Faking It

by Christine d'Abo

  It took a moment of coordinated effort, but they were able to deftly strip Max bare. Only then did Grady remove the remainder of his clothing and climb back on top of Max. Cocks pressed together, Grady kissed Max long and deep.

  Grady didn’t want this to simply be about sex. This was a thank-you, a gift, a memory he’d cherish. He wanted Max to know that this game of theirs had changed, grown into something more. Grady—somehow, someway—was starting to have feelings for Max. Not simple affection, or attraction.

  God, he was fairly certain he was falling in love with him.

  Was that even possible? To love a man after knowing him for such a short time?

  Did it matter?

  Max wrapped his arms around Grady and rolled them over so Max was now pressed to the mattress. “You’re wandering.”

  Grady cupped his face. “Just thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “You.”

  The kiss this time had more of an edge, desperation and hope waging a war inside Grady. No one had cared for him the way Max had. Grady let his hands wander as he ground their cocks together. The contact was powerful, pushing away any remaining thoughts he had beyond need and now.

  The condom package brushed against his hand on the bed, a reminder of exactly where he wanted this to go. Grady began to place kisses against Max’s neck, across his shoulders, and down his body. The press of Max’s shaft sliding between them was a bonus tease, pulling more than a few moans and squirms from him.

  With continuous glances at Max, Grady slid lower so his face hovered above Max’s groin. Instead of sucking the head into his mouth, Grady only gave him a little teasing flick of his tongue as he went lower.

  “What are you doing?” Max barely managed to get the words out in between gasps.

  “Exploring.” Then Grady sucked Max’s balls into his mouth.

  There was something amazing having a man like Max come apart around him. That Grady was able to do this, not with money or influence, but a simple touch. This was true power, and he wanted as much of it as he could get.

  Lowering his face, he placed a kiss on the inside of each thigh as he scooped up the bottle of lube. “I’m going to open you up.”

  At the sound of the lid snapping open, Max shuddered. “It’s been a while for me.”

  Grady’s cock throbbed, trapped between his body and the mattress. “Me too.”

  The lube was cool on his fingers, and he knew it would be equally so against Max’s heated skin. Still, better to get to work. With a single, slow motion, he pushed his finger deep inside Max. The groan he got in response was more than enough encouragement to keep going. Before he knew it, Grady had worked two fingers into Max and had stretched him open.

  “I’m going to put the condom on. Okay?”

  Max’s eyes were glazed, and he nodded as he flashed him a dopey smile.

  God, his hands were shaking so badly the condom slipped twice before he was able to get it on. They continued to shake as he adjusted Max’s large body so he could line up to that heavenly place he wanted to be.

  Only then did he let his gaze fall to Max’s. “Ready?”

  A nod of consent.

  A push forward.

  A cringe. Muscles adjusting. Relaxing.

  Another push. Mutual sighs.

  Grady had been both the giver and recipient of sex from several partners over the years, but this was the only time he really connected deeper than at a physical level with his lover. Max reached up and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer. Grady sighed, feeling as though he’d come home.

  They moved together, perfect timing that brought Grady’s orgasm close to the edge. His skin tingled, and each touch of Max’s body against him was ground zero for every burst of pleasure. Max kissed the side of his neck, scraped his stubbled jaw and cheeks across his, moaned pleasure into his ear.

  “Grady.” He flexed his arms around him. “I think . . . I might . . .” Max’s body tensed and whatever he was going to say was lost on the wave of his orgasm.

  Grady couldn’t think or focus on anything beyond the wetness between them, and the intensity of Max’s body squeezing around his cock. A stronger man than he was wouldn’t be able to resist, and so Grady didn’t even try. Squeezing his eyes shut, he let the rush of his orgasm slam into him. He moaned long and low against the side of Max’s neck, unable to stop his body from moving. With a final thrust, the current of electricity that coursed through him tapered out, leaving him a motionless heap.

  He was aware of Max sliding him from his body and rolling beside him on the bed. They were both sticky, come coating their stomachs and lube on various parts of both of them. Grady curled beside Max and listened to his heart beat.

  “Tonight, I’m going to tell Father to back off, to leave you and your businesses alone. Tomorrow,” Grady cleared his throat when his voice came out shaky. “Tomorrow we’ll tell him that you’re going to be sitting with the family at the wedding. That there will be no public breakup or fight. There’s no reason for him to treat you like crap, especially considering as far as he knows we’re engaged. You and I are a couple until either you or I decide to end things.”

  Max tensed for a moment before shifting slightly. “You don’t need to do that.”

  “Yes, I do.” It was weird, but the longer they were playing this little engagement charade, the more Grady was growing comfortable with the idea. Not just of one day settling down and getting married himself, but with the possibility of it happening with Max. “Do you believe two people can fall in love at first sight?”

  Max sighed, reached up and began to play with Grady’s hair. “I do. I’ve seen it happen.”

  “With who?”

  “You met one of them. Zack and Nolan. Zack said he knew Nolan was someone special the moment he laid eyes on him. And considering they were in a public washroom, that’s saying something.”

  “I bet that’s quite a story.”

  “It was. But I have another friend, Eli. He also believed in love at first sight.”

  “What happened?”

  “He and his partner broke one another’s hearts. Eli left town about a year ago to hit the MMA circuit, partially because he’d gotten an awesome opportunity, but mostly to get over Devan.”

  Wait, what? “Not Eli McGovern?”

  “Yeah.”

  Grady hit Max’s arm. “Your friend is the Eli McGovern, Canada’s next George St. Pierre?”

  Max chuckled, laid back and closed his eyes. “It’s just Eli. Zack used to kick his ass all the time when we were teens.”

  God, there was still so much Grady didn’t know about him. “Wow.”

  “I’d think you’d have met enough celebrities over the years that me knowing someone famous wouldn’t be that big of a deal.”

  “Most people I meet are usually after something. Mostly for me to put in a good word with my father.”

  The ease that they’d fallen into slipped away. Max tensed again before he rolled off the bed. “I’m going to get us something to clean up with.”

  “Okay.” Grady knew Max was upset, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. “I think we should crawl in bed and get some sleep for a bit. We could both use the rest.”

  Max hesitated, his hand on the bathroom doorframe. “Sure. Rest would be good.”

  That was probably all it was. Max was tired from having spent several hours in a holding cell. That would be enough to throw anyone off. Grady would have to make sure that the rest of the day would be perfect. He could do that for Max.

  Nothing else would go wrong.

  Wedding in T minus six days . . .

  Max had felt ill from the moment they’d gotten up and dressed. They’d spent most of yesterday in bed, even going so far as to ask the staff to bring them a tray of food. Grady had been content to remain cocooned away from the world. Max apparently was too much of a coward to argue. They’d talked, made love, and dozed in bed while watching television. If anyone ever
asked Max again what his perfect day would look like, he’d always come back to his lazy day with Grady.

  Too bad the rest of the world wouldn’t wait forever.

  Justin hadn’t told him not to tell Grady the truth, not to inform him of the ultimatum. Max knew he wouldn’t have been able to keep it from Grady even if Justin had. Grady had been so sweet, so ready to take on his family and make everything right, that it turned Max’s stomach knowing what his father had wanted to do to him.

  Currently, Max sitting two rows behind the wedding party and a group of wedding planners, watching chaos unfold. Flower arrangements were being paraded in front of Serena and Lincoln. Serena, her little wedding planning book on her lap, was directing the florist where she wanted the baskets of greenery to be positioned. Not that Max knew much about weddings, but apparently, prewedding flowers were just as important as the actual wedding flowers.

  He didn’t want to ask if there was such a thing as postwedding flowers.

  No one had said much of anything to him since he’d shown up. The staff had clearly heard about the incident at the party; more than a few of them gave Max a smile and a thumbs-up. Kevin must not be a popular member of the family.

  Mr. Barnes was in his office. Max had caught sight of him as they’d passed by on their way to meet Lincoln and Serena. Their eyes had met briefly, and if the glare was anything to go by, he was less than pleased Max was still in his home.

  Justin had shown up shortly afterward, and he was now hovering off to the side. His attention seemed to be split between Max, Grady, and the door. God only knew what was going on in that man’s head. Probably had a goon squad waiting outside in case Max didn’t do as he was told.

  For his part, Grady was playing the role of annoying younger brother to a T. Currently, he was sitting on a table tossing the remains of flowers that had fallen off as they were brought in for inspection directly at his future sister-in-law.

  “You’re an asshole.” Serena threw the most recent bud that had hit the side of her head back at Grady. “Don’t you have something else to do?”

  “Not a thing. I was told I had to be here, and for once I’m listening. You should all be thrilled!”

  “It’s not too late to kick your ass out of the wedding party.” Lincoln plucked a flower petal from Serena’s hair. “I’ll get Max to fill in as best man. I like him more. Especially after he punched the hell out of Kevin. I wish I’d had the balls to do that years ago.”

  Serena kissed Lincoln on the cheek. “He’s a twat and not worth the aggravation. Besides, Max has a proper left hook and you’d only have ended up breaking your hand.”

  Grady laughed. “You’re welcome to have Max as your best man, but keep in mind if I’m not allowed to come, I might be forced to run away. If that happens, I’ll be taking my fiancé with me.” Grady winked at him. “Isn’t that right, darling?”

  “Again, I’m staying the hell out of this.” He smiled as best he could at Grady, but was keenly aware of Justin’s gaze on him. “I know better than to mix it up with your family.”

  “You’ve made the days leading up to this wedding far more entertaining than they would have been.” Serena giggled and threw a flower at him. “Though I don’t want you getting arrested again. At least not until after the wedding.”

  Max felt his face heat, and he looked back toward the door. “I’ll behave.”

  “Don’t pick on him. Max was merely defending my honor.” Grady got to his feet, sauntered over, and leaned over the chair to place a kiss to the tip of Max’s nose. “He was being all noble and stuff.”

  Justin cleared his throat. “We have the caterer coming in twenty minutes to present the reception meal sample. We need to be done here so the press can get set before that happens.”

  Max’s stomach bottomed out. “Why the hell are the press here?”

  Grady stood, his attention fixed on Justin. “Yes, why are they? This wedding is a family affair.”

  “It’s fine. We knew about it.” Serena stood and walked over to a large arrangement of calla lilies. “This one for the main hall. The carnation arrangement for the living room tables. And use the roses for the gazebo. I want to take some pictures there tomorrow. And done.”

  Lincoln got to his feet, shaking his head. “You could have done that half an hour ago.”

  “Link, why is the press coming?” Grady’s body shook. “Did Father put you up to this?”

  “Grady, it’s fine.” Lincoln shot Grady a smile. “It’s our way of keeping them from hounding us at the actual ceremony. They get to have some sound bites, Father gets the PR he wants before making his announcement with Bouchard and the China deal, and then the press backs off on our big day. Pretty much win-win for everyone.”

  Everyone except for Max. While Grady seemed to think they’d be able to tell his father where to go and how to get there, Max wasn’t as confident. If Theo wanted to put pressure on his businesses, then neither Max nor Grady would be able to stop him. Max certainly didn’t want to give in to Theo’s heavy-handedness, but neither could he afford to have his professional reputation destroyed.

  Fucking wonderful.

  Without thinking, Max got to his feet. “I need some air.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Grady reached out to touch Max, but he moved away.

  “I need a moment alone. If that’s okay.” God, he needed to get away from this, clear his head, and catch his breath. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Without waiting, Max made a bee-line for the backyard. Dampness filled the air, and the gray clouds threatened rain. Grady had mentioned that this was pretty typical Vancouver weather for this time of year, but it wasn’t something Max thought he’d be able to get used to. Still, the damp felt good on his face and filled his lungs with freshness.

  The backyard gardens were beautiful. He’d stared out over them from the bedroom window, but this was the first time he’d taken the opportunity to go exploring. Nature wasn’t really his thing; he always felt more at home in the big city than he ever did in the suburbs. But there was something relaxing about the various scents, the vibrant green of the grass and the shrubs. This oasis was as far removed from Frantic and Ringside as Max was from the Barnes family.

  What the hell was going on with his life? Max had no business entertaining thoughts about being a part of this world, of fitting into what Grady would want and expect from a partner. Max was a simple man, who wanted to spend time with the man he loved, watching movies, going out to the club for fun. Could he even do those things with Grady and not spend time looking over his shoulder for the press or, worse, Justin?

  Maybe he should end this charade so they could move on with their lives.

  Or maybe he could take a chance and tell Grady how he felt.

  Maybe.

  Max didn’t know how much time passed, but it was long enough for his hair to grow damp from the mist. Running his fingers through it to slick it from his face, he turned to go back inside.

  Grady stood in the doorway watching him. Max didn’t have a clue how long he’d been standing there, but it was certainly long enough to cause Grady to frown. With a sigh, Max made his way back.

  “You’re soaked.” Grady’s arms were crossed, his slim body blocking the way inside. “You’re going to drip all over the floor.”

  “I’ll go upstairs and change.”

  Grady gave him just enough room to get by, but a hand on Max’s shoulder stopped him short of leaving. “What’s going on? You’ve been off since you got out of jail.”

  “Ya think?” Max squashed his annoyance. “Sorry.”

  “Dude, I get it. I’m the one who’s sorry. My family is shit, and you’ve got caught in the crossfire by doing me a favor.” Grady reached up and brushed away a trickle of water that had slipped down Max’s cheek. “I just need you to hold on for six more days. I’m pretty certain Ryan is happy to have dodged a bullet, since he wasn’t interested in me at all. Once the wedding is done we can get the hell out of he
re.”

  “‘We’?” That simple little word shouldn’t have made Max that happy to hear.

  A trio of people Max didn’t recognize had entered the other end of the hallway. Camera bags and flash reflectors emerged; the press had arrived.

  Wonderful.

  “Of course ‘we.’ I told you I was going to leave as well. If I’m not around to antagonize Father, then he’s less likely to cut me off. And I need some time to think. I know I’ve screwed things up between us. I just don’t know how to make them right. Or if I should even try.” Grady looked behind him at the sudden chattering of voices. “Shit. Look, I know this is messed up. But things will be fine. I’ll be free, you’ll get some money for the gym, and we’ll all live happily ever after.”

  “Your father wants me to break up with you, publicly, going so far as to break your heart. I don’t think that’s changed, despite you knowing about it.”

  “It doesn’t matter. What he wants is to keep me controlled. I haven’t let him do that before, so no worries that I’ll start now.”

  “What about Kevin?”

  “Fuck Kevin.” Grady’s voice rose, clearly frustrated.

  The voices in the background died down. Max threw the suddenly observant reporters a nasty look, before turning his attention back to Grady. “If I don’t do exactly what he wants, he’s going to have Kevin press charges for the assault. I don’t have a leg to stand on. I hit him in a public place. The reason doesn’t really matter.”

  “It damn well does matter—”

  “I hit the prick, and I’ll be accountable for my actions. But your father’s also threatened the bar and the gym. Threatening to either take them over, or shut us out somehow. I don’t know exactly, but I can’t—” Max swallowed down his anger. “I can’t put the livelihood of my employees or my friends at risk.”

  “No. Of course not.”

  One of the reporters took a step closer to them, but had his back toward them. Max didn’t need this to be a public display. “We should go to our room so we can talk freely.”

  “No. ”