Falling for the Fake Fiance (Snowpocalypse)

by Jennifer Blackwood

  She tapped her finger to her lips. “Well, you said you came over for a good-night kiss, which you promptly delivered. I don’t know what comes next.”

  His eyes searched hers, desperate, ravenous, raking over her body. “I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s driving me insane.” He leaned in for another kiss, and she put her finger to his lips, stopping him.

  “I thought the deal was one kiss. Singular.” She fought to hide her smile.

  “This is the same kiss. It’s just part of a series.” He smoothed his thumb over her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. “I call this ‘Kiss Part Two.’” And with that, his lips were on hers again, demanding.

  She pulled away again. “I really should get back inside.” Given the chance, she’d do this all night. Just camp out on the porch swing, legs tangled, lips connected.

  His grip slipped down to her ass. “Yeah. You should.” His molten gaze turned her insides to ashes. Poof. Gone.

  As if sensing her previous thoughts, he guided her to the porch swing, pulling her over to straddle his lap. His mouth moved to her ear, catching the sensitive flesh between his teeth. “Why can’t I get enough of you?”

  Good question. She wondered why she couldn’t get enough of him, either. This whole fake relationship thing was confusing the hell out of her because a flicker of something deep inside was saying: what you’re feeling is real. “Because of my impeccable charm and wit.” She ground over his cock, the rough fabric of his jeans rubbing through her thin pants and deliciously against her clit.

  He pressed against her, his eyes squeezing shut as he let out a frustrated growl. “You’re making it really hard for me, Jill.”

  “I can see that.” Her lips twitched.

  Another long moment passed, and he scrubbed a hand over his face. The other hand still curved around the small of her back, tethering her to his lap. Not that she wanted to get up from this position. She could stay here all damn night. “I should let you go. This is already going too far.”

  “I think we’ve already been there and done that twice. There isn’t much farther to go.”

  His hand slid from her skin, and he placed it flat on the bench, like he didn’t trust himself to not touch her. “I’m leaving, Jill. Maybe not tomorrow or a month from now, but my life is in D.C. I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. You deserve better than what I can offer you.”

  “Did anyone ever tell you your bluntness really adds to the ambiance of the moment?” Sarcasm was all she had, the only weapon in her arsenal when he’d done everything to lower her shields. She swung her leg over his and sat next to him on the porch swing, her toes barely brushing the ground as they swung in a slow, steady rhythm. He was right. She couldn’t be getting attached to him, not when this whole situation was a business transaction. Once the time limit was up, he was out of here. He’d made that abundantly clear.

  “Thanks for the good-night kiss.” She patted his knee and even managed a smile. Those past customer service jobs really did pay off. Only fifteen steps stood between her and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s to nurse her wounded pride.

  “Sorry—I just don’t want to see anyone hurt. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.”

  She swiveled back to him. He sat there, lips pressed together in a thin line. Back when she was younger, more naive about men and dating, she would have tried to console him. She’d done it before—even, at one time, been the type of girl she promised herself she’d never be, the kind to comfort a man when he was the one in the wrong. Cheaters, liars…Aaron was neither of these, but if she didn’t guard her heart now, she’d wind up with the same end product as the rest of her relationships. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.” Nope, she was going to let it go. All they had to do was get married, get her inheritance, and then life could go back to normal. She bent to grab the documents, and allowed herself one last glance before she opened the door. “Good night.”

  …

  The next morning, Jill could barely keep her eyes open long enough to make sure her coffee was going from the pot to her mug. It was a weird feeling, wanting someone to the point where her clothes felt like they might literally melt off in his presence, and trying to not want him at the same time. Five cups of coffee in, and it still wasn’t cutting it. She highly doubted that the sixth would be the magical pick-me-up she desperately needed, but it was worth a shot, anyway.

  Two sips into her drink, Emily bounded down the stairs, her curls bouncing along her shoulders. Even though it was only halfway through the school year, her uniform was already starting to show signs of wear. Two months, baby. Then I’ll buy you a uniform for every day of the week. Then she wouldn’t feel like such a failure for not being able to provide for her daughter all the time.

  Emily looked around the living room and then rushed into the kitchen. “Mom, where are my field trip forms?”

  Jill took another sip of coffee. Okay, even if she was severely under-caffeinated, it was time to officially handle whatever the day threw at her. And then her gaze hit the clock on the oven. Shit.

  Just like that, the zen chi whatever that Aaron had created last night vanished as she realized she had ten minutes to feed her daughter, get out of her ratty pink bathrobe, and pack up for work.

  Jill sprinted down the hall, yelling over her shoulder, “They’re up on the counter by my purse. Go and grab them and brush your teeth. We’re leaving in five.”

  She was back in the kitchen, dressed, and ready to go with two minutes to spare. That, in itself, could be considered a mom-win for this morning.

  The toast popped up, and she buttered it in record speed, put it in a Ziploc bag, and grabbed a to-go orange juice out of the fridge.

  “Ready!” Emily shouted from the entryway, tugging on her Mary Janes.

  “Here’s breakfast,” she said, tossing her daughter the toast and an apple. She grabbed a pack of crackers for herself, and before heading out the door, she scooped up the paperwork that she and Aaron had signed last night and stuffed it in her purse.

  By some miracle, she arrived in the carpool lane ten minutes before school started. “Remember, Mimi is picking you up today. Be good for her, and I’ll see you after work.” She kissed her daughter good-bye, watching her tiny figure bounce across the walkway and into the school. Jill breathed a sigh of relief and rested her head on the steering wheel. Another successful morning in the books.

  She took two seconds to collect her thoughts, to let the frazzled feeling of the morning fade before she headed to work. Even though Aaron had completely shut her down last night, her mind was still doing an instant replay of his hands and his lips, and how her body melted like one of those clocks in a Salvador Dali painting whenever he looked at her that way.

  He has a real job and a real life to get back to. Get over it.

  This shouldn’t have been a big deal. She hadn’t even thought twice about him before he came back to town. But try telling that to her freaking hormones. She’d been in vagina exile for so long, apparently she was letting herself get swept up too quickly. She wouldn’t be making that mistake again.

  The car behind her honked, totally ruining the images of Aaron’s hands on her, and Jill fought the urge to flip off the Brighton parent as she threw her car into drive. “Yeah, yeah. I’m going.”

  As she pulled into the radiology center to go to job number one, she allowed herself a moment to daydream. Soon she’d have enough money to take care of her and Emily. Heck, maybe she’d splurge and have a house-cleaner come once a week—although, she was way too embarrassed by the state of her house to have someone come in even to clean.

  She checked her phone before heading in the building and saw she had a new text from Aaron. Her stupid pulse pounded in her ears as she opened the message.

  Aaron: You file the papers today?

  Jill: Going there as soon as I get off work.

  Aaron: I’ll set up the appointment with the JOP. Should be able to squeeze us in as soon as we have the license
.

  Everything seemed to be okay, even if they’d left on awkward terms last night.

  Within a week or two, she would be married.

  Married.

  A pang of guilt sliced through her at the thought of not telling her mother, but really, what was she supposed to say? Her mother would come completely unhinged about it, and honestly, Jill didn’t have any brain power to spare, between chauffeuring to dance practice, choir rehearsal, and actually remembering to do things like eat and sleep. She was running at maximum capacity. Any more and she’d have a system malfunction.

  Aaron: Busy morning?

  Jill: There is not enough coffee in the world right now.

  She scooped up her purse and opened the car door, ready to dive into a full day of paperwork and scheduling. When Aaron didn’t text back, she shrugged it off and chalked it up to him being busy helping his dad.

  By nine, she was ready to start a coffee transfusion. She was busy typing notes from a phone call when someone walked up to the reception desk. She glanced up and had to do a double take.

  Aaron. In her place of work.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “You said you were caffeine deficient. I figured that was a state of national emergency.” He slid a large coffee cup across the counter.

  “Bless you.” She gripped the drink in her hands and took a long pull. “What is this?”

  “A dirty chai. My cousin swears by them.”

  “Tell your cousin she has good taste, but you didn’t have to do that.”

  “I wanted to apologize for last night.” Aaron quickly glanced around the empty waiting room and continued. “I wasn’t being entirely truthful.”

  “Oh?”

  “I don’t do commitment. It scares the shit out of me.”

  “Yeah, you made that loud and clear.”

  “Let me finish.” His voice was soft, but held a ferocity in it that made every nerve in her body stand at attention.

  Jill waved him to continue.

  “What I didn’t say was that when I’m with you, it feels different. You make me feel…” He looked around the room, and she thought he might stop there, just turn tail and walk out. “Starved. I have never felt a need for someone like this before, and if I didn’t turn you off to the idea completely, I’d really like to spend time with you. To get to know you. Again.”

  Dammit. He wasn’t supposed to go and say sweet things like that.

  “Keep bringing me these dirty chai things, and I think we have a deal.”

  A grin edged on his lips. “I think I can handle that. What are you doing tonight?”

  “Dinner with my mother. She’ll be picking Emily up from school.”

  She tapped her foot against her chair and debated. Being around Aaron had made her feel better than she had in years. Would it really hurt to have him around? She could ask him to dinner at her mother’s house one more time. At least there they’d be on neutral ground when it came to Emily. It’d be a good gauge for if she wanted to take things a bit further and, sometime in the future, invite him over to her house. “Do you want to join us for dinner? If you haven’t already been tortured over there enough.”

  Aaron took a long sip from his coffee cup, expressionless. Maybe she’d overstepped. Not many people would voluntarily spend time with Deborah Michaels. Just as Jill was about to say, “ha ha, JK,” Aaron said, “Sure. I am pretty fond of the foyer.”

  She was, too. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips. Aaron was stable. He was so sure of himself. Competent. She liked that about him. Even with his recent career switch, he had his shit together—whereas she felt the exact opposite, that her life was like a wheel of fortune and the glittering pieces were filled with options that didn’t get her any closer to feeling like she had a handle on life.

  Work whizzed by in a blur. She spent most of the day calling patients and filing. People bustled in and out of the office, but her mind was somewhere else, on someone across town.

  As soon as her shift ended, she drove over to the courthouse to file the marriage license paperwork that had been burning a hole in her purse all day. She took a deep breath and charged up the marble steps, swinging open the door with much more courage than she felt inside. Fake it till you make it, right?

  She stared at the long line and let out a sigh. Guess everyone else had the same idea as she did, coming after work. Good thing her mother picked up Emily today. She took a number and sat down on the wooden bench then pulled out her phone and waited.

  And waited.

  Twenty minutes passed, and she still had ten numbers to go. She nervously tapped her shoe on the tile floor. She’d already scrolled through her Facebook and Twitter feeds three times and leveled up twice on her game.

  She’d decided to open up her kindle app when someone finally called, “Number four-twenty-three.”

  Jill shoved her phone in her purse and rushed toward the desk. At the rate she was going, she’d make it five minutes late to dinner. Normally, that would be no biggie, but she didn’t want Aaron to have to be over there all alone with her mother. She’d only wish that fate upon, like, two people, and one of them was the guy at the post office who charged her extra because she let it slip that she’d included a magnet with a book she sent her cousin.

  “Oh, thanks. You guys are busy today. Is it always like this?” She was rambling. Did it possibly have to do with the fact that her name was about to be printed on a marriage certificate for a union that was a total sham? Possibly.

  The woman ignored her babbling and stared down at her with a bored expression. “Paperwork?”

  “Yes, hold on.” She grabbed the folded papers and slid them to the lady. Phew. No biggie. Just filing for her name and Aaron’s to be connected in one of the most intimate ways—at least on paper. “Nothing beats the day you apply for marriage, am I right?”

  Seriously, she needed to shut up. There was nothing to be nervous about. This would be over within a couple short months. Like it never happened. She didn’t like how that last thought made her stomach dip, or how a good thing with a good man was being screwed up from the start because of a shitty situation.

  The lady unfolded the papers and frowned, staring her down with narrowed eyes. “Is this some type of joke?”

  “Uh, not last time I checked.” A lie maybe, but nope, her marriage with Aaron would be no joke. Was that even okay for a government worker to say?

  “First, you’ll need your future spouse to come with you. Second, we don’t handle field trips to D.C.”

  Dammit. Why did she think she could do this alone? Of course she needed Aaron to come with her. And as for her second comment… “What do you mean?” She snatched the papers, and tingles erupted down her spine. Shit. Emily’s field trip papers. Jill dug in her purse again and came up empty. No papers.

  Crap.

  She must have forgotten them at home. And her daughter would probably be sent home with another politely passive aggressive note asking to have the papers signed. Awesome. So much for rocking the parenting thing today.

  “Have a nice day. Number four-twenty-four.”

  Jill muttered under her breath. She’d have to come tomorrow—and wait another forty minutes.

  Ten steps away from her car, she veered off path and wandered down the sidewalk and into the coffee shop across the street. Did they have a coffee-drinking hall of fame? If so, she was pretty sure her consumption today would earn her an honorary cup there, right next to Lorelei Gilmore. After grabbing her to-go cup, she made her way to her mother’s house. Hopefully she’d gotten Emily to start her homework, then they could enjoy the rest of the night together. It felt unfair to ask so much of a second grader, but Emily seemed to be enjoying it, so who was she to argue?

  As soon as she walked in the house, Jill knew something was wrong. The air—it reeked of hostility and scheming. More so than normal. “Mama, I’m here. Emily?”

  “In here,” her little girl’s voice squeaked f
rom somewhere down the hall. In a flash, Aaron whipped by with Emily on his shoulders, her daughter giggling and tugging on his hair like he was a thoroughbred horse.

  Her heart skipped a beat as she watched the two interact. He flopped her down on the couch in the sitting room, and Jill didn’t bother to tell him that her mother never let anyone sit on those couches. Let him mess up her throw pillows. It’d be worth it to see the vein throb in her forehead.

  “I bet I can beat you to the kitchen, Aaron!” her daughter yelled, twenty decibels too loud for inside the house.

  With that, she took off in a full sprint while Aaron pushed himself off the floor. Jill grabbed his hand as he passed her and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said as she dropped her purse on the coat rack and removed her sweater.

  “No problem. Emily and I have been keeping busy.”

  An unexpected lump formed in her throat. “You’re very good with her.” And for a moment, she let herself believe that he was sticking around long enough to make this work. Everything just fit so well together.

  “Where’s my Mama?”

  Aaron cleared his throat and blinked. “You’ve missed a lot. She’s currently entertaining.”

  “Oh?” Jeez. She looked at the time on her cell. Only ten minutes past when she was supposed to be here. What could have possibly happened? Then again, her mother had done plenty of damage in less time than that. “Who?”

  “See for yourself.”

  As she made her way to the living room, Emily bolted through the hallway and grabbed Aaron’s hand. “C’mon, Aaron. I want to show you the cookies I made with Mimi.”

  “Sure thing, kid.” He gave Jill a quick nod and then disappeared into the kitchen while she continued her way to the living room.

  Jill made it to the doorway and then stopped and stared at the person sitting across from her mother on the couch. Aaron’s father. In all the years she’d lived next door to Aaron, his father had come over here only a handful of times. He and his wife were always busy with work or fundraising for Dr. Collins’s charity for shelter animals.