I noted as she followed me down the hall and towards my bedroom.
Blake walked into the large room, checked out the attached bathroom with the large shower stall and deep soaking tub, and then walked into one of the two large closets. It was obvious she noticed the difference in size between the rooms, and I was quite certain she wasn’t pleased that she was staying in the small room.
“We’ll have to put your stuff in here,” I stated.
She turned towards me, her face wrinkled with disapproval.
“I don’t like the idea of my stuff being in here with you,” she snapped.
“Then you’ll just have to stay in here with me,” I laughed.
I’d known Blake for a long time, and even though things were a little tense between us, awkward even, I knew that wouldn’t last. I doubted that she would ever sleep in the other room at all. I didn’t want to admit it, but I started remembering some of the night before as we drove home from the resort. I remembered her snuggling up to me, pushing her head under my arm, and telling me she loved me. I knew she was drunk, we both were, but it felt good, and we were both comfortable.
“Are you ready to tell Liam?” I asked.
Blake shrugged, her face turning slightly paler than usual. It was obvious she wasn’t sure she was ready, but we couldn’t wait any longer, not if we didn’t want things to be worse.
“I’ll call him,” Luke offered.
I nodded, agreeing that was best. If I called, Liam would know I was hiding something.
Blake walked into the kitchen, grabbed another beer, and then sat at the table.
“You okay?” I asked.
Her face was tight, her lips pursed, and her skin still pale.
“I’m just worried how he’ll react,” she admitted.
I was too, but I didn’t want her to know that.
“It will be fine. Hell, it was Alyssa’s idea, and he agreed,” I assured her.
A faint smile appeared on her face, and she nodded. She’d already told me that he wouldn’t be okay with the idea when his little sister was involved, and I knew she was right, but she didn’t say anything. She just smiled.
I grabbed a beer, sat with her at the table, and listened as Luke made the call. It was obvious Liam was happy to hear from him, and I hoped that would put him in a better mood when he arrived.
Luke hung up the phone, walked into the kitchen, and grabbed a beer.
“He will be here in a few minutes,” Luke said cheerfully, obviously unaware of the tension that was about to erupt.
“Wanna wait on the front porch?” I asked, grabbing three more beers from the fridge.
Luke agreed, grabbing his beer and heading out of the house, while Blake stared up at me with her beautiful blue eyes.
“Might as well get it over with,” I smirked.
“True,” she agreed, offering a fragile smile.
She stood, took the beer from my hand, and pushed into me playfully with her shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her, guided her to the front porch, and took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this either.
Luke lounged on the front porch steps, sipping his beer as he stared down the long drive. I was nervous, anxious about telling Liam the news, unsure how he’d truly react.
Half my beer was gone by the time I noticed Liam’s truck rolling down the dirt path drive towards my house. Dust pushed behind his tires, creating a fog, but not enough that I couldn’t make out Alyssa and Holly inside the cab alongside him.
Liam immediately made his way to Luke, offering him a quick hug while Alyssa helped Holly from the truck onto the gravel below.
“What the hell are you doing in town?” Liam asked Luke, his smile wide and sincere.
“I’m thinking about staying for a while,” he answered, thankfully leaving out the part why he’d come in the first place.
“It’s so good to see you,” Liam said, his eyes drifting over Luke’s shoulder to Blake.
She stood in front of her brother, her heart racing, I knew it. Her hands were trembling, and she didn’t speak as Liam eyed her.
“Blake,” he said softly.
She nodded, her cheeks starting to blush.
“What’s going on?” Liam asked, looking towards me now.
I cleared my throat, not ready to speak yet. I took a step from the porch, standing in front of my friend
, my now brother-in-law.
Holly was picking up rocks from the drive, sorting them as if she hunted for treasure. Alyssa stood, silently, watching, waiting for the next move.
“I’ve got some news, we got news,” I stammered.
Liam’s eyes stared into mine, bright blue like his sisters, but filled with curiosity and confusion instead of fear.
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” he asked nervously.
“Luke came into town to be my witness,” I started, clearing my throat again from nerves.
Liam looked more confused than before, tilting his head to the side. “Witness?”
“Blake and I, uh, got married,” I chuckled nervously.
Liam’s eyes grew dark, squinting as if into the sun. I waited nervously for his reaction. It was growing clear with the silence that it wouldn’t be a good one, and as his hand lifted, his fist clenched, and then darted towards my face, it was obvious I was right.
On impact, I stepped back, stumbling on my feet. Liam was much smaller than me, but he carried one hell of a punch. My hand gripped my mouth, holding it in shock as I stabled my stance.
“Liam!” Blake screamed out, but it didn’t appear that Liam heard her cries.
His hand lifted again, and his fist slammed back into my face, this time making contact with my nose.
Blake screamed out again, and this time joined with Alyssa.
“Holly is here,” Alyssa scolded, gripping Liam’s arm and pulling him back.
My knees were wobbly, but I was still standing. My nose burnt, my lips swelled, and a metallic taste filled my mouth.
Luke hadn’t moved. He was still lounging on the porch step, sipping his beer. He didn’t try to intervene, which I appreciated. This was between me and Liam, no one else.
“What the fuck?” Liam shouted, still trying to work his way from Alyssa’s grip.
She jerked him back, whispered something in his ear, and then grabbed Holly’s hand, pulling her into the house.
“Don’t act like you care now, Liam. When I needed you the most, you didn’t care enough to even come home,” Blake snapped, tears in her eyes as she slammed through the front door.
“Look, man, it’s just what Alyssa suggested: a marriage of convenience,” I stammered.
Liam stepped back, his chest lifting and falling quickly as he caught his breath, and tried to piece this all together.