[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  Adam snorted, which made her laugh all over again. He shot her a grin, his dimples making him look super sexy. “That kid’s going to need counseling.”

  “He probably needed it before today. What child makes it out of adolescence without a parent messing them up?” She meant it as a joke, but Adam grew serious.

  “What do you mean?”

  The windshield wipers swished as they tried to keep the rain at bay. Megan waved her hand in a dismissive manner. “You know. Parents screw up their kids more often than not.”

  His gaze turned contemplative. “I see.”

  She decided to change the subject. “So, what’s your main goal in life?”

  He rubbed his chin. “The same as everyone else, I guess. Build a good career. Settle down. Get married.”

  “Not everyone has those goals.”

  Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a clap of thunder. Megan tensed. Storms made her nervous.

  “You’re right. But a lot of people do. I was just saying I’m not that original.” He shrugged. “What about you?”

  “I guess my career is my main goal. Succeeding at something I love.”

  “Sure.” He tapped the steering wheel and looked at her sideways. “No family for you?” The turn signal flashed as he took the off ramp.

  The question hung in the air for a few moments. “I don’t think a woman needs a man in order to be happy.”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  What was he trying to do, bait her again? She chose her words carefully. “I haven’t made any family-oriented goals.”

  His eyebrow arched. “What if you meet Mr. Right?”

  She exhaled, a little frustrated he wouldn’t just drop the subject. “Are you proposing?”

  A warm laugh came from his chest. “No.”

  “Good. Because you’re not even Mr. Right Now.”

  His laughter made her smile. It warmed her, like wrapping up in a fuzzy blanket. It was comfortable. She joined in.

  “Don’t sugar coat it, babe. Tell it like it is.”

  She suddenly remembered Dale was filming every word from the back seat. She was getting used to him being around. He blended into the background now. And that was dangerous. She’d have to watch herself. “Sorry. I just meant this relationship is still new.”

  “So, you’ve forgiven me for the rock wall?”

  “Let’s not go overboard.”

  The rain slowed, and the sky turned a surreal blue. Adam slowed the car and turned into her parking lot. “I guess when I walk you to your door I’ll have to prove how sorry I am.”

  Why did those words send a shiver of delight through her? He was not the nice guy he was pretending to be. She shouldn’t want to kiss him. But her lips tingled in anticipation anyway.

  He didn’t disappoint. His kiss curled her toes and quickened her pulse. She closed her eyes and let the sensations wash over her. Soon his lips were on her jaw, her throat, and her earlobe. She placed her hands on his chest with the intent of pushing him away, but couldn’t follow through.

  “I need to talk to you,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Then he pulled back and gave her a heart-stopping smile. “See you.”

  She entered her apartment, her skin burning where he’d left a trail of kisses. What did he mean? What was there to say? Her stomach betrayed her and fluttered like a silly teenager’s.

  No. She couldn’t lose her head over this guy. He wasn’t being real with her. He wasn’t to be trusted. She untied her shoes, slipped them off, and placed them neatly in the closet. The fridge was empty, so she rummaged through her cupboards until she found a box of pasta and some vegetable soup. It was almost ready when her intercom buzzed. She let him through.

  She opened the door when he knocked, and there he stood, leaning against the door jamb, looking like a rock star. Her pulse quickened. “Adam.”

  Really? That was all she could think to say?

  “I dropped Dale off at the station. Mind if I come in? I can have a pepperoni pizza here in less than fifteen minutes.”

  “I was just about to eat.” She pointed to her kitchen and debated with herself. Kicking him out was the smart thing to do, but she stared into his eyes too long, and her mouth moved on its own. “If you don’t mind some noodles and soup, you’re welcome to join me.”

  A sexy smile formed on his face. “My favorite.”

  She laughed. “You don’t even know what kind of soup.”

  “I’m sure it’s delicious.” He followed her into the kitchen and pulled out a chair.

  She served up two bowls and set them on the table. Then she scooped the Alfredo pasta onto plates and got out some cold sodas. When she’d seated herself, her curiosity got the better of her. “Okay, why are you here?”

  He picked up his fork and pushed the food around on his plate. “I need to apologize.”

  That was the last thing she expected him to say. She stared at him, trying to figure out what his motives were. “For what?”

  “For today...for everything.”

  “Way to be specific.”

  He blew out a breath. “I made a mistake. I tried to humiliate you. But it only made me feel terrible.”

  Unable to fully trust him, but curious as to what he wanted, she decided to play his game for a while. See what he was up to. “Everything worked out in the end. No harm done.”

  A look of relief flooded him. “I want you to know, I don’t agree with everything Leon’s doing.”

  The mention of their boss made her stiffen, and she tried hard to keep a scowl off her face. “Neither do I.”

  “I don’t think we need to argue to get good ratings.” He shoveled a forkful of pasta in his mouth.

  She thought about his words. “Then how do you propose we get people interested in the show?”

  His smile turned her middle into Jell-o. “Our online dating. It’s skyrocketing the popularity of the morning show.”

  “Won’t that get boring, though, after a while? Just watching us go out on dates?”

  “That’s why I think we need to mix it up a bit.” He took a swig of his soda.

  “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” She stopped eating and waited for him to drop the other shoe.

  He grinned. “Don’t look so worried. I was just thinking that having our fans write in and make date suggestions might be fun.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Date suggestions?” It didn’t sound that bad, but a foreboding feeling settled in.

  “Sure. I’ll ask our viewers on Monday where we should go for our next date. It’ll give them a chance to participate.”

  Warning flags popped up. “What if they suggest something we don’t want to do?”

  Steam rose and curled up from his spoonful of vegetable soup. “We can weed out the bad suggestions.”

  “Heights are off the table.” She gave him her best ‘you’ll die if someone suggests bungee jumping’ glare.

  “Of course.” He tipped his soda can up, taking another swig. Why was that so sexy on him?

  She looked away. “I guess. If we have full control over what we end up doing...”

  “Great!” His smile gave her goose bumps. “One last thing.”

  Oh, heavens. What now? “Hmm?”

  “I don’t think we should tell Leon yet.”

  “I agree with that. He’ll find a way to turn it into something horrible.”

  “I’ll sneak it into the show on Monday. Leon will love it anyway, it will draw people to the website.”

  They finished eating in silence, Megan trying not to notice the way Adam’s shirt clung to his muscles, still damp from the rain. Or how her insides got all mushy when his lips curled into a grin. She cleared the table, hoping to give Adam the hint to leave.

  When she was done, she didn’t sit back down again. Instead of standing, Adam looked up at her. “Can I ask you something?”

  She folded her arms. What she wanted to say was, “No. Now take your lyi
ng butt out of here.” What she really said was, “Sure.”

  ADAM CLEARED HIS THROAT, leaning back in his chair. What was he doing? Maybe she didn’t want to talk about it. Instead of coming out and asking, he hedged. “I didn’t want to say anything while Dale was filming, but you mentioned something that made me curious.”

  She pulled her chair out and sat, her blue eyes staring at him. “What?”

  “Did you have a bad childhood?” He didn’t mean to blurt it out.

  She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

  Heat crept up his neck. He’d better explain. “I mean, you said something about parents screwing up their kids, so I just figured...”

  Megan sat there staring at him, her mouth still hanging open.

  Great. He shouldn’t have said anything. So stupid. “You don’t have to tell me, if it’s too personal.”

  She regained her composure. “No, it’s okay.” She stared down at her lap. “My mom and I...we never got along.”

  He’d already figured that out, but he didn’t want to be rude, so he waited for her to continue.

  “Nothing I ever did was good enough. Like when I made her breakfast in bed for Mother’s day. I couldn’t have been more than ten years old. I wanted to surprise her. I snuck downstairs and made scrambled eggs and toast.”

  “You were allowed to use the stove?”

  Megan laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “I’d been making meals since I was little. My parents have demanding jobs, and were never around. They hired a sitter, but she mostly ignored me, lounging on the couch talking on the phone with her boyfriend. Someone had to cook, and my little sister was only a baby.”

  “What did your mom say when you made her breakfast?”

  A scowl crossed her face. “She scolded me for waking her up on her day off, then she threw the plate across the room. I ran to my room and cried for an hour.”

  “How awful.” His heart ached for her.

  “She had a terrible temper, and nothing I did was right. My grades were never high enough. My performances never perfect enough. And when I majored in communication, well, that was a stupid waste of time, according to her.”

  Indignation rose in him. “What does she do?”

  Megan scoffed. “She’s a surgeon. Of course. She saves lives for a living.”

  “Sounds like she forgot the most important life. Her daughter’s. Some people can never give praise, no matter how hard you work.”

  “She’s got her perfect daughter. My little sister Wendy can do no wrong.”

  That threw his theory out the window. “How about your father? Did you have a good relationship with him?”

  She smiled. “Yeah, we get along. He tends to be the soft middle to our Oreo cookie. If he weren’t around to separate us, I think Mom and I would have killed each other a long time ago.”

  Adam laughed, glad the mood had lightened. He hadn’t meant to get so personal with her. “I’d better be heading out.”

  Was that disappointment that flashed across her face? A few minutes ago, he’d have sworn she was about to toss him out.

  “Okay.” She stood. “I guess I’ll see you at the station.”

  On impulse, he grabbed her hand. Warmth spread through him. “I meant what I said earlier. I’m sorry for everything.”

  She looked at him funny, but he didn’t explain. How could he tell her he was sorry for ever going along with Leon’s stupid ideas? Sorry for the cruel things he’d said on air. Sorry he couldn’t forget all about the station and do things the proper way.

  If he could, he’d leave this job and take Megan with him. But that was crazy. They weren’t really a couple. It was all for the camera. And he was in no position to quit his job. He just needed to get a handle on things.

  He left, and spent the rest of the weekend trying to get Megan off his mind.

  Chapter 9

  Megan spent a week fretting about the viewers’ requests for dates. True to his word, Adam had announced the plan on-air, surprising Leon, who actually loved the idea. And that made her even more nervous.

  Thursday evening, her intercom buzzed again. She pressed the button and Adam answered. What was he doing here?

  When she let him into her apartment he smiled, a folder tucked under one arm. “Hey.”

  She eyed the paperwork. “What’s up?”

  “Thought we could go over the suggestions together.”

  Relief flooded through her. “You’re letting me pick?”

  He shrugged. “We can read them together. Cross off any we don’t like. We’ll only keep those we both agree on. I think it would be fun to draw a suggestion out of a bowl on-air. It will give the fans something to look forward to each week.”

  Each week. How long was this going to go on? When would Leon humiliate her? She pushed those thoughts away and opened the door wider, motioning for him to enter.

  They sat on her couch, and Adam spread out the papers on her coffee table. “These are all the comments we’ve gotten this week, so there’s random stuff mixed in. Just pick up a page and start reading.” He pulled out a pen and a stack of note cards. “I’ll write down the ones we like.”

  It turned out to be quite fun. They got all kinds of suggestions, from going miniature golfing to taking dance lessons. Adam even agreed to keep that one, as long as they started out with something simple.

  “Ha, look at this one from Patricia in Georgia: ‘Go to a restaurant and pretend you’re food critics. Act like you’re tweeting about the food while you eat.’”

  Adam laughed, a sound which she was beginning to enjoy a little too much. “That would be fun. We’re definitely putting that one in.”

  “How do you feel about opera?”

  His nose wrinkled. “Not in love with the idea. But I guess I could sit through it with a pretty enough girl by my side.”

  “No, thanks.” She giggled. “Just wanted to see what you’d say.”

  He playfully swatted at her. “Here’s a good one. ‘Make homemade ice cream.’ We could do that.”

  “Now you’re making me hungry.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “What’ve you got to eat?”

  They ended up sprawled out on the floor with bowls of strawberry sherbet, pieces of paper covering almost every surface. Megan scooped a spoonful into her mouth, savoring the tangy taste. “I can’t believe how many comments we’re getting. This is all just in one week?”

  Adam nodded. “Yeah, Leon’s beside himself. Look what this person said.” He shoved a paper under her nose.

  “‘Adam and Megan make such a cute couple.’ Aw, that’s sweet.”

  “Keep reading,” he said, his mouth full.

  “‘When are they going to get serious and tie the knot?’ What? We’ve only just started dating!”

  His chuckle made her laugh. “I know. And they’re not the only ones. Read this.” He handed her another paper.

  “‘Adam should propose. I want to see the wedding online.’ Are they serious? Don’t they know we’re not a show? We’re real people?”

  “We are a show, though. Some people have been watching us for months.”

  She tossed the paper aside. “Well, they just need to cool it.”

  ADAM FISHED AROUND in the bowl, prolonging the drama of the date drawing. “And the winner is...” He pulled out a card. “Alisha from Sacramento! Her date suggestion is: ‘Play Walmart Bingo. Create a bingo card for each other. Fill the squares with something you might find at Walmart. Be creative. When you see an item listed on your bingo card, cross it off. Loser buys dinner.’”

  Megan smiled for the camera. “Sounds like an interesting date, Alisha. We’ll be filming it tomorrow, so be sure to tune in online.”

  The on-air light went out, and Leon waltzed onto the set. “Great show today. And what a fun suggestion for a date.” He looked down at the fishbowl filled with index cards. “When did you do that?”

  The hungry look in his eye didn’t go unnoticed by Adam. He hugged the fi
shbowl to himself protectively. “Last night. Thought it would be fun to draw one each week.”

  “Yeah.” Leon stared at the bowl until Adam decided he was going to keep it under lock and key. The last thing he needed was to have Leon tossing in his own date suggestions.

  MEGAN BIT BACK AN EVIL grin as they pulled into the Walmart parking lot. Adam frowned. “When are you going to show me my bingo card?”

  “We’ll exchange as soon as we’re inside.”

  He swung his Mustang into a space, and they all piled out of the car. The warmth of his hand on the small of her back radiated through her. The doors swished open as they neared. When they entered the building, she pulled out his card and handed it to him.

  His eyes grew wide. “These aren’t things you find at Walmart.”

  She grinned. “Sure they are.”

  “A crying baby?”

  “You can find that one without even trying.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Someone wearing slippers?”

  “I’ve seen it.”

  He smirked. “Okay, fine. Here’s your card.”

  She stared at the paper, a myriad of words too long to pronounce staring back at her. “What is acetylsalicylic acid?” Then one she recognized jumped out at her. “Monosodium glutamate? That’s MSG, isn’t it? What did you do, give me a list of impossible to pronounce ingredients I have to go find?”

  A smug smile settled on his face. “Everything on that card can be found at Walmart. You just have to find out which product has it.”

  She whacked his arm. “This will take me forever.”

  He laughed. “No longer than me trying to find...” He searched his card. “Someone sporting a mullet.”

  She giggled. “Okay, you’re on.”

  “Rule number one: We must stay together.” He slipped his hand around hers.

  “That’s not fair. You’ll just pull me away from the right products.” She couldn’t hide her smile. Darn him. Why did he have to be so handsome? And why did she turn into a nitwit whenever he was around?

  “We’ll take turns leading the way.” He looked at his watch. “Five minutes each. You can go first.” A woman brushed past them, two small children in tow. Dale stepped back to let them through.