Fake Engagement, Real Temptation (Passion and Protection)

by Joya Ryan

  “You are a well-traveled, well-experienced man…” she started.

  He squinted and tilted his head at her. “Uh-huh.”

  “So, um, you probably have a lot of experience in a lot of areas…”

  Those circles she was drawing on him slowed, and she bit her lip while talking. Yep, she was super nervous, and he found it super adorable.

  “It depends what kind of areas you are asking if I have experience in,” he said, giving his hips a thrust against her. “This kind of area?”

  A small gasp broke her lips and her eyes were heavy with lust. He knew that look. Loved that look on her, especially when that gaze was fixed on him.

  “Well, in all your experience,” she started, then paused again to blush. “Have you ever had sex in public?” she asked quietly.

  She was so cute, and Blake wanted to eat her up. “No, not in public with people around.”

  She bit her lip and glanced around. Was the sweet and sassy woman thinking of trying it? She slowly rocked her hips against his, and oh yeah, he didn’t miss that signal.

  “Hey!” Kevin called from several yards away. Good God, would the man never leave them alone? He was waving and slowly moving their direction. And Blake would not let him ruin this moment.

  Which gave him an idea.

  “You ready for a different kind of game, little girl?” Blake said to Carrie.

  She raised a brow. “What’s the game?”

  Blake reached under the water, between their bodies, and pulled his hard cock out of his trunks and teased it between her legs.

  Her eyes went wide.

  “The game is called Can You Not Scream From An Orgasm While I Fulfill Your Fantasy In Public?”

  Using the head of his cock, he pushed her bathing suit aside. She nodded her consent and that was all Blake needed. He entered her hot, wet channel, and bit back his own groan.

  He moved slowly, trying not to cause too many waves, and Kevin waded up and stopped a few feet away from where Blake held Carrie, secretly entering her beneath the water.

  “You want to play another game?” Kevin asked.

  “Um…” Carrie was obviously trying to concentrate on what he was saying, but Blake gave another slow glide inside of her. “Ah… I ah… No game right now. Thanks. Bye,” she said. Smart woman was trying to get rid of him, but Blake was enjoying this way too much. Being in Carrie when her douche ex had no idea while he watched her hot body be pleasured.

  “But you owe us a rematch,” Kevin pushed.

  “Games can be fun,” Blake said against her ear. Easing himself slowly out of her and feeling her body tremble as he went.

  “Mmm, yes, um…oh…” Carrie said, unable to find any further words. Blake felt a surge of pride. He loved making her feel good. He also hated Kevin, so this was a pretty sweet situation.

  “You okay?” Kevin asked.

  Carrie nodded and bit down hard on her bottom lip. She was close. Blake could feel her tensing.

  “You think more about next week?” Kevin asked her. “I want to talk about the placement of my new pieces. I’m going in a tropical direction and want them in a prime viewing spot in the gallery.”

  “You’re going to work with him?” Blake asked Carrie in disbelief.

  “Yeah, she is.”

  Blake tried not to let the low growl bubble over from his chest.

  “Carrie,” he said against her ear. Slowly pulling out of her body. “Tell me you’re not actually considering going back to work with him.”

  “I ah…maybe I can—”

  Blake thrust hard and Carrie bit back a moan. Kevin just looked perplexed. Fuck that guy. He needed to leave.

  “Carrie…” Blake said around grit teeth. He couldn’t handle the idea of her going back to that life. The one where she was setting up his finger paintings while he dumped all over her.

  “It’s my job,” she whispered.

  Kevin smiled and crossed his arms.

  Blake withdrew and fucked her harder with each thrust. It made her come. Her body trembled and her inner walls lit up around his cock, and he was going to come himself.

  “Well maybe we’ll see you for dinner,” Kevin said, and turned to walk away.

  Blake gripped her ass hard and surged in and out, not caring about the splash or wave they created. Feeling her was one of the best things he could ever recall. And the thought of her spirit dwindling by that douche made the sting in his chest throb harder.

  Her orgasm was peaking, her sex gripping him, and he was drowning in her. He came inside her, holding on to her tightly like he was instantly afraid she’d disappear.

  Around a strangled breath, he said, “We’re not done with this.” And he didn’t know if he meant their relationship or talking about her job. But either way, somewhere in his thoughts just now, Blake had pictured him and Carrie going home together. Spending time at his outfitter. Seeing each other. None of which would happen.

  So he had to stop thinking like that.

  But all he could do was hug her against him and revel in the moment that he was, at least for now, connected to her.

  …

  It was happy hour at the resort cabana and Carrie needed a drink. It had been an eventful afternoon. Between volleyball and the other “game” she’d played with Blake, Carrie felt equal parts relaxed and anxious.

  She felt Blake, to her soul, felt him.

  The fake dynamic was wearing off and getting replaced with the very real intensity and emotions she had for Blake.

  “So how long are you going to fake this?” Blake asked, snapping Carrie from her thoughts.

  She looked him in the eyes over her pineapple drink—literally, she was drinking out of a whole pineapple.

  “Well I thought we were going to fake this relationship until we left,” she answered.

  “No, I mean fake it with Kevin.”

  She frowned. Today had been a doozy. What with having sex in front of Kevin and in public. But they’d steered clear of the couple from hell since then and had spent a nice time at the happy hour cabana.

  “I don’t know what you mean. I’m not faking anything with him.”

  “Oh no?” Blake asked. “What about you going to work with him still? Sell his purple shit?”

  She grinned.

  What Kevin called the “painting of his life” was chalked up to “purple shit” in Blake’s book. But the root of his question was a serious one.

  “It’s my job,” she said honestly.

  “Working for your ex, letting him walk all over you?”

  “He’s not walking all over me,” Carrie defended.

  “He uses you for your convenience,” Blake said. “And now—”

  “Now, we’re friends”—sort of, not really—“and we’re not together, so it’s fine.”

  “I can’t save someone who keeps throwing themselves into danger,” he said.

  Carrie’s eyes shot up. “I don’t need you to save me.”

  “Clearly,” Blake said with a scoff.

  That got her blood boiling. “I’m not some weak, weepy woman that can’t handle herself. No matter what you or my brother think.”

  “Me and your brother want you safe and happy. You keep putting yourself in these situations, and it’s never going to get better.”

  “What the hell is your problem?” she asked him. Where was this coming from? “You lecture me about being strong? About putting myself in situations? What about you?”

  He frowned. “What about me?”

  “No one forced you to come here.”

  “Actually, your brother told me not to leave you alone.”

  “You’re still your own man. You want to save me? When you’re the one constantly running?”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Oh no? You forget that I may not have been your best friend growing up like my brother was, but I know enough. I know your mom’s death haunts you. I know you run from it. And I know that you put yourself in situations all the ti
me to be a hero, still to this day. So don’t lecture me on the situations I put myself in.”

  “Do you even know what you’re fighting for?” Blake asked her. “Do you love your job? Is it what you want to do with the rest of your life? Because if not, then you wonder what your happiness is worth.”

  “I’m still figuring out my worth,” she said quietly.

  He sighed and held her hand. “Look, I just want you to think about this. He’s offering to work with you after leaving you before your wedding. I think the man gets some sick joy out of seeing you weakened. Which is why he’s trying to keep you that way.”

  “I know,” she snapped. Because she did know. And yes, it was still painful. Made her feel inadequate in a lot of ways. “But it’s not like I’ll have to see Wendy, and honestly, Kevin won’t keep her around for long anyway. The mystery is shot, and he clearly can’t commit, so it’s fine. I can handle it,” she said, trying to reassure herself. She took another long swallow of her drink and stood. “We want different things,” she said, and it had never sounded more true and more brutal.

  “You’re right,” Blake agreed.

  “We both have lives to lead after this island vacation is over. Don’t lecture me on how to live mine, and I won’t lecture you on how to live yours.”

  She turned and walked toward the lush forest, taking the long, private walk back to the hotel alone.

  …

  Blake sat stunned.

  This woman had just handed him his ass, and yet he wasn’t wrong in what he’d said. Granted, maybe she wasn’t wrong, either.

  And he didn’t put himself in situations to be the hero!

  But the mom stuff hit hard. He wouldn’t get into that, because he couldn’t change it. She was the only one who ever called out the truth.

  It did still haunt him.

  No, no, this wasn’t going down like this. It was starting to feel too…

  Real.

  If Carrie didn’t get truly out of Kevin’s shadow, maybe she’d never be able to really live the fantasy that could become her own reality. Love, family, all the things she deserved but he couldn’t give her.

  Which meant Blake needed to keep doing what he was doing. Be the fake boyfriend. But if he didn’t force change, acknowledge there was more growing between him and Carrie, he ran the risk of this particular fantasy taking hold, and he could lose her for good.

  He liked Carrie. But there was no future. No nothing. They could be friends, the kind who rarely saw each other and even more rarely spoke, sure. But that was it. But he’d protect her. Always. And he was going to make that clear.

  He shouldn’t care if she chose to work with that artist asshole. That was her life. Yep, definitely didn’t care. And he’d tell her so. His job was to get her ready to claim the life she deserved, to own her choices, good or bad, so that no one could ever hurt her again like Kevin had.

  But that didn’t mean she had to jump back into situations where she was begging to be hurt. Kevin wouldn’t let her be happy. He’d crush her again. Blake would die before he saw that happen.

  He stomped in the direction she’d just went. Into the dense foliage walking the back way to the resort suite. It was little better than a jungle and nothing but the sounds of trees and birds echoed as he trailed farther after her.

  Finally he caught a flash of her red wrap skirt and darted his hand out to grab hers and spin her to face him.

  “You want to see what situation I put myself in?” he said, seeing lust and red in his vision and her lips. Because something in him snapped. Something that had to do with not wanting her to pander to that douche ex of hers, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise. It was that same something that simply wanted her for himself. Something that felt all too real.

  He was an idiot.

  And yet, he stood there, watching her chest heave on healthy breaths, her eyes wide with… Anger, rage, lust? He didn’t know. But he would settle this, once and for all.

  “Here you go, little girl. Here’s a situation.” He stepped closer, put his hand under her skirt, and gripped her inner thigh. “And I can tell you right now there’s not a damn weak thing about you.”

  “I still feel inclined to prove it,” she said, and pushed him back, making him fall on his ass. She was on top of him, straddling his waist and kissing him deep.

  “Admit it,” she said, and bit his lower lip. “You’re here because you want to be.”

  “I’m here to keep you safe.”

  She raised an eyebrow, reached between them, and gripped his hard cock.

  “And this is your weapon of choice?” she said with a grin.

  “I prefer a ‘multi-use tool’ and I’ve heard no complaints. It gets the job done.”

  She pushed her skirt up and freed his cock from his shorts.

  “I think you want me,” she said, leaning down to linger her lips over his and position him at her entrance.

  “Who wouldn’t want you?” he said softly, and touched her face.

  She stared at him for a long moment, then impaled herself on him.

  Blake’s head lolled against the ground as her hot, wet sheath rocked up and down on him. She buried him deep in her and slapped her hands to his chest for balance. Whatever Carrie needed to work out, she could use him. He’d gladly be her sounding board. Or her fucking board.

  “There’s no one watching,” Blake said between gritted teeth.

  “You’re right.” She bounced up and down, faster, harder, until Blake was devoured by her. The truth hit him hard. If no one was watching, they weren’t putting on a show, and what they were doing was just for them.

  He ran his palms up her thighs and to her ass, splaying both hands there, and felt her round ass shift with every rock of her hips.

  “You’re so good,” he said. And she was. Hell, she was the best he’d ever had. From the sting of her fingernails digging into his chest, to the tight core she was using to consume him, he laid there and loved the feeling of her writhe on him.

  An odd image flashed in his mind: Carrie. Back home. In his bed.

  Which was a bad sign. That was the kind of thing he had to keep to himself. He couldn’t let her know how he felt. Not when he couldn’t offer her a real relationship. But his heart was opening up to her anyway, and it would crush him when this ended.

  “Baby, I’m coming,” she said.

  Blake was right there with her, and he had no idea if he should be going instead.

  Chapter Ten

  Blake was on his morning run. Where was a fork when he needed it? Because there was Kevin and Wendy. He already wanted to claw his eardrums out before listening to more of their endless bullshit. You’d think they were on a damn island with the amount he had to see these two.

  Oh wait…they were.

  He sprinted harder, hoping to pass them in a blur, but when Kevin yelled his name, he realized he wasn’t a roadrunner that could just evaporate into a cloud of dust. Damn it.

  “Getting an early run in alone, huh?” Kevin said. Blake didn’t respond, but Kevin was already talking again. “Yeah, Carrie never ran much, which is why Wendy and I get along much better.” He swatted his girlfriend’s ass, and she giggled and brushed a lock of hair from her face.

  And the action almost blinded Blake because the gigantic rock on her ring finger burned his retina.

  Oh fuck.

  Apparently his reaction was clear, because Wendy held out her hand and wiggled her finger.

  “You like it?” she said. “We got engaged last night.”

  Blake closed his eyes for a moment. Despite what Carrie said and how she was playing at this competition of ex vs. ex, this would devastate her. Because she was still fresh off this breakup, and the fake relationship they were in was just that. Fake. So if she found out Kevin had already proposed to Wendy. On what should have been their honeymoon…

  “Gotta go,” Blake said.

  There was nothing else he could say. Nothing he cared to say. If he f
ailed Carrie, failed to keep her safe and protected from Kevin’s jabs of insensitivity, this whole mess would blow up in his face. Blake would never forgive himself.

  He had one job, damn it.

  He had to get to Carrie before she ran into the idiot twins. He had to make this time for her good. Somehow. And he’d start by getting her off this island and away from them, for at least a little while.

  He sprinted toward the resort, formulating a plan.

  …

  Carrie’s whole body was rumbling as if an earthquake was taking over her bed. She peeked open one eye and saw it wasn’t an earthquake, just a giant man pushing on the mattress to wake her up.

  “Ugh, take your overly exercised ass away from here,” she grumbled, and put her head under the pillow. “This is a sleepy happy zone.”

  He smacked her butt and she yipped.

  “Come on, little girl, I’m taking you out of here.”

  “What?” she asked, muffled by the pillow.

  “Got a surprise for you.”

  That perked her up, but she still had to play hard to get. Make her fake boyfriend work for it a little.

  “Uh-huh. I’ve heard that before. Is the surprise in your pants?”

  He laughed. “That surprise is for later.”

  He winked, and good lord the man was sexy. No shirt, sweaty, and happy. He was tan and rugged, and she wanted to drag him into bed with her. But he seemed adamant about getting her up.

  “You’re the one who kept me awake all last night,” she protested.

  “And I’m not sorry,” he said, those dimples making an appearance. “Now get your beautiful ass up and let’s go.”

  With another groan, she got out of bed, and Blake was like a fidgety jackrabbit hustling her along.

  “My God, what is wrong with you?”

  “Just excited to take you away,” he said.

  And even though he didn’t give her any more details, Carrie trusted him.

  “What?” Carrie screamed at Blake. Whatever he was saying to her, she couldn’t hear over the loud propellers of the helicopter.

  He kissed her on the cheek and helped her into the chopper. She’d never been in one before and had no idea what to expect. Blake buckled her in and handed her a headset to put on. The big earmuffs encased her ears, drowning out the outside noise so she could hear through the speaker set. He put on his own headset and buckled himself in. He adjusted the little mic by his mouth.