Fake Love

by Jillian Dodd

  The club is packed. And with Blake’s big mouth, and he and Trent’s love for fighting—mixed with alcohol-fueled testosterone and guys wanting to prove themselves—the night probably won’t end well.

  Billy, whose presence only adds to the volatility of the situation, says to me, “Gotta get that boy a lap dance. Maybe send him back to the private room, if ya know what I mean. I’m gonna go grab my friends. We can all celebrate together. We’ll keep the groom busy with the ladies, so we can talk about why you need to represent the great Billy Summers.”

  I look around.

  The drinks are flowing.

  Everyone seems to be having fun.

  Everyone, except for AJ, who is sipping water and trying to avoid getting another lap dance, and Trent, who is sitting on one of the velvet couches, running a hand across his forehead.

  I go over and hand him a bottle of water. “You don’t look so good. Maybe I should call you a car, take you home.”

  “Nah, I’m fine,” he says, but the way he’s grimacing tells another story.

  “Are you sure? You’re sweating. Are you feeling sick?”

  “Yeah, maybe. Probably something I ate. But I’m supposed to be here for AJ.” He jerks his chin in the groom’s direction.

  “He’s doing okay. And I’ll keep an eye on him.” I take a seat next to Trent and pat his shoulder. “You can sit this out. He needs you to be there for him on Saturday after all.”

  Trent gives me a glance that’s anything but friendly. “So, that’s how it is, huh? You step in and act like you own the place. Just like how you tried to shove money at me earlier. Now, a friend of yours happens to be here, and he’s buying drinks. You’re Mr. Good Time, aren’t you?”

  Only the fact that I promised Vale I would be nice to him keeps me from chewing him out. “I’m sorry if that’s how you took my wanting to chip in, pull my weight. And I thought we were all here to have a good time.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re pretty good at being where you don’t belong. Like with Vale.”

  And I can’t help it. Vale is not his. Not that she’s technically mine either, but at least I’ve slept with her. Many times. So, screw him and his unrequited love. Forget about Mr. Good Time. I’m done being Mr. Nice Guy. Trent needs to be put in his place.

  “It’s my understanding that you and Vale have not spoken even once since she left town. She’s my fiancée, and what you are insinuating and the way you look at her is wildly inappropriate. It needs to stop.”

  Trent presses a hand to his side, and I’m getting concerned about the guy. When he winces enough to bare his clenched teeth, I wave AJ over.

  “I guess you figured out the secret,” Trent grunts out.

  “What secret?”

  “To getting Vale to agree to marry you. She said no when I asked her.”

  The room goes silent around me, or maybe it’s all in my head. “You asked her to marry you?”

  “The night before she left town, yeah. I was hoping it would be enough to get her to stay. It wasn’t.” He leans back against the sofa, closing his eyes. “Oh hell, I’m in bad shape.”

  “I’m calling an ambulance,” I tell AJ, who sits down next to Trent.

  “Dude, you don’t look so good,” AJ says, who, along with Seth, helps us get him outside for some fresh air.

  “He shouldn’t have come,” I tell AJ as red flashing lights approach the club. “He wasn’t feeling well earlier.”

  The paramedic assesses Trent and announces they are taking him to the hospital.

  “Should I go with him?” AJ asks.

  “No, you stay here and enjoy your party. I’ll go with him,” Seth offers.

  Once everyone in the group hears about Trent, the party seems to lose steam, and thankfully, before long, we’re back in the limo, heading home.

  I’m pissed Vale didn’t tell me that Trent had proposed. And I hate that she acted naive about why he’d been hanging around for years.

  I also can’t help but feel a little bad for Trent.

  We’ll finish this later.

  Vale

  “Ohmigawd, this was the best night ever!” Lakelyn throws back her head and howls at the moon on our way to the limo. I mean, she literally howls at the moon.

  Her tiara is askew, but she looks happy and tipsy and is having a ball.

  “Careful. We don’t want you twisting an ankle before your wedding,” I say, trying to make sure she gets safely to the limo. I’m a little tipsy myself, but at least I’m not wearing five-inch stilettos like she is. Nights like these, I prefer a platform wedge, as they are easier to walk in.

  She skips the entire way to the limo, ignoring my warnings and giggling. “Tonight was so much fun. All the bars. The scavenger hunt. And this last club was the best! It’s exactly what I wanted. Letting loose and dancing with my girls!”

  That causes all the girls to chant and cheer with her.

  “You’re the best!” she says, wrapping an arm around me. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Once everyone gets loaded into the limo, she turns to me and says, “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too.”

  “No. I mean, I really love you.” She takes my hands and stares into my eyes. “Seriously. I’m not just saying this because I’m drunk. I love you. Having you here has meant the world to me, and we’re not even at the wedding yet.”

  “I’m so happy to be here for you.”

  “And tonight was super perfect.”

  “You’re buzzed off the drinks, the music, and the guys. They were flocking to you!”

  “It was fun, but there was only one man I was thinking about tonight. I miss AJ.”

  The girls in the limo make a collective sigh, and Lakelyn says, “You know what would finish the night off perfectly?”

  “Stopping at a drive-through for some burgers and fries?” I ask her. “It’s our next stop.”

  “You think of everything!”

  Twenty minutes later, we’re all chowing down on burgers, fries, and milkshakes.

  “Good thinking, Vale,” Raine says with a mouthful of food. “We needed something to soak up all that pink shit we were drinking. What was that?”

  “I don’t know, but it was good,” Lakelyn says with a laugh. “And it was pink, so it totally fit.”

  “That’s because of me,” Brooke says. “One of my challenges was to get the bartender to create a special drink for the bride.”

  “It was very yummy,” Raine says. “And very, very strong.”

  “I wonder how the guys are doing,” Brooke says as she dips a fry into her chocolate shake.

  “Ew. How can you eat that?” Lakelyn asks.

  “You’ve never dipped a fry?”

  “No! That’s gross!”

  “I’m with Brooke on this.” I shrug. So does Raine. “You should try it.”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Have you ever had a chocolate-covered potato chip?”

  “Yeah, but the chocolate isn’t icy cold at the time.”

  I roll my eyes while dipping a fry. “Try it,” I insist as I hold it out to her. “I can’t believe we never taught you this, growing up.”

  She takes it, looks at it like it might bite, and then shoves it into her mouth all at once.

  “You’d think I’d asked her to eat a bug,” I mutter, which causes all the college girls to snicker.

  They are already dipping fries and loving it.

  “Ohmigawd, how did I not know about this?” Lakelyn pulls the lid off her shake and dunks a handful of fries in at once. “This is revolutionary. We could market this, you guys.”

  “We clearly failed as big sisters.” Raine laughs.

  Brooke holds up a hand. “Well, I know the guys aren’t having this much fun, no matter what Blake had planned.”

  “He’s trouble,” Lakelyn mumbles. At least, that’s what I think she said with all those fries in there.

  “His heart’s in the right place,” I insist.

 
; “You’ve always had a soft spot for him, just like Mom and Dad.” Raine snorts.

  “I wouldn’t go that far. At least I can admit he gets himself into lots more trouble than they’ve ever been aware of. I don’t know how he does it.”

  “If he ever decides on a life of crime, he’s gonna be very good at it.” Lakelyn goes for more fries, dunking them into her shake. She might be a little tipsier than I thought.

  I tried to drink the perfect amount tonight. Just wanted a little buzz. But then I downed a couple of good-bye shots as we were leaving the club, and I should have known better than that. I really don’t drink all that much. Usually just sip on champagne when I’m at a party or an event. I honestly don’t remember the last time I did shots.

  Shit. Actually, I do. It was a night filled with Carter, Mexican food, tequila shooters, and more Carter. We were both a little drunk, and let’s just say, I am very glad I didn’t drink so much that I don’t remember everything.

  In fact, it’s making me feel horny, just thinking about it.

  Between that and the kiss session on the front porch, he’s most definitely on my mind.

  We get dropped off at the house, and as I climb the stairs, I remember that I’m sharing a room with Carter. And if I have anything to say about it, we’ll be sharing my bed too.

  It doesn’t matter that we aren’t together. We used to have sex with no strings all the time. No commitments. There’s no reason we can’t do that tonight.

  Only he isn’t in the room when I get here. The bed is still made. His cologne has faded to almost nothing.

  I poke my head into the hallway. “The boys aren’t back yet?”

  Lakelyn snickers, giggling her way toward me. “Guess not. Maybe they stopped off for burgers too. Ooh, do you think AJ would bring me more fries?” She pats her stomach. “Oh, what am I thinking? I can’t eat like that and fit into my dress.” She gives me another hug and says, “I need sleep now.”

  While I’m waiting for Carter to get home, I change into the tank top and boy shorts I brought as pajamas. Not the sexiest thing I own, but when I packed, seducing him was the last thing on my mind. I was feeling so nervous about coming back home that the thought never crossed my mind.

  But those thoughts came rushing back the second I stepped in Carter’s house and went into his room, into his closet.

  I fall back on the bed, thinking about how we met. I was at a Super Bowl pre-party, surrounded by pretty people—professional athletes, sportscasters, celebrities. We were pitted against each other in a video game contest. Had a blast. I’m still not sure if he let me win. Either way, we had chemistry. I invited him back to my hotel room. It was hot. We had more than sparks, yet we started out as friends. We were good together. It’s a fun thing—when you like someone’s company as much as you like sex with them.

  I sprawl myself across the bed in what I know is both a sexy and very flattering pose.

  The door opens, and Carter comes in with a sigh. “What a night,” he groans, running his hands through his hair.

  But he stops for a beat and takes a long look at me.

  I’m ready for him to pounce as I purr, “Same here. Did you guys have fun?”

  “Some of us did, yeah.” He takes his shoes off, starting to undress, and it gets me even more hot and bothered.

  “So did we. And I was just lying here, thinking back to all the fun we used to have. Nights tangled up in your sheets.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “So, you were grinding on guys at the club and thinking of me?” he asks, looking over his shoulder at me.

  “I suppose I was.” I slide one bare leg against the other. I know my boobs are spilling out of my tank.

  And I know he won’t be able to resist. He’s going to leap onto this bed and do exactly what I’ve been dreaming about.

  Instead, he sighs, turning his back to me, and unbuttons his shirt. “If it’s any consolation, none of the strippers were as pretty as you.”

  Oh, this is promising.

  “So, you were thinking along those lines too?”

  “I couldn’t help it either.”

  My breath hitches when I get a look at his broad, muscled back. Those shoulders. Those arms. How many nights did I hold on to them tightly as we …

  But then he turns to me, unbuttoning his jeans. “I had a lot of other things on my mind though too.”

  Oh jeez, does he want to talk? I don’t want to talk.

  I just want to borrow that thing I know is hiding under his boxers. Maybe I should just spread my legs apart and not say a word. Give him an open invitation.

  This thought causes me to giggle to myself. Okay, so I might be slightly more than tipsy.

  He keeps going. “AJ had fun but stayed out of trouble.” He takes off his pants, leaving him in nothing but tight boxer briefs.

  I’m practically panting by the time he gets into bed.

  I snuggle up to him and glide a finger across his bicep, up to his shoulder, and then over his chest. “I’ve missed this. Being with you like this.”

  “Have you?”

  “I’ve spent half the night thinking about us. And I wondered when you were going to do what you said out on the porch. You know, we’ll finish this later.”

  He covers my hand with his, bringing it to a stop before I can trail it down his abdomen.

  “You know what I spent half the night thinking about?”

  “What?” I purr, straining upward, hoping for a kiss.

  “The fact that you never told me Trent proposed the night before you left town.”

  Past that point.

  Carter

  I can tell she is tipsy and horny. If I were a smart man, I would go for it.

  But I didn’t sign up for all this shit, and I’m pissed.

  She bolts upright. “What?”

  “You heard me. He proposed. You ran off. And you have the audacity to act like you don’t know why he’s been waiting for you all these years, hoping you’ll change your mind. Did you even bother turning him down, or did you leave him hanging on purpose, so you’d have a fallback plan?”

  “How dare you,” she says.

  “How dare I bring up something you should’ve told me before you dragged me into this situation? No wonder it’s been so awkward around him. He wasn’t just your boyfriend. He wanted to marry you.”

  Her mouth opens and then snaps shut.

  “So, I’m sorry if I didn’t fall in line with this seduction scene or whatever you had in mind, but I’m not in the mood to get the runaround all over again. At least I know I’m not the only man in your life who did. Maybe good old BTO and I should start a club.”

  “Screw you.” She turns her back on me, flopping back down on the bed.

  “I’d say we’re past that point.” I stare down at her hair and try to tell myself to keep it in my pants. Even though I care about what Trent told me, my dick couldn’t care less. “Oh, and by the way, I did what you asked and was nice to Trent tonight. Got to know him better. Even called an ambulance for him when he needed it.”

  “An ambulance?!” she says, turning back to face me. “Carter! Did you hurt him?”

  I roll my eyes at her. “I just told you, I was nice to him.”

  “Then, why did he need an ambulance, and why are you just now telling me?”

  “Sorry, I was too busy dealing with your boobs staring at me.”

  She lets out a sigh. “Carter, what happened? Did he get in a fight?”

  “No. He wasn’t feeling well earlier, said it was something he ate, but he was sweating and had abdominal pain. I called an ambulance, and Seth went with him to the hospital.”

  “Oh, poor Trent. I guess that put a damper on the night, huh?”

  “Your brother did his best to keep the party going.”

  “I hope he’s okay by the wedding.”

  “Wouldn’t want to miss the chance to walk down the aisle next to him, huh?” I blurt out, feeling hurt
.

  Her face crumples. “I don’t even want to be here,” she says, getting emotional and rolling away from me.

  But it doesn’t seem to bother her for too long because she’s asleep quickly while I lie next to her, staring at the ceiling and thinking.

  Since New Year’s Eve, I’ve wanted to call her and yell at her. Tell her what I saw. What I had planned. I want her to know what she lost that night. But then I picture that guy’s hands on her ass and know I did the right thing.

  Especially after tonight. Did she really think all it would take was draping herself over the bed, showing plenty of skin, and I’d fall right back into the same pattern as before? The pattern where I was basically her booty call?

  Even worse is the fact that I haven’t slept with anyone since her.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Saved his life.

  Vale

  “You have got to be kidding me.” I pry one eye open and immediately slam it shut.

  The sun’s up, shining brightly through the window.

  Why didn’t I pull the shades last night?

  Probably because I was more worried about getting laid.

  Carter, however, seems pretty chipper. “Nothing like the sunrise to wake you.”

  “Morning comes early on the farm,” I mumble before pulling the pillow over my head. “Even the morning after a big party.”

  “Good luck sleeping in,” he says with a laugh.

  I feel the bed move and know he’s gotten up. Moments later, I hear the shower turn on in the bathroom. And he’s right. There are already sounds coming from the kitchen downstairs. Mom has probably been up, cooking for a while.