Falling for the Fake Fiance (Snowpocalypse)

by Jennifer Blackwood

  “The money would be nice, but you know I can’t just find someone to marry in two months. That’s impossible.”

  “I told you, Edith down the street has a nice son. A lawyer. That’s a respectable profession.” They walked into the kitchen, and Jill froze when she saw a man underneath the sink. Correction: half a man. The guy’s shirt rode up his muscled abs as he fiddled with the pipes. How come handymen never looked like that when she called up the plumber? Then again, her plumber was the balding cartoon guy on the off-brand Drano container, so maybe that was why.

  She reluctantly dragged her gaze from the plumber to her mother. A lawyer? Yeah, not happening. She wasn’t some damsel that needed to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. “I’m not marrying a lawyer I don’t even know.”

  A clunk sounded from under the sink, and then a voice boomed, “Marriage?”

  A head popped out from the cabinet, and she nearly bit her tongue off. Aaron.

  Her pulse throbbed in her ears, and she laid a steadying hand on the counter, gripping it to make sure this was real. That Aaron was, in fact, in her mother’s kitchen. Her racing heart didn’t contradict what she saw. “Christ almighty, what are you doing here?”

  Her mother gasped, putting a hand to her chest. “Jill.” Her sharpened tone was lethal enough to cut through steel. “Aaron is here because he’s over visiting his father, and he heard I had a clogged sink and offered to help.”

  “How very convenient that he was at your disposal.” Her lips twitched at the unintended pun, and she hoped the sarcastic remark would hide the fact that she was, indeed, freaking out that Aaron was here, looking all kinds of delicious in his tight T-shirt and well-worn jeans. And he’d just heard about her stupid conundrum.

  “It’s no problem. I was just finishing up a project at my dad’s house.” He shot a polite smile to her mother.

  There he went again, doing things that were kind and not expecting a damn thing in return. The gesture did unexpected things to her insides. Something that she couldn’t quite pin down.

  Jill wouldn’t classify the past several years as lonely, because she was never alone, but just being in the same room as Aaron made her realize the throbbing, aching need for his company. And yeah, some great sex. Because who didn’t want that?

  Aaron stood and turned on the sink, scrubbing at his greased-up hands. “Should be good to go, ma’am.”

  He shot Jill a quick, heated look that warmed her cheeks. And other parts.

  Not part of the deal! She didn’t know how they were supposed to act now that they were in the same room again, but she didn’t find it particularly fair that he could turn her into a hot mess with one glance.

  One night. That was what they’d agreed upon. She erased the thought of Aaron’s solid arms caging her in when he’d taken her up against the wall. The way his quads flexed as he pounded into her. She’d just stopped being sore a few days ago. And now the space between her thighs was clenched so tightly, she worried she might get a charley horse down there. Was that even possible? Yeah, she wasn’t doing a very good job at trying to forget.

  “You’re a doll.” Her mother smiled, and Jill knew something was up. Oh, Mama. Don’t do it. “Would you like to stay for some dinner? I bet Jill would enjoy the company.”

  Please, can you be any more obvious? If Jill could just hide under the kitchen sink for the rest of the night, that’d be fine by her.

  He gave Jill a knowing smile, not helping the situation one bit. “I don’t want to impose.”

  “Nonsense. You’ve lived right next door your whole life. You’re family.”

  “Well, if you insist.” He looked at Jill and shrugged.

  “I do. We both do.” Her mother shot her a warning glare, one that used to scare her shitless when she was a teen. Truth: it still sent a shiver down Jill’s spine, but that was because her wrath could send even the Hulk into hiding. Her mother did everything but elbow her, because a southern lady never had to resort to physical harm—it was all psychological warfare.

  “Of course. Glad to have you. I’ll set an extra plate,” Jill said.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have dinner with Aaron. She just didn’t know if she’d survive sitting across from him, watching him eat, wondering what it’d take for his mouth to be on hers again. Hormones were going to be the death of her, and she hadn’t even hit menopause.

  She swallowed hard and looked to Aaron, who had busied himself folding the towel he’d been using and cleaning up his tools. Nope, this would not be awkward whatsoever. So what if with Aaron she felt more on a visceral level than she had in years? What he’d done to her in a twelve-hour period…the man deserved some sort of prize for that. She stared down at his hands as he dried them on the towel. Long, delicious fingers, nails trimmed neatly. Not only could they fix a drain, but they could…yeah, fix pipes. Ones that had been clogged for an embarrassing amount of time.

  Emily busted through the kitchen with Chaucer in her arms, singing an Adele song at the top of her tiny lungs, and then ran out into the den.

  Aaron watched her, a smile twitching at his lips. “Is that your little one?”

  “Yep, that’s Emily. She’s my awesome kiddo.”

  “I can see she’s already surpassed your tone quality,” he mused.

  She crossed her arms. “My car-singing ability is beyond measure.” Tone quality meant jack crap when belting out songs in the car.

  “Are we talking about a scale that includes sounds that make dogs go nuts?”

  “You’re just jealous of my talent.”

  “Maybe I am.” He raised a brow, and they stood there in silence for a moment, staring each other down. It’d take four steps to reach him. It’d take another breath to climb him like a tree. She grabbed the kitchen counter and willed herself to stay planted in her spot.

  Her mother bustled into the kitchen. “Did you get to see my granddaughter yet? Smart as a whip, that one. Already knows her multiplication tables and is in her second year of Spanish.”

  Aaron turned his attention to her mother and Jill breathed a steady stream of air through her mouth. One look from him made her feel like he held her next breath in his hand. “Well, she’s got me beat,” he said.

  “On which one?” Jill winked, shaking off the damn nerves. This was her old neighbor. There was no need to be weird with him.

  “Smart-ass.” He bit his lip and gave her a wink that sent a lick of heat up her spine.

  “Time for dinner, you two. Go wash, and meet us at the table. And for Pete’s sake, be nice to our guest.”

  “Of course.” Jill’s brand of sarcasm was lost on her mother, but at least Aaron understood and wasn’t offended by her joke. He gave a knowing smile and grabbed a few glasses of ice water and placed them on the table.

  They all sat down, Emily bouncing on her knees impatiently as Jill’s mother ladled out soup. Jill grabbed a biscuit for Emily and plopped it on her plate, passing the bread basket to Aaron. She froze as her hand brushed against his. A simple, light touch had her spiraling back to last week, to the way unrelenting fingers worked her body, taking her past the brink of insanity. His thumb slid along hers for a split second, and she fought back a shiver.

  Emily slopped the soup with her spoon and turned to Aaron. “Who are you?” There was no malice behind her question, just curiosity.

  Right. Her daughter didn’t know this man. Heck, Jill barely knew him—ten years changed people. She let go of the bread basket, retreating from his touch, and said, “Sweetie, this is Aaron. He used to live next door to me when I was a kid.”

  “What happened?” she asked through a mouthful of biscuit.

  He grew the fuck up, that was for sure.

  “I joined the army.” He ripped his biscuit in half and spread a healthy dollop of butter onto both sides. “Just got out a few months ago and I’m going to be working for my dad for a little bit,” he said matter-of-factly. He took a bite of the bread, and his eyes closed as he chewed. She’d
never considered anyone sexy while they ate before, but with the way his lashes fanned over his cheeks and the way the muscle in his jaw feathered every time he chewed, she was willing to reconsider.

  Even if he was enjoying the dinner, she couldn’t help but notice the way his shoulders stiffened when he’d mentioned his father’s business. It was obvious there was more to the story than he originally let on. How bad off was his company if Aaron had to step in?

  “Oh.” Emily shrugged and went back to her soup. Just like that, her curiosity was satisfied.

  Aaron turned to Jill. Even though she was staring down at her soup, she could feel his gaze on her, and heat spread from head to toe just from one look. “Tell me more about this will.”

  Jill shot her mother a look to keep her mouth shut, but of course she didn’t take the hint. She’d take any opportunity to talk about Jill’s love life, ad nauseam, to anyone who would listen.

  Her mother set down her spoon and delicately dabbed her lips with her ironed cloth napkin. It went well with her unwrinkled dress. If there was such a thing as reincarnation, her mother would come back as a can of starch.

  “All Grammy wanted in life was to see her only granddaughter walk down the aisle. Unfortunately, that never happened. She didn’t get to see either of her grandchildren marry, for that matter.” Mama shot her a look, and Jill clenched her teeth together until her jaw ached.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. In. Out. Only internal screaming allowed in front of guests. Everything about this house made her want to scream. Too formal, too stuffy. She’d suffocated here as a child.

  She thought she’d be temporarily off the hook since her brother Gage was currently seeing someone. Abby something-or-other from Hollywood, who he’d met on his flight to New York. Good for her brother that he was in blissville, but she could really use his deflection skills right now.

  “Grammy put in her will that if Jill was married by the time she hit thirty, her inheritance would double.”

  Aaron choked on his mouthful of soup and brought his napkin to his lips, eyeing Jill. “That seems…” Yeah, there was a reason she didn’t want to tell him about this last week. It was 100 percent crazy.

  “Archaic? Misogynistic? Presumptuous?” Jill started. The list could go on. She found at least forty suitable adjectives to describe the insanity of it. Her mama was no longer amused by her thesaurus skills.

  Aaron frowned. “Unfair was the word that came to mind, but yes, those work, too.”

  “Mrs. Francis taught us that back in the olden days, women were married off and the families were given dowries. Is that what’s going to happen to you, Mommy?”

  Jill’s soup went down the wrong pipe, and she started to cough. Her seven-year-old was way too astute for her own good. Because that was exactly how she felt. Like she was some cow being sold at auction.

  Aaron, to his credit, didn’t gawk too much, and Jill had a swell of pride as he asked, “What grade are you in again?”

  “Second,” Emily said proudly. God, Jill hoped that nobody ever snuffed the spark out of her kid’s eyes. With her determination, she could get far away from Charleston and make a name for herself.

  Her mother set down her spoon against the china with a loud clink and pursed her lips. “I think it was a smart thing to add into the will. Bless your Grammy’s soul, she loved you. You’re not getting any younger.”

  Jill groaned. For real, could this get any more embarrassing? Let’s just point out the crow’s feet that she just noticed the other day. Or the fact that she may have been slightly more winded during her jog earlier this week. Yeah, no need for anyone else to point out that thirty was just around the corner. Heck, maybe Grammy was right and she was just days away from boob-saggage.

  Aaron’s spoon clattered against his bowl, and he sat up taller in his seat, his massive shoulders stretching out. He was deliciously huge, taking up enough space that Jill couldn’t not notice him if she tried. He leveled her mother with a look that raised the hairs on the back of her neck. “Jill will always be beautiful, no matter what age she is. If a man can’t see that, he’s an idiot.”

  Her mother bristled in her seat, obviously peeved that Aaron hadn’t agreed with her. She was used to the men in her life giving in to whatever she asked. She’d expected that of Gage, who recently grew a backbone in that regard.

  Jill turned to Aaron and smiled. “Thank you.”

  Spoons scraped against bowls. Knives clinked against fine china. Awkward silence swallowed the conversation as they continued to eat their soup and cornbread.

  Aaron took another bite of soup. “This is very good, ma’am.”

  Her mother’s spoon rattled against her soup bowl, and she gave a reluctant, “Thank you.”

  Yup. Not awkward. Whatsoever.

  The rest of the meal was eaten in intermittent silence, Emily sometimes spouting off a random fact she’d learned at school that week. Another ten minutes went by, and Jill decided that sticking her head in the garbage disposal would be less painful than going through another family dinner.

  Aaron offered to do the dishes, and they fell into a nice rhythm, him washing and her drying while Emily played out in the den with Jill’s mom.

  “I should be going. Walk me out?” he said.

  “Sure.” She turned to peek into the den, and both her daughter and her mama were preoccupied with trying to Skype her brother.

  She chuckled under her breath as she turned the corner and heard her daughter say, “No, Mimi, not that button.”

  They walked toward the entrance, down the narrow hallway lined with photos, ones that hadn’t been updated in over twenty years, with Jill wearing frilly dresses and tutus. Aaron’s shoulders almost took up the entire space from wall to wall. All at once, he turned back toward her, his gaze homing in on her with an intensity that made her toes curl in her boots.

  Two steps, and he had her backed against the wall. “You never told me you were in a tight situation with money.”

  The space between her thighs slicked with anticipation. Last time he pinned her against a wall… “Why? You propositioning me?” she joked. She wouldn’t take his money, but she sure as hell would be up for another round. Her body was wound tight the entire dinner, and she would desperately love a way to forget all the stress of the day.

  “Be honest with me. Do you need money?” His body pressed harder against hers, and she could feel the swelling of his erection against her stomach.

  “It’s been a little tight lately.” Try the last seven years. “But I’m doing just fine.”

  Two hallways separated them from her mama and Emily. She’d hear someone coming, but at the moment she didn’t give a rat’s ass who saw. His gaze slid down her body in a slow, deliberate perusal that set her blood on fire. “I can’t get you out of my fucking mind. It’s been a week, and I can still hear you screaming my name,” he growled, his warm breath caressing the shell of her ear.

  He moved even closer, the wainscoting digging into her back. “Sitting across from you at that table.” His lips were on her ear, his breath sending a shiver down her spine. “When you run your mouth, it drives me absolutely insane.”

  “Then you must be going crazy every moment you’re with me.”

  “I can think of much better ways you could be using your mouth.”

  Oh. She liked the way he talked to her, liked to see that his restraint was fraying at the seams just from being around her. “You’d better mind your tongue.”

  “Or what?” His lips met the curve of her neck, followed by a graze of his teeth. “Tell me exactly what I should do with my tongue. Would you like me to repeat what I did last week?” His mouth worked down to the hollow of her neck, and her eyes fluttered shut, her brain shutting down.

  She couldn’t even get out a coherent word to save her life.

  “I’m more than happy to oblige. Just say the word and I will take you to my truck right now.”

  What was that sound? Just her
brain short circuiting. “I—I can’t.” Right? They’d had an agreement.

  “One more night with me, Jill. Give me one more night.” The way he said it, those words holding wicked desire, had her sucking in a shaky breath. His hands roughly rode up her stomach until they palmed her breasts, running his thumbs over her peaked nipples. She was wound so tight, just a few more touches anywhere and she’d lose it.

  He tweaked one of her nipples, and she bit back a groan. Seriously, how could a simple touch send her into such a spiral? “Say it, princess. I’m not leaving this house until I get a yes.”

  His gaze met hers, mischief blazing in those dark blue eyes. His fingers traveled down to the space between her thighs, and he cupped her heat. If they were alone, she’d let this go further, let him shove up her skirt and push her panties to the side so she could feel his thumb pushing past the scrap of fabric and flicking across her clit.

  Your family is in the next room. Cool it.

  “I—”

  His fingers found the exact spot she was hoping he wouldn’t find. A spot that lowered all defenses and had her arching into his touch. Heat blazed from her cheeks to her toes, and a familiar tightness coiled between her legs.

  “Say it,” he growled in her ear.

  Stupid. This was so beyond stupid. And yet when she went to protest, the word yes popped out of her mouth. She couldn’t say no to this man when he knew how to press every single one of her buttons.

  He pulled back, the sudden rush of cool air a shock to her heightened senses. His mouth curved into a wolf’s smile. “Good. I’ll give you a call.” He gave one light kiss to the shell of her ear, and with that, he softly closed the door as he exited the house. Jill sank against the wall. She was so screwed.

  “Let me get this straight. You guys got it on in your childhood home until you said you’d go on a date with him?”