A Fake Marriage Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  Sidney opened the dishwasher. “If you scrape the food and rinse them, I’ll stack them in the dishwasher.”

  He nodded and picked up a mixing bowl, his pulse still racing. The room was charged with so much electricity, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Did Sidney feel it, too?

  As they worked together, she relaxed, and the mood turned light again. “How’s your Mom?” she asked.

  “She’s doing better.”

  “That’s good. She’s lucky to have you near.”

  Blake smiled. “You ready to go skydiving tomorrow?”

  She whacked him on the arm. “You’re such a dork for making me jump out of a plane. I’m scared out of my gourd.”

  “What does that even mean? When were you ever in your gourd?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Funny. What if the parachute doesn’t open?”

  “Don’t worry. There’s a back-up. Plus, they hardly ever fail. Statistically, it’s safer to skydive than it is to drive across town.” He handed her a pot.

  “I’ll take your word for it. If I die, though, you’re in big trouble.”

  “Since we’ll be jumping tandem, if you die I’m going with you.”

  She squinted at him. “I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or not.”

  He picked up a wooden spoon covered in spaghetti sauce. “It should. I’m not ready to die.” After rinsing the spoon, he handed it to her, looking into her eyes. “When I die, I want no regrets.” Wow, he was being bold, wasn’t he? He’d better tone it down a notch, or she’d put up another Ted wall.

  A sad look flitted across her face, and she bent over to place the spoon in the dishwasher. “My only regret is Asher.”

  She said it so softly, he didn’t know if she meant it for his ears or not. But it was the first sign that she was ready to talk about it, so he jumped on it. “What happened?”

  She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The short version is he cheated on me.”

  He waited for her to continue, and when she didn’t, he asked, “And what’s the long version?”

  She stared down the pan she was holding. “We dated for more than a year. I thought things were getting serious between us. He kept talking about marriage and settling down. He had all these high aspirations. Wanted to be a senator after climbing the political ladder.”

  Her pain was evident on her face, and she swallowed a few times before continuing. “He took me out to eat for Valentine’s Day. I thought he was going to propose.” She looked up at him. “I suppose he might have if things hadn’t gone the way they did.”

  Blake was so afraid of pushing her, he said nothing while he scrubbed a casserole dish. She’d continue when she was ready.

  “Asher went to the bathroom and left his cell on the table. He never did that. He was so protective of that thing. I figured he had important business he was always conducting. When a text message came through, I picked it up. Imagine my surprise when I found the message was from another woman, asking if they were still meeting later that evening.”

  “Awful.”

  “It gets worse. I scrolled up to see more of the conversation, to see if it was a business meeting. The texts were…well, let’s just say it was obvious they were having an affair. And when he talked about me, he called me…The Stiff.” She blinked and squared her shoulders like she didn’t want to waste one more tear on him. “Apparently Patty wasn’t the right kind of woman to be on his arm, but she was the one he wanted in his bed.”

  Blake fought the urge to pull her into his arms. It wouldn’t be a good thing. She was opening up to him, and he couldn’t push it. But he knew just how she felt, after being treated almost the same way by Melody. His throat constricted. “I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice husky.

  She held her hand out for the casserole dish. “When he came back to the table and found out I knew about Patty, he tried to convince me I’d misunderstood, that I had read it wrong. He had an explanation for everything.” Her voice lowered to almost a whisper. “His lies were so convincing, I almost believed him.”

  “You wanted to believe him.” He unstopped the sink and wiped his hands on a towel.

  Sidney nodded and closed the dishwasher. “I didn’t want to be the stiff.” A single tear traced down her cheek.

  He took a step to close the distance between them, not wanting to scare her off but needing to comfort her. He slowly raised his hand and wiped the tear with his thumb.

  Sidney closed her eyes, another tear escaping. He put his hands on her waist and gently pulled her to him. She laid her head on his chest and melted into him. He put his arms around her and simply held her close, breathing in her scent while his heart went into overdrive. He cradled her until her tears stopped and she pulled back.

  “Sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

  “No need to apologize.” Before she had the chance to lie and put up another Ted wall, he let go of her and walked into the living room, even though he would have rather stayed there holding her. “I guess I have to concede. You own too much property for me to win.”

  She opened her mouth wide. “You’re…giving up? You?”

  He shrugged and stuck his fists into his pockets. “I know when I’m defeated.”

  “Well, I guess there’s only one thing to do.” An evil little smile formed on her lips, but he couldn’t figure out why.

  “What?”

  “We’ve got to go to the haunted mansion.”

  Sidney giggled as she crouched down behind the large bush. Blake was on all fours, peeking around the foliage. “I can’t believe you’re making me do this.”

  “A bet is a bet, buck-o. You gotta pay up.”

  He sneezed. “Man, what kind of bush is this? It’s making my nose itch.”

  “Just go ring the bell.”

  He glared at her, which didn’t work very well because he couldn’t hide his smile. “Easy for you to say. Did you look at those steps? They’re all rotted out. I think I’m going to fall in if I try to run up them.”

  “Step lightly.” She pushed his shoulder. “Get to it, I’m getting a cramp.”

  “We’re not crawling through poison oak, are we?”

  “No, and quit stalling.”

  “Okay, okay.” He jumped to his feet and ran up the cracked cement walkway. She giggled as he ran up the steps, trying to avoid the decaying wood. He pushed the doorbell and ran back down.

  The porch light lit up and Sidney squealed. She sprang to her feet and joined Blake in his mad dash to get away. Her heart pounded from the adrenalin as they ran across the yard. Blake pulled ahead of her and she grabbed onto his shirt to keep from being left behind.

  He tripped, and a loud ripping noise rang out as he struggled to catch himself before hitting the ground. Sidney giggled as he slowed to look at his ripped shirt.

  “What are you kids doing?” an old man yelled from the doorway. “Get off my lawn!”

  They both burst out laughing and then sprinted the rest of the way to the sidewalk. They slowed as they neared Blake’s truck. “You tore my shirt!” Blake said as he opened the passenger door.

  “Technically you tore it. I was just holding it.” She climbed into the seat, breathless from the running.

  He leaned into the cab. “You think so, huh?” A playful smile tugged at his lips.

  He was so close she could smell his aftershave, and her heart did that crazy crush thing again. She shoved him away. “Yes, your fault. Now get in and drive.”

  He chuckled and obliged.

  Chapter 13

  Sidney sat on the cold metal folding chair in the small classroom. Blake sat beside her, an encouraging smile on his face. The skydiving instructor, a balding man in his late thirties, was energetically telling her what she was about to experience.

  A few other people sat in there with them, and most of them looked excited. Sidney glanced at a sign on the wall that read, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.’ She thought s
he might throw up. Blake reached over and squeezed her hand.

  When it came time to put on the gear, she thought she would lose it. “Why did you talk me into this?”

  “Because you’re going to love it.” He helped her slip the harness around her middle. When his fingers brushed her skin, the tingles took over, making her entire body buzz. Maybe being strapped to Blake wouldn’t be so bad. He handed her a pair of goggles and a helmet.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  He clasped her shoulders in his strong hands and looked into her eyes. She knew she shouldn’t meet his gaze. His eyes held some crazy magical power over her, and her knees melted when she looked at them. But she had no choice, and she silently cursed her weakness as she looked into his cool blue eyes.

  “Remember when we would go to the park as kids? You would always run off to find the tallest tree to climb. I once asked you why you did that. You told me it was the closest you’d get to flying with the birds.”

  He remembered that? Why did he care so much about her wish to fly when he was sneaking off and making out with Natalie? Blake was a mystery. A frustrating but very handsome mystery. She swallowed. “I was seven.”

  “But you spoke from your heart.” He clicked the metal ring into place and turned her around. “Now, we’re going to board the plane. When it’s time to jump, I’ll hitch us together.”

  Her heart leapt into her throat. She really was going to do this. With Blake. Was she insane? She’d given up doing insane things long ago. Being cautious was better. You don’t get hurt when you think things through.

  As they walked out to the small plane, Sidney shook her hands, trying to get rid of the nerves. Blake said he’d done this a million times. She’d be fine. If she hated it, all she had to do was close her eyes and pretend she was on some scary amusement park ride. At least she loved those. Hmm. Maybe Blake was right. Maybe she would like this.

  They got to the steps and Blake climbed into the plane, then extended his hand. She stared at it. “Do you trust me?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation, which made her blink in surprise. She did trust him. Last night she’d trusted him enough to tell him things she hadn’t even told Mia. She’d thought she couldn’t bear to reveal Asher’s hurtful name for her to anyone, but she’d told Blake.

  The realization startled her and she took a step back. Why had she told Blake, anyway? Because they were friends? Or was it because she wanted something more? What was it about Blake that made her say and do things she never would with anyone else? She couldn’t afford to make more out of this than there was. Her heart couldn’t take another shatter from Blake. Sure, he was flirting, but she knew he wasn’t serious about her.

  “Take my hand.”

  His command brought her out of her thoughts and she grabbed his hand. She was being stupid. He’d said they were friends, and friends told each other stuff. That’s all. She didn’t need to read anything into the situation. That was what had gotten her into trouble last time.

  Blake pulled her close. “You okay?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Fine.” She plastered on a smile.

  “Good. Because the fun is about to begin.” He motioned to a seat. “You’ll need to be strapped in for take-off.”

  She sat down and pulled the seatbelt tight after clicking it in. The instructor closed the door and they waited while someone did some final flight checks. Her pulse thrummed as she gripped her seat and the engine started.

  Blake leaned over. “Remember the rope over the lake?” He practically had to scream over the noise.

  “Yeah.”

  “It’s another reason I think you’ll love this.”

  She did remember the summer they tied a rope to a branch that hung over the lake. They’d run and swing out as far as they could, then let go and see how big of a splash they could make. She smirked. “I remember you got a tick. Right on your back side.”

  He cringed. “That was an unfortunate incident.”

  “My mom had to pull it off.” She nudged him and they both laughed.

  “Well, how was I supposed to reach it?” His face turned red, and she laughed again.

  The plane began moving, and Sidney swallowed her nerves. This was it. They were going up. The only way down was to jump.

  The plane waited for a minute, then accelerated forward and took off. Sidney grabbed Blake’s hand as they climbed higher. Soon they were circling, and the instructor opened the door.

  The other jumpers went first. Some of them went solo, while two went tandem like she and Blake. When it was their turn, she stood and Blake ushered her closer to the door. There were several metal clinking sounds as Blake clipped himself to the back of her harness. He tugged on them to make sure they were secure. “Are you ready?” he shouted.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  He put his arms around her, pulling her back to his chest. “Don’t worry,” he said in her ear. “I’ve got you.” The deep intonation of his voice combined with his close proximity made her heart do funny things in her chest. “Now, cross your arms and hold onto the shoulder straps.”

  She did as he said, her knuckles white from clenching so hard. She could do this. She could jump from a plane.

  “Lift your legs up to your chest.”

  When she lifted up, she felt like she was in a baby carrier, hooked onto Blake’s chest. He stepped to the open door. “On the count of three.”

  She nodded.

  “One. Two.” He hesitated, and she thought she was going to pass out from the anxiety. “Three.”

  She closed her eyes as he jumped. The wind whistled past her at an alarming rate, like she’d stuck her head out of the car on the interstate. It pushed against her cheeks, distorting her face. Her stomach dropped and she screamed, but as soon as they were away from the plane, a peaceful silence settled in and she opened her eyes.

  She’d seen photographs taken from above, but the view before her was more breathtaking than she’d anticipated. And the feeling of rushing through the air, flying…it was incredible. Exhilarating. Her pulse raced and her senses felt heightened. She stretched her arms out. Speaking was almost impossible with the wind, so she just let out a happy whoop.

  From this vantage point, she could see the curvature of the earth. The farm fields in patches of greens and browns. The clouds. It was amazing.

  Blake shifted and they started spinning, like a snowflake in the wind. She screamed, enjoying the dizzying effect it had on her brain. He stopped the spinning and let her enjoy the free fall for a few moments longer, but it felt almost like an eternity. Time seemed to work differently as they fell at a dizzying speed toward the earth.

  Blake reached up and pulled the cord. They jerked when the parachute deployed and caught their rapid fall. The air no longer rushed past her but turned into a brisk breeze instead.

  “What did you think?” he asked.

  “That was awesome!” she shouted.

  He laughed. “I knew you’d love it.”

  “I don’t know why I was so scared.”

  Blake pointed. “There’s the lake.”

  She looked out over the town, the miniature buildings and the tiny cars. The gentle descent combined with the close proximity to Blake made her stomach do flips. She tried to ignore the way her skin came alive when they touched. They took turns pointing out landmarks while Blake steered them so they would land in the field near the airport.

  As they neared the ground, she found herself disappointed. That had been the most amazing thing she’d ever done…and it was over. She lifted her feet as instructed. Their descent was slow enough that Blake landed on his feet. Blake unhooked them and Sidney turned around, unable to hide the excitement rushing through her. “That. Was. Amazing!”

  She took off her helmet and goggles, tossing them on the grass. “I can’t believe the feeling of flying through the air. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”

  Blake grinned, peeling off his goggles
as well. “I’m glad I made you do it.”

  Before she thought much about it, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He seemed stunned at first, but he snapped out of it and pulled her close to him. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. As the tingles coursed through her body, she knew she’d made a mistake and tried to push back, but his hold on her was too strong. She looked up at him, and he stared at her, all playfulness gone. He was gazing at her, and it made her stomach feel like she’d jumped from the plane again.

  She couldn’t look him in the eyes, so her gaze landed on his lips, which was dumb, but all thought left her brain. His lips moved closer, and she felt a force stronger than any magnet pulling her to him.

  Their lips met and her senses exploded. His kiss was tentative. Gentle. But the feelings it stirred up were strong. She kissed him back, before her brain could register what they were doing. She didn’t want to think. All she wanted was for this moment to last forever.

  Being in his embrace, his lips moving over hers, felt like the world had stopped and nothing else mattered. She grew dizzy as he kissed her more passionately.

  And then, like an unwanted guest at a party, her sister’s voice came into her head. Do you remember when you kissed me behind the trees in our backyard?

  Snapping out of her Blake-induced coma, she shoved herself away from him. What was she doing? She couldn’t kiss Blake!

  She turned to flee, but he grabbed her arm. “Sidney…wait.”

  She turned back to him. “I’m engaged, Blake. What do you think you’re doing?”

  He winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

  His words sent a stabbing pain through her chest. She wanted to get away from him. Run from the feelings he created in her. Run from the way he had carelessly kissed her, like it was no big deal to him. He must have read her thoughts, because he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, forcing her to stay. “Please forgive me. It was a mistake, I promise.”

  The look on his face stopped her cold. He looked pained. He regretted kissing her. Nice. This was worse than his flirting! She wanted to sink into a hole in the ground.