My Not So Fake Boyfriend

by Raquel Belle

  “Nice ink,” Ashley nodded to one of his tattoo-covered arms.

  “You too,” he returned, eyeing her arms.

  Jenna felt her heart sink at the same time that panic rose up. Perhaps her assumption had been right. Maybe Adam preferred tattoo-covered bad girls. If Adam and Ashley hit it off and ended up dating, she would throw herself in front of a speeding bus. She didn’t realize that she was still holding her breath and studying the two in horror until Adam’s attention returned to her. Warmth and concern flickered in the silver depth, and she felt the breath escape her lungs.

  “Hey, you. Are you okay?”

  Jenna nodded and forced out a smile. He didn’t look at Ashley the same way he looked at her, so she relaxed a bit. He didn’t look at her with blatant lust the way she wanted him to, but his warmth and familiarity when he gazed at her was something to start with.

  Both Adam and Ashley sent her quizzical looks and she snapped out of her stupor. “Uh, I’m sorry, I forgot my manners. So, yeah, Adam this is the best friend you’ve been hearing about for days and Ashley, this is the … family friend I told you about.”

  “The hot military sailor, yup, I got it.”

  Jenna’s face heated when Adam’s amused gaze met hers. Her eyes widened. “I-I didn’t tell her you were hot. I mean, not that you’re not, I just didn’t...”

  Swallowing his smirk, Adam decided to save her, for which she was grateful. “I need a drink. What can I get you, ladies?”

  If the floor suddenly opened up and took her in, Jenna would have been happy. Heat scorched her face, as she was rendered speechless due to embarrassment.

  “We’ll both have beers,” Ashley said for both of them.

  Adam sent Jenna another concerned glance before nodding and heading to the bar. “Real smooth.” She shook her head. Adam was out of earshot. “And this here is exactly why I was going to tell you what a bad idea making Adam your date to your brother’s wedding is. I’ve only seen you two interact this once, and I can tell what a mess you are around the man. You turned into a flustered teenager just now. You realize that right?”

  Jenna groaned and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t act like that all the time. I just didn’t want him to think I was all that interested because he still sees me as nothing more than Noah’s sister.” She glared at Ashley. “How could you do that to me? You pretty much made him think I’ve been going around announcing how incredibly good-looking he is.”

  “You have.”

  “Once,” Jenna said.

  “Whatever. Don’t do it, Jenna. Don’t travel with Adam to the wedding, and don’t pretend to be together. None of it. You claim to be careful, but you wear your heart on your sleeve. You’ll fall fast. Hell. you’ve already fallen. I see the ridiculous stars in your eyes when you look at that man. I can’t believe he doesn’t see it. I can’t believe your brother hasn’t seen it. Men are so blind sometimes.”

  Jenna gasped her outrage. “I do not look at him that way.” Did she? It was a possibility. Perhaps she’d always looked at Adam with stars in her eyes. Glancing over her shoulder, she studied him, leaning casually against the bar, waiting. “It doesn’t matter how I look at him. This whole week is going to be nothing more than Adam helping me out. After that, he’ll settle somewhere far away, and I’ll go back to seeing him every few years.” The thought was insanely depressing. Adam had only been crashing at her place for a short time and already she knew the place would feel empty without him.

  Ashley frowned. “Oh no … You’ve already gotten attached, haven’t you?”

  “Oh my God, Ash, I’m not some puppy latching on to Adam. I’ll be fine. He isn’t the settling down type anyway, and that’s what I want. I know we’ll never happen, so you don’t have to worry about me getting my heart broken.” Saying the words out loud caused an ache in her chest. Perhaps her heart had already been broken by Adam. There was a chance it had been broken long ago knowing that he would never desire her the way she did him. She looked Ashley in the eyes. “Everything will be fine. This setup with Adam is just like you setting me up with some random escort for the week, only I’ll be more comfortable with Adam.”

  “Oh, honey. You’re in denial and in way over your head. You do know your overbearing brother will probably kill both of you when you show up claiming you’re a couple right?”

  Jenna grinned. “Noah is in on it. I spoke to him last night. He was outraged, of course, until I reminded him how epically he’d screwed me over by inviting Bryce to his wedding. He was nothing but compliant after that.”

  Ashley groaned. “This could turn out to be a disaster.”

  “You gave me the idea. You told me to do something crazy and fun for once. I’m doing just that. If Adam would give me the time of day I’d probably throw my first one night stand into the mix.”

  “Oh, my God. I’ve created a monster. Jenna, this isn’t what I had in mind when I said for you to live a little. Your heart is too involved, and you could get hurt.”

  “I won’t. Like I said, nothing will happen between Adam and me.” Unfortunately. Jenna glanced over her shoulder again to see Adam strolling back to their table carrying three bottles. “Conversation over.”

  “Disaster, waiting to happen,” Ashley said and then clamped her mouth shut when Adam sat own.

  Jenna gave her a glare before smiling at Adam and accepting her drink. “Thanks.”

  Ashley turned to Adam. “So, Jenna tells me that you’ll be her fake lover for a week.”

  “I didn’t say, lover. We’ve only started dating.”

  Ashley ignored her. “Do you think it’s a good idea?”

  Adam gave her a boyish grin. “Of course not, but if Jenna needs a fake date, it’s the least I can do. She is allowing me to stay in her home.”

  “I see. So, you two aren’t going to forget that you’re faking at any point and end up getting it on for real?”

  Jenna choked on her sip of beer. When her coughing spell dissipated, she sent Ashley a shocked stare. She decided then that she would kill her best friend. Ashley only smirked and averted her gaze, ignoring Jenna’s silent promise of retaliation.

  Mischief lit Adam’s eyes, as he smiled. “I don’t know. Jenna did say she doesn’t fall into bed with a man she’s been dating for two weeks. Guess I’m out of luck.”

  Jenna’s rounded eyes fell on his face, as she tried to decipher if he was being serious or if he was simply humoring Ashley. There was no way Adam wanted to sleep with her, he’d said as much but, something in his tone made her wonder. As usual, she couldn’t tell a thing from his expression.

  “For goodness sake, Ashley,” Jenna said. “Don’t embarrass Adam with such a question. He doesn’t think of me in that way, so there’s no use worrying about whether we’ll get it on or not.”

  A pair of gray eyes rested on her, pinning her in place. They swirled with intensity as Adam stared at her for much too long until she began to shift uneasily in her seat. Jenna spotted the slight smirk on his lips before he lifted his beer to take a sip without a word.

  Frustrated, she let out a huff and grabbed her own drink. Why did Adam look at her with such heat, yet imply that he didn’t think of her sexually? He was driving her insane with his mixed signals, with those eyes and his damned, smug silence.

  Ashley’s gaze shifted from Jenna to Adam and back again. She lifted her bottle and said, “Here’s to hoping you two make it out of next week unscathed.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jenna asked, still peeved by her inability to read Adam.

  Adam, too, lifted an inquiring brow in Ashley’s direction. Ashley regarded them both with amused silence. Finally, she answered, “Never mind that. So, Adam, tell me more about yourself. I love making new friends.”

  Jenna listened to Ashley and Adam chat, only joining with one or two-word sentences when necessary. She was miles away mentally, contemplating whether her friend was right. Surely, she could get through one week of pretending to be with Adam without h
er heart getting too involved. Things were different now. She wasn’t blindly in love with him and could clearly see that Adam wasn’t ready for any relationship, especially with her. So, she eventually convinced herself that everything would be fine and joined the animated conversation going on between Ashley and Adam.

  ***

  Jenna stretched her cramped muscles and groaned. “I can’t believe you just drove all the way here without resting. You don’t even look tired.” She eyed Adam with a bit of envy. He looked great—fresh and alert, as if he hadn’t just driven for ten hours. She, on the other hand, was a mess. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she moaned. “I look like hell.” Sleep had eluded her the night before due to anxiety about returning home, facing her ex, and presenting Adam as her boyfriend.

  Adam smiled, gave her a once over and said, “You don’t look so bad, baby girl. A brush would do you some good, though.”

  Slapping his arm playfully, she ran her fingers through her hair. “Don’t you think I’ve outgrown that name? I hate it when you and Noah use the silly childhood names you had for me.” She wanted to scream. Why couldn’t Adam just see her as a woman, a woman that he was sexually attracted to?

  “I called you that just now to remind myself that I shouldn’t be admiring your lady parts.” He angled his chin to her chest where her tank top had ridden down to expose a good portion of her cleavage. It must have slid down when she’d gotten too comfortable and dozed off. “You might want to cover up.” There was a husky note to his voice that made her breath hitch.

  “We’re almost there,” Adam said.

  Sitting up Jenna looked around the familiar neighborhood. They were a few blocks away from her childhood home. “You know, when I left, I felt as if I’d escaped somehow.”

  “I understand why you felt that way. I couldn’t leave fast enough, either.”

  “But, you escaped before you joined the military. You were going to college out of town.”

  “Not far enough away, though,” he said.

  Shadows darkened his eyes for a moment. They were gone by the time he blinked and looked away, but Jenna caught them. Silence descended until her childhood home came into view. The blue and white two-story house immediately conjured a rush of memories. There was a slight smile curving Adam’s lips when she glanced his way, as if he too was remembering something.

  “Are you going to see your father while you’re here?” she inquired, tentatively. It was a touchy subject for him, she knew. Eying him from the corner of her eye, she noticed that his fingers tightened around the steering wheel, and his shoulders tensed.

  “I suppose, I should,” he muttered, coming to a stop behind a pick-up that belonged to her father.

  Jenna decided not to prolong the conversation about his father and nodded. “I probably should have driven my car.”

  “It didn’t make any sense to drive two cars.”

  She shrugged. “I know, but what if you decide to stay?”

  Adam turned to her briefly with raised brows. “There’s no way I’m settling down here, Jenna. I couldn’t get away fast enough, so what makes you think I’d want to live here again?”

  “It was just a thought.” She was secretly pleased that he would be returning home with her. It was delusional, thinking that anything would change between them if he spent a few more weeks or even days at her apartment.

  “Plus, it would look suspicious if I didn’t leave with my significant other, don’t you think?” Adam sent her a grin.

  She snickered. “It would. I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

  “It was your idea.”

  “I can’t believe you agreed to do it. Thank you, Adam. I know you hate this. I owe you big time.”

  “Damn right you do,” he said. “How are you going to repay me, Jenna? I’m curious to know.”

  There was a low suggestive quality to his tone that captured Jenna’s attention. It made her stomach clench, and it made her more brazen for some reason. Turning to him, she studied his profile, wondering if he was teasing again or being serious. “I don’t know. What do you want, Adam?”

  His gaze found hers briefly before flitting away. “What I really want, I can’t have,” he said. The smoldering look he gave her made her blood heat and electricity dance across her skin.

  “Adam …”

  He was already out of the car and walking around to her side to open her door. As soon as the door opened, she shot out. “What did you mean by that?”

  “By what?” His eyes were slightly teasing when they met hers.

  Rolling her eyes, Jenna gave him a look heated with irritation. “You know what. You said what you want you can’t have.” She paused and held his gaze. “What do you want?” Swallowing, she searched for her courage, and readied herself to ask him if it was her he wanted. Because if that was the case, she was his.

  All trace of amusement vanished from Adam’s expression when his eyes lowered to her mouth. That simmering intensity that she’d caught so many glimpses of was there, blatantly directed at her. He was close enough for her to reach out and touch, and she itched to give in to the temptation, but she was also afraid of making a fool of herself. Adam’s nostrils flared, and he took a step closer, robbing her of breath. He was going to kiss her, and she waited eagerly with bated breath.

  A familiar, booming voice caused the energy crackling between them to evaporate so quickly, that Jenna wondered if she’d imagined the sexual tension. Adam muttered a curse and stepped back, running a hand over his face. Jenna nearly groaned her disappointment. She could clearly see Adam returning to his senses. The heated look he’d been giving her had returned to the look he gave his best friend’s younger sister, and she wanted to scream her frustration.

  Her gaze shifted to her brother bouncing down the stone steps, wearing a broad grin. “Hey, are you two deaf? Didn’t you hear me calling?”

  Of course they didn’t but … They’d been too busy having a moment which he interrupted. Jenna glowered in her brother’s direction, wanting to slap the smile from his face. Noah’s brown eyes gleamed with happiness when he embraced his longtime friend. She watched them exchange a few words and claps on the shoulders. Noah had a lean, athletic frame like Adam, but he was a few heads shorter. He didn’t hold a candle to Adam in her eyes, but of course, she was biased, and she really wasn’t checking out her brother for his physique.

  Finally, Noah turned to her. “Hey, twig, come here let me get a good look at you.”

  It was official, Jenna was going to murder her best friend and now her brother for embarrassing her in front of Adam. Twig? How could Noah look at her and still call her that? She was no longer too thin with awkwardly long arms, for goodness sake. Gritting her teeth, Jenna groaned when she was crushed against his chest, and he lifted her and swung her around like a rag doll.

  “You look good, twig,” Noah said, excitedly, reaching out to ruffle her hair.

  Jenna dodged his flying hand and growled. “Don’t call me that.”

  Noah only laughed and rumpled her hair with his other hand. He always treated her like a child, but it was doubly exasperating when he did so for Adam to see. Pushing his hand away she gave her brother an irritated look. “I’m going to get my bags and go in to see mom, and dad, and Sarah. It’s really them I’m here for.”

  Noah’s smile dropped. “Awe, come on, twig …”

  “I said don’t call me that!”

  “Jenna,” he said, holding up both palms. “What is with you? Don’t tell me you’re still angry about Bryce. You have to forgive me, sis.” He turned to Adam. “Tell her, man.”

  “I’m staying out of this one,” Adam said, busying himself with extracting her bags. He shooed Jenna away when she reached for them. “I’ve got it.”

  “Thanks,” she said, wheeling around to stomp up the steps. Only when she spotted Noah’s fiancée, Sarah, did she smile. “Sarah, it’s so good to see you again.”

  “Hi, Jenna. That look on your face just now says you
r brother has done something to annoy you.”

  “I don’t know what you see in him,” she said, wrapping her arms around her future sister-in-law.

  “Oh, he’s good for a few things,” Sarah said.

  With a snort, Jenna stepped back to look at Sarah. “I can’t imagine what. You look great as always.” The tall, lithe, dark-haired beauty always made Jenna feel small and ordinary. Sarah had grown up in the same town, and Jenna had seen her around. She never thought someone from their town would capture Noah’s heart. He’d always talked about leaving just as she had. Jenna always assumed her brother would be the one to leave, and she would stay and continue working at their father’s company.

  “Thank you. So do you. You cut your hair. It looks amazing,” Sarah said.

  “Thanks. Alright, now that I’m here let’s get this party started. I need to see the dress, then I need wine, lots of it. Do you think we can do lunch, just the two of us one of these days?”

  Sarah nodded. “Yes, to everything, but first, I should warn you …”

  “Jenna!” Her mother’s shrill greeting pierced the evening.

  Sarah pursed her lips and gave Jenna an apologetic look.

  Confused, Jenna eyed her, as she stepped into her mother’s embrace. Obviously, she was missing something. “Hi, mom.”

  Martha Benson, a petite woman with graying, auburn hair gushed. “Look at you! You look so different.”

  “You saw me a few months ago, mom. I doubt I changed that much.” Jenna struggled to breathe through another tight embrace.

  “There’s my little girl,” came another excited voice.

  Jenna groaned and moved towards her father, a stocky man with sharp, green eyes that were the mirror image of hers. “Does no one realize that I’m an adult?” she grumbled, but her smile pushed through, as she embraced her old man.

  “I’m still in denial,” Jacob Benson admitted, making her laugh.

  Martha, grinning from ear-to-ear, glanced at the open door. “So, where is he?” Her face was lit with excitement, throwing Jenna into further confusion.