Marrying his Brother: A Fake Fiance Romance

by Tia Siren

  I stepped back and looked down at her. “For what?”

  “For being so dumb and putting you through all that. It wasn’t fair. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  I reached out and cupped her cheek. “It’s okay. I know you were in a horrible position.”

  “It wasn’t okay. I knew all along it was you I wanted. Every time William would demand an answer, it was you I saw in my head. I kept telling myself it was the sex, that I thought of you because you were the one I’d had sex with most recently.”

  I smiled. “I’m not going to lie, the fact you thought of me because I left an impression on you is kind of hot.”

  She laughed. “Stop. You know what I mean.”

  “It’s okay. Really. I knew you loved him. The first time we met, I heard you telling him how much you loved him. I knew exactly what I was getting into,” I said.

  She smiled. “I thought I loved him. I think I was caught up in the idea of being in love with him because I assumed he loved me. I was wrong. I don’t know that he is capable of love. Well, he loves himself. I’m not sure he can love someone else.”

  “You two had history. I was treading into murky waters. I just didn’t expect William to wade back in,” I joked.

  “You and me both.”

  “I’m glad you finally came to your senses and chose the right guy,” I said with a grin.

  She laughed. “It took me long enough, right?”

  “Well…” I dragged the word out.

  “I have to get going. Will I see you after work?”

  “Damn straight. You want to come to my house or should I meet you here?”

  “You want to come back here?” she asked with a strange look on her face.

  I shrugged. “If you want me to. We don’t have to.”

  She smiled. “No. Your place is fine. I’m surprised you wanted to come here at all. It’s not exactly the Ritz if you know what I mean.”

  I put my arms around her. “I don’t care. Wherever you are, I want to be.”

  “You’re too good to be true,” she said and kissed me.

  “Come to my house after work. I’ll have dinner waiting.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you tonight.”

  We walked out together. I kissed her good-bye and headed home to shower and change. The sun felt brighter and everything looked better. This was what love was. I liked it. I could see why people loved being in love. I never wanted to fall out of love. I was going to fight like crazy to keep Amber happy. I knew we were going to have a rocky road ahead of us with William trying to make our lives miserable. I was ready for him. He could do whatever he wanted. I was confident we would be able to weather whatever it was he tried to throw at us.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Amber

  My stomach was a jumble of nerves. I wasn’t sure I was up for another Martin family dinner. Harry assured me it was going to be fine. They weren’t privy to all the drama that had gone on between the three of us. William would be on his best behavior, he promised.

  No matter how much he assured me, I was still nervous as hell.

  “You look great. Relax,” Harry told me, coming out of the bedroom.

  We were at his house getting ready. I had gone shopping yesterday, looking for the perfect dress for what Harry called a laid-back family dinner. His idea of relaxed and mine were very different. My relaxed family dinners meant shoes were optional. Hell, pants and shirts with minimal stains were perfectly acceptable. I didn’t think we had the same idea about casual clothing at all.

  I had gone with a pretty flowing skirt and a short-sleeve matching sweater. It was a little warm, but it was all I could find in my price range.

  “Are you sure this is going to be okay?”

  “Yes! Stop worrying. Let’s go. I don’t want to be late. Then we’ll be forced to make a grand entrance.”

  “No! I’m ready. Let’s go!”

  I laughed behind her as she practically ran out the door. We were having drinks with both parents in the sitting room when William and Tiffany arrived.

  “Did you know about this?” I whispered to Harry.

  He shook his head. “No. I have a feeling it was last minute.”

  We watched as Tiffany apologized to the Martins and explained how they had worked everything out.

  “It was a bad case of the jitters,” William said with his charming smile.

  Harry and I smiled and nodded. His hand was on my leg as we sat next to each other on one of the small sofas.

  “I’m glad the two of you worked everything out,” Harry said in a congenial tone.

  Tiffany looked at me, and I could see the woman’s hatred for me. I wasn’t sure if William had filled her on the details of their little break. I hoped not, only because I didn’t want to risk the issue coming up later. I would hate for my dirty laundry to be aired out after someone had too much to drink.

  “Well, I’ll go let the staff know we have one more for dinner,” Harry’s mother said before flitting out of the room.

  William took a seat in one of the chairs facing us. “Don’t you two look cozy,” he sneered.

  “We are. You should consider getting cozy with your future wife. The ice queen could use a little thawing,” Harry shot back.

  I pushed my elbow into his side, warning him to back off. I didn’t want to find myself in the middle of a family squabble.

  “My lovely fiancée was gracious enough to take me back. I don’t think we need to bore her with any of the details of our sordid family trouble,” William said in a low voice.

  “I agree,” I quickly chimed in. “I think its best if we leave it all in the past.”

  Harry slapped his knee. “Well, hell, that sounds good to me.”

  Tiffany sauntered over and sat like a regal queen in the remaining armchair. “What sounds good to you?” she asked.

  “Oh, my brother here was telling us how the two of you worked everything out and the wedding is back on,” Harry said with fake enthusiasm.

  “Yes, we did. I’ve made a few phone calls, but I have hundreds more to make. With our family connections, the number of people invited is ridiculous. We had barely gotten through calling everyone to tell them it was off and now we need to turn right back around and tell them we were only kidding,” she said with a smile.

  “It will be okay, dear,” William soothed. “Anyone who matters will be there. They will understand the pressures of planning a wedding and how stressful it can be.”

  I watched the two of them interact. I almost felt bad for William. Tiffany didn’t love him. They barely looked at each other. He didn’t lean over to touch her hand or rub her leg. Harry was far more hands on. It made me feel loved and cherished. I didn’t like Tiffany, but it was sad she would never know what that was like. William didn’t love her and would never treat her like that.

  “We can go in to dinner,” Mrs. Martin announced from the doorway.

  Harry helped me up, and as was his way, he placed his hand on the small of my back. We let Tiffany and William go ahead of us. They kept their distance from one another. They each held their chins high like the proud couple they were, but they never once looked at each other.

  “It’s sad,” I whispered to Harry as we trailed behind.

  “It’s their choice,” he replied, knowing exactly what I was talking about.

  “Are they allowed to divorce if they’re completely miserable?”

  “Yep. It’s almost a guarantee they will. They’ll make new connections as a married couple. They’ll meet new people. Eventually, they’ll realize it’s time to branch out and expand the social circle, and they’ll each remarry. It’s how things are done in our world.”

  “Won’t that be awkward when they run into each other at functions and stuff?” I asked.

  He laughed. “For normal people, I’m sure it would be. I think they are going into this marriage with the understanding they’ll divorce down the road. I doubt there will be any hard feelings. It’s just
the way they are.”

  “I’m so glad you are the family outcast. I can’t imagine you ever living like that.”

  “Me either. Don’t think you’re going to be divorcing me anytime soon. You’re mine, and it’s going to stay that way.”

  I laughed a little too loudly. Everyone turned to look at us. “Sorry,” I apologized and felt my cheeks burning.

  We took our seats and managed to get through the rest of the dinner without me doing or saying anything too embarrassing. Tiffany did her best to talk to me, but I knew she didn’t want to. I was too far beneath her for her to waste her time on. She asked about the ring, and I happily showed it off. She pretended to be impressed. I had a feeling she was going to hound William to buy her a bigger and better one. Mine was too close in size to hers. It would never do for a peasant to have a diamond bigger than the queen’s.

  “Everything okay?” Harry asked, leaning over to whisper in my ear.

  I nodded. “It’s fine.”

  “Is she being polite?”

  I smiled. “Yes, but I think William will be buying her a new ring. Mine is a little too impressive I think.”

  Harry laughed. “I’ll buy you a bigger one.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t you dare. This one is absolutely perfect.”

  “I know.”

  When it was time for us to leave, I felt much better about our future. Tiffany was always going to be Tiffany. We were never going to be best friends, but we would both have to accept we were going to be sisters, even if it was only by marriage. I could get through the occasional evenings I would have to spend with her as part of the family.

  I could do just about anything with my future husband by my side. He gave me strength and was always there to remind me I was as good as the rest of them. He was very protective of me, which I hadn’t even known I liked until he had shown me what it felt like to be cherished. The man spoiled me.

  We were walking to his car when he stopped and pulled me against him.

  “Move in with me,” he blurted out.

  “Harry!”

  “I’m serious. We’re going to get married. Why can’t we live together? This is the twenty-first century. We’ve spent every night together this week. I don’t want to ever sleep alone,” he said, his lips coming down on mine to give me a quiet, pleading kiss.

  “Or you could move in with me,” I said, testing his response.

  “Okay. Whatever works,” he said and kissed me again.

  I burst into laughter. “Yeah, right! Like you would want to move into my tiny little apartment.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t care where I live as long as you’re there. I don’t need much space.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay what?” he asked.

  “I’ll move in with you.”

  He grabbed my hand, and we walked toward his car. “I thought I was moving in with you.”

  “I was testing you. I want to live in your much bigger place. I have a lot of clothes. I can’t afford to give up any closet space, and I have seen how many clothes you have. We’re both clothing hoarders. We can’t live in my apartment unless we have a big yard sale or donate half our wardrobes,” I told him.

  He slapped a hand over his chest. “I can’t do that! My place it is!”

  On the drive home, he had another idea. “We should buy a house. That will be our wedding gift to ourselves.”

  “We have to buy ourselves a wedding gift?”

  “You know what I mean. I want a house, a real house with a big garden. I’m going to start house hunting,” he said, nodding his head as if his mind were made up.

  “How big of a house are you talking?” I asked, a little worried about living in a mansion like his parents had.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. A few bedrooms in a nice neighborhood with a huge backyard. The kids will need somewhere to play.”

  My mouth dropped. “Kids?”

  “Well, yeah. You want kids, don’t you? If not, no worries. I guess I can have a few dogs.”

  “No. I mean yes. I mean yes, I want kids. I think we have a lot to talk about before we get married,” I said, laughing.

  “Yes, we do, and we have time to work out all the kinks,” he vowed.

  When we got back to his place, we stripped out of our dinner clothes. I loved how easy it was to be around him, even when I was only wearing underwear. The man had worshipped my body so many times in so many different ways, I couldn’t possibly be embarrassed anymore. He knew my body better than I did at this point.

  “I love you,” I said, curled up next to him on the couch.

  “I love you.”

  We sat, content with one another’s company, and watched some stupid reality show about bad tattoos. We both agreed to never tattoo each other’s names on our bodies. It seemed like a death knell for most relationships.

  “My mom is going to be hounding you to pin down a date for our wedding,” he said as we headed off to bed. “She cornered me tonight. I told her I wasn’t sure what you had in mind.”

  I shrugged. “I think a year is sufficient. Don’t you?”

  “Works for me. Plenty of time to let the fanfare of William’s wedding die down and plenty of time to figure out what kind of dog we’re going to have as well as how many kids,” he said.

  “Good. Then it’s settled. This time next year I will be Mrs. Harry Martin,” I said with a smile, envisioning my future with the man who had come out of nowhere and claimed my heart.

  We both laughed and climbed into bed. After a session of sex in which Harry outdid himself yet again, I fell asleep dreaming about weddings and flowers.

  Epilogue

  Harry

  One Year Later

  I had thought I was going to be a nervous wreck. Grayson was on standby with a bottle of Jack Daniels to calm my nerves should it come to that. I didn’t need it. I was more excited than nervous. We had been planning the day for what felt like forever, and now it was finally here. I heard the organ music change and knew it was time.

  Grayson put a hand on my shoulder. “There’s still time to run,” he whispered.

  I laughed and shook my head. “When you see my bride, you’ll know why I have no inclination to run.”

  I was staring down the long aisle of the church, waiting to catch a glimpse of her. Despite living together, she had made it very clear I was not to know what her dress looked like. My mother had developed a fondness for Amber and had helped hide every detail of the gown from me.

  “Oh shit,” I breathed out when I saw her walk through the church doors.

  Grayson let out a long, low whistle. “Damn. How in the hell did you ever convince that woman to marry your ugly ass?”

  I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. She took my breath away. The white gown was modern and sleek and elegant. It draped over her curves, highlighting them without looking trashy. It was a simple dress. Simply gorgeous, just like my bride.

  When she reached the point where I was standing and her father handed her off to me, I felt such an overwhelming sense of pride and love, it nearly knocked me on my ass. I couldn’t believe the woman standing next to me had agreed to be my wife.

  Everything was perfect. Our mothers had planned every little detail. I was going to have to thank them. I barely remembered the preacher pronouncing us husband and wife. It was all a blur.

  As we walked out of the church together, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me.

  “We’re married,” she said with a huge smile.

  I nodded. “We are. Can we skip the reception and go straight to the honeymoon? I want to get you out of that dress.”

  She smiled. “We have to make an appearance. My mom said she would kill me if we left without getting through the cake cutting.”

  “Fine. I’ll stay for that, but as soon as we get that knife through the cake, we’re out of there.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Thankfully, the time at the reception flew by. There were so many peo
ple I had to shake hands with and then all the traditional stuff that it was late by the time we finally made our way to our honeymoon suite.

  “Go ahead and have a seat right there,” she said, gesturing at a chair. “I have a surprise for you.”

  I nodded. “I can’t wait.”

  She disappeared into the bathroom and was gone for a good ten minutes. I spent the time lighting the candles all around the room before pouring us each a glass of champagne. I heard the bathroom door open and spun around to see her emerge in the sexiest, naughtiest bit of lingerie I had ever seen.

  “Fuck me,” I breathed out.

  She laughed. “I was hoping you would fuck me.”

  I chuckled low in my throat. “Oh, I’m going to fuck you every which way, wife.”

  “I hope so. I’m dying to have you inside me. Your idea to withhold sex for the past month was not cool.”

  I slowly walked toward her. “But it’s going to make this night so good.”

  I reached for her and slowly spun her around, wanting to get a full visual of the outfit she had on. The white lace covered very little. My favorite part was the thigh-high stockings she was wearing.

  “You’re beautiful,” I whispered from behind her.

  “Don’t make me wait. I’m aching with need.” Her voice was raspy.

  I reached my hand between her legs and was pleasantly surprised to find the lingerie was crotchless. I pushed a finger inside her swollen folds and wasn’t surprised to find her wet and ready.

  “You’re wet, baby.”

  “I’ve been wet all day. Seeing you in that tux…” She stopped talking and shuddered.

  I knew exactly what she meant. Seeing her in that gown had made me excited as well. I slid my finger in and out, circling her clit before pushing back in. I gently used my other hand to push her toward the bed, my fingers still working inside her.

  “Oh, Harry,” she moaned a few feet from the bed.

  I felt her body begin to spasm and knew she was ready to come. I pushed her hard, shoving her face-first onto the bed, and pushed two fingers deep inside her sheath.

  She cried out as the first orgasm of the night coursed through her body. I was only getting started. I rolled her onto her back and looked down at her.