“You got the ring?”
“Yep. Was looking for a time to give it to you.”
Courtney nods. “We need to get together again. Make sure we’ve got our data down. This is going to be the most important dinner of your life, Kaede, and we need to be ready.”
It makes me smile that she said we, not me. “I’ll clear my schedule every night so we can get together as much as possible. Can you do that?”
Court pulls her phone out of her bag, and I see she’s got her calendar app open. “Done.”
It means something to me, the fact that she’s all mine every night. I have to remind myself it’s fake. I have to remind myself that she’s Ross’s little sister, but all I really feel is excited.
We stop at the door and Courtney turns to me. “Okay, let me get my rump shaking on. Meet you after for smoothies?”
“Looking forward to it, honey.”
I love the way that sounds.
Chapter 16
Courtney
Checking myself in the mirror, I smooth my dress. Kaede told me to dress nice for our date tonight, saying that while we’ve spent a lot of time together recently, he wanted this date to be ‘real’.
I get it. And it will be our first appearance in public as a couple.
Before, it felt like two friends hanging out. Until things got carried away. Real carried away. That can’t happen again. I don’t know if my clit or my shower head can handle another night of trying to find gratification when only Kaede will satisfy the hunger inside me.
So I’m dressing carefully. Sexy, but not too sexy. Hence, the blue dress I have on. The neckline dips low, but respectably low, hugging the curve of my chest without showing cleavage, and the bottom of the dress flares out flirtily, hitting mid-thigh.
I walk over to my shoe rack, selecting a pair of four-inch stilettos to complete the look. They’re sexy, but again, not so sexy as to be uncomfortable. I can dance in these if I have to, because I have no idea what we’re doing tonight.
Kaede told me to dress nicely and that it would be a surprise. That’s it. Normally, that’d freak me out . . . a lot. I hate surprises and once almost punched Abi in the face when we were kids and she decided to surprise me from behind my bedroom door. But I’m excited to be surprised by him, something that never happens, mostly because I tell everyone that I hate surprises.
Honestly, that’s not true. Other than Abi scaring the crap out of me that one time, it’s not the surprise I hate. It’s that I don’t get the chance to plan for it. What if something else would’ve been better, or let people have more fun, or a list of other potential concerns? My worries leave me feeling like the awkward person at the party, the girl who’ll end up talking to a potted plant because she doesn’t know what to say or how to react. I’m always worried that any minute, someone’s going to pull out the baby oil and the Twister set or something . . . which actually did happen once to Abi. My sister had a unique college experience. And no one wants to talk to the Ice Queen unless they want something from my dad or an introduction to Ross, though that has tapered off now that he’s married.
But for some reason, I trust Kaede with this. I feel warm and safe and respected when I’m with him. It’s like he looks at me and really sees all of me. Not just the daughter who wants to earn her father’s respect. Not just the younger sister who puts up with mildly frustrating siblings. Not just the woman who’s still trying to figure out her place in this world. He sees me, all of me, puts it all together, and says ‘I like who I see.’
It means a lot.
There’s a buzz from my door, and I let Kaede up, waiting a little nervously for him to knock. When he does, I open up to find him dressed handsomely in a fine suit, conservative but not overly so. Nobody can be too conservative when he’s wearing a green tie.
“You look . . . gorgeous,” he breathes, stepping inside to take my hand. He pulls me forward, twirling me around like a dance partner, and I can feel my skirt flare up slightly on my thighs before settling down. It makes me feel girly and feminine, which I should absolutely hate considering how much I fight against that every day.
But when he pulls me to a stop, the look in Kaede’s eyes says that I don’t need to hate it. That there’s a time to be feminine and to take joy in who I am physically. And it’s now, with that hungry look eagerly taking me in, inch by inch.
I remind myself that it’s not that he doesn’t want me. It’s that he doesn’t think he should. I still haven’t castrated Ross over that, but perhaps after tonight, I won’t need to. Maybe tonight is my chance to make him forget about Ross completely.
After all, if we’re playing this out for Jeffrey, we might as well get the benefits of it. I’d love to say that I can’t go six months without sex, and I would never cheat on Kaede, even if it’s fake. But the truth is, I’ve gone that long before. But if I don’t have to, why would I?
You’re playing with fire. You literally chose this dress because you wanted to back off and play it safe. And now one little twirl, and you’re thinking sex, sex, sex again? Not today, Satan. Think about something else, anything else. Save the showerhead!
Do you see him in that suit? Save the showerhead? Fine by me because I want orgasms from Kaede, not Kohler.
And yes, the devil and angel in my head are arguing with each other. It’s fine. It’s like book characters. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself.
“Are you ready?”
“That depends. Where are we going?” I’m pushing, testing to see if he’ll spill the beans and spoil the surprise, but I should know better.
He looks at me carefully, and his lips twitch into a cocky smirk that I can’t help but swoon over. “You’ll find out when we get there. Let’s go.” And with that, he takes my elbow and guides me downstairs and out to his car.
Shit. Bossy looks good on Kaede, and even the angel in my head has hopped on Team Sex Me Up and is fanning herself with her halo.
He starts the car, and I can’t help but smile when it’s not Kaede’s mix but Bruce Springsteen singing Because the Night that greets me. “Boss okay?”
“Perfect,” I assure him, even if I personally prefer Natalie Merchant’s Unplugged version better. But Springsteen? There’s a reason he’s called The Boss. “So, no hints?”
“Let’s just say that I have a wide variety of friends in an even wider variety of industries. We’re going to a buddy’s place tonight, and I think you’ll like it.”
So mysterious, which is fun, but my mind is ticking away on a list of possibilities.
“That’s all you’ll tell me?” I ask. “Is your friend a chef? A restauranteur? Taco truck owner? Musician? Bartender? Meth dealer?”
Kaede throws me a look of ‘seriously?’ and I shrug. But I shut my mouth and enjoy the anticipation. Me, Courtney Andrews, relinquishing control and heading out for a night on the town with zero idea of what’s going to happen. It’s . . . rare. It’s magic. I feel like that rainbow-maned unicorn Abi loved so much, free and wild and reckless.
I take a deep breath, trusting Kaede and letting him drive. For the next half hour, we chat easily about everything and nothing. We’re like a couple, really. One that’s been together for awhile and knows each other so well that it’s like hand and glove. It’s comfortable and natural.
We turn off the street and down a well-maintained dirt road, the darkness stopping me from seeing much of the surrounding area, and I wonder if Kaede’s ‘fancy date’ is a romantic dinner picnic under the stars.
Before I open my mouth to ask him to confirm or reject my latest theory, I see lights up ahead, and after a sharp turn, we’re at a well-lit wrought iron gate. Kaede pulls though, a knowing little smile of amusement on his lips. He’s driving me crazy, and he knows it. He likes it. And though I won’t admit it, I like it too.
“Welcome to Villa del Bosque.”
We pull up to a rustic, beautiful Spanish style house made of stone, stucco, and wood. It’s large and warm, with gas lanterns casting twi
n circles of light by wide double doors, raw wood beams and posts, and a brick paver drive.
Kaede stops the car and gets out, coming around to help me too. “Thank you,” I tell him, though I’m still looking around for clues.
“Kaede, my man!” a huge, hulking guy in a sport coat greets us as we walk in. “Thanks for finally coming out to see me!” Every word he says is loud, echoing, and enthusiastic.
“Wish I hadn’t waited so long. It’s good to see you.” Kaede offers a hand, but as they shake, it becomes a bro-hug with hard back pounds. I cough lightly because the power in those pats makes me lose my breath vicariously.
“Oh, let me do the honors. Courtney, this is Jim Spiewal. Jim, Courtney Andrews.”
“Miss Andrews,” Jim says, bowing elegantly. “May I assume you’re of the same family that somehow gave this functional idiot a job?”
I laugh lightly, taking Kaede’s hand. My thumb runs circles over the warm skin unconsciously, soothing the bone-cracking handshake away. “He’s hardly an idiot. Functional . . . very.” I lift my brows, making the double-entendre joke hit with precise aim.
Jim grins and claps Kaede on the shoulder one last time. “Ooh, I like her. She’s got fire.”
Kaede pulls me closer. “You have no idea.”
“Ready?” Jim asks, leading us through the wooden doors. Inside, there are a dozen other people, all dressed for an evening out. Jim walks to the front of the room, a path opening for him easily as people move out of his way. Clearing his throat, he raises his hands to silence the quiet chatter.
“Welcome, it’s nice to have everyone here for our monthly tour and tasting. Here at Bosque Winery, we want to bring you the best wines we possibly can, ones that exhibit the special flavors that are possible with our local climate. After a tour of our facility, we’d like to open a few bottles, let you try some of our finest. Please, follow me.”
A winery tour? Kaede brought me on a winery tour! So romantic and unexpected and . . . sweet.
Finally in on the surprise, I turn to Kaede with a big smile already plastered on my face to discover that he’s been watching me, waiting for my reaction.
“Surprise,” he whispers, moving closer. His eyes are dark and hungry, like he’s been desperate to see what I would think of this.
“Thank you. I love it,” I say earnestly, planting a kiss on his cheek. The moment stretches, our eyes locked on one another, and it feels different. It feels . . . deeper.
He feels that too, right? He has to, because I’m damn near suffocating with the weight of our chemistry, our heat, our desire. It’s more than that, though. It’s connection. That’s what this odd sensation is in my chest.
Too soon, we’re the last ones in the room and have to hurry to catch up with the group.
Jim leads us all down a set of wide stone steps. In the front, he’s walking alone, his shoulders nearly brushing the walls and his head just missing the light fixture. Behind him, we walk in couples, two by two with plenty of space.
I whisper to Kaede, “How do you know Jim?”
“College ball. He was an offensive lineman who decided his rookie contract was enough beating on his body. After he retired from the game, he bought a winery that was in dire straits and turned it around. He’s got a heart of gold and a nose for wine.”
“When we opened Bosque Wines, my partners and I had a very clear goal in mind. Local to global. So all of our grapes are sourced from our own vineyards, no mixing in outside varieties ever. Our casks are made with wood harvested from trees grown within fifty miles of where we stand right now. Our bottles are made by a fourth-generation glass company in the next town. Once we have created a true representation of our best, only then does it go into the world.”
He continues with his history of the winery, but I hang back with Kaede, whispering to each other among the tall racks of casks. “You’ve never been here before?”
He gives me that smile that drives me wild, just a little cocky but with a hint of sweetness that he hides way down deep inside. “Never had a special enough occasion to come. Tonight seemed like the right time.”
Swoon. I haven’t had a sip, and I’m totally drunk . . . on him.
We walk the cavernous wine cellars for an hour, listening as Jim gives his spiel. It’s interesting, he mixes enough science and technique with his promotional puffery that I’m drawn in. Surefire way to this girl’s heart? Science and business. And Jim’s speech is hitting me right in the feels.
“Are most of your wines red or white?” one of the guests asks, and Jim hums.
“It depends on the harvest each year, but for the past few years, our competition wines have been our reds,” Jim concedes. “In a year or two, there are a few whites I think will be competition worthy, and of course, there’s a blended rosé that I think is near perfect, but that’s personal preference. Don’t worry, you’ll get to sample them all.”
One of ladies agrees with Jim, “Rosé all day for me, please.” Everyone laughs at the T-shirt phrase, and the tour continues.
I try to keep up, but I’m distracted.
Kaede’s kept my hand in his, and his palm feels warm against mine, leaving tingles in the wake of his thumb where it’s brushing along my skin. My focus zeroes in on that small contact, my heartbeat quickening in my chest. I consider pulling him out of the group, into the dim shadows where he can put his thumb on more than the back of my hand, but I decide that’s not proper. Later, as we move from one room to another, he guides me through a doorway, his hand resting gently on my lower back, and I can feel the buzz in my blood and the desire to arch into his touch, even through the fabric of my dress.
I swear he’s driving me wild on purpose, small touches here, little caresses there, seemingly casual but so electric each time. By the time we pass through the last archway, I’m nearly ready to just press my back against it, throw my leg up around his waist, and tell him to take me right there.
We finish our tour, heading upstairs behind Jim. He leads us into an intimate bar area. It’s beautiful, with leather booths, lit candles, wood walls, plush carpet, and quiet jazz music. Kaede guides me to a private booth in the back corner, the L-shaped curve letting us sit right next to each other.
“It feels like we’re in a speakeasy,” I whisper into Kaede’s ear, though I could have easily spoken it aloud. The bar just has a hushed library vibe that I can appreciate.
He looks around as though he hadn’t even noticed. Like he’s only been paying attention to me. “It does.”
The waitress sets two wood boards with tiny, miniature wine glasses lined up onto the table. They have just enough for a sip or two in each glass, a true tasting. “Mr. Spiewal will talk you through the wine flight as I bring your food.”
“The first course is our dry Chardonnay, paired with sautéed shrimp,” Jim says, holding up a glass of his own.
We try the shrimp, and they’re perfect, juicy and tender. And the wine is light, complimenting the seafood, but better than that is the way Kaede is watching my mouth sip from the glass.
“Mr. McWarren, are you planning on getting me drunk and then taking advantage of me?” I ask as I tease him, licking the edge of my glass and making him squirm next to me.
“I happen to know, Miss Andrews, that nobody takes advantage of you,” Kaede says, taking a small piece of French bread and holding it out to me. I wrap my lips around it and bite, barely brushing his fingertips. It’s just bread, but it feels like something powerful and important is happening here. “That’s one of your most interesting qualities.”
“I’m not sure your idea of interesting and other people’s quite match up,” I say coyly.
Before he can banter back, Jim is raising another glass, discussing top notes and other things that I suddenly don’t care to make sense of. Not when Kaede is looking at me the way he is.
“Enjoying yourself?” he asks quietly.
“Yes, mostly because of the company, though this red is delicious.”
�
��I thought you would like this.”
I look around, nodding to myself. While the bar’s a little fancier than my occasional haunt with Abi and Vi, it’s nice to step it up a notch for the unique experience. “What made you think that?”
Kaede considers his answer as our next course comes, grilled vegetables with a Riesling that’s sumptuous. “This place is quality, but quiet and unassuming. Confident without being showy, not needing to shout who or what it is from the rooftops to get everyone else’s opinions and validation. It just is . . . perfect. I knew you were the special sort of person who could appreciate a place like this.”
There are moments when I’m caught up in Kaede’s dark good looks, or his muscles, or the animal aura he puts off. But there are other times when he stuns me with his intellect and the depth of his soul. And those are even sexier than the Ken-doll lines on his abdomen. I’m a woman who thinks brains are the sexiest thing a man can have. And fuck, does Kaede have a gorgeous one.
“Wow. If that was a line and this is your standard first date, it’s a good one.”
Careful, Courtney. You’re falling . . .
He smirks. “Told you, I haven’t been here before. With anyone but you.”
I take a sip of the next wine, even though Jim hasn’t instructed us to. But it feels like I’m falling into Kaede, into this thing between us, and I need to remember what Abi told me.
Be sure.
Because if I let myself get carried away, if I let this develop the direction my heart’s telling me to go, there won’t be just simple ‘fucking’ involved.
I barely taste the rest of the meal, and when the last bite of dessert passes my lips, guided there by Kaede’s fork holding the cheesecake steady, his eyes are burning. “We should go.”
“Yes.” I don’t care where we’re going, what we’re doing, or if Kaede even knows that my ‘yes’ means a lot more than acceptance that we need to leave. I just want to float in his current, in the tide of desire pulsing through me and pulling me toward him.
My Big Fat Fake Engagement Page 19