Faking It

by Christine d'Abo

  Sitting bolt up, his gaze snapped to a half-naked Max, towel precariously wrapped around his waist as he rummaged through an open suitcase.

  Holy shit.

  Grady’s cock went instantly hard as he took in the still-damp, muscular physique of his fiancé.

  Fake fiancé.

  Very, very fake.

  He swallowed. “How was the shower?”

  If Max was surprised by the question, he didn’t show it. “I could move into it and stay forever. I need to convince Zack to install one of those at Ringside just so I can use it.”

  A bead of water traveled from his shoulder down his biceps and dropped somewhere on the carpet below. Grady wanted nothing more than to go over and trace the path it had taken with his tongue, to caress and tease that warm flesh.

  “You’re staring.” Max’s voice held humor and something that Grady could only assume was lust.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  Max stood straight, the towel sliding dangerously low on his hips. “A simple observation.”

  There was nothing at all simple about this situation. Grady pushed himself from the bed, needing the space and gravity to ease the ache in his groin. “I should give you some privacy.”

  He didn’t move. Neither did Max.

  “I should get dressed.” Max let his gaze drop to his hand that was reaching for the front of the towel tucked into itself.

  The following seconds happened in slow motion: The way Max’s fingers easily freed the towel, holding it closed for a moment before it gave up its grip on his hips and fell silently to the floor. The sight of Max’s cock, standing thick and proud, jutting from his groin like a beacon, begging for Grady to come and partake. The caress of Max’s fingers across the shaft, sending it bobbing with the motion.

  Grady might be many things, but a prude was not one of them. He’d had too many hookups to be shy when faced with such a magnificent cock. With a lick of his lips, he took a step forward. “You know you don’t need to do this. Sex was never a part of my insane plan.”

  “I know you don’t know me very well, but I’m not a man who lets himself get talked into things.” Max stroked his cock with purpose. “If I want something, I usually take it.”

  “And you want me?” Grady closed the distance between them, making sure not to brush against Max yet. The tease was as much fun as the main event. “You like expensive things, don’t you?”

  Max cupped his face. “I like real things. Are you real?”

  That was a question he’d been asking himself for years. “Let’s find out.”

  And he kissed Max.

  Max sucked in a breath through the kiss and tried to keep from falling over. Grady’s mouth devoured him in a way he’d never experienced before. None of their earlier kisses were this frantic, needy, consuming. His head spun from the lack of oxygen and overwhelming desire.

  The connection between them had been there from the day Grady had come to apologize for his drunken stupor. That tickle of lust Max had shoved way down deep, knowing that absolutely no good would come of it.

  Too bad his cock had other ideas.

  Grady raked his nails down Max’s back, removing what little resistance he had tried to muster. Taking Grady’s head in his hands, Max deepened the kiss as he walked him backward toward the bed. There was no denying that this was going to happen, and it would be glorious.

  The mattress didn’t stop Max from moving forward, even as Grady went from standing to sitting to lying back. The kiss continued as Max pressed him into the comforter; they moved as one, shifting back until they were in the middle of the bed.

  Grady’s clothing rubbed against Max’s skin, soft cotton against his chest and expensive dress pants against his cock. The entire thing had a sordid feel, forbidden. Grady grew desperate beneath him, writhing as his hands clawed at Max’s back and sides.

  “Want you,” Grady managed to get out between kisses. “Want you to fuck me.”

  Max groaned and let his forehead drop to Grady’s shoulder. “Condom?”

  “Yeah. Lots. In my bag.”

  He didn’t want to break the contact, not even to get the essentials, but Max was nothing if not practical. Their time alone would be short-lived, meaning this would be a hard, fast fuck. With effort, he pushed himself away and strode over to Grady’s suitcase.

  “They’re in my shaving kit. Should be a box of them.”

  “Looking to get lucky?”

  “I was in Toronto for a good time. Always need to be prepared.”

  The box was exactly where Grady had said it would be, making things fast and easy. Taking a strip and the bottle of lube nestled beside it, Max strode back to the bed as Grady pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the floor. “Stop.”

  Grady froze, his hands hovering above his crotch. “What?”

  Tossing the condoms and lube on the bed, Max got between Grady’s legs, batting his hands away. “Lie back.”

  Grady didn’t argue, instead smiling as he pillowed his hands behind his head. “Have at me.”

  Cocky, arrogant bastard. Max yanked open Grady’s dress pants and reached in to pull his cock free. His shaft was long, but not as thick as Max’s. Big enough to do the job and to ensure everyone had a good time. Grady started to roll over, but Max stopped him.

  Grady frowned. “On my back?”

  Yes, that was exactly what Max wanted—face-to-face, a chance to look his partner in the eye so he knew what emotions flitted across his face.

  Bad idea, dude.

  Instead, Max patted Grady’s hip. “You just seemed to be in such a hurry. Take your pants off.”

  He wasn’t going to give Grady a full-on blowjob, but there was no reason not to say hello for a moment. Leaning down, Max sucked the cockhead into his mouth, teasing the tip with his tongue. The scent of arousal and heady male musk rolled over him, dragging a groan from Max and encouraging him to double his efforts.

  “Shit.” Grady scratched his fingers along Max’s scalp. “You’re too fucking good at that.”

  Max hummed around his cock before pulling off. “I don’t know you well enough to keep going.”

  “I don’t have anything.” Grady had a cute look of desperation in his eyes.

  “Said every player on the planet more than once.” Max might not be perfect, but his health was something he didn’t screw around with. “Roll over and I’ll make it up to you.”

  It wasn’t a hardship to watch a naked, fit Grady turn around and get up onto his hands and knees in front of him. The muscles in the backs of his thighs, his arms, his back, all rippled and shifted with the coordinated effort. Tanned skin covering a long, sexy body, far too tempting for Max to resist.

  Before Grady could stop moving, Max had his hands on Grady’s ass cheeks, kneading and massaging those two glorious globes. A moan and a sigh escaped Grady, as he let gravity take hold and his head dipped toward the mattress.

  Max had never been much of a talker in bed, far preferring to let his actions speak for him. Grabbing the bottle, he flicked the cap open with his thumb, then squirted a generous amount of lube onto his finger and Grady’s hole. Gently, he worked both the lube and his finger in, coaxing the muscles to relax enough that they’d both be able to have a good time. He knew everything was ready when Grady started pushing his body back against Max’s hand, moaning softly on each thrust.

  His long-neglected cock was a throbbing, leaking mess between his legs. Max was shocked by how badly his hands were shaking, making the process of opening the condom package far more challenging than it needed to be.

  Fuck it.

  He tore into the packet with his teeth and rolled it down his shaft as quickly as he could manage. “Let me know if there’s a problem.”

  “Only issue we’ll have is if you don’t hurry the fuck up.”

  Yeah, he liked it when his partners were hot and impatient. Max lined himself up and slowly eased his way into Grady’s waiting body.

  Warm, tigh
t muscles embraced him. A shiver tore through Max as he adjusted his thrust—shallow at first, then deeper, harder—until Grady was moaning in time with him. God, it had been far too long since he’d been with someone, let alone a man who was as wild and passionate as Grady.

  Max knew he wasn’t going to last long, knew they didn’t have time at any rate, but wanted to make sure that Grady came first. “Jerk off while I fuck you.”

  Groaning, Grady lowered his shoulders to the bed as he reached between his legs to comply. The change in angle was nearly enough to push Max to completion, but he managed to hold on. Grady’s motions started counter to Max’s thrusts, but they quickly fell into a rhythm that brought them both to the edge. Grady’s body trembled beneath him, muscles twitching in a familiar way that told Max he was close.

  “Come on.” Max tightened his grip, fingers digging into flesh. “Come on.”

  Grady’s body shook a moment before his muscles clenched around Max’s cock and a loud groan exploded from him. That was all it took. Max let his head fall back as he slammed into Grady hard and fast. The first burst of his orgasm spiked through his body. Pleasure made him stupid, unstoppable, and with each consecutive wave he grew addicted.

  Finally, as quickly as the pleasure burst forward, it faded, leaving Max a quivering mass. Carefully, but far faster than he would have liked, he pulled himself from Grady and they both collapsed onto the mattress.

  With his eyes closed, Max could only hear Grady as he moved and eventually chuckled. “So that happened.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “I might like this whole fake engagement if that’s a perk on the table.”

  Max cracked an eye open, only to be greeted with a smirk from Grady. “Don’t get too used to it. In eleven days, I’m back in Toronto.”

  “I know. But, until then, there’s no reason why we can’t have a bit of fun. Right?”

  There were many reasons. Max didn’t do casual, he didn’t do hookups, and he certainly didn’t have sex as a way to pass the time. He did none of those things, and yet he knew that this wouldn’t be the last time he’d slide into Grady.

  Leaning back, he closed his eyes again and hoped he wasn’t smirking too. “We’ll see.”

  The hour following one of the best orgasms Grady had experienced in months had been damn near as close to heaven as he’d ever been. Max had taken care to clean them both up and managed to make small talk that wasn’t tedious. For his part, Grady spent most of the time eye-fucking Max, making it very obvious that this little interlude was only a precursor to more fun.

  It had been hunger that pulled them from the room back out to the house. Justin was hovering, casting glares his way whenever they passed, but strangely keeping his distance. So while he clearly wasn’t on board with the whole engagement, Grady didn’t think Justin would cause them any grief.

  Small miracles.

  Maybe things wouldn’t be too bad this time. Lincoln and Serena had his back, and Serena seemed to like Max. Even the staff seemed to be happy to see him and smiled brightly at Max. The next two weeks might fly by without much in the way of incident, and then he could get back to the joys of his life and Max would return to his bar and gym.

  “Where the hell is my asshole son?”

  And, just like that, Grady’s peace exploded.

  His father marched down the long hallway, the sound of his shoes clicking against the wood floor in a rhythm that would have made a drill sergeant proud. Grady’s stomach churned and the muscles in his neck tensed at the long-familiar noise. He didn’t need to see his father to know that his ever-present scowl would be deep and immediately directed his way.

  They’d been playing pool in the entertainment room. Max had been taking a shot—one that missed wide—the moment his father bellowed. Looking up from the table to Grady, Max cocked an eyebrow. “Your father?”

  “I’m the asshole son. Lincoln is the idiot son. It’s an important distinction so you know who he’s yelling at.” He tossed the pool cue on top of the table. “Best if I’m not holding a weapon. I might be tempted to use it.”

  Max moved the cue and took another shot. “I’ll defend you, dear.” The sarcasm dripped from each word.

  Grady had a nasty habit of losing his temper around his father. It was the last thing he wanted Max to witness. “I recommend staying quiet. He’ll hate you on principle, so it’s best not to antagonize. Besides, that’s my job.” He grinned.

  The scent of cigar smoke and strong cologne wafted into the room a heartbeat before his father entered. The old man stopped at the door, his gaze narrowing on Grady without so much as a glance at Max. It had been months since he’d been in his father’s company, as he’d made it a point to not be where his father was. His father looked older than Grady remembered, the lines around his eyes and mouth more pronounced and the gray in his hair more bountiful. It was strange to think of his father—blustery, controlling—getting older. The hardness was still there, the undercurrent of steel that comprised his soul, but so was something else. He was actually starting to look his fifty-seven years.

  More than a little disconcerting.

  His father’s scowl deepened. “What are you doing?”

  Max knocked a ball into a pocket, but his father’s attention didn’t waver.

  “Hello, Father. Nice to see you.”

  “Bullshit. You hate seeing me and you hate being here. You also didn’t answer my question. What are you doing?”

  He shouldn’t push, he knew from experience that things never went well when he pushed his father. And yet . . .

  “We were playing pool. You know how much I love sticks and balls.”

  Max snorted and took another shot.

  His father glared. “Don’t be an ass. Who is this man, and why did you bring him to my house? I did not give you permission.”

  Okay, he could do this. Act like a grown-up and make proper introductions. “Father, this is Max Tremblay. My fiancé. Max, this is my father, Theo Barnes. CEO, mastermind, control freak.”

  His father’s gaze snapped to Max, who put the cue back into the rack. Max crossed the room to stand in front of his father. Max was taller by several inches, but his father was large enough to hold his own in a fight. While his father worked constantly, he never missed an opportunity to hit the gym to keep in the best shape he could. Grady knew that his father liked to intimidate people on as many levels as possible.

  If Max was put off by his father’s size or attitude, he didn’t show it. Face-to-face, Max gave his father the once-over before holding his hand out. “Nice to finally meet you, sir.”

  His father looked down at Max’s hand briefly, before stepping into Grady’s space. “You brought a stranger into my house.”

  “He’s not a stranger. He’s my fiancé.”

  “Bullshit. The only person you love is yourself.” His father moved past him toward the bar. “You better not do anything to ruin your brother’s wedding. If you think I’m angry now, you’ll be in for an awakening.”

  Interesting that he hadn’t mentioned anything about Les Bouchard or his son. “I got Lincoln and Serena’s blessing before I brought Max along. I wouldn’t have brought him at all, but Justin found out my secret. After Justin didn’t give me much of a choice about coming home, we decided it was better to bring Max here to meet everyone.”

  His father paused, before pulling out two glasses and a bottle of Scotch. “We’ll discuss matters later. Tonight, I have a meeting, matters to wrap up before the China deal happens. Tomorrow you and I will have a discussion about—” he looked at Max and snorted “—your development.”

  Deep-seated anger that had taken root years ago bloomed bright in Grady’s chest. “I’m only here for Lincoln and Serena. The moment the wedding is over and they’re off for their honeymoon, Max and I will be on our way back to Toronto.” It didn’t matter that their engagement was fake, his father had no business treating Max, or anyone else for that matter, with such disregard. He’d done much the
same to Serena the first few times Lincoln had brought her over, but it was impossible for anyone to be standoffish with that woman. She was a gem.

  On the other hand, Max looked ready to jump on his father and beat him to a pulp.

  Not wanting to make a bad situation worse, Grady stood beside Max and pressed his hand to the small of Max’s back. He wasn’t used to being the rational, in-control person in any relationship, but he was more than practiced when it came to dealing with his father’s attitude. That simple contact helped to calm Max’s anger. The muscles relaxed under his touch, and Grady was able to follow suit.

  His father looked between them, his gaze narrowing once more. “I need you available to the media this week.”

  “Why? I’m sure whatever it is can wait until after the wedding.”

  His father stiffened, eyes flashing with the Barnes temper. “You seem to forget that you work for my company.”

  “I do? Funny, I never seem to go to the office. What’s my role again? I seem to remember quitting and walking away from the office after I was clearly a disappointment to you.”

  “You gave up too easily, like you always do. There was nothing in that job that you couldn’t handle.”

  How quickly his father forgot. Grady soaked in Max’s presence, using the mental reinforcement to help calm himself down. “The media?”

  “Justin will give you your schedule, and you will do as you’re told, or losing your condo will be the least of your concerns.” And with that he turned and marched from the room.

  Max let out a breath. “Oil and water, you two.”

  “More like water on a grease fire.” That had gone about as well as Grady had expected. Terribly.

  “You do like to push each other’s buttons.”

  A pain behind his eyes began to pound, ensuring that the rest of his day would be miserable. “Justin had told me already that Father wanted me to speak to the press, but never said why. They like to keep me in the dark as long as possible. They don’t want to give me time to plot against them and screw up their precious plans.”