Pretend You’re Mine: A curvy girl romance

by Laurent, River

  “I’m fine.” I laughed as I waved a hand. “I had too much champagne though that’s for sure. Do you think we could head back soon? I can chat for a little while, but that plane ride really wiped me out.”

  Dane frowned. “That’s the only problem? The plane ride?”

  I nodded. “Of course. It’s just a little jetlag that’s all. By tomorrow, I’ll be as good as new.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I wanted to shake him and tell him to fuck off and stop trying to psycho-analyze me. I didn’t need his sympathy or his concern. All I wanted to do was get done, get my payment, and move on with my life. I smiled at him to reassure him that I was okay. “We should get back with the others, you know? They’re going to wonder where we are.”

  “Yeah,” he murmured, as he looked me up and down. “Let’s do that.”

  I pushed down the way I really felt. What good would it do to let him know how hurt I actually felt? None. Instead, I plastered back on my cool façade and pretended nothing was wrong at all. I followed him as we exited the gazebo and wandered back out to where everyone else hung out.

  I felt glad we’d played the attentive guests long enough and we could retreat. My brain was still mired in self-doubt and I wanted nothing more than to turn in and to get my thoughts together. We shuffled into the cottage.

  “I’m going to take a shower first.”

  “Okay.” Dane agreed with a nod. “Are you sure you’re okay? You went kind of quiet there at the end.”

  “I told you, I’m tired from the plane ride and it’s been a long day. Everything will be fine tomorrow, once I get enough rest.” I patted his arm. “Night, Dane.”

  Before he could say anything more, I quickly went to the bathroom. I felt relieved to be on my own for a while. I stripped out of my clothes, stepped into the bath and finally relaxed.

  The solution was as clear as day. Whatever was going on inside of my head needed to stop. Dane and I were just friends. I washed my hair and body then lay back until the water turned lukewarm. I knew Dane probably wanted to shower too, so I reluctantly got out.

  Quickly wrapping myself in a towel I poked my head out of the door. There was no sign of him so I dashed across the hall and slipped into the bedroom. Once the door was securely closed behind me I changed into a light pair of blue, cotton shorts and a black tank top, then climbed into bed.

  I was ready to get some sleep.

  I figured I should be able to sleep pretty well, considering how much we’d done today. My body was sore and craved a good rest, but the rest of me? It was as if it couldn’t get settled enough to calm down and go to sleep. I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to count sheep. The sheep refused to jump. Fluffy bastards. I punched the pillow. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get myself to drift off.

  I tossed and turned until I grew frustrated and threw a pillow off of the bed. That didn’t help me sleep any better, but it did make me feel a little better. Outside of the door, I heard Dane on the couch. The sound of his legs shifting against the cushions. I wondered if he was tossing and turning too. I listened for a little while until the sound came again.

  Is he that uncomfortable on the couch?

  Savannah

  I slipped out of bed and padded to the door. When I opened it, the sound of him struggling was even louder. Quietly, I moved down the darkened hallway and peeked around the corner.

  He groused, flipped over, and threw the pillow I’d given him to the floor.

  I grinned. We were way too alike. “Can’t sleep?” I asked, walking over to the sofa.

  Dane jumped up before his eyes landed on me and he nodded. “I’m too long for this couch. Every time I try to get comfortable, I feel like I’m going to slide off it or get stuck,” he complained.

  I chewed my lip. I knew I needed to keep some space between us, but at the same time, I felt guilty. He was the one that had covered all the expenses, flew us in his private jet, and would take care of all my expenses while I was with him. He’d offered it in addition to the payment he would be giving me and he’d done it without complaint. I couldn’t just let him suffer.

  “You could come and share the bed with me,” I blurted out. “I know the couch probably isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world and the bed is pretty damn big.”

  “Really?” he asked, perking up.

  “Yeah. I can’t have you in pain for the rest of the wedding. You’ll be cranky and stuff.”

  He grinned. “Is that the only reason?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Offer rescinded.”

  “I’m joking. Wait for me!” Dane grabbed his pillow and blanket then followed me back to the bedroom.

  Once we were inside, I picked up the extra pillows and made a little barrier between the two of us. It was protection for both of us. I wasn’t totally sure I wouldn’t climb on top of him without something to stop myself.

  “What’s this for?” Dane asked as he poked one of the pillows.

  “It’s to keep things professional,” I mumbled.

  “Professional?” He chuckled. “Are you saying it’s to keep you from jumping on me?”

  I scoffed. “Get over yourself. I’m not going to jump you. It’s to make sure you keep your boner to yourself.”

  “I don’t have a boner.”

  “Only a matter of time.”

  “So feisty.” He laughed.

  “Goodnight, Dane!”

  “Night, Savannah Sands.”

  I fell asleep shortly after he curled up in bed with me. The soft sound of his breathing lulled me until I actually calmed down.

  When I woke up the next morning, something heavy lay across my stomach. I blinked myself awake and glanced down.

  An arm was snaked around my stomach. I remembered I’d let him in the night before. My eyes flew open as he reached down and his fingers traced underneath my shorts while he mumbled in his sleep.

  “Savannah,” he breathed.

  I shuddered. Did he just say my name? The way he breathed it on my neck made every nerve in my body react. The softness and heat of his breath on my neck caused me to shudder. I wanted him to be awake so I could hear him say it, so I could feel his fingers as they caressed me and he called my name.

  His fingers shifted and he wrapped his arm around my waist before he yanked me back against his body. It was heaven. Then Dane sighed and I knew I needed to move away. Except, he called my name again and pulled me closer. I felt the hardness of his cock as it pressed up against me. I couldn’t stop myself. I wiggled back and exalted in the sensation of his masculinity prodding against my hip. I really wanted him to be awake. I wanted him to yank down my shorts and stuff that hard cock inside me until I was finally goddamn satisfied.

  But no, I wouldn’t be doing that. I would get my shit together and stop this madness right now. I quietly grabbed his wrist and moved his warm heavy hand off my body. Once it was gone, I missed it desperately, but I shook my head and carefully rolled out of bed until my feet touched the floor.

  Then I stood and looked down at Dane.

  His dark hair was tussled and his eyes were still closed. Slowly, his lips moved as he talked in his sleep. He reached out his hand as if he was looking for me again before he slowly opened his eyes and looked at me.

  Both of us froze.

  Then he smiled softly. “Morning,” he greeted. “Why are you just standing there and staring at me like some kind of creep?”

  I scoffed. “I wasn’t staring at you. I just got out of bed and wanted to see if you were awake.”

  “Excuses, excuses,” he mumbled as he shifted and shoved the blanket off of him. “I guess I should get up if you are.”

  I cleared my throat and quickly slapped my hand over my eyes as he wore only his boxer briefs and they were definitely tented. “You go first to shower and stuff.”

  “Why?”

  “You seem to be having a little problem.”

  He laughed. “I can’t help that it’s morning.”
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br />   “Go,” I implored. “Please.”

  I heard Dane as he shifted out of bed and padded out of the room. Only once he was gone did I remove my hand. It was getting harder and harder to separate the job from my feelings. I needed to keep my distance or I would SO regret it.

  Someone knocked on the door and I sighed. The last thing I wanted to do was answer it, but that was why I was hired in the first place. I walked past the cracked open door of the bathroom and heard Dane as he sang to himself and showered. I opened the front door to Catherine’s huge smile before it faltered and she plastered on a fake one.

  “Savannah,” she said crisply, as she clasped her hands together. “Is Dane around?”

  I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms over my chest. “Yes, but he’s in the shower. We had a very long night.”

  She didn’t like that one bit. “Oh! Well, I wanted to invite the two of you to come over to the badminton court and play a game with Robert and me. Do you play?”

  “A little.”

  “Great, then we can have a set together.”

  “That sounds like fun.” I smiled. “I’ll let him know and we’ll meet you there shortly.”

  “Super,” she said. “See you two at the court.”

  I closed the door and watched from the window as she wandered off down the pathway back to the main house. God, she was a pain in the fucking ass. I turned on my heels and walked back down the hallway then stopped in my tracks.

  Dane stood there, a towel slung low on his hips as he dried off his hair with another.

  I swallowed hard as he walked closer and stopped in front of me.

  “Who was that?” he asked, breaking the strange silence.

  “Uh…it was Catherine. She wanted us to go and play badminton.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Do you want to?”

  “Sure, why not? I love badminton.”

  “Great. Let me get dressed and we can make our way over.”

  “Okay.” I nodded.

  Dane walked past me and my eyes followed. His body was so toned it was ridiculous. I watched as a bead of water slipped down his strong back. It traveled over his tanned skin and dipped beneath the towel.

  I bit my lip.

  Shit, this all had grown into a big problem. I quickly showered and came back to the bedroom where I changed into a pair of white shorts and a lemon colored t-shirt. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and refused to think about that bead of water that had caressed Dane in ways that my tongue desperately wanted to do.

  “Ready?” he asked when I appeared in the living room.

  Dane had traded out his fancy clothes for a pair of khaki shorts and a white polo T-shirt. He pushed his fingers through his hair.

  Damn, he had a way of looking like a god when he did even the simplest things. It wasn’t fair at all. I cleared my throat and nodded. “Ready?”

  Dane smiled and took my hand.

  My fingers went rigid before they slowly relaxed and grasped his. I needed to remember we had to act like a couple…It was what I was being paid for, but it continued to be hard to remember this. I couldn’t distance myself just because something happened in my brain when I had to deal with him. I still had a job to finish.

  * * *

  The badminton court was filled with other guests of the wedding. I swallowed thickly. I hadn’t expected to have to play in front of others. Somehow, I felt it was Catherine who had set the audience up.

  She wanted to see me fail in front of an audience. It was confirmed when I glanced over at her and she smirked. There was no warmth or friendship in it. I knew she wanted me to fail, but that wasn’t going to happen. If I had to play, then I would kick ass.

  “Let’s play!” I called.

  The game started and I was surprised at how well I remembered how to play. I swung my racket and sent the shuttlecock flying over the net. Back and forth, we went and I realized Dane was just as competitive as I was.

  We scored another point then he picked me up and swung me around in his arms. “Good job, babe!” he exclaimed. “That was a fantastic shot.”

  I grinned. “I do try.”

  Dane put me down and kissed me deeply in front of everyone.

  Someone hooted and I was pretty sure it was Robert. When we pulled back from the kiss, I glanced up at him dizzy and unsure what the hell had just happened. “Uh…that was…unexpected.”

  “Gotta keep up appearances, right?” he said, cocking his head to the side as he whispered, “I figured with everyone watching it would solidify that we were a couple.”

  I stared up at him. Of course, it was all just for show. I should have known this but some part of me still ached to be kissed like that again. He pecked my forehead and I closed my eyes as I sank into the comfort of that kiss.

  Pulling back, he jogged away.

  I watched him as my heart hammered in my chest. I probably should have turned this job down. I’d known it since the beginning, but I’d still gone along with it because I couldn’t help myself.

  It had been years since I’d gotten to be with him and somewhere deep inside, I still craved him. I wanted to be around him and feel the way that I did when we were dumb, young kids exploring each other’s sticky bodies.

  Savannah, snap out of this. NOW!

  I quickly got back into the game as Robert served. All I needed to do was win this damn game, then finish my now nightmarish assignment.

  Savannah

  “You cheated,” Robert accused Dane as we drank water and cooled down from our match. “There’s no way you’re that fit anymore.”

  Dane scoffed. “Are you trying to say that I’ve gotten out of shape? That’s bullshit.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Robert laughed.

  I shook my head at the two of them. They were ridiculous, but at least they had a good time. Actually, so had I. After the match, I was ready to relax and enjoy the rest of the day. I swallowed down a gulp of water and wrapped an arm around Dane’s. “What’s next?” I asked.

  “Good question,” he mused. “Robert, what are we doing next?”

  “Catherine and I are inviting everyone to hang out at the pool. It’s nice and warm so we figured why not have a lazy day after our match?”

  He looked so proud that I still couldn’t bring myself to not feel anything but sorry for him. He leaned over and kissed Catherine’s temple. She smiled up at him and the look on her face was the expression that a bride was supposed to have. She looked happy and content as she gazed up at him.

  It looked so convincing, but I reminded myself that she was up to no good. “I guess we should go and get our swimsuits,” I said as I ran a hand over my clothes.

  “Shame you can’t take everything off,” Dane mused as he leaned toward me.

  “I think a lot of people would be offended if I got in the pool completely naked,” I laughed. “You’re the only one that wants to see that.”

  “True.” Dane grinned. “That’s exactly what I want to see.”

  I shoved him away from me. Dane seemed determined to drive me crazy. I had no idea what was going on in his head, but I needed to move away from him and quick. We waved to Robert and headed back to the cottage so we could get ready.

  “I have to admit, it feels good that we won.” Dane laughed as we walked inside.

  “Yeah. I loved the fact that I hit that point and they both stared at us with their mouths hanging open.”

  Dane grinned. “You’re definitely a good partner. We should hang out more often.”

  “Really?” I asked, kicking off my shoes.

  “Of course. I think you’re a hoot.” He checked his phone before he sighed. “Look, he’s already hounding me. Let’s go and get changed so we can join them at the pool.”

  I laughed. “Sounds good.” I disappeared into the bedroom and sifted through my clothes. I’d packed so many things I wasn’t sure which swimsuit I wanted to pick. As I looked around, I remembered Dane’s words about hanging out together.
Are we really going to hang out once all of this is over? I wanted to believe this, but he was just feeling good at the moment and I knew I shouldn’t take anything he said seriously.

  I changed into the black bikini with the pink, orange, and yellow flowers. It was nice and festive and worked perfectly against my skin. I layered my shorts and tank top over it before I slid into my flip flops and went to see if Dane was ready to go.

  My mouth dropped open as I walked into the living room. Dane was dressed in a pair of swim trunks that hung low over his lean hips. His chest looked so hard and strong, my fingers itched to slide all over it.

  What really caught me though was how much we were alike. Dane’s swim trunks were black and on top of the black were blue and white flowers, but they were subdued unlike mine. Dane looked so freaking good I knew getting into the pool with him was going to be one hell of an adventure.

  “Ready?” he asked as he took in my outfit. “I thought you would have put on your swimsuit.”

  “I did,” I managed to choke out. “It’s underneath my regular clothes. I’ll take these off when I get there.”

  “Cool.” He nodded. “I grabbed the rest of what we needed and put it in the bag.”

  I went to examine the bag that he gestured to. Inside were hats, sunscreen, a book for each of us and water bottles. He’d even managed a few non-essentials like an extra big towel for me and an extra pair of flip-flops. I turned to look at him. “Wow, you’re pretty domesticated, aren’t you?”

  “I’d love to take the credit, but my housekeeper packed that bag.”

  “Ten out of ten for honesty,” I said with a grin.

  He grinned back. “That’s me Honest Dane.”

  We headed for the main house again.

  “Wow,” I breathed when we rounded the corner towards the pool. “This is insane.”

  The pool itself was music video huge with colorful water loungers that looked like watermelons and lemons. People hung out around it, chatting, and laughing as they soaked up the sun.