He slid a hand around my back and tugged me closer. “No,” his breath caught on the word as I ran a hand through his hat hair.
“I’m glad,” I managed to get out after a soft kiss. “I kind of like them.”
He leaned in to kiss my neck, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. “Kind of?”
“They’re okay,” I shrugged, fighting a smile as he sat up to kiss me in front of my earlobe.
I tried to turn and capture his lips with mine.
He stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. “You know, for someone who wasn’t a very good liar twenty-four hours ago, you’re becoming quite adept.”
I groaned. “Fine. I have a thing for guys in hats. I think it’s sexy. Happy now?”
He smiled. “Very.”
He let go of my shoulder and slid his hand behind my head. His legs shifted underneath me, tipping me firmly against his chest, as he pressed his lips against mine. He was a starving man; I was the meal.
I sighed happily as I parted my lips, allowing him what he sought. We fit perfectly. Our height difference was an advantage when I was sitting on his lap.
His thighs shifted my hips forward.
He probably had his feet on my coffee table.
I didn’t care.
Chapter Thirty
Saidy
A loud backfiring sound caught my attention as I opened the door of the car. I climbed out and turned around to see a motorcycle driving down the road. To my surprise, it pulled into my driveway behind my car.
I reached back into the car, wrapping my hand around the small canister of pepper spray attached to my key chain.
The bike shut off and the man swung a long leg over the back of the bike. His faded jeans pulling tight against his thighs.
A leather jacket tight across his shoulders met the top of a trim waist.
Then he pulled the dark helmet off, hanging it on the handlebars of the motorcycle.
Fletcher.
He’d shaved the scruff from his face and had gotten a haircut, trimming up the shaggy edges. I stepped away from my car and shut the door.
“You have a motorcycle?” I asked with a laugh as he walked toward me. An easy stride that ate up the concrete. He stopped directly in front of me, stepping into my space and placing his hands on my hips.
“It feels so good to be back to myself,” he said with a sigh as he leaned down and kissed my lips.
“So, how much of the real you am I going to be surprised about?”
He pulled back and smiled. “The bike is probably the only thing you’ll be surprised about.”
“Says the man who kept his job a secret for months…” I teased.
He backed me up until my back pressed against my car. “You’re the only one I’ve been able to be myself with. You’ve been the only real thing for me these past few months.”
He reached a hand up and brushed his fingers through my hair. “You got me through this job. I don’t think I could have done it without you.”
I sighed and leaned into his hand. “You’re right. You need me. I mean, you can’t even do your own laundry…”
He growled and grasped my sides. “Okay, sassy, you asked for it.”
I shrieked with laughter as he lifted me off the ground. “Wait! Wait!”
I wiggled, trying to slide out of his hold. I slid down his thighs to the ground. “I have a surprise for you. You have to go inside and wait in the living room with your eyes closed.”
Although he’d set me down, he didn’t release his hold on me. He raised an eyebrow at me and smirked. “Oh, really? What kind of a surprise?”
I laughed as he wagged his eyebrows up and down. “Not that kind of a surprise.”
“Well, damn.”
Pushing him back, I spun him around to face the house. “Go inside.”
I smacked his ass and his laughter filtered back to me.
I waited until he was inside before I turned around and opened my car door, grateful that the tinted windows hid the surprise from Fletcher’s eyes. Sitting on the floorboards chewing on the handle of my makeup brush sat a twelve-week-old boxer puppy. It stared at me with big, innocent eyes as I tried to convince it to let go of the makeup brush. My purse was spilled across the floor, and it looked as though the puppy had sampled a few other things—my Chapstick precisely.
It spit out the makeup brush and stood up, wagging its body from side to side as I picked it up.
“Come here, cutie. Let’s go meet Fletcher.” The puppy climbed up my chest to lick my chin. I pressed my cheek against the top of its head, and it snuggled under my chin. I only thought about it biting my throat once because I was too distracted by the sweet thing practically melting against me.
I walked up the sidewalk and opened the front door a crack. “Are your eyes closed?” I asked. I could see the outline of his body standing in the center of the living room, his back to me. I elbowed the door all the way open and stepped inside.
“No peeking!” I said as I kicked the door closed.
I stopped directly behind him.
“Okay. You can turn around and meet your gift.”
“Meet?” he asked as he turned around.
My only regret was that I hadn’t taken the time to video the moment. His eyes widened and his jaw slacked open. “You bought me a dog?” he asked, still staring at the adorable little bugger.
Grinning at the happiness in his voice, I nodded.
“You bought a dog.”
“I know you’ve been dying to have one. So I did some research, and I think this could be a perfect one.” He leaned forward to take her out of my hands. It was hard to let her go.
Fletcher looked at me in surprise. “You like her!” he accused with a smile.
I cleared my throat. I knew this was going to be an uncomfortable conversation. He’d never let me live it down. “Okay, fine. She’s not all that bad.” I snuck in another little scratch under her chin before Fletcher took her from me.
He proceeded to baby talk to her for the next five minutes.
No one else but the two of them existed in this room. And it was so ridiculously cute to see this biker wearing leather and helmet hair, coo and whisper to a puppy. I wished I’d gotten one for him sooner. He needed a dog.
“A boxer, isn’t it?” he asked as he let the puppy cling onto his shoulder and lick his chin.
“Yes, interestingly it was one of Grandma’s bridge friends who had a litter. Both the parents were nice and didn’t even try to bite me when I went to pick her up,” I explained.
“The people or the dog?” Fletcher teased as he rubbed the puppy’s ears.
“Very funny.” I brushed a hand against my eyebrow with the scar running through it. Biting dogs were no joking matter.
Fletcher tucked the puppy under his chin and looked at me with big, fake, innocent eyes. “Well, what are we going to do with it when I’m at work?”
“You can’t leave this sweet baby girl alone all day while you’re at work!”
“Well, my girlfriend doesn’t like dogs…”
I rolled my eyes at his obvious conniving. “It’s coming with me. My work is flexible enough that I can take it for walks in between projects and I’ll take her to a park to play at lunch time. It would be a crime to get a dog, then lock it up in the house all day. Besides, I have a big yard here. In the evenings it could run around here and be much happier.”
Fletcher laughed. “Are you sure you bought me a dog? Because it’s beginning to sound more like your dog…”
“Fine. I bought US a dog.” At least it had switched to that after meeting her.
Fletcher grinned and leaned toward me, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. “I like the sound of that. I’m going to get this written down so that you can’t back out. We have a dog together. That’s pretty permanent.”
“You’re right. But you know what? I don’t mind permanent with you.” I patted the puppy’s head as I kissed Fletcher back.
“We’re going t
o have to get some puppy gear. And a name.”
“We’re going to have to let it terrorize grandma’s dog,” I said with a smile. The little devil would have some competition for once. That was when inspiration struck. “Jane. We could call her Jane.”
“That’s cute. Where’d you get that from?”
I rubbed a soft puppy ear between my index finger and thumb. “It’s Grandmother’s first name.”
He chuckled. “Sometimes you’re positively evil.”
“I’ve also found my voice. Even if it’s uncomfortable.”
“I’m proud of you.” He shifted the puppy to one arm and wrapped his other around my waist, pulling me to his side. “Now, am I ever going to be able to set this dog down and kiss you?”
“No. We don’t want it to be lonely,” I said with a serious look on my face.
“You know I’ve been excited about getting a dog, but this dog is going to have to learn how to share.” He chuckled as he leaned down to kiss my neck.
“We have to be good dog parents. It deserves that.”
“We will,” he whispered as he flattened his hand against my lower back, pressing me closer to him.
“You’re not wearing a hat,” I twirled one of my fingers through the side of his hair where it used to curl over his ears. I traced a finger around the outside of his ear and down the side of his neck.
“I need to set this dog down,” he growled.
“Why is that?” I asked as I trailed my other hand along his side.
“Because I need both my hands for what I’m about to do next.”
Epilogue
Fletcher
“Are you ready?” I called down the hall.
Scampering feet ran towards me, and I bent down to scoop Jane up. She was growing fast, but she still liked to be scooped up and told what a good baby she was. I wondered if she would be expecting it as an adult. Probably.
“Fletcher Farley, if you know what’s good for you, you won’t rush me.” Saidy’s sharp tone reminded me that I’d asked her the same question not five minutes before.
“We cannot be late to Milo and Andrea’s wedding!” I reminded her.
“I should have told her I’d coordinate everything. This is stressing me out beyond belief,” she muttered as she stepped into the hall, wearing a dress that touched the floor in the back, but showed off her knees in the front.
“You look stunning.”
She stared at me skeptically. “Why didn’t Andrea pick the bridesmaids dresses herself? What if she doesn’t like this? Of course they would decide to move their wedding date three months closer. A relaxed backyard wedding, she said. I’m not relaxed!”
I placed my hands on her bare arms and tugged her closer. “Saidy. Take a breath. You picked a beautiful dress to wear as a bridesmaid. You’re not going to ruin their wedding with a dress choice.”
Her furrowed brow slowly relaxed. “You’re sure?”
With a careful kiss to the middle of her forehead. “You’re going to steal the show. But I think you can do that in your bathrobe.”
She sighed. “I love you.”
I grinned at her. “So you do love me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Even though you’re the world’s worst boyfriend.”
I groaned as I wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her closer to me. “Can you please take it down?” I jerked my chin toward the offensive piece of décor that had found a home in her living room.
She looked over her shoulder at the World’s Worst Boyfriend trophy sitting on the mantle above the white brick fireplace. “But it looks so good there…”
“You wrote my name on the bottom.” My hands tensed against her sides, threatening to tickle her.
“It’s important to give credit where credit is due.” She nodded seriously.
I growled in her ear and tickled her sides mercilessly. “You are going to get it.”
She shrieked, “Fletch! You can’t make me mess up my hair and makeup.”
I stopped right away, figuring I better not mess up the bridesmaid too much—at least not before pictures.
“How do I look when I spin?” She asked as she did a little spin for me.
“Just peachy,” I grinned and pinched her quickly. I dodged her swatting hands.
“Come on, Jane,” she crooned in a soft voice. “Let’s go to the wedding together. You can be my date, and we’ll leave this worst boyfriend at home.”
Jane’s whole body wagged in excitement. One of these days I was going to have to break it to her that she was my dog too.
“I’ll be out in just a minute,” I told the pair. “I need to comb my hair real quick.”
She reached up and ruffled it on her way out.
“I like it,” she said. “But we’ll be waiting in the car, so take your time.”
Jane followed her out the door into the heat.
Glancing behind me, I made sure Saidy was still outside.
Then I pulled the ring from my pocket and stepped up to the mantle. Light reflected off of the Art Deco diamond ring. I would never have known what it was called except the jeweler spent an hour educating me on different ring styles. I’d picked it out based on looks for Saidy. It looked like her. Beautiful, intricate, and surprisingly strong.
I set the ring into the cup of the World’s Worst Boyfriend trophy. She could find it when she decided I was out of the doghouse and pulled the trophy down.
Author Note
Thank you for picking up World’s Worst Boyfriend! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it.
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Acknowledgments
This book was a labor of love. From start until finish, it’s had a LOT of eyes on the project. I LOVED writing this book. This story was something I’d been looking forward to for a looooooong time.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t obstacles. (I’m looking at you pandemic and pregnancy sickness.)
It made me realize (and appreciate!) how many amazing people I have supporting me.
First of all, to my husband, who practically co-wrote this book with me. He listened to me ramble about this idea for months. So many amazing (and hilarious) scenes are in this story because of him. (I threatened to put his name as co-author—he said no.)
Thank you to Brittni. You probably don’t even know how much your daily check ins helped me. In the middle of 24/7 pregnancy sickness, you were the kick in the pants I needed to finish this story. I didn’t think I could do it. You convinced me otherwise. Bourbon Brittni is dynamite.
Thank you to The Most Amazing Women In The World. You know who you are. Thanks for ALWAYS making me laugh, and making stories, blurbs, and covers even more amazing.
Thank you Elaine and Alison! This wouldn’t be half the story without the two of you.
Thank you readers, for trusting me with a romantic comedy adventure! I’d been bit by the adventure bug, and I just couldn’t shake it.
Also by Carina Taylor
Mr. H.O.A. (Fake It Book 1)
Bane Fox knows exactly what he wants in life: financial stability.
He does not want to be homeless.
He does not want to be the president of an HOA.
It’s rather unfortunate he is both of those things.
Oh, and did I forget to mention he has a fake wife?
Yeah, that’s me.
Miss Trailerhood (Fake It Book 2)
She disappeared from our lives without a word. I never expected to run into her at a Quik Mart in between jobs. What’s a guy to do when he finds his first crush? Follow her home, of course, and remind her of all the things she’s missing.
I didn’t know that holding onto Riley would involve living in a trailer park. Or keeping it a secret from my sister—her best friend.
Riley is completely at home w
ith lawn-mower racing, beer-guzzling exhibitionists. She doesn’t think I can handle it.
Well, I’m going to show Miss Trailerhood that I’m here to stay—no matter what trailer-park mayhem she puts me through.
Love is patient, love is kind, love means buying a single wide.
More Romantic Comedies
Neighbors Like That (A Love Like This 1)
Christmas Like This (A Love Like This 2)
Friends Like These (A Love Like This 3)
World's Worst Boyfriend: A Romantic Comedy Adventure (Fake It Book 3) Page 22
