Falling for Her Fiance

by Cindi Madsen

  Wes nudged her when she didn’t immediately answer.

  “It was my original idea…” Her voice was a little shaky, and he silently urged her to put more certainty in her words. She lifted her chin, and he could see the confidence seeping in. “Bill and I do work on things together, though I do most of the mockups and the interfacing with the customer, and I pride myself on being good at that.”

  “That’s what I thought. I like that you didn’t throw him under the bus, though.” Wayne nodded. “Very impressive. The basketball and the new strategy. I look forward to seeing what else you can do,” he said, then walked away.

  Dani turned to Wes, eyes wide. “Did that just happen?” Before he could answer, she threw her arms around him.

  He hugged her back, lifting her off her feet for a moment and then setting her back down.

  His gaze moved to her lips. He could get away with kissing her, right? He was her fiancé after all.

  Someone cleared his throat. Bill. Add it as another reason Wes wanted to punch him.

  “Are you two going to do the boat races?”

  Dani slid her arm around his waist. “We’ll be there.”

  “My wife and I will be, too. Care to make a bet? Double or nothing?”

  Dani glanced at Wes and he nodded. “You’re on,” she said.

  Bill smiled like she’d told him he won the lottery. “I guess now would be the time to tell you I was on the rowing team in college, and my wife’s a fitness instructor.” Another smile and then he walked off.

  “So our new goal is to beat that guy at pretty much everything, right?” Wes asked.

  A competitive gleam hit Dani’s eye. “Oh yeah. He’s so going down.”

  …

  By the time Dani and Wes made it back to their very floral room, she was soaking wet and her muscles were burning. “Now that was fun.”

  The race had been close, but she and Wes had edged ahead of Bill and his wife at the last minute. Wes decided the best way to celebrate was to tackle her and send them both overboard.

  “If the ball game didn’t do it, your boss will for sure remember you now. Maybe a little more for the way your wet shirt is clinging to you than your work ethic…” His eyes ran down to her plastered-on shirt.

  She shoved him. “Thanks a lot.”

  Speaking of leaving little to the imagination, his shirt was shaped to him, reminding her exactly how fit he was. She could even see a hint of his dark tattoo through the light fabric. She wanted to run her fingers up it, across his chest, down his abs… The temperature in the room shot up and her breaths came faster and faster. Even though she knew they were in too different places in their lives to make a relationship work right now, the friends with benefits for a night or two seemed like a better and better idea.

  Of course, that was still complicated. Not only the awkwardness it might cause, but because he was in love with someone else. Lead filled her lungs. She swiped her wet hair behind her ear and twisted the ends around her finger. “By the way, did you ever talk to Sophie? About what I told you?”

  For someone who couldn’t be with him, her heart was sure hammering hard, panic rising over the possibility that he was back with her.

  “How is that ‘by the way’?”

  Was he purposely avoiding the subject? Did that mean things between him and Sophie were good or bad? “I just meant to mention it earlier but forgot. You know, due to our day starting out all shitty-like.”

  “Am I ever going to live that down?”

  “If I let it go, you’ll just get us lost on the way back.”

  “I’ll probably do that anyway,” he said with a grin.

  She stuck her tongue out at him. Really, she was glad they could joke about the fight. If they were dancing around it, she’d know it was still between them. “Okay, so back to Sophie.”

  He crossed his arms, and she tried not to notice the way it made the muscles in his chest and forearms stand out. “She and I talked, but I realized it’s just not going to work with us.”

  Excitement and hope zipped through her—she barely restrained herself from jumping up and down. Trying to be considerate, in case he was hurt about it, she clamped back the smile trying to break free and said, “Oh. Sorry.”

  “I think she actually did me a favor by dumping me. We would’ve had problems down the road, and in the end, we didn’t want the same things.” His eyes locked onto hers. “You thought I should go back to her? You wouldn’t have cared?”

  Working at nonchalance, Dani shrugged. “If it would’ve made you happy, I could’ve dealt with it. But if it’s not what you want…” She shrugged again—apparently her shoulders were all twitchy today.

  He was still staring at her, though, like he was waiting for something. She didn’t know what, so she decided to get back to the business at hand. “Before I forget, I realized today that talking about how you’re taking over a company in North Carolina might be bad, seeing as how they’re not going to want to give me a promotion if they think I’ll move.”

  “I might not be taking over.”

  “Oh, right, we still need to look at the financial aspect. We’ll do that later.”

  “Even then. It might not be what I want, either.”

  Dani didn’t know why she was surprised. Maybe her words this morning about his impulsivity had been too harsh, but obviously she wasn’t completely wrong. And if he couldn’t stick to a career doing something he loved, she was glad she hadn’t deluded herself into thinking he could stick with one girl forever.

  …

  Dani hadn’t even flinched this afternoon when he’d asked how she would feel about him getting back together with Sophie. After the mess this morning and her mentioning the guy she’d recently started dating and— Seriously? She didn’t even want to tell him she was glad he wasn’t with Sophie because it’d be easier for their friendship? Obviously he’d deluded himself into thinking there was something more between them.

  As they headed toward the tables for dinner, he put his hand on her back. He wanted to show everyone she was his, even if it was only for show. His pulse thudded in his fingertips, in every spot where he touched her. She was wearing this super sexy black skirt that showed off her legs, too, and he couldn’t stop staring at them. Staring at all of her.

  She’d said she needed to look nice for dinner to make sure she continued impressing her boss. Clearly she cared about this job, and if she was here and he was in North Carolina, there was no chance of a relationship. So now he was thinking of looking for job opportunities here, which was crazy if she was just going to be dating some dude a website hooked her up with.

  He normally jumped right in, thinking he’d figure out the rest later. But if he were thinking about changing his career—moving to Arkansas, which, okay, he really didn’t want to do—then maybe it was time for him to slow down and use his head.

  It would be easier if he could think straight.

  They settled at a table with several of her co-workers. “Oh, before I forget…” Dani leaned in and put her hand on his thigh, her breath hitting his neck.

  Definitely not helping the think-with-his-head thing. Which was probably why he turned his face to hers and softly kissed her lips. “Yeah, babe?”

  Her eyebrows twitched higher and her lips parted. Glancing down, she swiped that one strand of hair behind her ear. As usual, it simply fell forward again—he loved that she never stopped trying, though.

  “I…I forgot what I was going to say,” she added.

  The woman across from them beamed. He couldn’t remember her name, just that she was the administrative assistant. “Oh, aren’t you two sweet. I remember when my George and I were engaged. I was much younger than you, fresh out of high school. But I just knew after we went to prom that he was the one for me.” She took a sip of her water. “So how did you meet?”

  Dani licked her lips and he had to restrain himself from kissing them again. “We were both history majors in college.”

 
“So you’ve been dating since college? I thought this just happened. Weren’t you with that other fellow for a long time?”

  Gotta love people with no filter. This lady was obviously one of them.

  “Well this”—Dani gestured between herself and him—“did just happen. We’ve been friends since college, though.”

  He slid his arm over the back of her chair. “She’s been my best friend for years. It’s kind of stupid I didn’t figure it out earlier.”

  Dani glanced at him again. Her cheeks were pink and she fidgeted with her fork.

  “And when exactly did you figure it out?” the woman asked. “How did you know she was the one?”

  Dani’s eyes met his, and he stared back at her, wondering which story to tell. Fact or fiction? “It kind of snuck up on me, honestly. She was my best friend, and then one day… Well, I missed her when she was gone. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Finally I realized the girl of my dreams had been right in front of me for years.”

  He rubbed circles on her back. “She was a little hesitant at first, I think. But no one can say no to this face for long.” He grinned at the woman and she smiled right back. Well, he’d won one girl over. He returned his attention to Dani, continuing to rub her back, trying to see if he was anywhere close to making it two.

  …

  Dani was having trouble breathing. All the things Wes had said were how she’d felt after the wedding, and this was only screwing her up more. She didn’t know when they were acting and when things were real. But the way her heart knotted told her it didn’t care whether a relationship between them was logical or not.

  And that kiss. It was short, but there was still something to it. She wanted to forget her co-workers were surrounding them, wrap her arms around Wes, and kiss him with reckless abandon.

  Linda asked where they were getting married, though, and then she was telling her about the museum and answering questions about the wedding, throwing out whatever popped into her head. The other people around them chimed in, talking about their own weddings and offering her and Wes wedding and marriage advice.

  After dinner, they even got some “words of wisdom” from Mrs. Bridges. Wayne chimed in, and Dani was able to relax and have an easy conversation with him. So even though her heart was confused, the plan she and Wes had come up with was working.

  But what would the cost be when they were done? She couldn’t help but wonder if it would be worth it if she could never be in a relationship again without wishing it were Wes instead.

  By the end of the night, the basketball game and boat race and her overanalyzing every move Wes made were catching up to her. She was tired and her head was spinning, and she couldn’t wait to get away from the crowd.

  As they walked back to their room, Wes took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. Intoxicating warmth spread through her veins, and she couldn’t help but lean into him a bit.

  When they got to their cabin, she reluctantly pulled her hand free to get out her room key. Once the door was closed behind them, they stood in the entryway staring at each other, neither of them making a move farther inside.

  It was this strange, unsure ground she’d never stood on with him before. Was it her imagination or was he acting nervous, too?

  “Tonight with that whole conversation about how you knew I was the one, and the attentive fiancé bit…” She swallowed, but her heart had lodged in her throat. “You’re a better actor than I expected.”

  He put his hands on either side of her on the wall and leaned in. “Actually, I’m not that good of an actor.”

  Her pulse hammered in her ears. “So you’re saying we should practice a little more? Maybe, say, start with the kissing part?” She couldn’t believe she’d said it. Every second felt like an endless, terrifying eternity as she waited for him to blow it off as a joke or back away.

  But he moved closer, closer…until their lips met, and everything inside her unraveled. He pressed into her, their hips bumping together. Every inch from knee to shoulders connected, all fire. His hands moved to her face, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss.

  His weight on her, his tongue in her mouth, exploring hers. She welcomed the burn, the dizziness, craving more and more. Rational thoughts were trying to poke through, telling her this was a bad, bad idea.

  “I don’t think—” she started.

  “Don’t think.” He moved his mouth to her neck and sucked lightly on it.

  If he hadn’t been pinning her to the door, she would’ve fallen to the ground. He ran his hand up her thigh, then pulled it over his leg. He continued to trail kisses up her neck, across to her jaw, back to her mouth. His fingers slid under her skirt, up her hip, hooking the string of her underwear.

  She gasped, then took over the kissing, biting gently at his bottom lip. He groaned and pushed into her harder. Her heart jolted and desire flooded every inch of her. Yes, there was a whole lot of lust going on, but it was more than that. She was in love with Wes. The thought terrified her a little, but it didn’t keep it from being true. He knew her better than anyone else in the world and still accepted her. He was the guy she could spend hours and hours with and never get sick of.

  He was the one setting her body ablaze in ways she’d never experienced before.

  She slid her hands under his shirt, smiling against his lips when she felt his muscles twitch under her touch.

  “Dani,” he half whispered, half groaned. Then he yanked her to him and stroked her tongue with his until her knees were weak and she could no longer tell where she ended and he began.

  She gripped his shirt and started to pull up, wanting to see and feel more of him. All of him.

  The knock on the door made her jump. She froze, feeling like she was caught doing something she really shouldn’t do.

  But damn, did she want to.

  The knocking came again. “Dani, hun?” Linda. For all her talk about knowing what it was like to be engaged and in love, she sure needed a reminder of what people in that stage did the moment the door was closed.

  “Just ignore it,” Wes whispered.

  “Then they’ll think we’re in here having sex,” she whispered back.

  He nodded in a way she took to mean, Well, yeah.

  Dani exhaled a shaky breath, working to make her voice normal. “One second,” she called out, then tugged down her skirt and ran a hand through her hair. She glanced at Wes again, his eyes lit with passion, and everything inside her turned to mush. He was right. She should’ve ignored it. Too late now, though.

  Wes dropped his forehead onto the wall next to the door. She cracked it open, blocking him and peering out at Linda. George was by her side.

  “We noticed your other tire is flat as we were walking by your car,” Linda said. “If you need help, George can help you.”

  Wes grabbed the door and swung it open a couple more inches. “Thanks so much for letting us know. I’ll take care of it tomorrow morning, first thing.”

  “Thanks. And good night.” Dani waved at them, watching until they were two dark outlines. A moment ago, all she wanted was for them to leave so she and Wes could get back to what they were about to do. Without him running his hands over her, though, rational thought was creeping in, along with a sobering dose of reality. Yes, she was in love with him—she thought her heart might burst from how much she loved him—but this whole situation was beyond complicated.

  It was times like this she cursed herself for always having to think things through. She closed the door and put some space between her and Wes. “About what just happened.”

  He took a step toward her. “Nothing happened quite yet.” His deep voice and the promise of satisfaction behind his words sent her pulse racing again. She swallowed and took another step back. More space. She needed more space. “Wes…” She didn’t even know what to say. Here he was, her best friend, and they’d been kissing and their bodies had been… Warmth pooled low in her stomach—man, it was hard to focus right now.

  We
s held up his hands, like she was going to scare if he made too many quick movements. Maybe she was. “Okay. We’ll slow it down.”

  “It? Are we…? I mean, this can’t…” She put a hand to her forehead. “We’re going to mess it all up.”

  “Or it could be great.”

  She shook her head, and for some reason, tears were springing to her eyes. “Trust me, I’ve thought about it a lot, and it won’t work.”

  A crooked half smile hit his lips. “You’ve thought about it? For how long?”

  “Pretty much since I landed in Charlotte. But especially after the wedding, when you kissed me.” She lifted her eyes to his. “Why’d you kiss me?”

  “Same reason I did in college. I wanted to see what it was like. Maybe back then we weren’t ready. But I’m ready now, Dani.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think things through enough when I’m with you. It’s like my common sense goes out the window.”

  “Common sense is overrated, anyway.”

  She had to pull out the reason that caused her the most pain to speak aloud. “We live in different states.”

  “That’s not set in stone. You could move in with me. Or I could move here. We’d figure everything out. Let’s just talk about it.”

  Her head was already trying to shut it down, but a glimmer of hope rose up—she couldn’t help but want to figure out a way to make it work. “Fine. Talk. Which means you need to go over there.” She pointed at the chair. “I’m going to stand over here. And spare me the comments about how hard you are to resist.”

  He grinned. No comment needed.

  The textured wall was unforgiving on her hip. Good. It’d keep her mind sharp and focused. “The thing is, I know you too well. You always jump in and expect it to all work out. But this is different. I need this job promotion and you’re preparing to take over an entire company. The timing’s not right.”

  “I’m willing to look at job options here if that’s what it takes.”

  Her heart soared, and she was instantly thinking of him being in Arkansas with her. Coming home to him after a hard day at work. But her momentary happiness deflated when she thought of him trying to make do with an office job he’d hate. “I won’t let you give up a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.”