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

by London Casey

And no, not the sexual kind, referring to Jackson. Although his was…

  I shook my head.

  I pulled at Jackson’s hand.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Nervous?”

  “A little,” I said. “My mother…”

  “Is way out there,” Jackson said.

  “Her friends…”

  “Are way fucking out there,” he said with a wink.

  I smiled. “Jackson. She thinks it’s real. She thinks there’s this energy between us.” I sighed. “Sometimes I just want to scream at her to forget about the rocks. How the fuck are rocks going to heal or show love or hate or…”

  “Callie,” he said. “Everyone has their own beliefs. And I understand. She’s a single mother who will always care for her daughter. She might give out rocks instead of hugs, but I get it. We’re married. We’re so fucking in love…”

  Jackson slid his free hand around my waist and pulled me close for a kiss.

  When he kissed me, the very tips of my toes tingled.

  Holy. Fuck.

  He pulled away and licked his lips. “You’re my wife. I’m your husband.”

  “The place is all vegan,” I said, like that actually mattered in the heat of the hot moment between Jackson and I.

  “I’ll survive,” he whispered.

  We entered the restaurant hand in hand and I cringed when I saw what Mom had done.

  First off, the restaurant was all ours.

  Not that it was that big or anything.

  But all the lights were off.

  And there was a walkway on the floor with candles lining it.

  “Shit,” I whispered.

  “Feels spooky,” Jackson whispered to me.

  “Welcome to the rest of your lives!” Mom yelled from the opposite end of the restaurant.

  I heard the click of a lighter and Mom lit two more candles.

  “Walk,” Lake said as she appeared.

  Guess what?

  She was holding a candle.

  Sunny and Joni were there too. Both holding candles.

  Jackson and I held hands.

  And we walked together.

  Almost like a real wedding.

  Or just, you know, our second fake wedding.

  The lights were back on and all but one candle had been blown out.

  The smell of the food was out of this world. I couldn’t even pick out what the smells were. They were mouthwatering. There was just one issue. Again, no offense to Mom or anyone else, but the smell was usually better than the taste. The smell was a tease. Like the point was to trick your brain into thinking the cardboard tasting food was good.

  “Callie, listen…”

  Mom made everyone quiet down.

  We were all seated at a long table.

  Jackson and I on one side. Lake, Sunny, and Joni on the other side.

  Mom at the head of the table.

  Her hands outstretched and when she opened them she had rocks in her hands.

  Ohgod… no…

  “The energy,” she whispered. “I’m not sure I’ve ever felt it this strong before.”

  “I have,” Lake said. She swallowed hard. “I don’t want to make everyone sad.”

  “You must say it,” Mom said. “Tell them.”

  Lake stood up and reached across the table. She took one of my hands and one of Jackson’s.

  “I felt that with my one true love in life,” Lake said.

  “Lake…,” I said.

  “Callie, she must say it,” Mom said. “It must be known.”

  “What is it?” Jackson asked.

  “I fell in love at sixteen. He was the same age. The energy was similar to what I feel between you two.”

  Of course it is. If this energy exists at all, it’s purely sexual. I just want to ride Jackson so hard he doesn’t talk and say stupid things. And he makes me come so hard I want to cry and laugh at the same time.

  “We were so madly in love,” Lake said. “At eighteen we had our plan. Runaway together and get married and just let life open before us. I tried to plan more out, he refused. He was like… he was just so free. I was a slave to time. But our energy was so real. And I only realized that after he died.”

  “Oh, shit,” Jackson said. “You lost the man you loved?”

  Lake nodded. “I did. At eighteen. I’ve never loved again.”

  Lake pulled at our hands and a tear fell from her left eye.

  I hated the story because it made me sad.

  “I’m so sorry, Lake,” Jackson said.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Mom brought her hands together. “These rocks are the past, the present, and the future.”

  “I see four rocks, Mom,” I said.

  “Of course. The fourth is for the unknown. Because all of time is unknown. Bring your hands to me. Jackson come around here.”

  Jackson stood up without hesitation.

  He was either buying into it or playing into it.

  Both pissed me off.

  Meaning he was either being the sweetest man alive or the biggest dick.

  With him, I could never tell.

  Mom put Jackson’s and my hands together and gave us the four rocks to share. She had us cup our hands around the rocks.

  “This is your existence together,” she said. “This is your world. Your universe. Nobody else can penetrate it. This is yours to grow or wither with. Water and sun… life and love…”

  “Thank you for this,” Jackson said.

  “Mom… we get it,” I whispered.

  Sunny let out a howling cry.

  I jumped and yelled.

  I looked at her and she was bawling like a baby.

  Waving her hands.

  “I can’t help it,” she said.

  “Pull yourself together,” Joni said to Sunny. “This isn’t your moment.”

  “I’m just happy for them,” Sunny said. “And Jackson is so sexy. I can never touch his arms again, can I?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Sunny,” Mom said. “Do you need a minute to yourself over there?”

  “I’m sure we can arrange for arm touching,” Jackson said.

  “Oh?” I asked, looking at him.

  “It’s just arms,” he said. “If it makes the ladies happy…”

  “He’s the best ever,” Sunny wept.

  “Callie, I apologize on behalf of Sunny,” Lake said. “She’s had an emotional week.”

  “It’s fine,” I said. “You just scared me when you started crying. That’s all.”

  Sunny wiped her cheeks and shut her eyes.

  “What’s happening now?” Jackson whispered.

  Mom smiled at Jackson. “She’s going to find herself. You must not realize the effect you have on women, Jackson…”

  Oh, please don’t tell him that, Mom.

  Jackson grinned ear to ear. “I think I do. I just play it off. I’m only committed to one person.”

  Both Lake and Joni let out an ahhh sound.

  You want to talk about energy? I wasn’t into the whole rocks and candles thing, but I could feel the heat pouring from Lake and Joni.

  It kind of pissed me off.

  Jackson could be so smooth in any situation that was thrown at him.

  He was standing in a vegan restaurant with rocks in his hands, leaning into the whole thing Mom was saying. He didn’t flinch, blink, or give a hint that it might have been bullshit.

  And it made me wonder…

  No.

  I stood up and took my hands away.

  Two rocks fell to the table.

  “Callie…,” Mom said.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said.

  I turned and hurried away from the table.

  From the craziness.

  From the madness.

  From the fakeness.

  And maybe from what wasn’t fake at all.

  The bathroom was clean and… environmentally friendly.

  The paper towels were recycled. The wate
r only ran for a few seconds at a time to conserve it. It smelled like bamboo and gentle cleaning products.

  I looked in the mirror and took a few breaths.

  The entire thing was fake but I wasn’t so sure about Jackson seeing this side of my life. Sometimes I liked to keep Mom hidden. Last thing I needed was for him to tell anyone around the office about her. I did not want to become known as the hippy’s daughter. Like what had happened in the past.

  I vividly remembered more than once kids throwing rocks at me, laughing at me because of Mom.

  The bathroom door opened and before I could say something, I realized it was Jackson.

  He shut the door and locked it.

  “What was that about?” he asked. “You’re going to blow our cover.”

  I lunged at him and slapped him across the face. “You’d throw rocks at me. I know it.”

  “What?” Jackson asked, rubbing his cheek.

  “You’re being such an asshole out there.”

  “How? I’m doing what you asked me to do.”

  “Just cut the shit, Jackson. They’re all crazy, right? The rocks. The candles. The crying. The fucking sayings…”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jackson said. “You’re losing your mind, sweetie. We’re in this together.”

  “Oh, fuck off,” I snapped. “You’re laughing at me on the inside. You asshole.”

  I wound up to hit him again and he quickly grabbed me and pulled me against him.

  “You’re embarrassed by her,” he whispered to me. “You don’t want to be exposed to me.”

  “Your point?”

  “I think it’s adorable.”

  “Fuck off, Jackson.”

  “How about you just let me fuck you?” he offered. “That’ll calm things down, right?”

  His right hand slid down to the bottom of my dress.

  As he hiked it up, I looked at the door.

  He did lock the door…

  “Great,” I said. “You’re going to fuck me in a bathroom now?”

  “A vegan bathroom,” he said. “This is probably the cleanest bathroom in the world.”

  “Shut up,” I said. I looked up at him. “And hurry…”

  He lowered his mouth to mine.

  I bit at his bottom lip, then we started to kiss like the restaurant was on a timer set to blow up and we weren’t going to be able to escape.

  When his fingertips touched between my legs, I let out a groan.

  I broke the kiss and put my head back.

  Jackson’s tongue slithered down my neck to my chest.

  He growled where my dress started, knowing he wouldn’t be able to taste my breasts.

  I loved it. I loved that subtle sense of power that my breasts had over him.

  “And you’re wearing fucking panties tonight,” he said.

  “Oops,” I whispered. “What are you going to do about it?”

  I got my answer a second later when he pulled the middle of my panties to the side and caressed his fingers against my wet folds.

  Fuck, Jackson…

  He made me instantly wet.

  I hated it.

  But it was only because I knew what was about to come.

  I was in it for the cock. And the cash.

  Cock and cash.

  How professional of me, huh?

  Jackson unzipped his jeans and pulled himself free.

  I didn’t get to see him but I felt him.

  He pressed his thick cock to my body and I let out a hungry sounding groan.

  “This is for my wife,” he whispered as his hot breath spread across my chest.

  He thrust forward and filled me in a way only Jackson could.

  I grabbed for the edge of the counter and then grabbed for his shirt.

  I looked down and all I could see was my dress pushed up and Jackson fucking me.

  I lifted my gaze and he stared down at me with a very dangerous look in his eyes.

  He kissed me and I grabbed for his face.

  I needed him to keep kissing me.

  I couldn’t look into his eyes again.

  Not while we were fucking in the bathroom.

  It was too risky.

  His eyes… his cock… my feelings… things were crossing worse than I expected.

  I refused to let him stop kissing me.

  I thrust my hips at him with force.

  He pounded at me like I was trapped in a burning room and his cock was the battering-ram to open the stuck door.

  I shut my eyes and stopped kissing him because the feeling between my legs began to explode faster than I expected.

  As if Jackson wasn’t already perfect at everything else, he had mastered the art of the quickie for sure. And not just him humping me for a few seconds and coming… he knew how to make me come that quick too.

  He kept his mouth touching mine as I began to shake with overflowing pleasure.

  “Fuck,” I whispered. “I want to scream.”

  “Scream into my mouth, sweetie,” he said.

  He kissed me and I let out a scream.

  I had no clue why… but it was weird yet sexy at the same time.

  His hands moved to the small of my back and he pulled me closer to him.

  He was buried so deep inside me his cock needed a flashlight to find its way out.

  And he stayed there. Thrusting over and over.

  My pussy squeezed against him, throbbing with my racing heartbeat, demanding his…

  “Fuck,” Jackson groaned as he started to come too.

  My head fell back again and I sucked in a breath and held it, making it so I couldn’t scream.

  Last thing I needed was to scream and have everyone come rushing in thinking it was a murder scene… when in reality it was just Jackson murdering any chance of another man making me come half as hard as he did.

  I held his face, shaking as his cock pulsed over and over… and over… and…

  Jackson slowly pulled back and thrust forward once more with a grunt.

  Then he moved away from me.

  That sudden emptiness made my inner thighs tingle down to my toes.

  I shut my eyes for a second and caught my breath.

  I reached down between my legs to adjust my panties, not that it mattered.

  As soon as I stood up, I felt the gush of… Jackson…

  He tucked his cock away and left the bathroom.

  I hated that he could just do that.

  For me, I had to stand there with a river of me and him mixed together between my legs.

  I turned around and turned on the three second sink to splash water on my face.

  I had to keep waving my hands like someone guiding a fucking airplane for takeoff to keep the environmentally friendly sink running.

  No offense to the environment, but I needed more than three seconds of cold water to cool off from Jackson.

  Actually, I needed a really stiff drink.

  I walked back to the table as casually as I could.

  “Sorry about that,” I said. “I shouldn’t have walked away. I was just-”

  Mom pointed at me. Then at Jackson. “Do you see it?”

  “See what?” I asked.

  “Oh, I see it,” Lake said. She smiled big.

  Joni gasped. “You… devil…”

  “What is…”

  “You two had sex in the bathroom,” Sunny announced.

  “What?” I yelled.

  “Wild, wild, wild,” Mom said.

  I looked down at Jackson.

  He was smiling ear to ear.

  Owning it.

  Asshole.

  I hurried to sit down. The evidence was still between my legs.

  “You’re all crazy,” I said. “I was just washing up for a second. It was just…”

  “There’s only one bathroom here,” Mom said. “So if you went to the bathroom. Then Jackson went.”

  “He came back first,” Sunny said.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Lake said. “You can see
it on your faces. That orgasmic glow. Good for you both.”

  “Okay, fine!” I yelled. “We fucked in the bathroom!”

  The entire place went silent.

  After a few seconds, Mom clapped her hands together. “Well, I’d say this was a successful night.”

  “Me too,” Jackson said. “I’ve got my rocks, my cock, and my wife. What else do I need?”

  Of course Jackson dropped that comment as I was drinking water.

  I spit water across the table right at Sunny.

  She looked at me and smiled. “Is that what you did in the bathroom, Callie? Squirt everywhere?”

  “What?” I asked, my face burning hot again.

  Jackson laughed.

  “You know, anyone can squirt,” Sunny said. “I can teach you a technique…”

  “I’m good,” I said.

  “I’d love to hear it,” Jackson said.

  “Shut up,” I said.

  “What?” Jackson asked. “I’m a slave to my craft.”

  I curled my lip. “Your craft?”

  “Your orgasms are my craft,” Jackson said.

  “See?” Lake said. “This is how I know it’s real. Look at them together.”

  I grabbed Jackson’s leg and curled my nails deep into it.

  He just smiled.

  There was no bringing him down a notch. Ever.

  The dinner lasted another hour.

  The worst had already happened.

  When we were finally able to get out of there, it wasn’t without hugs and kisses all around.

  Of course, Sunny, Lake, and Joni had to grab Jackson’s arms and groan like they were horny teenage girls. They reveled in kissing his cheek. And when they hugged me, they expressed their jealousy that Jackson could make me come so hard and fast and that I could have him anytime I wanted.

  The second I stepped outside the vegan restaurant, I took a deep breath and shut my eyes.

  Jackson slipped his arm around me and laughed.

  I opened my eyes and looked up at him. “I feel like killing you right now. So whatever you’re going to say right now, your life depends on it.”

  He nodded. “How about I buy you a big, fat, greasy burger, Callie?”

  I touched his chest. “You just saved your own life, Jackson.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Jackson

  “You’re welcome,” I said as I stood at the side of the bed, naked.

  Callie rested her head on a pillow with a smile on her face. She lifted one eyebrow and nodded.