The Hometown Hoax (The Hoax Series)

by Heather Thurmeier

  Like licking her lips again to see if Logan noticed.

  If his eyes widening and his tongue touching his lips was any indication, he did.

  But that shouldn’t matter. She had a fake boyfriend, and Logan was a dangerous temptation that threatened to drag her back to town if she let her libido make decisions for her.

  Stop it. Bed. Now.

  “I’m beat,” she said standing. “I’m off to bed for the night. See you all in the morning.”

  Gathering her sketchbook and pencils, she quickly made her way back to the cabin. Once safely inside, she flopped down on her bed and buried her head in her pillow. She wasn’t one to run and hide in her room, but with Logan around eyeing her constantly, she didn’t see any other place to be. Every time he looked at her like that, she felt something inside come to life, which was exactly the last thing she wanted to happen with a guy from town.

  Eventually she did want to meet someone, fall in love, and live happily ever after. First, she wanted to focus on her art and establishing herself in her career. Then she would worry about finding someone and settling down. By then she’d be in the social circles in the city and that’s the kind of guy she wanted to meet. Not someone who’d left the city to move to Nowheresville.

  Why couldn’t her body listen to reason and stop getting all tingly and gooey every time Logan so much as looked at her? God help her if he decided to touch her again. She’d barely been able to think straight the couple of times it had happened so far, but her reaction seemed to be getting progressively worse. At least she had her fake boyfriend to fall back on, since there was no way a stand up guy like Logan would cross that line. Her boyfriend might be fake, but he provided a real buffer between herself and Logan and all the temptation that went along with him.

  “A few more days then Logan will be out of my space for good.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t realize I’d been in your space. Thought I did a pretty good job of staying on my side of the room actually.”

  She groaned into her pillow, wishing it could swallow her whole so she wouldn’t have to turn and face the man in question. Why couldn’t he stay at the fire tonight like the rest of her family? Why did he have to keep following her back to the cabin? She wanted to have a little time for herself where she didn’t have to pretend to be anything: in a relationship, successfully pursuing her art, blissfully happy and fulfilled.

  Reluctantly, she sat up. “I didn’t realize you’d followed me.” She didn’t apologize for her words since there was nothing wrong with what she’d said. Not to mention that the bigger bitch she was, the less likely he was to stick around.

  “I didn’t follow you. This is my cabin too, remember?” He sat on his bed and slipped his shoes off then leaned back against the wall looking casual, but not at all like he had a purpose for coming back to the cabin so early.

  “Yes, and I can see why you were in a hurry to come back here and relax. There’s no way you could unwind around a soothing campfire.” Why was he here exactly?

  “True, but I could say the same about you.”

  “I came back because I’m tired and I planned on going to bed,” she said.

  “I thought maybe you’d come back here to chat with your boyfriend since I haven’t seen you call him once since arriving.”

  She swallowed. There was that look in his eyes again, the one saying he might not believe her boyfriend story as easily as the others did.

  “I planned to call him, but I guess privacy was too much to hope for, wasn’t it?” Maybe he’d leave her alone to make her supposed call and she’d conveniently be in bed with the lights off and “sleeping” by the time he got back.

  “Don’t let me stop you. I’ll go wash up.” He said the words, yet made no motion to actually move.

  Sighing, she picked up her phone. “I’ll text him instead. I wouldn’t want to disturb your beauty rest.”

  She quickly typed out a message to Mary asking if she wanted to join her for a hike to lookout point tomorrow. It would be fun to spend time hanging out with Mary, and as an added bonus, it would get her away from Logan for a few hours. She hit send.

  Clicking on her email while she got a good signal, she held her breath when she saw the name of a gallery pop up. Her pulse raced as she opened the message, then slowed when she saw the one paragraph rejection. It was the same as the others—too similar to other artists, not unique, missing that something special. She still had one more gallery to hear from, and surely they would give her a chance.

  Sighing, she tossed her phone upside down on the bed as if she wasn’t hiding something, then got up to go brush her teeth. “Sometimes it takes Richard a few minutes to return my texts if he’s busy working. I’ll wash up now so you can go in there.” She looked at him pointedly as she moved across the room.

  With the water running in the sink, she brushed her teeth and tried not to read too much into Logan coming back to the cabin early. Surely he hadn’t come back to annoy her. It was entirely possible he was finding it awkward to spend so much time with her family when he barely knew them. Or he might be genuinely tired since he was used to the city life and not so much fresh mountain air. By the time she’d finished with her teeth, she was completely convinced she was overreacting to him being in the cabin. It was simply a product of their rocky relationship.

  Not that they had a relationship.

  She pulled open the bathroom door only to find Logan leaning against the doorframe, a smirk gracing his face. If she hadn’t been paying attention, she would have walked right into him. As it was, she barely stopped before making contact with his chest.

  Damn it. Every time she was up close to him, his proximity played with her senses, clouded her brain, and made her want to forget her reasoning for staying away.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, crossing her arms as an added barrier between them.

  “You got a text and I thought you’d be anxious to hear back from your man so I walked your phone over to the bathroom. Of course, along the way I couldn’t help but notice that the text was from your sister. That is unless Richard the Dick also goes by Mary.”

  He handed her the phone and she held it close to her chest while trying to maintain her composure. It was one thing to put up with his questions and him being in her space, but it was completely unacceptable for him to go through her private belongings.

  “You had no right to read my text. From my boyfriend or from my sister.”

  “You’re absolutely right.”

  “Good, so we’re in agreement that you’re officially an asshole.” She moved to walk around him, but he sidestepped, blocking her path. On instinct she put up her hands up to brace herself against running into him. His pecs were as firm and sculpted as she remembered. Without permission, her hands roamed down his sleek torso, gliding over ridges and plains.

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “What would you say?” She withdrew her hands and attempted to step the other way around him and was blocked once more.

  “That I was curious who you were actually texting since I knew it couldn’t possibly be your boyfriend.”

  “That’s a pretty big assumption considering I’d told you I was texting him. Not exactly roommate-like for someone who moments ago claimed to not be in my space. Why didn’t you take my word for it?”

  “Because you don’t have a boyfriend.”

  The accusation hung in the air. She didn’t respond, silently refusing to confirm or deny his comment. He remained steadfastly mute as well, not giving an inch on his claim to her relationship status. Why couldn’t he let it go? “What’s it to you?”

  He shrugged but didn’t say anything, simply held her gaze, raising an eyebrow, questioningly.

  “I don’t have to tell you anything.”

  “True, but you should admit it.” His smirk grew. “Wouldn’t it be easier if you didn’t have to be deceitful even in your own cabin for the rest of the week?”

  True. It would be nice if she coul
d have this one spot to relax. And with Logan seeming to be everywhere she was when she left the cabin, it would be nice if she could be herself with him at least. Hiding it from everyone was hard. But if she gave in and admitted the truth, what would that mean for the thing that definitely wasn’t going on between her and Logan? That feeling she definitely didn’t feel spring up inside her when he was around? That tingling and heat not pooling low in her belly whenever she smelled his spicy cologne mixing with campfire smoke and lake water. Would she still be able to push all of that nonsense aside if there wasn’t the fake boyfriend buffer anymore?

  She met his gaze and could clearly see that he knew the truth even without her admission. He wanted to make her say the words. “Fine.”

  “Fine, what?” he asked, his eyebrow arching again.

  “I might have exaggerated the boyfriend story.”

  “Why’d you lie?”

  “Because if I told the truth, they’d never shut up about how I should move home and marry a guy from town. I hoped for a week of peace, but I guess that’s never happening with my family, is it?”

  “What’s wrong with a guy from town?” His voice rose with defensiveness. “Your family is nice. I can only imagine at least some of the men in this town are okay too.”

  Some might be nice, but not all. And that wasn’t a conversation she was having with Logan now, or ever if she could help it. The past was the past and that’s how she wanted to keep things. “I’ve had my fill of small town life.”

  “Vague.”

  It was her turn to shrug. “You’re so full of questions. How about you answer one for me?” she asked.

  “Fire away,” he said, his mouth set in a firm line.

  “Why do you care so much that I lied about having a boyfriend?”

  “Because if there’s a guy back in the city I have no choice but to respect that.”

  She swallowed, suddenly feeling nervousness and excitement mix in her stomach. “And if there’s no guy?” Her voice came out as a whisper.

  Logan lifted her chin with his fingers then slid his hand along her jaw and into the hair at the base of her neck. “If there’s no boyfriend, then you’re single. And I’m single. And we’re all alone in this cozy cabin every night.”

  “So? I’m still not interested. Sorry to burst your big ego bubble.” The lump of anticipation in her throat made it feel as if her airway was closing, but she sucked in a staggered breath.

  She tried to step away but before she could, he had her pressed against the doorframe. A tiny gasp escaped her parted lips at the pleasure of him leaning into her body in all the right places. How many times had she imagined a scenario like this happening? Many. But Logan wasn’t a fantasy. He was real and felt better than anything her imagination could ever come up with. Why she’d been fighting the attraction she’d felt for him since meeting him on the twisting mountain road escaped her realm of thinking right now.

  “You might claim you’re not interested, but I’m pretty sure that’s another lie. And if you’re single and willing, and I’m single and wanting, then there’s nothing to stop me from doing this.”

  He brushed his lips against hers, lingering only long enough to cause her to arch into him involuntarily. Feeling as if she was suffocating, she tried to suck in a breath. When she did, his tongue swept across her bottom lip and she trembled.

  He pulled back, his eyes heavy-lidded. “I’m pretty sure I know the truth about what you want too. So tell me once and for all, is there a guy in the city waiting for you?” His gaze penetrated hers, intense and full of need, longing.

  “You can’t say anything to my family. They’ll never leave me alone to make my own decisions.”

  “I’ll keep your secret.”

  She relaxed in his arms. His thumb brushed across her lower lip, and she fought to control the tremble of nerves his touch brought to life.

  “If…” He paused.

  Biting her lip, she prayed he wouldn’t ask for something in return she couldn’t give. “If what?” she whispered.

  “If you’ll promise to be one hundred percent real and honest with me when we’re alone. I get that you don’t want your family to know. They’re well meaning, but even I can see how much of a hard time they give you over everything. If they knew the truth, I think you’re right about how they would react and I’d hate to see you go crazy over it. So around them you can keep up the charade.”

  She nodded, not trusting her voice to stay strong and steady.

  “But when we’re alone, you’re single, and you won’t write me off because I decided to move to Cutter’s Creek instead of staying in the city. You’ll respect my decision as much as you want your family to respect yours.”

  Well, when he said it like that… She hadn’t realized she’d acted hypocritically. It wasn’t fair to him anymore than it was fair to her that her family tried to pressure her into moving home. She thought she was a better person, but apparently the meddling apple didn’t fall far from the busy-bodied tree.

  “Deal?” He inched forward slightly and her breath caught in her throat at his nearness. He was even hotter up close. There was something so sexy about his confident ability to take charge of the situation.

  She licked her lips while finding her voice, never taking her gaze from his. “Deal.” The word was barely out of her mouth before his lips were on hers again. Heat rocketed through her body making her toes tingle with desire. His kiss was deeper, needier than the first, and she wanted more.

  A few seconds later, Logan broke the kiss, his chest rising and falling with quick breaths that matched hers. He looked at her for another few moments then stepped away and went to lay on his bed as if nothing had happened.

  Her head spun as if she’d drunk an entire bottle of wine. Walking back to her bed, she felt in a fog. Not wanting to show him or admit to herself how much she’d been affected by his kiss, she picked up her book from the nightstand as casually as she could and mindlessly stared at the pages, flipping once in a while to look as if she were actually reading.

  Somehow, in an odd twist of fate she hadn’t seen coming, she no longer had a fake boyfriend but instead now had a very real crush on the sexy man lying a few feet away. A man who recently moved to the town she couldn’t wait to leave.

  This couldn’t be good.

  But that kiss had been anything but bad.

  Chapter Nine

  Logan poured a coffee to take with him back to his cabin. Being in nature was amazing, but he could do with a few comforts from home. His smoothies were something he rarely went more than a few days without. Coffee was great quick energy, but after a good workout like the one he’d had this morning, he could use the sustained energy his protein-enriched smoothies would’ve offered.

  “Anything on the schedule for today?” he asked Martha.

  She paused her organizing of the pantry momentarily to answer him. “Joe and I might head out on the lake for a bit. James mentioned running into town to check on Tessa’s car.”

  “Tessa and I have plans to hike up to the lookout,” Mary said from the adjoining room. “You’re welcome to join us. Of course, you already got a workout by the looks of it, so maybe you don’t want to hike up a mountain too.”

  “Sounds like fun. When are we leaving?”

  “Half an hour. Tessa was packing a backpack and then meeting me here.”

  “Great. I’ll rinse off quickly and grab my stuff.”

  He left with his coffee, walking as fast as he could without spilling it. A hike up the mountain with Tessa sounded great. Although it would be better if they were alone, he’d take what he could get.

  Last night had been a good moment between them. Finally, he knew that she was single and when they were in private she wouldn’t pretend that she wasn’t. She’d be real with him, and he couldn’t wait. Their kiss was the tip of something more, something amazing.

  He wished she didn’t have to pretend to be in a relationship around her family either. All that mad
e him want to do was hang out in their cabin constantly. But he also wanted to explore the area, hang out with Travis and the rest of the family, and enjoy everything that camping had to offer.

  Like Tessa in a bikini on the paddleboard.

  If only they’d had their conversation about her fake boyfriend before that moment. He definitely wouldn’t have let her off his board so quickly. He would’ve kept her there, between his legs and in his arms, asked her more questions about her life, and gotten to know everything about her.

  As the door to the cabin swung open, he glanced around the room, but Tessa was nowhere to be seen. Setting his cup down on his bedside table, he stripped off his clothes and walked naked to the shower. As the water warmed, he shaved his morning scruff. He might be in the mountains, but he had no desire to look like a mountain man. Stubble he could handle, a beard, no way. They itched.

  Logan showered and dressed in record time, not wanting to hold up the expedition to the lookout, wherever that was. Pulling his backpack out from under the bed, he made sure he had a few essentials like protein bars, a small first aid kit, and a Swiss Army knife. He didn’t know how far they were hiking today, but it was a good idea to go prepared for anything.

  He finished his coffee on the way and rinsed his cup in the sink before grabbing a few bottles of water for his backpack. Outside, Tessa and Mary were pulling their packs onto their shoulders when he walked up.

  “Hey,” he said. “I didn’t keep you waiting, did I?”

  “Nope. We were getting ready to head out,” Mary said, smiling.

  Tessa glanced between the two of them. “Are you coming with us?”

  “Yep.”

  “Why?”

  “Rude,” Mary said. “I invited him to join us.”

  “Well, why did you do that?” Tessa asked, her hands on her hips.

  “Because he’s never been before. I didn’t think it was a girl’s only kind of trip or anything.”

  “You sure know how to make a guy feel welcome,” Logan said, trying not to show his amusement. He didn’t know Tessa’s exact motivation for wanting her space, but he had a few good guesses. One, was that kiss. Maybe she liked it more than she wanted to. Two, having him around was probably a big reminder of how much she liked that kiss. Possibly she even wanted to kiss him again but was fighting it. If her gaze dropping to his lips repeatedly was any indication, she was thinking about them a lot more than he thought. Already he’d caught her a few times and he’d only been with them for a minute. And lastly, if he was around, there was always a chance he could spill her fake boyfriend secret, not that he would.