“Someone’s eager,” I said with a grin.
“Can you blame me? Last night was incredible.”
“Then let’s make this morning one to remember, too.”
She held me level with herself, then I pushed into her slowly. Sierra took every last inch of me into her, gripping me tightly.
It was almost scary. Last night had been amazing—the most incredible lovemaking of my life. But I was almost ready to write it off as a fluke, the result of charged sexual energy and an intense connection. As soon as I was inside of her, however, I knew it was no one-time thing.
There was something special happening between Sierra and me. I didn’t quite know what to make of it.
Once I was fully inside of her, I pulled back and drove in again. Sierra moaned, squirming her hips and keeping her body flush with mine. My hands were on her sides, holding her slender frame in place. She wrapped her hands around my shoulders, resting her head on me.
It was perfect. Just perfect. I entered her again and again, her hands moving from my shoulders to my ass, pressing down and urging me without words to not stop. Soon we were in a steady pace, my hips bucking into hers over and over, my grunts mixing with her moans.
Her eyes went wide, her mouth forming into a perfect “O.” I knew she was coming, and it was perfect timing. I couldn’t hold back any longer, and with an explosion of pure ecstasy, I came, draining myself into her as the orgasm flowed through her body.
When we were done, she rested her head on my shoulder, her blond hair pouring down my back. I placed my hand under her chin and tilted her head up, planting a series of soft kisses on her lips.
“That was…wow,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Now, how about that coffee?”
I grinned. “My thoughts exactly.”
I withdrew from her before making my way over to where our clothes were piled. After giving Sierra her underwear and dress, I took a clean T-shirt and jeans out of the closet, along with some sneakers. The suit last night was strange for me—what I was wearing at that moment was a little more my speed.
Once she was dressed, Sierra poured us a couple mugs of coffee before opening the fridge.
“So, you got anything to eat in this joint?”
Oh yeah—the dump that was my apartment. I had some money in savings, but shelling out for a fancy place wasn’t in the budget. Not to mention that in my line of work, you didn’t want to stay in the same place for too long.
Everything about my life was about staying light, nimble, and unattached. Food was always take-out, I didn’t accumulate possessions, and just about everything I owned could fit in my suitcase.
And that was the way I liked it. Who needed a big house and tons of stuff? I had my freedom, and that was what mattered to me.
But it meant I wasn’t the most accommodating host in the world.
“Hmm,” said Sierra as she scanned the contents of my fridge. “I’m seeing…leftover Chinese, some leftover Chinese, and…some leftover Chinese.”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t poke around too much. Good chance something in there’s come to life and might eat you before you eat it.”
She laughed, standing up and shutting the fridge. “All right, I guess a coffee breakfast works.”
“Nah,” I said, swiping my hand through the air. “There’s a diner down the block. They do about the best Denver omelet you’ll ever have in your life.”
“Hmm,” she said, placing her fingertip on her chin and looking away thoughtfully. “How about pancakes?”
“Ah, a breakfast aficionado, I see.”
“Well, when you’re in med school, ‘breakfast’ is usually whatever you can shove down on the way out the door. And seeing as how I’m officially a dropout, maybe something a little more special might be in order.”
“I’m down with that. Come on.”
Together we left the apartment. I put my hand on the small of her back as I led her out, giving her a quick kiss on the lips before I shut the door behind me.
It was strange—I’d brought women home before, and usually I’d send them packing. Maybe they’d get a cup of coffee, but that was it. Sticking around meant getting attached, and that was the last thing I wanted.
But Sierra was different. I wanted to spend the morning with her. Hell, I wanted to spend the day with her.
What was going on?
Whatever it was, it couldn’t last. After all, our entire relationship had been built on one lie after another. Not like she could find out that my real job wasn’t big-shot businessman, but small-time con artist.
Well, maybe a little better than “small-time.”
Moments later we were outside. The day was warm and beautiful, perfect for a nice stroll and some breakfast. Before too long we were in the diner, Sierra seated across from me in a booth near the window.
“God,” she said, looking over the menu. “I can’t remember the last time I had a meal that wasn’t an energy bar out the door or take-out in front of the TV.”
“And it’s on me. Get whatever you want.”
“Are you kidding? After the favor you did for me last night?”
I smirked. “Oh, is that how you’re referring to the sex?”
She laughed. God, even her laugh was beautiful. “You know that’s not what I mean. With my parents, duh.”
“It was my pleasure. And I did get a meal out of it, after all.”
“Oh, that’s right. Then by all means, big spender—I’m happy to have you treat.”
The waitress came and I quickly put in an order for a pot of coffee. After that I ordered the Denver omelet with a side of toast and some hash browns.
“Hmm,” said Sierra as she looked over the menu. “I’ll take the pancakes—add bananas and chocolate chips, if you don’t mind. Oh! And some whipped cream. Then I’ll take a side of sausage, and some bacon—make the bacon extra crispy, please. And…hmm, some hash browns, and bring whatever different kinds of syrup you have.”
The waitress glanced over at me with a surprised expression on her face.
“Big eater, what can I say?” I shrugged and smiled as she took the menus and left.
“Hope you’ve got room for all that,” I said.
“God, I don’t know what it is. I feel…I don’t know, I feel free. It’s like I have an appetite for life now.”
The waitress placed a big pot of coffee on the table, and I didn’t waste any time pouring us two steaming cups.
“So,” Sierra asked. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
Damn, the lies never stopped. The real agenda was doing some research on her dad, seeing if there was an angle I could work to run a halfway decent con.
At least, that’s what I’d been planning last night. Now that I was there with Sierra, I wasn’t so sure. Maybe she was one to let go? At least, the con angle.
Not like what we had could go beyond that morning. Too many lies existed between us for anything more.
“A few conference calls with an equipment distributor. Then I’m checking out some restaurants around town, seeing if I can drum up some new clients.”
“Sounds like a busy day. Totally the opposite of mine.”
“Why, what do you have going on?”
She chuckled. “Going back to my apartment and seeing what I’ve got that I can sell for some spare cash. My dad’s been paying for my place, so no chance I’ll be able to afford another month of it. That means finding another place that’s dirt cheap but safe.”
“That’s good, though. It’ll be your first step to living the kind of life you want. Your next apartment might not be everything that you want, but it’ll be yours.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that. Still, too bad the whole thing last night was a lie. Sure would be nice to have a guy to stay with until I was on my own two feet.” Her eyes went wide. “I mean, that’s not me suggesting you should do it, by the way. Just saying.”
“I get it.”
Man, she was right. What if I were
on the straight and narrow, actually had a respectable job and a place big enough for the two of us? Maybe I would be offering her a place to stay.
Didn’t matter. My life didn’t have room for two.
The food arrived, and we dug in. I’d been worried that Sierra’s eyes might’ve been bigger than her stomach, but she proved me wrong. She demolished her breakfast, wolfing down the entire order. Before too long, nothing remained but a few grease- and syrup-smeared plates.
“That was about the most impressive display of gluttony I’ve ever seen.”
She grinned. “Told you I was hungry.”
I paid the check and soon we were off. As much as I wished it weren’t the case, it was time for us to part ways. I flagged down a cab, and seconds later it was at the curb.
“This was nice,” Sierra said.
“Really nice,” I said.
“Nice enough that I might want to do it again sometime.”
Moment of truth. It was time for me to make up an excuse, or at the very least give her a fake number.
She took out her phone, typed on the screen, and handed it over. A contact form was on the screen, one with “Caleb” at the top.
“Put in your number and text me. We can be in touch.”
I looked down at the screen, knowing, knowing I needed to put in a fake number. But when my thumbs finished typing, I stared down, surprised that I’d given her my actual number.
She typed up a message and sent it, my phone buzzing in my pocket.
“That’s me. Talk to you soon.”
Then she stepped up onto her tiptoes and planted a kiss on my lips. I opened the door for her and she got in, then was gone.
I watched the cab leave before taking out my phone and reading the message.
“Can’t wait to see you again x”
I smiled. I couldn’t either.
Chapter 9
Sierra
Three days later
I stepped into the sunny bistro, my eyes settling on my friend Maggie at a table at the far end. She stood up to greet me, her expression cheerful as always, her face framed by her curly red hair. She was dressed in hip, stylish clothes as usual, today’s outfit a cute sundress paired with sneakers.
“There she is!” she called out, catching the attention of nearly everyone in the restaurant. Then she squealed and threw her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.
Maggie had been my friend from all the way back in high school. We’d stayed in close touch over the years as the rest of our little social group broke apart, most moving off to New York or LA or wherever else. She’d stayed in Baltimore, working in the fashion industry and making a pretty good name for herself in the process.
And it pained me to realize it, but her success only made me more aware of my own lack of direction in life. Not to mention it seemed like every week she was with a new guy, all with interesting jobs like professional surfer or documentary filmmaker. It made me painfully clear on how lame my own love life had been.
I had to admit, as anxiety-ridden as I’d been over the last few days, Maggie’s sunny disposition always managed to be infectious.
After the hug, I sat down across from her. She regarded me with her big blue eyes, her pretty face in an expectant expression.
“I can’t believe we’re actually hanging out,” she said, shaking her hands as she folded her arms on the table.
“I know,” I said. “How long has it been?”
“Too freaking long. Like a month. I was starting to think text messages from you were all I was going to get from now on.”
“Well, I’ve got nothing but free time now, so you’re going to be seeing a lot of me.”
Her expression turned into one of concern. “Does that mean you did it?”
I pursed my lips and nodded, knowing there was far more to the story than that.
“I did it.”
Her eyes went wide again. “Holy shit…that’s amazing! Like, you actually sat down with your parents and told them that you were dropping out of med school?”
“Um…kinda sorta.”
“Kinda sorta?”
“As in, I told them, yeah. But I wrapped it up in a pretty big lie. And I got this guy to go along with it.”
Maggie shook her head, as if she was having trouble processing what I’d said. “What does that mean? You got some guy to go along with it? What guy?”
“Oh man. Where to begin?”
She grinned. “Start from the very, very beginning. Because I’ve got a feeling this is going to be good.”
I took a deep breath, collected my thoughts, and went into it. I told her everything, about how I’d gotten hit on by some strange guy at the bar, about how Caleb had come to the rescue. Then I told her about how I sat down with my parents and blurted out a lie, one that resulted in me enlisting Caleb to be my fake boyfriend.
And then…I went into the rest of the night, about how we’d hit it off and gone back to his place and hooked up, then hooked up again that next morning. Maggie listened enraptured to the entire story, waving away the waitress when she came by to take our order.
“Holy shit!” She reached over and grabbed my shoulder, giving it a squeeze and shaking me a little. “Sierra, that’s amazing! I mean, you got out of med school, told your parents, and met a hot guy in the process. What’s not to like about that?”
“Well, there’s the fact that I’m a college dropout with no school or career prospects. And then there’s the fact that I told my parents a total lie. And then there’s the fact that I hooked up with a stranger who hasn’t gotten back to me since it happened.”
“Oh,” she said, her expression dropping a touch. “Well, at least you got a good story out of it all.”
“But I don’t know what to do. I got so wrapped up in the idea of being on my own that I didn’t think about what I’d do next. Then I was scared of telling my parents the truth, so I spun up a lie. And then I let myself get swept off my feet by some charming guy who, for all I know, just wanted the night with me.”
“Well, let’s start with the most interesting part—what about this guy? What’s his name?”
“His name’s Caleb. And he’s some kind of businessman. But it’s weird…”
“What’s weird?”
“Okay, I don’t want to sound superficial or materialistic or anything, but when we went to his apartment, it was kind of…run-down. Like, I don’t care if he has a fancy place or anything like that, but it was strange that a businessman would be staying in such a dump.”
“What are you thinking? That he was lying?”
“I don’t even know. But does it even matter? I went out of my way to give him my number and he hasn’t called me back since. I haven’t even gotten a text.”
“Maybe he’s playing it cool,” she said. “Guys are dumb like that. They think they have to play all these games so you don’t think they’re too into you or something. It’s like…they think if they wait, it’s going to make you even more into the idea of seeing them again.”
“You think that’s what’s happening?”
“Hard to say. I hate to be blunt about it, but there’s a thing guys do sometimes. They say whatever it takes to get you into bed, then once they’ve gotten what they want, they never talk to you again. It’s happened to me.”
“But it’s never happened to me.”
“True. But you haven’t exactly been active in the dating department. It’s only a matter of time before you get burned, Sierra. Hate to say it, but that comes with the territory. You win some, you lose some, you know?”
The waitress came back, but Maggie’s words had left me feeling totally deflated. Eating was the last thing on my mind.
“Salmon salads for us both. And a couple glasses of white wine,” Maggie ordered for us. Unlike with my father, Maggie knew what I’d like, and I didn’t mind.
The waitress was off, and I sat staring into space.
“You really think that’s what happened?” I asked.
Maggie’s expression turned sympathetic, and she quickly reached over and placed her hand on mine. “I’m not trying to be a downer or anything, and I could be totally wrong. For all we know, he might be planning on getting in touch with you any minute.”
But it didn’t sound realistic to me. I took out my phone and checked the screen, as if I might’ve missed a text in the last few minutes since I’d last looked. But nothing.
“Listen,” Maggie went on, “maybe he was telling the truth, you know? Maybe he’s just not concerned with material things, and having a fancy apartment isn’t that big of a deal to him.”
“Or maybe he’s a liar. Maybe he’s an unemployed bum, just like me.”
“Don’t be hard on yourself, Sierra. Even if things don’t work out with him, you’re on a path up to the top—I can feel it. You’ll meet some amazing guy before too long, and if you never hear from Caleb again, you’ll forget all about him.”
“It was crazy, though. I felt like we totally had a connection. I don’t just sleep with guys on the first date as a habit.”
“Maybe you did have something special. And in that case, if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”
The waitress brought the wine, and I took a quick sip.
“But what about everything else?” Maggie asked. “What about school and work and all that?”
“No freaking idea. I’m starting to wonder if this wasn’t all a huge mistake. Maybe I should call my dad and tell him that I changed my mind?”
“No way,” said Maggie, shaking her head. “Over the last year, all you’ve cared about is getting out of med school and figuring out what you want to do with your life outside of what your parents want. If you tell your dad that you changed your mind, you’ll regret it. Not to mention he’ll never take you seriously when it comes to this stuff ever again.”
“Then what do I do? Just check the classifieds and find anything?”
“Find a job that’ll pay the bills, and once you’ve got an income, start planning your next step. Take the time to figure out what you’re really passionate about, and then go for it.” She took my hand again. “I know you can do this, babe. You’ve got what it takes.”
Breaker - A Fake Boyfriend Romance (Criminal Passions Book 3) Page 6
