Counterfeit Boyfriend

by Cindi Madsen

  “Why don’t you come back over here by me?” he asked.

  “Because you can see so much better from here.” I tipped onto my toes, leaning against the rail. A tug on the back of my jacket returned me to flat on my feet. I looked down at Evan’s long fingers and the way they clutched the fabric, then ran my gaze up to his face, noticing the firm set of his jaw. “Are you afraid of heights?”

  “No.”

  I inched closer to the railing, and he jerked me toward him, the fingers of his other hand wrapping around my wrist as soon as I was within his reach.

  “It’s more I’m afraid of plummeting to my death,” he said, his fingers tightening on my wrist. “And I’m afraid of you doing that, too.”

  I laughed, and he scowled, which only made it more hilarious. “Sorry,” I said, but a giggle burst free, obliterating my attempted apology. The fact that he was afraid of anything was news to me, and after his constant teasing about my planning to make plans, I couldn’t help being a bit smug over finding this chink in his armor. Not that I tried very hard to smother it.

  He pursed his lips together, his scowl still creasing his features. “You told me all about how the tower got struck by lightning, how old it is, and the erosion threats, so pardon me if I don’t feel like it’s the safest structure to dangle off of.”

  I twisted to face him. “There was no dangling. And I’m sure they tested it after they moved it again a decade or so ago.”

  “That’s another thing. Buildings aren’t meant to be moved.”

  I gave him a quick peck on the lips and took a step backward. “Come on, we can take a selfie with our backs to the railing so we get the ocean behind us, too.”

  “How about we do that once we’re by the shore?”

  “Okay. We’ll get one of us at the shore. I’m just gonna take a quick one up here, so I’ll be right back.”

  He tugged on the sides of my jacket—well, his jacket, technically—bringing me back to him.

  “I could easily slip out of this, you know,” I said.

  “Then you’ll leave me no choice but to grab whatever I can get my hands on.”

  “You need to work on your motivational skills. That’s not exactly inspiring me to keep the jacket on.” I was surprised his words from earlier popped out of my mouth, but the way it made his Adam’s apple bob up and down made it worth it. With everything that’d happened in my last relationship, I’d held back with Evan, and it felt freeing and powerful to throw things out there.

  Seeing the passion reflected in his eyes made it safer to be me, all out, no holding back.

  He tugged me to him, crashed his mouth over mine, and then spun me and walked me backward until I hit the brick wall opposite the railing. His hands slipped inside the jacket, and he gripped the sides of my waist as he continued his delicious assault on my lips.

  His hips knocked into mine and I rocked against him, needing more of him on more of me. The feel of his hard length sent heat pooling low in my stomach, and an ache I hadn’t felt in a while formed between my thighs.

  His groan sent my nerve-endings into a frenzy, and I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair, dragging my nails along his scalp.

  We lost seconds…? Minutes…? Who the hell knew, and who the hell cared? Desire took over my actions, and when he ground against me, I whimpered. I might feel embarrassed if he didn’t look so damn proud of my reaction. Right now it was one of my more subtle reactions, too. For all of Tori’s talk, I hadn’t really been feeling this huge drive to cross into more territory.

  Until now.

  Part of me had worried that I’d made up the sparks firing back and forth between us so I wouldn’t have to take this road trip alone, but it appeared that once they’d finally arrived on the scene, they were here to stay.

  Honestly, I was so hot and bothered that I was entertaining the idea of having sex right here, right now. Never mind that someone else might come along, or that we weren’t very hidden.

  It’s midday on a Thursday. Maybe no one will come along for hours. I didn’t really want our first time to be rushed, but—

  Evan’s fingers slipped under my shirt, his thumb dragging intoxicating lines along my skin, and I ran my hands up, resting them on his firm pecs. Okay, now works.

  A noise cut through, tickling the back of my mind, but it took a couple of seconds to connect to logical thoughts that could process what it meant. “Someone’s coming,” I said through labored breaths, pushing him away instead of pulling him to me like I wanted.

  Seconds later, a group of people stepped out. Judging from the raised eyebrows, signs of our steamy make out were written across our faces. Evan’s hair was mussed, and I raised my fingertips to my kiss-swollen lips.

  I glanced down and rearranged my clothes, then cast Evan a smile that undoubtedly confessed all. How much I enjoyed that, how happy I was that he was here with me. How much I wanted to finish what we’d started. “I’m, uh, gonna get that picture now.”

  “How about I take it so you don’t feel like you have to practically hang over the railing to get the background in there, too?”

  “Oh, sure. Go ahead and take all the fun out of it.”

  The closer I got to the railing, the more tension traveled through his muscles and crept into the line of his jaw. Seriously, how cute was it that he was scared of heights? Since giving him a heart attack would prevent more of the making out we’d just done, I resisted leaning my back on the railing. I smiled for the picture, and then my eyes locked on to Evan’s, I smiled just for him.

  “Okay. You got your picture. Now, can we return to solid ground?”

  I stomped on the concrete under my feet. “Feels solid to me.”

  “Ha-ha.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me close, and I probably liked him yanking me around more than I should. I did make him pose for a selfie that we could be in together, even if we got the white brick instead of the ocean view.

  He tapped a finger to his cheek. “Why don’t you plant your lips here so we can get one more?”

  Since it wasn’t a difficult task, I did as he asked. I loved the way his woodsy cologne invaded my senses, and I couldn’t help reaching up and running my fingertips along his jaw.

  His sigh carried so much happiness it echoed through my chest.

  When we turned, I noticed a few of the newcomers staring. I tensed, ready for a lecture on not being respectful, and guilt rose. I hated to hamper someone else’s enjoyment, and for all I knew a group of kids could’ve come up and caught us making out. Or more.

  Instead of scowling, though, a woman with wind-whipped cheeks smiled and spoke in a heavy Italian accent. “It’s good to see young people so happy. Enjoy.”

  The guy accompanying her gazed at her like the world revolved around her, and it sent even more happiness cascading through me. “Thank you. You, too.”

  With some more huffing, puffing, and thigh- and lung-burning, we made our way back down the spiral staircase. As we walked over to Evan’s car, I hooked my arm through his and leaned my head on his shoulder. Every little thing reinforced how comfortable I suddenly was with him. I’d longed for this kind of relationship for months, and I could kick myself for not realizing what I had.

  Or maybe it just took time to get here. After all, when I’d asked, he’d said it was never like this, so maybe it’d required me fully committing to the idea of us.

  Whatever catapulted us to this place, I was grateful for it, and from now on I was going to focus on the positives. Like how I was positive I hadn’t been this deliriously happy in years. Even when I was with the douchehole, he’d never shown as much tenderness and protectiveness as Evan had up on the deck of the lighthouse.

  Evan opened the passenger door of the Camaro for me, tucked me inside, and then circled the hood and climbed inside. He fired up the engine and dropped his hand on my knee. “Where to next, navigator? Virginia or bust?”

  “Virginia or bust,” I said. But I was thinking I might bust if my thoughts ke
pt dipping into the gutter. If a fully-clothed make out session could turn me on so much, how amazing was a naked one going to be?

  I crossed my legs, and while I was usually a sit-back-and-enjoy-the-ride girl, I found myself wanting to fast-forward to checking into our hotel room for the night.

  9 Ethan

  Okay, I might’ve initiated the kiss at the top of the lighthouse. In my defense, Gwen just told me she wanted my hands on her—that’s how my turned-on brain chose to interpret it anyway.

  It was something I couldn’t stop focusing on. Every glance, every smile, held this charged anticipation, and I wanted to explore the crazy chemistry between us some more. The instant my lips had met hers, my common sense went on vacation. Now I was trying to lure it back, even though I knew it’d tell me that I absolutely couldn’t sleep with her.

  Eyes on the road, I thought, focusing on the feel of the steering wheel and the smooth way the Camaro handled. Try to think of something else.

  Gwen stretched her legs up onto the dash.

  My throat went dry.

  Then she leaned her head back, her chest rising and falling, rising and falling. Having those curves pressed against me as I kissed her breathless at the top of that lighthouse made my Top Five Best Moments. The fact that graduating from law school and passing the Bar were two of the others was probably sad. All the time and energy those accomplishments took away from my personal life probably only fueled my lust fire.

  Gwen sighed.

  Nope. She was just that damn sexy. Her toenails were neon pink, too, another thing that was more distracting than I ever would’ve guessed. Don’t get me started on the delicate silver chain dangling from her ankle.

  She glanced at me and did a double-take, and I thought I’d get called out for ogling her. “Is it okay that I put my feet up? I kicked off my shoes so they wouldn’t get the dash dirty.” She started to scoot backward. “Never mind, I wasn’t think—”

  I placed my hand on her thigh and dragged my thumb over her smooth skin. “Keep them up there.” I like looking at your legs and thinking about having them wrapped around me. I shifted in my seat for what had to be the hundredth time since climbing in this car this morning.

  “And you’re sure you don’t want me to drive for a while?”

  “Nah, not yet. Just… talk. Your awful music might keep me awake, but I prefer stories as opposed to tunes that’ll make my ears bleed.”

  She shot me a dirty look that was far too cute to be scary. Then she twisted a strand of hair around her finger and peered up at the ceiling, as if she expected to find inspiration there. “I’m having a hard time thinking of something to talk about.”

  “You? Speechless?”

  She shoved my arm but smiled, which was my goal in the first place. I’d never get tired of her beautiful, infectious smile. Or those ridiculously cute dimples.

  Not that I’d get the chance to get tired of the smile or her dimples, or her in general. I should be glad we’d successfully put several hours of the trip behind us, but every one sent us closer to the last, and I knew that at the end of this trip, I’d only want more.

  Don’t think about that.

  My gaze ran down her legs again. Don’t think about those, either.

  When it came to Gwen, no place was safe for my eyes.

  She raised an eyebrow. “What about you? We haven’t talked about you very much this trip.”

  “But I already know about me.”

  “Apparently, I don’t. For instance, I had no idea you were afraid of heights.”

  “Plummeting to my death, you mean. ‘Afraid of heights’ sounds too wussy.”

  She laughed. “Okay, okay. Afraid of death—not very original, but totally valid. Any other fears I should know about?”

  I’m afraid you’ll find out that I’m not my brother, and then you’ll hate me forever.

  I’m afraid that after this, no other girl will measure up.

  Not only no other girl, but life in general. Being with her was the most alive I’d felt in years. Every one of those revealed more than I could say, so I searched for something a bit lighter yet still true—I wanted to give her as much of the truth as I could. “Not a big fan of thinking about failure, but who is?”

  “Can’t claim I’m not afraid of failure. When I started college, the goal was to become a corporate controller, financial analysis manager, or accounting director for some huge company and make a lot of money. I pictured myself wearing power suits and climbing to the top of the corporate ladder. Since my life isn’t how I imagined it, sometimes I wonder if I’ve failed, but I love my job. I love the people and the animals, and I’m good at it. So naturally, my brain tosses other worrying thoughts at me, so I can feel like I failed at them.”

  “It’s sad how easy it is to think of the bad, and how hard it is to remember the good we do.” Throughout school, every B or C grated at me, getting way more weight than the dozens of As on my transcripts. I tended to beat myself up if I couldn’t recall facts in an instant and had to look them up.

  When Gwen blinked at me, I wished I hadn’t revealed so much—apparently that problem was mine alone. “Exactly,” she said, making it okay that I’d confessed as much. “It’s like we need someone to come in and reprogram us. But since we’re not robots…” She eyed me like she needed me to confirm.

  “Not a robot.”

  “Oh, phew,” she said with a laugh. “Let’s do it.”

  Whoa, what? Since my mind was preoccupied with her and her sexy body, the “do it” went down the wrong road, I was almost sure. I cleared my throat. “Do… what?”

  She removed her feet from the dashboard and twisted in her seat to face me. “Reprogram ourselves. For this whole trip, let’s only focus on our good traits.”

  No more thinking about how horrible I am for going along with this scheme? For enjoying it so much? Sign me up.

  “We’ll help each other. Like, instead of simply thinking about how much I like the way you worry about me falling to my death, I’ll go ahead and tell you that I appreciate that you care enough to worry about me. And when I was cold, you gave me your hoodie.” She tugged on one of the hood’s strings. “Of course, you probably didn’t realize you weren’t ever going to get it back when you lent it to me, but that’s neither here nor there.”

  I grinned at her. “Well, since it’s neither here nor there, I won’t tell you how easily I could tackle you and steal it back. But the truth is, you look a lot better in it than I do.”

  “Doubtful, but thank you. And just so you know, I’m translating that into you giving it to me.”

  I barely resisted saying: Yeah, I’ll give it to you, all right. “You’re always happy, and you smile at perfect strangers and spread that happiness. You care about other people, on a deeper level than most.”

  “I try.” Two creases formed between her eyebrows and she ticked up her chin, resolve setting into her features. “I mean, I do.”

  “You’re also crazy hot,” I said, curling my hand around her thigh. Good thing I was focusing on the good and shoving away guilt, because now I could bask in the way her skin felt under my palm, and how right here, right now, it felt like she belonged with me. “I can’t stop staring at you, and I kind of despise the road and the other cars driving on it for taking my attention away from you.”

  Her cheeks colored, and my blood rushed faster through my veins. She covered my hand with hers. “Thank you. And thanks for paying attention to the road and the other cars so we don’t crash and die.”

  “Admittedly, my main motivation is getting to our next stop in one piece so I can get my hands and lips on you again.”

  She swallowed, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “You’re getting better at your motivational skills.”

  I tightened my grip on her thigh, and my breaths were coming right on top of each other.

  She ran her fingertips up my arm and settled them against the back of my neck. “Shall we see how mine are improving?”
<
br />   My mind ran rampant with all sorts of scenarios, most of them involving her losing her clothes.

  “Luckily, I don’t have to watch the cars or road.” She leaned closer, testing the limits of her seatbelt. Her warm breath hit my ear and then she pressed an open mouth kiss just underneath it. “I’m thinking we come up with a reward system. For every half hour you don’t wreck, you rack up another kiss.” One of her hands moved down my chest, my abs. “An hour earns serious groping”—she dragged her fingertips over the waistband of my jeans—“and we’re talking both ways.”

  Holy shit, the woman was trying to kill me. My hard-on pushed against my zipper and I shifted in my seat yet again, bringing the tally to about a hundred and one. I needed to distract myself—and fast—or I’d be pulling this car over and showing her that I was good at both punishments and rewards.

  “This is where we’re going?” Gwen asked as I maneuvered the car into a parking lot near one of those pop-up carnivals. During our last fuel and bathroom pit stop, I’d seen a flyer about the state fair in Caroline County and thought this would be a fun activity before we had dinner and found somewhere to settle in for the night.

  Apparently, Gwen didn’t get the memo about it being fun since she was frowning at the flashing lights on the other side of the windshield.

  “It was until you started looking at the place like it’s a dentist office and you have a root canal scheduled,” I said.

  “It’s just that…” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like thinking about imperfect machines made by imperfect people being set up as quickly as possible. You wouldn’t trust a house that can be built and unbuilt in a matter of hours, would you?”

  “I believe those are called tents, and yes I would.”

  She pressed her lips together, battling between giving me a scowl and a smile. Thinking of her clinging to me only encouraged the carnival idea. She sighed, exaggeratedly loud. “This from the guy who doesn’t trust a brick structure that’s been standing for over a century. Look how high that Ferris wheel is. As someone—”