Faking It

by Christine d'Abo

  “Black suit, black tie.” He tossed them into his garment bag. “Sexy. I need to look sexy.”

  Acting had never been his forte, but he’d have to master it quickly if he was going to make the next few weeks work. He might not have the expensive wardrobe that Grady clearly had access to, but Max knew how to make what he owned work. A few choice selections later, he was ready to face the world.

  Well, as ready as a person participating in a fake engagement could be.

  Justin had emailed him a ticket for Vancouver, departing at suppertime. Nothing like only having a few hours to get ready to get the heart pounding. He hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Grady since yesterday afternoon when he’d gotten into the car with Justin. Max had spent the rest of yesterday mentally turning over the events that had led to the toe-curling kiss he’d shared with Grady. Max wasn’t normally that impulsive, not when it came to public displays of affection. And yet, all it took was a little push from Justin, and Max had been lip-locked with Grady.

  What the hell’s wrong with me?

  Grady had promised to pick Max up at his home. That would be a feat in itself, seeing as he hadn’t had time to give Grady his phone number, let alone his apartment’s address. Still, he had no doubt Grady had the resources to find out the information, even if it meant calling Frantic and getting it from Cameron or Teddy. Which Max had anticipated and given them the go-ahead to do. The buzzer sounded, and Max had to smile. Well, if nothing else, Grady was resourceful.

  “Yeah?”

  “Your staff are quite the guard dogs. Do you know the hoops I had to jump through before they’d give me your address?”

  “Did Teddy challenge you to a game of pool?”

  “He cheats, right? That’s the only way he could run the table five times that quickly. I’m out a hundred bucks!”

  Max chuckled. “I’ll be right down.”

  Grady was leaning against the wall across from the elevators when Max emerged. He was wearing another one of his dress shirts, pale blue, and slate-gray dress pants. No tie, but that wasn’t something that he needed to pull off the hot-business-man look.

  He’d look better naked.

  Yeah, no. Bad brain for going there. Bad, bad, bad.

  “I have a car waiting for us.” Grady pushed away from the wall and sauntered over to him. “Now that the cat’s out of the bag, Justin insisted that I treat my future husband with all due respect.”

  Tension began to knot in Max’s neck. “He’s going to be a problem.”

  “Justin? Not one that I can’t handle. He’ll be suspicious for a while, mostly because he doesn’t believe that I’m mature enough to be able to commit to anyone.”

  As Grady spoke, it was clear to Max that despite his casual dismissal, the lack of respect he had from his father’s assistant had hurt him. Without thinking, Max reached out and gave Grady’s arm a light squeeze. “Well, you’ll be able to prove them wrong.”

  “At least until we part ways.”

  It was strange that he hadn’t considered the consequences of Grady’s plan. Things had happened so quickly that he hadn’t stopped to think what it would mean when their engagement was called off.

  “If you want, I can be the one to break things off. That way you’ll save face with your family. It might help you shift things into a better direction with them.”

  Grady waved his hand and snatched up Max’s suitcase. “We’ll worry about it when the time comes. We better get going or I’ll have to listen to Justin bitch about not leaving enough time to clear security.”

  “He’s in the limo too?”

  “God no. But he has a sixth sense about shit like that. I’ll get a call and he’ll be all, ‘This is why I have to chase you about everything.’”

  Max chuckled as he happily trailed behind Grady on the way to the limo waiting in front of the building. The man had an ass that should be illegal, especially when he squatted to lift the suitcase into the trunk.

  “Don’t you pay someone to do that?” He crossed his arms and made no secret of his gawking. He was supposed to be a doting fiancé, after all.

  “I can’t show off for you if I let someone else do all the work.” Grady patted his ass without looking at Max.

  “Tease.”

  “You have no idea.”

  Max hadn’t been in a limo before, and found the entire process of sliding onto the low, leather seats weird. There was far too much room for two people, and the bar that lined the side had enough alcohol to get them drunk five times over. Grady hummed for a moment before pulling out a bottle of Lagavulin. “It’s only a twenty-one-year-old. I hope that’s okay?” When Max didn’t reply immediately, he frowned. “If it’s not, I can get something else.”

  “Ah, yeah, it’s fine.” While he had some nice stuff at Frantic, he didn’t normally indulge. “I usually save the good Scotch for the paying clients.”

  “Look at it as a perk to being my betrothed.” Grady handed him a generous portion. “I’m pouring this neat because if you tell me you want ice, I’ll have to reconsider our arrangement.”

  “It’s not cask strength, so we’re good.” The gunpowder taste exploded across his tongue. “When can we have the wedding? Me and the Scotch, not me and you.”

  Grady laughed and sat back in his seat. “We won’t have many opportunities to talk things out before the family is involved. We should take advantage now.”

  Instead of doing just that, silence fell between them. Max wasn’t a man prone to nerves, and yet here he was, not sure what to say or how to act around this man he was supposed to know intimately. Taking a sip of his Scotch, Max realized that was going to be a problem.

  “When I was nine, I had a crush on my Little League coach. He was tall, blond, and had these muscles in his forearms that fascinated me. Shortly after that, I realized I liked boys way more than girls.” He glanced up to see Grady staring at him, a look of surprised respect etched on his face. “People will quiz you about me. You’ll need to know some things about me or else we won’t be able to pull this off. So yeah, Little League coach. He was hot, and I was confused.”

  “I can picture you in your uniform, a helmet too big for your head and a baby boner threatening to pop.” Grady relaxed.

  “Here, look. I have a scar on my forearm from where I put my hand through a window.” He showed it off, the white line still clearly visible on his skin after all those years. The wound had ached long after it had healed, a constant reminder of those hard times. “I’d like to say I was doing something macho, but I’d been helping my mom paint the living room and slipped off the ladder. Instead of a wall to help steady me, the window was there.”

  “Ouch.” Grady put his drink down and turned fully to face him. His eyes sparkled as his tongue darted across his bottom lip. “Was your father there to help you?”

  “They were separated at the time. I was pretending to be man of the house.”

  “I’m sorry. Your parents are divorced?” Grady took another sip of his drink, leaving both his lips wet.

  Max fought to keep his gaze up. “Surprisingly no. They worked things out after a few years apart. Mom moved back home to Calgary to be with him. I stayed in Toronto.”

  “Who was your first lover?” Grady put his drink down and ran his hands along the tops of his thighs.

  “Luke Vaughn in my first year of business school. He was very flamboyant and open about looking for a hookup. I was looking to find out what I’d been missing. It worked. You?”

  Grady’s gaze slid to the side. “I didn’t catch his name. I was seventeen, drunk, and in a club I had no business being in. He was . . . way older than me and liked a particular brand of sex. I had to hide the bruises for a week.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I got what I wanted and figured a few things out in the process.”

  It was strange sharing intimate details with him, building this connection with a man he knew wouldn’t be a part of his life for long. All necessary, blunt,
and terrifying.

  “One thing we need to be more natural at is physical affection.” Grady shifted again so the sides of their bodies were now pressed together. “If we’re flinching and jumping whenever we are close, someone will notice and is bound to say something.”

  Max’s heart pounded. He tilted his head and gave his best smirk. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

  “I bought you a drink and everything.” Grady moved his hand along Max’s thigh. “We are engaged. I should at least be able to kiss you.”

  His cock had gone rock-hard as Grady’s fingers caressed his thigh through his jeans. “That makes sense.”

  “We don’t want to appear awkward.” Grady’s hand slid up to Max’s chest, avoiding the one spot he desperately wanted to be touched. Fingers teased across the material on their way to cup Max’s jaw. “I can’t leave my future husband wanting.”

  Softly, as though Grady were coaxing him into this, his tongue flicked out across Max’s skin. But Max wasn’t one to be seduced. He wanted control.

  Growling, he grabbed Grady by the face and deepened their contact. His seat belt held them apart, digging sharply into his chest and down across his hard cock, but Max ignored the discomfort. He leaned forward until he covered Grady as much as he could, and angled his mouth to devour him. He needed to taste, to feel the heat from Grady’s body bleed into his clothing, wanted to rub his scent all over Grady until there was no doubt that this man belonged to him.

  Grady’s body tensed for longer than Max would have liked, but finally he relaxed into the kiss, growing greedier with each swipe of their tongues. Max’s head spun, deprived of oxygen, but there was no way he’d pull away. He sought out Grady’s chest with his hands, tearing at the buttons of his shirt so he could feel warm skin beneath his fingertips.

  “Fuck.” Grady gasped before diving in to suck on Max’s earlobe. “Killing me.”

  “You’ll live.” Max attacked the side of Grady’s neck, running his tongue along his skin to taste his sweat.

  The limo jerked to a stop, sending them tumbling forward in their seats. He looked down at Grady, liking the flush on his skin and his swollen lips. A glance out the window told him that they’d had a slow down on the Gardiner Expressway. It wasn’t bound to last long given the time of day. And before they’d be able to do anything more involved than making out, they’d be at the airport.

  So not fair.

  Instead of continuing on, Max leaned back and hoped he looked as smug as he felt. “I think we’ll be fine when we have to play couple for your family.”

  Grady chuckled as he pressed down on his cock. “Yeah, we’ll pass any tests my father will have planned for us.”

  “As fun as that was, I hope he doesn’t have too many hoops for us to jump through.” Max had never been one for putting on a show. “I’d hate to think he wouldn’t believe what he saw.”

  “You don’t know my father. He won’t believe any sane person would have interest in me. Just a warning.”

  He hated seeing the change in Grady; gone was the sensual, cocksure charmer, replaced with a heartbroken son. He reached out and slid his hand over Grady’s. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you out with this. By the time we’re through, your father will not only think you’re the best catch this side of Toronto, but he’ll have a lot of respect for you.”

  Grady rolled his eyes. “The sentiment is sweet, but let’s not get carried away. First off, we need to get there.”

  The passion that had momentarily flared between them had dropped to a simmer. Fine, Max could handle that. If it came right down to it, he’d make out with Grady right in front of his father to convince the man he was in love with his son.

  What could be the harm in doing that?

  Grady’s back and legs were thankful for the first-class seats. He’d made the flight from Toronto to Vancouver more times than he could count, and it always felt longer than it was. The drinks helped ease the way, as did getting to sit beside Max.

  Max, who had caught him off guard with the kiss in the limo. Sure, Max was hot and clearly a passionate man, but when Max had leaned over him, Grady had thought his body would combust. The smell of aroused male had slammed into him the moment before Max’s greedy mouth had consumed his. Jesus, his cock had still been hard when they’d passed through security. And, he’d been randomly selected for a pat-down.

  Because of course he was.

  Thankfully, Max wasn’t much of a chatter on the flight. They talked a bit, but Max slept a lot, giving Grady more than ample time to figure out exactly how he was going to spin this when he saw his father.

  Despite trying to brush off the significance with Max, there was no way that him bringing a fiancé home—fake or otherwise—was going to be anything less than an earthquake through his family. His father would be furious that his plans were thwarted, and Lincoln and Serena would be supportive while no doubt remaining skeptical about letting Grady handle things on his own.

  He didn’t even want to think about Justin and what he’d end up doing.

  It was hardly fair of him to have put Max into this situation, and yet, for the first time in a long time, Grady wasn’t filled with dread by the thought of having to stay in the family home. With Max by his side, he knew there was at least one person who’d be there for him no matter what. A partner in crime he’d be able to count on.

  One he was more than happy to make out with.

  Max woke up a few minutes before they began their descent into Vancouver. Grady’s breath hitched as Max glanced at him with sleep-strained eyes. Shit, he was sexy, still cocooned in the lazy warmth that crept over a person when napping. God, those lips were so full, it would take nothing to lean over and suck the bottom one into his mouth, to tease the flesh with his tongue.

  Instead he looked past Max to the flight attendant doing her final cabin check. “You snore.”

  “Nope. Just breathe heavy.”

  “Snoring is a deal breaker.”

  Max rolled his eyes and pulled the thin airplane blanket from his body and adjusted his seat into the upright position. “You couldn’t tell me that before we flew for five hours?”

  “Well, you’re here now, I guess we’ll figure something out.”

  The natural banter between them was something Grady had grown to enjoy in their short time together. Max didn’t treat him like a trust-fund kid, didn’t try to suck up to him, or seem to want anything at all. Despite his offer to invest in the gym, Max didn’t appear to care at all about Grady’s status or bank account.

  No doubt that would change when Max came face-to-face with the realities of Grady’s world. Then, like every other man who’d ever shown an interest in him, Grady would be forced to keep Max at arm’s length.

  He’d be alone again.

  They disembarked and made the trek to the baggage claim. Grady loved how Max raced to the moving sidewalks only to spend the next few minutes playing.

  “I can do the moonwalk.” He spun around to face Grady, moved his feet in the worst Michael Jackson impersonation and grabbed his crotch.

  “Jesus, you’re too fucking white.”

  “Hello pot, meet kettle.”

  He snorted. “Lincoln promised to meet us and drive us to the house. That will give us a chance to talk before Father enters into the equation.”

  Max sobered, even as he leaped from the sidewalk onto solid ground. “Your brother is okay with this whole arrangement?”

  “It was his idea.”

  Max shrugged. “Fine. I just don’t want to be held responsible for screwing up someone’s wedding.”

  “Serena is also on board. She probably sees it as a challenge, or some way to piss Father off. She’s a good person.”

  Max gave him the oddest look.

  “What?”

  “Your family is fucked up.”

  “You don’t know the half of it.”

  They made their way to the limo service area outside of the airport, and he pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Shit.”

  “What?” Max came up behind him, his face close enough that his breath tickled the side of Grady’s neck.

  “Lincoln’s called and texted a few times.” That wasn’t good.

  Before he even had a chance to check his voice mail, the family limo pulled up and Justin got out of the back. “Hello, Grady. Mr. Tremblay. I hope you had a good flight.”

  Fuck Justin. “Why are you here? Lincoln was supposed to get us.”

  “Your brother is out at a business meeting. I took the liberty of informing your father of your arrival and ensuring your transportation. No sense in adding any more burden to your brother.”

  It didn’t matter that his help wasn’t wanted or needed, Justin just had to get involved. Grady couldn’t stop from grinding his teeth. “You didn’t have to come. A car would have sufficed.”

  “And miss the opportunity to welcome Mr. Tremblay to Vancouver?” Justin’s smile was far from friendly. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “You must have been on the flight ahead of us.” If Max had been thrown off by the sudden arrival and change in plans, he certainly didn’t show it. “Impressive that you were able to do all of that with little time.”

  “I’m a master of keeping this family organized, Mr. Tremblay. Something I’m sure you’ll discover soon enough.”

  Instead of engaging, Max ignored Justin, side-stepped the driver, and lifted the bags into the back of the limo.

  Yeah, the next two weeks were going to be a huge pile of laughs. Grady stepped into Justin’s personal space so close that their noses nearly touched. “If you do anything to upset him, make him uncomfortable, anything, I will beat the ever-living crap out of you.”

  Justin smirked. “Nice to see that a few weeks alone and a fiancé hasn’t done anything to dull your sparkling personality.” If he was intimidated, he never showed it. “Now it’s time for me to make something clear. If your fiancé does anything to disrupt this wedding, or does anything to throw your father’s business into disrepair, your threats will be meaningless to what I’ll actually do. Are we clear?”