How to Marry Your Frenemy (How To Rom Com Series Book 1)

by London Casey

  “Relationships are hard,” Sunny said. “I wish I had a rock like this when Billy and I went through our hard times.”

  I took the rock.

  Mom was smiling so big.

  “Thank you,” I said. “This means a lot to me. Now can I have your books?”

  “Sure,” Mom said.

  She opened the drawer again and took out folders that were creased, marked, scribbled out, marked again…

  Complete and total disorganization.

  I slipped the love rock into my pocket and cradled the folders under my arm.

  “You’re such a good person, Callie,” Lake said. “You deserve this happiness. All of it. Don’t let these moments and feelings fade.”

  “I’ll do my best,” I said.

  Sunny pointed to me. “You’re not having enough sex with him. Or at all. I can feel it coming off you. Your body… your aura… it needs that…”

  “Please, don’t worry about my sex life,” I said. “Especially in front of my mother.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind,” Mom said. “I was just with a handsome lover last night. His name was Oscar and he liked when I used my tongue to-”

  “Nope,” I said. “Nope. I don’t want to hear this. Nope. I’m leaving.”

  “We’ll see you soon,” Joni said. “For your party. The celebration of you and Jackson.”

  “You don’t want to hear about Oscar?” Mom asked.

  “No,” I said. “Thank you for the rock. Thank you all for the kind words about Jackson. I’m leaving now.”

  I hurried to get the hell out of the shop.

  I couldn’t catch my breath until I got home.

  I hurried to pour myself a glass of wine to ease my nerves.

  When I leaned against the counter I felt something jab into my leg.

  It was the love rock.

  I took it out of my pocket and put it on the counter.

  I waved my middle fingers at the thing.

  Maybe it was a love rock… just like Jackson…

  … always bothering me and making me want to throw it through a window.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Jackson

  I opened the door to the corridor and shook my head.

  There was a part of me still trying to process that Callie was my neighbor. It was messed up in my head and heart that it was easier for me to accept her as my wife than my neighbor.

  Only because I knew the wife thing was bullshit.

  I figured we’d give it another week or two and then I would corner Vince and tell him it was time to piss or get off the pot. In other words, give me my fucking bonus so I could go back to getting Callie out of the company.

  The words came to me so naturally. Almost instinctive.

  A part of me wondered what they even meant anymore.

  I got to my apartment and saw a present waiting for me.

  It was in a hot-pink gift bag with bright purple tissue paper.

  I crouched down for a closer look.

  The small card on the string had a note to me.

  FOR MY HUBBY!

  I laughed and dug into the gift bag to find what Callie had gotten for me.

  She didn’t go too far out of her way for this gift.

  It was the stems of the flowers I had gotten her.

  I nodded.

  She took the time to cut the heads of the flowers off and then got me a gift bag and put the stems inside.

  “Well played,” I whispered as I stood back up.

  I looked toward her door and took a deep breath.

  This was… fun.

  Being able to push at each other in new ways.

  There was a part of me that actually applauded Callie for all she had done.

  It was impressive to see.

  She was able to keep up with me for the most part step for step.

  I was able to get her to trip a few times. Catch her in a lie or dealing with some jealousy.

  At the same time, she had done the same thing to me.

  My right hand tingled for a second, tempting me to knock on her door.

  To thank her for the stems of the flowers.

  To kiss her.

  I shook my head.

  That wasn’t going to happen.

  The tempting and teasing and flirting was one thing. If we each had a drink or two and we got like that, that was fine. We were just trying to attack one another. Callie knew my weakness was women. And she was a damn fine woman. She knew she had the perfect curves and she knew her chest was just ahhh. She knew how to flaunt it and drive me crazy. We both knew it would always be a look but never ever touch sort of deal.

  The same for me.

  She loved the muscular look of my body.

  She loved when I was naked and cupped my hand over my dick.

  In the same way that I wanted her to turn around when she was topless, she wanted me to move my hand so she could get a look at me.

  And we both knew if that moment ever came it would be a big mistake.

  So the tempting, teasing and flirting… and cutting off flowers… would just have to do for now.

  I went inside my apartment and poured myself a much needed drink.

  Managing my career, my gym schedule, and a marriage was tiring work.

  After a glass of scotch, I took a shower to wash the rest of the day away.

  For the first time in a while it looked like I was going to have a quiet night in.

  This was the exact kind of night where I’d send a text to one of my heart numbers.

  Those were the numbers in my phone with a heart after their name.

  They were women who could appreciate a text to come over and fuck.

  They knew the rules.

  There was no promise of spending the night. I would always make sure they got a ride home. They were to bring a change of clothes in case they slept over because I didn’t want anyone wearing my shirts and getting the wrong idea. And more times than not, we’d end up in the shower to wash away all the evidence before going to bed.

  I looked at my phone and wondered if I was an asshole for that.

  Then again… sex was sex.

  Everyone needed relief.

  Solo or a partnership, what did it matter?

  It wasn’t like I was some douchebag who would pump his dick twice, blow my load, and then fall asleep.

  Anyone who came through my apartment always left with a smile.

  That was something I took pride in.

  I caught myself scrolling to Callie’s name.

  Hers didn’t have a heart after it. Obviously.

  I turned my screen off and slipped my phone into my pocket.

  One thing I knew for sure…

  I needed another drink.

  I sat with only one light on in the apartment.

  In my favorite chair, with my phone, a tablet, and a laptop open.

  Working instead of enjoying a night to myself.

  The scotch wasn’t cutting it in distracting my head.

  So I started to dig into a few of the companies that Vince wanted to jump in bed with.

  Of course they were all high-risk investments.

  Space…

  I shook my head.

  That one was going to be Eddie’s problem.

  Or at least it would be for a bit.

  Because Eddie would fight Vince on it hard. Vince knew he could never get rid of Eddie. Ever. The only thing Eddie could ever do that would get him fired would be to steal from the company. And even then, it would be Eddie leaving in handcuffs over getting fired.

  Once Vince got tired of Eddie, he’d throw it back at me.

  The other two companies were interesting.

  One was a tech company. Which sounded like every other tech company in the world. They were going to be innovators of something.

  The other was a miniconglomerate of inventions. Dumb little products that had some use. Their goal was to sell in volume. Their days of infomercials had come to an end thanks to online ad
vertising. They wanted to hook up with an investment firm for an influx of cash to tighten up their distribution. They had proof of concept with their products and their marketing. Where they failed was their shipping. They couldn’t keep up with the current give it to me tomorrow attitude of the world.

  I studied the numbers until they started to dance on the screen.

  Of course, that could have been the scotch too.

  I finally put my head back and decided to call it quits for the night.

  At the very least I would take a meeting with the company and vet them a little more in person.

  I shut everything down and walked to the window.

  There was an old, metal fire-escape platform and ladder still attached to the building, even though it was never used. The ladders didn’t move. And even if they did, some floors didn’t have the platforms.

  They were just for show.

  I opened the window and leaned forward to breathe in the city air.

  If I shut my eyes and listened carefully, I could hear the city breathing.

  The engines of cars and trucks. Horns. Music in the distance.

  A quieter hustle than the day, but the city never stopped hustling.

  The only time I ever saw the city shutdown was during a few really bad snowstorms. Blizzard conditions where it was mandatory to stay home.

  My mind started to walk back to the companies I had been researching when I heard another noise.

  This one was much closer.

  It sounded like someone sucking in a breath.

  I turned my head and looked to see Callie’s window open.

  It was her bedroom window.

  Then I heard the sound of her letting out a cry.

  That choppy, breathless kind of sound.

  Followed by a sniffle.

  The sound repeating itself over and over.

  I saw movement for a second.

  Her head started to poke out of the window and I moved back into my apartment.

  I could still hear her.

  She was actually crying.

  I stood there, wondering what my next move was.

  I felt something inside me pushing. Pulsing. A sense of protection and care for her.

  She shouldn’t have been home alone, crying like that.

  Even if she was crying because of me.

  I looked down at my left hand, at the wedding ring.

  I moved back to the window and stuck my head out again.

  Callie was back inside.

  I still heard her though.

  She was full on crying.

  Weeping…

  “Fuck,” I whispered.

  I pushed from the window and ran to the door.

  I paused for a second.

  I had to really think about what I was going to do next.

  This was definitely going to cross a big line.

  But I was her husband… I was supposed to be there for her… right?

  The door was locked.

  So I skipped the kind gesture of knocking and went right for pounding on the door.

  It took Callie a few seconds to get from her room to the door.

  I didn’t want to give her a chance to ask who it was so she could take a second to clean herself up.

  I wanted to see her crying.

  I wanted to see the rawness of her emotion.

  Why? I wasn’t completely sure.

  When the door opened I stepped right into the apartment.

  Callie jumped back and gasped.

  She hurried to wipe under her eyes.

  I grabbed her wrists and shook my head. “No, sweetie. Don’t hide it.”

  “What?”

  “You’re crying. I heard you.”

  “Heard me?”

  “Your window is open, Callie,” I said. “I heard you. Why are you crying?”

  She wrestled my grip away from her wrists. “No, Jackson. This isn’t happening. We’re not doing this.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Playing the emotional game here too. We can fake a marriage and mess around, go after each other. That’s fine. This is real.”

  I’d never seen Callie so vulnerable before.

  “Just tell me one thing,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Is everyone okay?” I asked. “Nobody hurt or worse?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Okay. So you’re just having a shit moment. Everything hitting you at once. Or it’s been building all day. Or previous days. Okay. I can understand that, Callie. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Bullshit,” she said.

  “I’m not lying,” I said. “I just wanted to check on you.”

  I showed my hands.

  Callie stared at me.

  I watched as another tear escaped her right eye.

  Slowly inching down her cheek.

  My heart twisted just enough that I gritted my teeth.

  I genuinely did not want to see Callie cry.

  She wasn’t going to tell me what was wrong. She didn’t want to get that personal.

  But that didn’t mean there was nothing I could do for her.

  I looked back at the apartment door.

  I shut it and twisted the deadbolt.

  I looked at her again.

  She wiped the tear away.

  “You can’t ask me what’s wrong,” she said. “Before, during, or after.”

  “I already asked before,” I said.

  “Never again then,” she said.

  I walked toward her. “Okay. Fine. No questions about you crying. But just one quick question… are you going to think of another man while I fuck you?”

  I grabbed Callie’s shirt and pulled her against me.

  She reached up and dug her nails into my cheeks.

  “Of course I am,” she said. “How else can I get through it?”

  I smiled and lowered my mouth to hers.

  My hands sought her ass and squeezed her perfect cheeks tight.

  I lifted her off the ground and she wrapped her legs around me.

  I fucking knew coming over here was going to mess things up…

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Callie

  He carried me right to my bedroom.

  My head swirled with emotion and alcohol.

  But I wasn’t drunk. Not even close.

  I knew what I was doing.

  Same as Jackson.

  This moment was a long time coming.

  Two people could only take so much buildup before things exploded.

  Him seeing me crying…

  Fuck.

  That wasn’t part of the deal.

  Nobody was ever supposed to see me cry.

  So, yeah, maybe there was a part of me that said yes to distract him from the fact that he saw me crying.

  And with Jackson, there was only one distraction that I knew would work no matter what.

  He tossed me to the bed.

  I bounced on my ass and then jumped right back up.

  I slammed my hands into his chest and shoved him back.

  He stepped back, a smile creeping along his face.

  “I’m not some fucking toy to toss around,” I said. “I bite back, Jackson.”

  “Good,” he said. “Come at me then… wife…”

  I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and lifted it over my head.

  I threw it across the room, my lip curling.

  I really wasn’t sure if this was want, need, desire, or just me hate-fucking Jackson.

  Either way, my body ached, my inner thighs trembled, and I was already wet.

  I needed to come.

  That was the end game for tonight.

  Like the flashing signs of a dive bar, I saw the word ORGASM written above my head, glowing in a deep pink color…

  Jackson moved toward me again and grabbed my hips.

  I slammed my hands to his chest again.

  “Okay, sweetie, this isn’t going to work if you keep pushin
g me away.”

  “Yes, it will,” I said.

  I slipped my hands into the sides of my pajama bottoms and stripped them down.

  “Your bra and panties don’t match,” Jackson pointed out.

  “That’s because I didn’t think I was having sex tonight.”

  He laughed. “So you only wear matching bra and panties when you’re planning to get fucked?”

  “Me, and all women,” I said. “It’s a secret though. Don’t tell anyone I told you.”

  Jackson came at me one more time.

  I thought about tossing him away just for fun, but his hands touched under my breasts.

  My back arched and I sucked in a breath.

  “Fuck,” I whispered.

  Jackson lowered his mouth to mine.

  We started to kiss and I knew that was it for sure.

  The line wasn’t just crossed. It was erased. Meaning we’d never find it again.

  His hands moved up over my breasts, over my bra.

  Then with a fast move, his fingers curled around the top of my bra and he pulled.

  I groaned, my breasts popping free.

  My bra pushed up under my breasts, which was a little uncomfortable.

  Jackson broke our kiss, seeking something else to kiss.

  I looked down and then felt his mouth move over my left breast.

  My toes curled against the floor and I swallowed hard.

  His teeth wasted no time, grazing my nipple, gently tugging.

  I grabbed the back of his head with both hands as I started to shake.

  “Fuck… harder…”

  Jackson pulled away. “What?”

  “You heard me. Now.”

  I pulled him against my chest again.

  He nibbled, this time a little harder.

  I had no idea what the hell was going through my head.

  Maybe I had this built up fantasy of Jackson being rough…

  “Yes,” I groaned.

  He pulled at my nipple with his teeth.

  I opened my mouth to say that’s enough but he stopped himself.

  He just somehow knew.

  His mouth latched over my breast again, his tongue swirling around my nipple, soothing it.

  I shut my eyes, already realizing I was already dead in this whole thing… he was going to destroy me in so many ways…

  Before I could catch my breath, he moved to my other breast.