Marrying his Brother: A Fake Fiance Romance

by Tia Siren

  I looked at William, watching him order our wine for the night. The man was attractive. He was very refined, which I liked. We’d had fun before. Maybe we could again once the stress was gone.

  He looked at me and noticed me staring. He smiled. “Have you made your choice then?”

  I shrugged. “I wish it was that easy. I like spending time with you, but we get to spend so little time together. I mean just you and me, not at work.”

  “You know I’m a busy man. I give you as much time as I can.”

  I smiled. “I know.”

  The waiter returned to fill our glasses.

  “I’ve given you plenty of time. I need to know, Amber.”

  “William, how do you feel about me? I told you how I felt, but you’ve never really told me what you’re thinking,” I said softly.

  “I left my fiancée for you. Isn’t that enough? I could have any woman in the world, and I have chosen you. I don’t understand how you can’t understand what that means. That alone should be enough,” he said with exasperation.

  “It does mean something. I appreciate what you did. I truly do,” I said, taking a drink from my glass.

  The man acted as if he were the King of England choosing the lowly kitchen servant. I didn’t feel I was that far beneath him. And I knew full well he could probably have any woman he wanted. I didn’t believe he could have any woman who truly respected herself.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to give him my answer right away. Our appetizers were delivered, and then in rapid succession, the rest of the courses arrived. It was a nice distraction and kept us from getting into a serious discussion.

  He paid the check, and we walked out of the restaurant. He reached for my hand and pulled me away from the crowd of people walking out of the building.

  “This isn’t over. I’ll have your answer when we get in the car,” he said.

  I nodded. I was still struggling. I had to try to remember the man he was, the man I fell in love with. That man was still there. I had to give it time for things to settle down. Then, he and I could go back to the way things had been.

  As if by some miracle, he got a phone call as soon as we climbed into the waiting car. He was busy the entire ride back to my house. I was hoping I would manage to get out of the car while he was still on the phone. It would give me the night to be sure of what I really wanted to do.

  The car came to a stop, and he ended the call. The driver opened the back door and helped me out. I was surprised when William followed me out of the car. The driver got back in the front seat and shut the door, leaving us on the dark, quiet sidewalk.

  “I need your answer, Amber,” he said in a soft voice.

  “William, I—”

  The sound of running footsteps coming toward us stopped me midsentence.

  “What the hell?” William growled.

  I turned to see what had him frowning and saw Harry running toward us.

  “Harry?” I asked.

  “What the hell is he doing here?” William hissed.

  “I don’t know.”

  Harry reached us and stood in front of us, sucking in large gulps of air.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, suddenly worried. “Has something happened?”

  William looked at me, then Harry. “Dad?” he asked with a hint of worry on his face.

  Harry shook his head. “No. They’re fine. I have to talk to you,” he said, looking at me. “Please, hear me out.”

  “This is ridiculous, Harry. Go away!” William said.

  Harry ignored him. “I forgot to tell you something yesterday.”

  “Yesterday?” William interrupted again.

  “Shut up!” Harry shouted. “I need to talk to her. I have to tell her.”

  “Tell me what, Harry?” I asked, still concerned.

  “I’ve been trying to tell you, but I’m a coward. I was too afraid to say it. But I have to tell you. I can’t let you make a decision without hearing what I have to say,” he said, still breathless.

  “You’re making a fool out of yourself, Harry. Get lost.”

  I shot William a glare and then turned to look at Harry. “What is it?”

  He took a deep breath. “I love you.”

  My eyes bulged. I stared at him and then looked at William, who looked like he was ready to tear his brother apart.

  “What?” I asked, suddenly breathless myself.

  “I love you. I was afraid to say it before. I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you yesterday.”

  I smiled. “Harry—”

  “You pathetic fool!” William cut me off. “Will you stop at nothing to try to ruin my life? You don’t love her. The only person you love is you.”

  Harry looked at him and shook his head. “That’s not true. This has nothing to do with you, William. I love her.”

  “Bullshit! You’re telling her that because you don’t want me to win. You’ve always been so jealous. You’re mad because Mom and Dad have given me the company. This is your way of trying to get back at me. Go away before you embarrass yourself anymore.”

  I couldn’t stop smiling. I probably shouldn’t have been smiling as William treated his brother like shit, but I was too happy to stop.

  William grabbed my hand and pulled me back and away from Harry. “Don’t look at him. He’s an idiot. This is all some weird sibling rivalry. Ignore him.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t.”

  “Amber, I’m tired of asking. I need an answer, and I want it now,” he said, growling. “You need to decide if you’re going to waste your life with the likes of my brother or make the smart move and choose me.”

  I was still smiling. “I already have.”

  “Excuse me? You have what?”

  “I’ve already made my decision.”

  “And?” both men asked in unison.

  I looked at Harry. “I choose you. You are the man who fills my heart and makes me happy.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” William shouted. “You’re a fucking moron. You two deserve each other. You aren’t good enough for the likes of me anyway. I was doing you a favor by even giving you the chance to be with someone like me.”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “Gee, William, thank you for the opportunity. Like you said, I deserve Harry and he deserves me. I’m not good enough for you. I don’t want to be good enough for you. I want to be perfect. You shouldn’t have to settle, William, and neither should I.”

  He was shaking his head. “I cannot believe I ever thought you were worth my time.”

  “I’m sorry, William. I didn’t do any of this on purpose. I really did think I loved you. I didn’t really know you then. Now that I have seen all your true colors, I’m glad you gave me the chance to walk away. I think we’ll both be much happier this way.”

  He looked at Harry and glared. “You’re a pathetic loser. You’ll never be anything but the second born. You’ll never be me.”

  “Good,” Harry said with a laugh. “You’re a miserable human being, William. You and Tiffany deserve each other.”

  William was still scowling. “Tiffany is the right woman for me.”

  Harry was laughing. “You sure about that? Do you know Dad asked me to marry Tiffany?”

  “He did not,” William spat.

  I raised an eyebrow. “He what? When?”

  Harry shrugged. “Last week.”

  “We’re engaged!” I protested.

  Harry laughed. “Exactly. He wanted me to end it with you and marry Tiffany.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t jump at the chance to have my scraps.” William looked at me and curled his lip. “Again.”

  I opened my mouth to tell him exactly how offensive that was but stopped when Harry stood next to me and grabbed my hand. He squeezed and gently shook his head.

  William looked at our joined hands and stomped the few feet back to the car before climbing inside. We watched as the car sped away. I turned to look at Harry. The same stupid smile still stretched across my face.<
br />
  “You really know how to keep a girl on her toes.”

  He laughed. “Sorry. I’m not good at this kind of thing. I tried like hell to tell you yesterday.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t think I was exactly forthcoming with my own feelings.”

  “No, you weren’t. Can we agree we will be from this point on?”

  “Yes. So, do you want to come in for a nightcap?” I asked, hoping he said yes.

  My body ached for the man. I was desperate to be with him. After the kiss yesterday, I was hoping he felt the same way.

  “I would like that,” he whispered.

  We walked toward my building. He dropped my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his hard body.

  “Tiffany, huh? What the hell was that about?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “Oh, man, if William knew what else my dad offered, he would be devastated.”

  “What did he offer you?” I asked, needing to know exactly what it was he had turned down.

  “Everything. The company, the bulk of the inheritance, his love and support. The whole nine yards.”

  “Wow. And you turned it down?” I asked with shock.

  “I did. Have you met Tiffany?” he joked.

  I laughed. It wasn’t exactly what I’d been hoping to hear, but he did have a point.

  “Amber?”

  “Yes?”

  “I told him I was engaged to you.”

  “I’m sure he told you to end it.”

  “He did, but I didn’t want to. I knew then you were the woman I loved. I couldn’t quite articulate the words, but I knew there was no way I could pretend to love Tiffany, not for all the money in the world. Plus, I didn’t want to do that to you.”

  That made me really laugh. “Yeah, getting thrown over for the same woman twice by two different men would definitely be an ego-buster.”

  “I would never throw you over. You’re mine. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life. I am not about to let you go.”

  I smiled and let myself bask in the warmth of his words. Everything in the universe suddenly felt right. Life was good.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Harry

  I wanted to pinch myself to make sure this was all real. Amber’s soft body was curled up next to mine. I bent my neck and buried my face in the mass of hair spread over my chest and arm. The smell of strawberries enveloped me. I was going to buy some strawberries and whip cream and eat them off her very soon. My new favorite food was strawberries.

  My right arm was numb under her body, but I didn’t care. I never wanted to move from right where I was. My other arm was draped over her body, my forearm resting on her breasts. The sound of her breaths coming soft and steady gave me comfort I had never known before. Last night had been something out of a movie. The only thing missing had been the torrential rain to make the scene complete.

  I had poured out my heart and expected to be rejected. When she chose me, I nearly collapsed on the sidewalk with relief. The moment had been surreal. I had imagined the moment several times in my head. When it actually happened, I wasn’t even sure it was real. I half expected to wake up and realize it had all been a dream. It wasn’t. She was in bed next to me. She’d chosen me.

  She had taken me to her bed and let me make love to her. It hadn’t been the hot and fast sex we were prone to. It had been soft and sweet and far more satisfying. Making love was very different than fucking. It involved the heart and soul, heightening the emotions and making the orgasms so much better. I had felt completely connected to her.

  I felt her stir and knew she was waking up.

  “Good morning,” I said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

  “Hi,” she said in a sexy, sleepy voice.

  “What time do you need to get up?” I asked.

  She lifted her head off my arm and looked at the small clock on the table. “Ten minutes ago,” she groaned.

  “Uh-oh. You better get up, sleepyhead.”

  She sat up and stretched. I ran my hand over her bare back, relishing in the feel of her silky skin under my touch.

  “If you keep touching me, I’m not going to get out of this bed,” she said, turning and looking back at me with a sexy grin.

  “That works for me,” I said, sitting up behind her, kissing her neck, and moving my hands up to fondle her breasts.

  “I have to go to work. I wouldn’t be all that surprised if I had been fired for some stupid reason. I think things are going to be tense for a while. My mom and Courtney told me to quit. I was stubborn, but now I think I may have to consider it. I don’t know if I can work with him after the way he acted,” she said.

  “Don’t let him run you off. Maybe you can work in a different part of the company, keep your job but report to someone else. I’ll admit, I don’t know all that much about what you do, but I know you’re a valuable asset they’ll want to keep.”

  She laughed. “I’m an asset.”

  “With a great ass!”

  She laughed again. “I’ll see how the next few days ago. If it’s too much, I will definitely have to find a solution. Hopefully, he’ll just ignore me. I don’t think I can work with him if he is going to be as hostile as he was last night. That was a side of him I’ve never seen before.”

  I scoffed. “That’s the William I know. He does a great job putting on a polished appearance, but he can get down and dirty when he wants to.”

  “I saw that. I know he was angry. It isn’t like he’s been left high and dry. He told me he was going to go back to Tiffany if I told him no or didn’t choose fast enough.”

  “I’m sorry. Really, I am. I never meant to disrupt your professional life. If he’s a total dick, let me know and I will say something. If I have to, I’ll tell my dad.”

  We both laughed at the ridiculous suggestion, but I was serious. I would talk to my dad and let him know William was putting the company at risk for a harassment lawsuit. That would require him to step in.

  She stood and walked to the bathroom. “I can handle him. It’s okay, and I’m glad you disrupted my professional life. My personal life wouldn’t be nearly as good if you hadn’t.”

  I got up and pulled on my underwear before picking up the rest of my scattered clothing. I heard the shower running. I had no idea if she had coffee in the house and figured I better not start snooping around her cupboards.

  She took the world’s fastest shower and walked into her tiny kitchen fifteen minutes later. She was wearing a skirt and bra.

  I smiled. “That’s a new look.”

  She laughed. “I needed to get the coffee started.”

  “I like it. I’d like it better if you lost the skirt.”

  She giggled. “I’m sure you would.”

  I watched as she popped a coffee pod in her machine. She made two cups, handing one to me. She sat down at the table, gesturing for me to join her.

  It was a little strange to be drinking coffee in my underwear with a half-dressed woman. I was usually out the door before the woman I went home with got out of bed. This was all a new world for me, and I was glad I got to explore it with her.

  “Let’s do it for real,” I heard myself say.

  She had her cup almost to her mouth. “Do what?”

  I wasn’t even sure I knew what I was saying. It was like my mouth spoke without telling my brain what was happening.

  “Get married. I mean, we can be engaged first, real engaged, but then I want to get married.”

  She was looking at me like I had two heads. “What?” she repeated.

  “I want to marry you. I want to be with you. I don’t want this to be for show. I want the real deal.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t you think that’s too fast?”

  I shrugged. “No. I know what I want. I’ll wait for you.”

  She was smiling. “Are you being serious right now?”

  I nodded. “I am. I don’t have the ring with me, but if I did, I would drop to my knee
s and put it back on your finger where it belongs.”

  “You’re crazy,” she said, still grinning.

  “Crazy about you. Crazy for letting you think you could ever be with another man. You’re mine, Amber. I need you to know I love you. I will do whatever it takes to prove that to you,” I told her, standing and pulling her to stand with me.

  “I love you,” she said, her smile gone.

  I kissed her. I kissed her so deeply, I could feel her in my heart, right down to my toes. I wanted her with me all the time.

  “We better stop there or you’re going to be very late for work,” I said, taking a step away from her.

  My hard dick jutting against my underwear was proof of my statement. I wanted to take her right there on her kitchen table. My eyes drifted to the tabletop and then back to her. It was the perfect height for me to really get deep inside her.

  “No. We can’t,” she said, seeing where my thoughts were going.

  “I better get dressed before I can’t stop myself.”

  “Me too,” she said, walking out of the kitchen.

  When she returned, she was all put together with minimal makeup and her hair in the standard pile on her head.

  “You’re gorgeous,” I said, walking toward her.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m so glad I never told my parents we broke off the engagement. They would never take me seriously if I told them it was back on,” I said with a laugh.

  “No kidding. My parents would probably have me committed.”

  “Did you tell anyone?” I asked.

  “William guessed, and I did tell Courtney, but that’s it. What about you?”

  I shook my head. “Nope. I didn’t tell anyone it was fake. I told Grayson it was off, but who even knows if he was listening. I don’t think any of my friends believed it was real in the first place, and I never confirmed or denied it with William.”

  “Well, it is going to save us a lot of embarrassment. I’m glad we waited to say anything.”

  She stepped close to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, her face resting against my chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.