Single Daddy's Valentine: (A Small Town Fake Fiancee Romance)

by Amanda Horton

  “Good for you,” dad smiled.

  My dress for the ball was still over at my parents, so I decided to get ready at theirs. That way, I didn’t have to spend any time around the farmhouse with the chance of having to deal with Gabe.

  Mom helped me do my hair and I fixed my makeup. Dad offered to drive me to the dance, so I kissed mom goodbye and headed into town with him. He smiled adoringly at me as I got out of the car.

  “You look beautiful tonight, Lana. Is Gabe going to meet you in there?”

  “Um…no. He’s not coming.”

  Dad looked surprised. “Okay chica. Have fun. Give me a call if you want to be picked up later.”

  I waved as he drove off and headed into the town hall. The caterers were setting up and the hall had been decorated to my specifications. Carey was standing chatting to a member of staff when I walked into the ballroom. She waved me over.

  “Hey babygirl. You look amazing!” She gushed.

  I smiled and pulled her into a hug. “I could say the same about you, Miss Thang!”

  She giggled and gave me a twirl. Her pleated gold gown swirled around her legs and accented her in all the right places. “Why thank you. I thought I would come down early to help you get organized. Greg will be down in a bit once he’s picked up some of our friends.”

  “Okay great.”

  Within an hour the ballroom was ready, the band was warmed up, and the main doors had been opened to the general public. Guests in their finery streamed into the ballroom, spirits high, and ready to party. The band began to play swing music and guests immediately filled the dance floor. I stood and watched from the sidelines, happy that everything seemed to be going smoothly.

  Greg and his friends arrived and Carey and I greeted them. “Wow, this is another great party, Lana,” Greg enthused. “Is Gabe about? I wanted to talk to him about an idea I had.”

  “He can’t make it,” I replied, my heart sinking that I couldn’t escape from the link that had been created with Gabe.

  “Aww, that’s a shame. I’ll catch him another time.”

  I smiled as Greg spun Carey on to the dance floor. Looking around the room, I could see that everyone was happy. Couples everywhere were dancing closely to each other, whispering sweet nothings, and generally enjoying being together. I kept a mask of happiness on my face as I toured the room, welcoming everyone to the party.

  I felt sure the strain must be showing on my face. There was a horrible lump in my throat and it took me all my strength to stay in that room and watch everyone having a good time.

  A few hours into the evening, there was a break for the buffet. I took the chance to get some fresh air and slipped out of the ballroom on to main street. There was a small bandstand in the center of the square. Usually there would be local kids hanging around, but they had obviously moved on elsewhere for the night. I sat down on the bench and let out a sigh of relief. It was cold but I was just glad to be out here on my own. People walked past but nobody even noticed me.

  I looked up at the stars and wondered what Gabe was doing.

  Chapter Eleven

  Gabe

  After Lana left me in my room, it took me hours to fall asleep. I woke up early, tired and miserable. Somehow, I managed to doze off again and awoke a few hours later. A long shower woke me up and, after Louie and I ate breakfast, I pored over the plans Matt had for the farm.

  My mind was 75% made up that I was going to let Matt take the farm. I just needed to figure out how to get him to make sure Marta and Julio and the other employees were taken care of.

  Louie wanted to fly his kite so I took him out into one of the fields for a few hours and enjoyed watching him be pulled along in the wind. It felt good it just being me and him. He was a resilient kid, but I knew the upheaval since dad’s death would be affecting him. I felt guilty for disrupting his usual routine.

  With Louie tired out, we headed back to the farmhouse and I cooked us up a noodle storm. As usual the noodles went everywhere and we had fun cleaning it all up. Once Louie was settled in, I allowed myself to think about Lana. I hadn’t seen her all day.

  I knocked on her door but there was no answer, so I opened it and peered inside. She wasn’t there. She must have gone out when Louie and I were out playing earlier. I settled down beside Louie but couldn’t get Lana out of my mind. So I made the short trip across the track to see if she was at her parents’ house. Marta invited me inside.

  “I was just wondering where Lana is. I haven’t seen her all day.”

  Marta frowned. “She’s at the Valentine’s ball. I thought you knew.”

  “Oh, yes. That’s right. Um, okay, I’ll speak to her tomorrow.”

  Julio looked up at me. “Lana told me that you couldn’t make it.”

  “Did she?”

  Marta and Julio looked at each other. Julio patted the table. “Come and sit down son.”

  I knew better than to say no, so I sat down at the dining table. Marta and Julio sat across from me, like judge, jury and executioner.

  “We know that you and Lana have been having problems,” Marta said.

  “Well, I won’t say it’s been easy.”

  Julio leaned forward. “You know, Lana’s not had it easy over the last few years. She never looked at another guy after Kyle’s death. It’s like she completely shut down.”

  “I know. It’s incredibly sad.”

  “Uh-uh. But then you came along and there seems to be this light in her again. Not a full blazing light, but a tiny little flicker, you know?”

  I wasn’t entirely sure what Julio was trying to get at. Marta put her hand over mine. “What are your intentions for our daughter, Gabriel?”

  I pulled my hand away. My mouth was suddenly bone dry. “Well, you know the arrangement we have. It’s just so that we can save the farm. There’s nothing going on between us.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Both of them were staring at me intently. “I think so…”

  Julio was having none of it. He shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re doing, do you?”

  I cleared my throat and looked down at my hands. “No sir, I don’t believe I do. I just get the impression that all this is somehow hurting Lana, and that’s the last thing I would want to do.”

  “You don’t want to hurt her?”

  “No sir.”

  “Then why aren’t you at the dance with her, supporting her on her big night?”

  “She asked me not to go.”

  Marta’s lips quirked up into a smile. “Oh dear, Gabriel. This is not going to do at all.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll tell you something about my daughter. She has always carried a torch for you. Ever since you were children, running about this farm causing mayhem, ganging up against that poor brother of yours. I could see it in her eyes, in the way she followed you around like a little puppy.”

  This was news to me. “But she fell in love with Kyle.”

  “Yes, dear. When she realized that you were too obtuse to notice her ministrations,” Marta chuckled. I was taken aback at being called obtuse, but it was a fair point.

  I stood up. “Will you excuse me please? I have something I have to do.”

  Marta and Julio simply smiled at me as I hurried out of their house and back to the farmhouse. I raced upstairs and changed into the tuxedo as quickly as I could. Ten minutes later, I stared at myself in the mirror and adjusted the bowtie. It was uncomfortable but it would have to do.

  I ran downstairs to find Marta sitting on the couch next to Louie. “Don’t worry. I’ll take him across to ours for the night.”

  The drive to the town hall was maddeningly slow. Traffic was busy, which didn’t help my rising anxiety. I finally found a space to park and ran up the steps and into the ballroom. People were heading back from the buffet and the band looked as though they were getting ready to start the second half of the evening.

  I looked around the hall to try and find Lana, but I couldn�
�t see her anywhere. Perhaps she was in the other hall, overseeing the stragglers at the buffet. I turned round and spotted her walking in to the main entrance. My breath caught in my throat as I watched her walk slowly through the crowd, heading towards me but unaware of my presence.

  She was breathtaking. Her long red dress skimmed her curves perfectly. Her hair had been swept up into a soft bun, with wispy tendrils floating behind her as she walked. I just stood there staring at her, feeling like I had seen her for the very first time.

  She turned her head my way and jolted as her eyes caught mine. I waved and smiled, bracing myself for any anger she was about to unleash on me.

  “Why did you come?” She asked, as she arrived in front of me. I wanted to reach out and brush away a tendril of hair from her shoulder.

  Instead, I just stood and gawped at her like an idiot. “Your parents enlightened me on a few things that I hadn’t thought of.”

  “Really? That’s interesting.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want you to come to the dance.”

  “Come on now. Did you really think I was going to miss out on getting all dressed up?”

  A small smile. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”

  The band started up. I took Lana’s hand in mine. “If you say so. Now, let’s put the talking on hold and just enjoy the rest of the night.”

  “What? You’re actually going to dance?” She exclaimed, as I led her to the dance floor and pulled her into an embrace.

  “I figured it’s time to let our feet do the talking for a change. Seeing as our mouths are so bad at it.”

  I led her round the dancefloor, doing my best not to bump into the other dancers. Halfway through the song, Lana had relaxed and she was smiling. I pulled her closer and we settled into a relaxed rhythm. Her ear was tantalizingly close to my mouth, so I took the chance to have a nibble. She chuckled and turned to face me.

  “It would appear your mouth still wants to say something.”

  Confused, I opened my mouth to speak, but she bit down on my bottom lip and pulled me into a deep kiss. We both began to smile as skin grazed against skin. Then she pulled away from me and continued to dance.

  We stayed on the dance floor for the rest of the night, lost in our own world. I don’t think either of us really understood what was going on, but I knew I was happy to have her in my arms. “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday about not wanting to fall in love with a local woman. I realize now it was an incredibly insensitive thing to say.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t think I had realized that I had actually caught feelings, you know? It hurt when you said that, but I didn’t expect it to.”

  “Feelings huh? They have a habit of complicating things.”

  “Isn’t that the truth,” she laughed.

  Her lips brushed against mine again and I was struck by how easily she was able to knock me sideways by simply breathing into my mouth as she gently kissed me. It left me wondering why I hadn’t been kissing this woman since forever. It blew my mind that she had been attracted to me all those years ago. I never realized that the attraction I had always felt for her was mutual.

  I chuckled softly to myself. She pulled away and frowned. “What are you laughing at?”

  “Us. I found out tonight that you had quite the thing for me when we were younger.”

  It was her turn to laugh. “Oh, I just love my parents.”

  “I was clueless, of course.”

  “Well I knew that.”

  “But did you know that the feeling was mutual?”

  “I highly doubt that, Mr. Dawson.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if you had thought of me as anything other than a friend, you would have married me instead of Rebecca.”

  I considered this for a moment. “You only had eyes for Kyle.”

  She tossed her head back and laughed. “You really were clueless.”

  I’d had enough. I cupped her face with my hands and kissed her. “You’ve got five minutes to say your goodbyes.”

  “What?”

  “I’m going to explain to you in great detail, about all the things I wanted to do to you when we were younger.”

  Her eyebrows shot up in shock. “Are you going to use your mouth?”

  I grinned at her mischievously. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Lana

  We made it to the front door of the farmhouse. Before I managed to unlock the door, Gabe slammed me against the wall and pinned me in place, his lips smothering mine. His leg slid between mine, forcing them apart until he met my groin. I groaned as his knee rubbed against me. I ground against him, all the while caught in his gaze. His face was etched with need as he forced my arms up above my head and attacked my neck with rough kisses and nibbles.

  As I trembled beneath him, he whispered into my ear. “Is this explanation enough?” He snarled. I gasped as he bit my ear and trailed kisses down my neck and to my chest.

  I was hungry for his mouth, so I struggled to free my arms, then grabbed his head. He stumbled backwards and I caught him just before he fell. “Not so fast,” I panted.

  We somehow made it through the door and into the living room. Gabe flung off his suit coat and undid his bowtie, never once losing eye contact with me. I was enthralled and a tiny bit scared of how animalistic he was. My soaked panties clearly indicated that I liked the way this made me feel.

  He stalked towards me while unbuttoning his shirt. The muscles underneath the thin fabric were flexing and bunching, all of which was making my clit throb. I wanted him so bad that my clit was already engorged to the point of discomfort. If I didn’t do something soon I was going to go crazy.

  His eyes flashed bright as he came closer, ready to pounce. But when he finally touched me, it was so soft and delicate that I nearly collapsed. I had been ready for a take-down. Instead, he pushed the straps of my dress down and released my breasts. The cold air made my nipples rise to the occasion. He cursed under his breath at the sight of them, then sank to his knees, bringing me with him.

  We fell to the floor and he began to suckle on my nipple. “This. I always wanted to do this,” he breathed, before grazing his teeth against my tender skin, making me arch my back in response.

  “Is this another explanation?” I breathed through gritted teeth.

  “Mhm,” he nodded over and over.

  My clit throbbed as Gabe nibbled on my nipples, sending electrical impulses down through my core and into my groin. I decided it was time for an explanation of my own.

  I pushed him on to the floor and swung my leg over until I was on top of him. He looked at me with an expression of wonder, as I quickly undid his pants and pulled his cock out into the open. My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Oh, wow. You never told me you were packing, Mr. Dawson!”

  It was truly a thing of beauty. A great length, a nice thickness without being too thick, and glistening with pre-cum.

  I slid down on top of him and we both groaned in unison. I was so tight that it took a moment before I could adjust and let him slip deep inside.

  “Oh God! You’re so tight!” He shuddered, as I shifted my hips and took him deeper. The initial pain gave way to a burst of sensation, and I moaned loudly as pleasure flooded my body.

  I couldn’t hold it anymore.

  I began to rock my hips.

  I stared him down as my hips rocked back and forth, feeling every inch of his throbbing cock filling me up inside. I was still incredibly tight and it felt like my walls clung to his shaft as I slowly began to rotate my hips.

  His eyes glazed over as he stretched his neck and his head tipped backwards. His hands grasped at my breasts and squeezed them hard, sending shivers all the way through my body. I pulled slowly upwards until the tip of his cock was almost free, then plunged my hips back down again, all the way down.

  Gabe sat up and grabbed my hips, and began
to fuck in tandem with me, no longer content to give me the control. He flipped me over and pinned my hands above my head, before bending down and kissing me long and hard.

  “Fuck…” I groaned through his kisses, as he continued to thrust deep inside me, slowly, agonizingly slowly, his fingers finding their way to my clit and massaging it over and over.

  I dug my nails into his back and roared as an orgasm ripped through me. I spasmed so much that I almost forced his cock out of my pussy, but he groaned loudly and thrust inside, using all of his strength to sink deeper inside as I pulsated all around him.

  As the orgasm subsided, the sensations fluttered through my body and he held me close to him as he continued to fuck me hard. Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed hold of my legs and placed them on his shoulders, pushing his cock deeper inside me and stopped.

  His face was dark and his eyes were wild. His lips were curled into a mischievous smirk.

  “Gabe!” I moaned, bucking my hips against him. He stayed still and continued to stare down at me. Finally, he moved his cock out slowly and rested the head against my opening. I cried out in desperation. “Please! Fuck me!” I pleaded.

  He slid his cock inside again, so agonizingly slowly that I felt every single inch. His wild eyes gleamed as he relished the power he had over me, controlling the pace, building me into a frenzy, and enjoying the fact that he had turned me into a needy cock whore.

  “Please!” I begged one last time.

  He slammed inside me and my hips bucked against him. Sweat was pouring down off his brow and on to my face as he let go of my legs, and pulled me closer. We fucked hard and fast, then long and slow, then hard and fast again.

  With one final push we both cried out as we reached climax at the same time.

  My eyes rolled back in my head and I clung on to him for dear life as I let go of all of my frustrations and got lost in the moment. When we pulled apart we were drenched in sweat and looked like we had run a marathon. We helped each other up the stairs and into Gabe’s bedroom. We climbed on to the bed and collapsed in a heap. I couldn’t make a coherent thought. My body was still sparking from all of the orgasms and my brain felt like it had completely melted. My eyes fluttered closed and I fell asleep in his arms.