Fetching: A Frenemies to Lovers Romantic Comedy (Unleashed Romance, Book 1)

by Kylie Gilmore

  While we slice the cake together, she says, “I’ll come back with no tan lines from our tropical honeymoon in the Caribbean.”

  “That’s because you don’t tan,” I reply. “You’ll look cute in a Goofy hat.”

  That throws her off the Caribbean line of thinking.

  Now we’re slow dancing along with a lot of other couples. I’m holding her close, pressed right up against me, half hugging, half lusting for my bride. Her arms are around my neck as we move in a slow sway.

  “Are there spinning teacups there?” she asks.

  Ha! Now she’s thinking we’re going to Happy Mouse Land full of rides and water park attractions.

  “I probably should’ve asked about that,” I say. “That would be cool to see spinning teacups.”

  She grumbles something I don’t catch. I chuckle to myself.

  Harper and Garrett are dancing nearby. He’s leading in a waltz, guiding her from a distance, her belly between them. It’s the first time they’ve been out on the dance floor. She whispers something to him, and they leave. She needs frequent bathroom breaks. With them out of the way, I see something odd.

  Kayla is dancing with Sydney’s older brother Adam. Too close. I thought they were just friends. Kayla prefers nerdy academic types. He’s tall and lean with muscle and looks different now in a suit than in his usual T-shirt and jeans with a toolbelt. Handsome in the way Kayla likes, more clean-cut, though he still has the usual dark brown scruff on his jaw. Kayla was constantly pestering him while he was trying to work at my place. I told her to let the poor man do his job.

  “Are there nude beaches on the Amalfi coast?” Sydney asks.

  Kayla runs her fingers through Adam’s dark brown hair. His eyes lock on hers. What the—

  Sydney pokes me in the ribs.

  “Yeah,” I answer distractedly. “I made sure of that.”

  Kayla goes up on tiptoe to whisper something in Adam’s ear. What is she saying?

  “So we’re going to Italy?” Sydney asks.

  Adam looks alarmed. I’m alarmed. What is my baby sister doing? Propositioning him?

  “Wyatt,” Sydney prompts, “could you possibly pay attention to your bride on our wedding day?”

  I tear my gaze away and focus on her. “It’s not Italy.” I glance back at Kayla and Adam, but they’re gone.

  “I could use your help,” Sydney purrs in my ear.

  I hear the hint of seduction in her voice, and lust rushes through my body, robbing my mind of coherent thought. I grab her hand. “I know just the place.”

  She laughs as I take her back to the house for a little private time. We lock ourselves in the library.

  And then we help each other out. Exactly as promised.

  Would you like to read about Wyatt and Sydney’s honeymoon? Sign up for my newsletter for a special Bonus Epilogue! https://www.kyliegilmore.com/FGnewsletter

  Don’t miss the next book in the series, Dashing, where Adam gets an unusual request from Kayla.

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  Dashing

  Adam

  True or false? Men and women can’t be friends. I used to say true, until I met Kayla.

  Yes, she’s a goddess, but it’s completely platonic. So when she asks me to pose as her fiancé at a party, I’m all in. Especially since her sleazeball ex will be there. Can you believe this weasel dumped her at the altar? I’ve got your back, Kayla. What are friends for?

  But now I’m worried I played the part too well because we’re heading home, and she makes a confession: she’s tired of saving herself for marriage and wants me to be her first. Her first!

  I can’t go there. The woman has committed relationship written all over her, something I’m never doing again for good reason.

  Except when I tell her no, she starts considering other candidates. I can’t let her be with some random guy! I can’t cross the line either. She doesn’t know what she’s asking! She doesn’t know what she’s doing! Someone has to stop her.

  Kayla

  Only Adam will do.

  Excerpt

  Kayla reaches forward, turning down the music. “Adam, I have a problem, and I think you might be the solution.”

  My mind races and then slams into the one thing I don’t want her to say. Don’t go there.

  And then she says it. “I’m a virgin, and it’s become a burden.”

  I keep my mouth shut.

  She continues matter-of-factly, “It was a mistake to wait all these years, which is why I’d like you to help me out and take my virginity.”

  My heart thumps out a warning call: danger, danger, danger.

  She sighs. “I mean, we’re good friends. I trust you, so I know I have nothing to fear.”

  I don’t know the right thing to say here. No, obviously. But how do I explain it’s not because she’s not desirable—she’s too damn desirable—it’s because I can’t get involved with her in that way. I’m not the man she needs. She’s a marrying kind. Her brother even told me that’s what she’s looking for in a not-so-subtle warning to keep away, which is fine because I’m never going there ever again.

  “No, thank you,” I say.

  She laughs. “Well, that was polite. Can I ask why?”

  “No.”

  She slides her fingers through her hair and groans.

  “Nothing personal,” I say. “You should wait for the right guy, your future husband.”

  “That’s the whole problem! I waited too long. My mom gave me this terrible advice that sex was better with love, especially married love. Now it’s this giant pink V on my chest!” She thumps her chest for emphasis.

  I’m about to assure her that no one would guess she’s a virgin just by looking at her—I had no clue and I spend a lot of time with her—when she continues.

  “My sisters told me I was missing out. They said Mom only told us to wait so we wouldn’t end up pregnant and dropping out of school. It was different for my mom since she married at twenty. I’m such an idiot. Look at me, twenty-five, begging my friend to help me out. Ergh!”

  I hate that she’s beating herself up about it. “You’re not an idiot. And it wasn’t terrible advice.” I know the difference when love is involved. Sometimes I wish I didn’t.

  “I took Mom’s advice to heart and held on to it way too long. Pathetic.” Her voice cracks.

  I reach over and squeeze her upper arm, where she’s safely covered by her shirt sleeve. “You’re not pathetic.”

  She blinks rapidly, her lower lip quivering. Please don’t cry. “That’s why Rob proposed after two months of dating. Honestly, I didn’t think waiting was a big deal before. I’ve never felt swept away like I had to rip my clothes off and tumble into bed like you see in the movies and TV. You know what I mean?”

  I gulp. She shares way too much with me. “Yeah.”

  “But now it’s getting in the way of my social life. It’s like a conversation we need to have before things get too far. I just want it gone.”

  “I’m sure it’ll happen when the time’s right.” It sounds lame even to my ears. I need to stop talking about sex with her. My body’s involuntary lust makes it really hard to remember why I have to keep my distance. And then she’d get hurt and it would be all my fault.

  “I can’t wait any longer. I need to take things into my own hands.”

  Alarm shoots through me. She sounds serious.

  She starts muttering to herself about single guys she knows, and I get tenser and tenser. She pulls out her phone and starts tapping away. “Or maybe I’ll try one of those hookup apps I’ve heard about.”

  I grab her phone.

  “Hey!”

  “No.”

  She gasps. “Excuse me, but you passed on my request, so it’s no longer your concern.”

  “The hell it isn’t.” I shove her phone into my back pocket and focus on the road. No way she’s going to have her first time with some random guy she finds online.

  She purses her luscious pink l
ips. “I’m only doing what I feel needs to be done. I’m tired of waiting and, honestly, I’m curious what all the fuss is about.”

  Curious? More like reckless.

  “You’re fine just the way you are,” I say with a note of finality. Can we please stop talking about this?

  She’s quiet, and I can almost feel the gears cranking in her brain. She’s working up her next angle to fix the problem.

  “Kayla, you don’t have to do anything. This thing is not a problem.” I can’t bring myself to say virginity. It just feels too intimate between friends, even though she’s said it plenty.

  After a while, she says, “Oh-h-h, I get it now. I keep asking favors from you, and I haven’t offered anything in return.”

  “That’s not it,” I mutter.

  “Is there a new saw you’ve been eying? I imagine saws for you are like purses for me. Or I could take care of Tank, give him some cuddle time when you’re away on a job. Would that help?”

  “I’m not taking your damn virginity so there’s nothing you need to do!”

  She huffs. “My damn virginity. See? I told you it was a problem. You think so too, but you’re not willing to help. And I thought we were close.”

  Get your copy of Dashing!

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  Also by Kylie Gilmore

  Unleashed Romance <
  Fetching (Book 1)

  Dashing (Book 2)

  Sporting (Book 3)

  Toying (Book 4)

  Blazing (Book 5)

  Happy Endings Book Club Series <
  Hidden Hollywood (Book 1)

  Inviting Trouble (Book 2)

  So Revealing (Book 3)

  Formal Arrangement (Book 4)

  Bad Boy Done Wrong (Book 5)

  Mess With Me (Book 6)

  Resisting Fate (Book 7)

  Chance of Romance (Book 8)

  Wicked Flirt (Book 9)

  An Inconvenient Plan (Book 10)

  A Happy Endings Wedding (Book 11)

  The Clover Park Series <
  The Opposite of Wild (Book 1)

  Daisy Does It All (Book 2)

  Bad Taste in Men (Book 3)

  Kissing Santa (Book 4)

  Restless Harmony (Book 5)

  Not My Romeo (Book 6)

  Rev Me Up (Book 7)

  An Ambitious Engagement (Book 8)

  Clutch Player (Book 9)

  A Tempting Friendship (Book 10)

  Clover Park Bride: Nico and Lily’s Wedding

  A Valentine’s Day Gift (Book 11)

  Maggie Meets Her Match (Book 12)

  The Clover Park STUDS series <
  Almost Over It (Book 1)

  Almost Married (Book 2)

  Almost Fate (Book 3)

  Almost in Love (Book 4)

  Almost Romance (Book 5)

  Almost Hitched (Book 6)

  The Rourkes Series <
  Royal Catch (Book 1)

  Royal Hottie (Book 2)

  Royal Darling (Book 3)

  Royal Charmer (Book 4)

  Royal Player (Book 5)

  Royal Shark (Book 6)

  Rogue Prince (Book 7)

  Rogue Gentleman (Book 8)

  Rogue Rascal (Book 9)

  Rogue Angel (Book 10)

  Rogue Devil (Book 11)

  Rogue Beast (Book 12)

  Check out my website for the most up-to-date list of my books: kyliegilmore.com/books

  About the Author

  Kylie Gilmore is the USA Today bestselling author of the Unleashed Romance series, the Rourkes series, the Happy Endings Book Club series, the Clover Park series, and the Clover Park STUDS series. She writes humorous romance that makes you laugh, cry, and reach for a cold glass of water.

  Kylie lives in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she’s not writing, reading hot romance, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret chocolate stash.

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  For text alerts on Kylie’s new releases, text KYLIE to the number 21000. (US only)

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