Pretend You’re Mine: A curvy girl romance

by Laurent, River

  I chuckled indulgently.

  “Maybe,” Dane said as he stuck his nose up in the air. “What do I have to do?”

  “After food there’s a photoshoot. I would love for the two of you to be in it, of course.”

  “Aww, you want my ugly mug captured for all time in your wedding photos?” Dane asked.

  Robert tapped his chin. “On second thought, maybe Savannah could come by herself. I’m not so sure I want to see your face when I remember how great everything else looked.”

  Dane and Robert quipped back and forth.

  I shook my head. It was easy to see them as dumb college kids being jerks to each other while they protected each other at the same time. A friendship like theirs was rare and I loved the fact that they could rely on each other like that.

  “You boys behave or I’ll have to spank someone,” Catherine drawled as she came over and wrapped an arm around Robert’s. “No arguing during the wedding,” she said as she shook her finger with a little smug smile on her lips. Her eyes trailed over Dane. The more she looked, the more they shifted down as she took in every little inch of him.

  By sheer willpower alone, I managed to refrain from reaching over and giving her a smack. She was so irritating. Instead, I leaned against Dane and smiled. “Ah, they’re just having fun,” I murmured, as I waved a hand. “Weddings can be stressful. I’m sure they could both blow off a little steam.” I purred as I kissed Dane’s cheek. “I know I could use a little stress relief.”

  Robert choked on his champagne. “Seriously, Dane. Where the hell did you find her? She’s amazing,” he said with a laugh.

  Catherine looked less than impressed.

  I shouldn’t have been so happy about it, but part of me was. What can I say? I’m petty. It made me chuckle under my breath as we walked across the lawn to our table.

  A small orchestra played on the lawn, and the sound of classical music was soothing as we settled in to eat. Dane pulled out my chair for me and I slid in before he sat beside me. I turned when I felt his gaze on me. He didn’t turn away.

  “Do I have something on my face?”

  Dane shook his head. “I was just thinking that you look extremely lovely.”

  I tucked hair behind my ear as my face reddened. “Well that was random, but appreciated.” I smiled. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” He chuckled. “Your blushing face is quite the picture to behold.”

  I sputtered over my words. I wanted to object, but even I could feel how hot my cheeks were. I knew I had to be red as hell and it was entirely his fault. Why did he have to say things that made me blush like a loon? I quickly glanced away from him, but I heard him laugh softly at my predicament.

  “Keep it up,” I said as I grabbed the menu and held it up in front of my face. “I’ll spill something on your lap and you’ll be pissed.”

  Dane grinned. “Will you now? I thought that would go against your code of professionalism.”

  I growled. “Oh, I hate you.”

  “No, you don’t,” he drawled. “But it’s kind of cute when you pout.”

  I could strangle him. I mean, sure there would be a lot of questions, but I wouldn’t really mind. Especially if I could wipe that smug look off of his superior face. I glanced at him and quickly glanced away before I rolled my eyes. “Will you focus?”

  “Yes, Ms. Sands,” he said obediently.

  I shuddered. “I swear to God, I’ll end you.”

  Dane chuckled under his breath.

  I’d created a monster, but I did love the fact that what happened in the cottage and that strained air between us seemed to have been forgotten. It felt good to be able to joke around with him even if he drove me a little crazy.

  “What can I get for you, ma’am?” a waiter asked, interrupting our ridiculous chatter.

  “Oh yes, sorry,” I said sheepishly as I actually glanced at the menu for the first time. “I’ll have the filet mignon, potatoes and salad please. Oh, and a glass of champagne, please.”

  He smiled. “And for you, Sir?”

  Dane nodded. “Everything she just said. I have a taste for steak.”

  “Right away.”

  We watched him walk away and I shook my head. “I actually hate brunch,” I admitted. “I’m not a huge breakfast person.”

  “Me either,” Dane admitted.

  “That’s exactly why I set up the menu the way I did,” Catherine chimed in. “Dane’s never been huge on breakfast and I wanted to make sure he would actually eat something. He’s such a picky eater.”

  “I am not,” Dane scoffed.

  “Actually, you are,” Rob declared gleefully. “When we were younger, he would pick all of the toppings off of his pizza and save them for last. If it had olives, anchovies, sausage or peppers on it though, forget it. He wouldn’t touch the stuff.”

  I laughed. “I remember that from years back. I still remember asking him why he was mutilating his food.”

  “You’re all disgusting,” Dane sniffed. “Make fun of me all you want, but I actually have good taste and you guys eat weird stuff. I can’t help that I’m the only one here with common sense.”

  I waved a hand at him. “Pipe down you big baby. We just like making you squirm.”

  “I’ll make you squirm,” he grumbled.

  I shivered. “Not the threat you think it is, baby.”

  Dane’s eyes widened and I realized what I’d let slip. I quickly glanced away after that. Did I really just let that come out of my mouth? It was so fun to talk shit back and forth with him, but those words rang in my head and sounded every bit as sexually frustrated as I felt. I needed to get back on track that was for sure.

  I took a sip of the bubbly. I had to be careful with champagne, it got me drunk quickly, but I really needed something to take the edge off. “So, how did the two of you get together?” I asked as the champagne was delivered.

  “Well,” Robert said carefully, taking Catherine’s hand. “Of course, we’d met before.” He sounded as if he wasn’t sure how much Dane had told me and didn’t want to get him into trouble.

  “Don’t worry, I know Catherine and Dane used to date,” I said, deliberately smiling at her. She needed to know she was no threat to me.

  “Yes,” she said slowly. “It was a year ago. I’d just had a horrible week and I was so unhappy. I saw him at the supermarket. We always had good conversations and I just needed a drink and a friend. My sister was on her honeymoon, my best friend was in Argentina and I had no one else to turn to. So I asked him out.”

  Robert smiled and kissed her hand. “I didn’t know what to think at first. I’d always loved her and she only saw me as friend, but she sounded so sad I couldn’t resist even if it meant a broken heart. I took her to a little bar that I liked and we stayed there until it closed. We did that a few times, just meeting up to talk about our problems and getting drunk together. Before long, we realized we were with each other all the time. That was when I asked her out on a proper date.”

  I smiled. “What did you guys do?”

  Catherine stared out into the distance. “Robert said dinner and a movie. What he didn’t say was that he was going to fly me to Paris for an upscale, exclusive dinner with Chef Pierre Croix. It was just the two of us. And then we watched a movie there too, but I was so excited I could hardly concentrate.”

  Uh…huh…maybe Catherine isn’t so bad, after all. The blissful way she looked when she talked about their first date made me think maybe there was actually something there and she wasn’t just using Robert. The way he gazed back confirmed he was in it entirely for her. My body relaxed a little.

  “So,” Catherine said as she glanced at us. “How did the two of you meet?”

  I didn’t have to wrack my brain for the right story. “We met in a bar six months ago,” I said, sipping at my drink. “Dane came up to me and offered to buy me a drink and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

  “That’s interesting,” Catherine said as she glanced between
us. “Weren’t you just saying earlier that you knew each other from many years ago?”

  I blinked. Shit. I’d never forgotten a story once it was in my head, but it was hard when reality and fiction crossed wires and I had to remember everything. I shrugged easily.

  “Yes, I’m from here too, you know. We knew each other, but that was ages ago and we’d both changed so much, but he recognized me in the bar and came up to me. So it was nice to hook up again. We’ve been inseparable ever since,” I said, touching Dane’s shoulder as I smiled up at him.

  I hoped that was enough for me to make up for my mouth letting the wrong thing slip. Both Catherine and Robert seemed to take it as truth though so I let it go. Dane squeezed my knee with his hand and I glanced back and mouthed ‘sorry.’ I needed to get my head in the game or I would screw everything up.

  Our food arrived thankfully and I was happy to change the subject. As soon as the plate was put down in front of me, I began to eat so I didn’t have to answer any more questions. Get it together, Savannah. I focused on the food in front of me while everyone else chattered and ate.

  Brunch was done and the lawn started to clear out.

  I sipped the last of my second flute of champagne before I followed Dane over to the photoshoot area. Everything was staged in a garden filled with the most wonderful species of flowers that I had ever seen. It was beautiful.

  “Okay, let’s get some photos done!” he photographer called.

  I followed along with the rest of them. Dane and I stood side by side. His arm snaked around my waist as the first few pictures were taken. He gripped my hip, as he plastered a charming smile onto his perfect lips.

  Okay, seriously focus, I chided myself as I tried to think about anything else but the way that Dane looked with sunlight glinting off his hair and cheekbones. I wanted to kiss him until his control broke and then feel him inside of me.

  I groaned. There was no way I should have been thinking about something like that. My nails scraped into the soft flesh of my palm as I tried to force myself to get it together. I couldn’t afford to let myself get so distracted. It wouldn’t end well.

  “Okay, let’s move over to the benches,” the photographer called as he looked down at his camera.

  Robert settled onto the bench with Catherine and pulled her on his lap. I moved to sit beside Dane, but his strong hands gripped my hips and refused to let go. He settled me onto his lap too. I squirmed as every dirty thought I’d had about him since we’d met up again flooded into my brain.

  “Hold still,” he whispered against my ear so that no one else could hear him. “You’re squirming all over and it’s making a certain organ very excited.”

  “I can’t help it!”

  “Okay,” he said as he shrugged. “Just know that when you feel it…”

  I jolted as his hard cock pressed against my entrance before it settled between my thighs. Dane seemed to be even bigger than I remembered. The thought made me shiver and it didn’t help make his erection go down any sooner either. Instead, he held me tight as we took more pictures. All I could do was pray I wouldn’t look like I was just constantly turned on throughout the entire shoot.

  “That’s it folks,” the photographer called. “Good job. Let’s just have the bride and groom for a while.”

  My shoulders relaxed when I realized I was free. I quickly gathered my bag and walked away as I tried to tell myself I needed to calm down. I was worked up to the point where I was sure if Dane and I were alone I would climb his hard, toned, hot body and fuck him until I was sore. I cleared that thought as Dane took my hand in his and pulled me away.

  “That was…fun,” I said as we strolled through the garden.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Especially when you blushed so hard I thought you’d just explode on the spot.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Dane, don’t make me kick your ass.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, Ms. Sands. I apologize.”

  I shook my head as we made our way to the gazebo. It was perfectly white and surrounded by soft carnations in pink. We glanced around when we were inside and I had to admit that I liked being tucked away from everyone. The rest of the guests were enamored with the bride and groom, but I think we both wanted to have our space.

  “I really hope things work out for them.” I sighed. “It feels like they both deserve each other in the end.”

  Dane nodded. “I just hope it’s enough. And if it isn’t? I’ll make it enough until I’m sure my best friend can be happy in his relationship with Catherine. I don’t know how to get there, but I’m sure I will.”

  “You’re a good man,” I whispered.

  Dane grabbed my upper-arms and swooped down on my lips. He kissed me so hard I felt like I was going to pass out from the onslaught of his mouth. I leaned into him, he parted his lips slowly, and I accepted his kiss on every level. His tongue pushed into my mouth and I swiped it with mine. I could taste the champagne.

  Dane’s arms wrapped around my waist. He yanked me closer and growled from deep within his throat.

  Anyone could have seen, but I couldn’t care less. I loved every minute of my mouth pressed against his.

  Savannah

  Everything about the way he kissed me, melted me. I never thought I’d feel like I was going to drown when I felt his lips and tasted him. His hand traveled up my back and squeezed me as he pushed his tongue deep into my mouth. It was so perfect my knees buckled and my panties damped just at the flavor of him.

  My head spun. I gripped his arms to keep myself from falling as my body temperature flared. How was it possible to be so turned on from nothing more than a damn kiss? I wanted to drag him off to the cottage and keep kissing him until my lips were swollen and sore. I knew I wasn’t totally over him, but this? It was my kryptonite and I might just die if he didn’t stop touching me the way he did.

  Okay, deep breath Savannah. I can’t afford to let myself get sucked into this. I tried to remind myself that it was just a job and that I needed to be professional. If I screwed things up I’d be staring at no payday and I would have no one to blame but myself when I had a broken heart.

  But the more I kissed him the more I was aware of Dane’s body. He wasn’t an amateur anymore feeling his way around in the dark with almost as much inexperience as I had. He was a pro. And the hard lines of his muscles were pressed against me so tightly, I could feel every bit of him. I wanted to take his shirt off and see him naked underneath it. I wanted to trace my fingers over his body until he begged me for more.

  Dane was a proud man, but I wanted to reduce him to his knees.

  And then I felt something more. Dane’s body was tucked against mine and I felt how hard he had become. His cock pressed against me, poking and prodding as his fingers laced through my hair and scratched against my scalp. I wanted to wrap my legs around his waist and make him carry me back to the cottage. I wanted him to throw me down and fuck me stupid.

  I realized my body craved him like a drug and I was damn near ready to do anything I could to have him. It was ridiculous, but I didn’t stop it from happening. I wanted and needed him. I’d never needed a goddamn soul.

  Dane’s teeth dragged on my bottom lip as he pulled away.

  I wanted to feel more of that. When he straightened, I knew my eyes were hazy and lost. Dane did things to me that no man had ever done before. I blinked up at him, my lips sore and wanting as I stared up at him.

  “Catherine was watching us,” he said huskily. “I think she got the message.”

  She got the message? My heart clenched and I nodded slowly. I was so upset. He’d only kissed me because of her, but it had been so deep and raw that I’d started to feel things I had no fucking business feeling. I quickly pulled away from him and balled my hands into fists as I glanced away.

  All for Catherine.

  That’s the only reason that he’d kissed me. Irritation and pain boiled in my belly as my eyes became blurry. I didn’t want to be upset over something so stupid. It was du
mb. Of course, he did it to keep our cover. What else did I expect from him?

  No matter what, I had to remind myself that this was just a job. Something that would be over when the weekend was over and I’d get back to my real life. Dane was the only one that had made my job complicated, but I wanted to kick myself because it was definitely my own damn fault. I’d let myself get drawn in and I never should have done that. I meant nothing to Dane. I knew this already. He’s made that clear ages ago, so why would anything have changed? I was the one who’d let myself think that it had ever been anything more. I needed to get my shit together.

  Dane gripped my arms, and I knew I needed to get away from him for a while. The more I touched him and kissed him, the harder things became. I rubbed my arms and nodded at him. “Is she still lurking around?”

  Dane focused his gaze over my shoulder.

  I swallowed hard as his chest pushed against my body. Clearly, his little stalker had walked away once she had seen that our kiss was getting down and dirty.

  He sighed with relief. “She’s gone. Thank you for this.”

  I stepped away from him.

  He ran his hand through his hair. “I really mean it. I don’t know how else this weekend would have gone if you weren’t around to help me.”

  I nodded. “That’s my job. Don’t worry. I’ll be the best guard dog you ever bought. I’ll make sure she keeps her distance.”

  Dane pulled back and gazed at me. “Did I do something wrong? I know you have your rules and I didn’t mean to offend you, but it was the perfect opportunity to get her to understand.”

  I shrugged, then shook my head. “No offense. This is part of the job. Why would I be offended?”

  “Savannah,” he said quietly. “Come on. If something’s bothering you, you can tell me. You know that, right?”

  Except I couldn’t tell him a damn thing now could I? He would think I was insane if I conveyed how hot that kiss had been and how it had dragged up memories from the depths that I hadn’t felt in freaking years. Instead, I shrugged and pretended that nothing was wrong. Telling him wasn’t going to fix anything. So, what would be the point?