Fake Fiancé Next Door_A Small Town Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  Exhaling a frustrated breath, I wanted to apologize because she was right. About everything. It had been Fi who’d negotiated real contracts with big name firms. And she was solely responsible for making Cerulean Shipping profitable on its own, instead of just a legit way to wash dirty money. But that didn’t change anything.

  “Whether you want it or not Fi, you are part of this world. I’m sorry, but-,”

  “No, don’t apologize. You’re not sorry, and I don’t need you to be. At least now I know what you really think of me.”

  “You’ve no fucking clue what I think Fiona.” If she did, she would run miles in the opposite direction.

  She didn’t respond. Didn’t argue. With a grunt, she slid on oversized sunglasses to shield her eyes and shoved a pair of those damn near-invisible buds into her ears, seconds before tiny music blared out of them. Ignoring me.

  Fuck. I’d hurt her feelings, the last thing I wanted to do to her. But at least she wasn’t crying. I couldn’t fucking stand the sound of a woman crying, not after years of hearing my ma cry after my father’s drunken tirades that ended with one of us beaten and bloody. I preferred my women like this, feisty and strong. If she wasn’t naked and screaming my name, then I wanted them to have some fight in them. And Fi, she was full of fight.

  I couldn’t help but smile. As much as Seamus tried to shelter her, Fiona was smart and strong. Most women either feared me or wanted to fuck me, a few fell into both categories. Fi didn’t fear me, but there were times, like yesterday before we’d left to pack, that I thought she felt this thing between us too.

  Even if there wasn’t a damn thing we could do about it.

  I couldn’t think of anything but the miles of legs on display as the car ate up the road, carrying us to a safe house far outside the city. No one but me and Seamus knew about this place, which is the only reason I would dare stray so far from the city right now. The place was more than rustic, but we had enough supplies to last for two weeks.

  If Fiona didn’t kill me first.

  Fiona

  “What is this place?” I gave the small cabin a quick onceover and grabbed a few bags from the back of the sleek SUV. I didn’t care how big or tricked out it was, as long as it was clean. When we arrived it was the middle of the day and blazing hot, though luckily the area had plenty of shade thanks to thickly leafed trees. I sat bags and boxes filled with food and other supplies on what passed for a porch with just a few slats of wood that had been sanded, weatherproofed and nailed down. We unloaded it all in silence and I figured Keane wouldn’t answer my question. Why would he when no one else did? Not that it mattered. This place would be home for a few days, maybe a few weeks. Then I could resume life as usual.

  “It’s a safe house. No one knows about it but me and Seamus.” His look said he thought I’d broadcast it to the world and I wanted to smack him.

  “Then I’ll make sure to Tweet out GPS coordinates,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes in annoyance. More at myself than Keane though because, dammit, why did it matter what he thought of me? Why did I care what some gorgeous ginger gangster thought of me? I sighed when he pushed the door open because I did care. I was bothered that he thought I didn’t care about Dad’s business. I gave up nights, weekends and pretty much all of my free time to Cerulean Shipping. They had no idea how much I did. Not even Dad.

  Rather than stick around for more tension and quibbling, I went to check out the rest of the cabin. It was as small as it looked from the outside, with three doors down the right, a large living area to the left. The first door revealed the bathroom with a small shower, sink and toilet. Bare bones to the max. Next to the bathroom was…an empty room. Okay. The other room must be the master since it took up the other side fully. Pushing open the last door, my heart plummeted.

  “You have got to be kidding me!” The room had a dresser, a desk and an empty closet against one wall. And a bed that wouldn’t even fit a hobbit.

  “What?” Keane called out from the kitchen, annoyance dripping from the drawn-out word.

  “Have either of you actually been up to this place before?”

  “No Fiona, it’s for safety not luxury.”

  Sometimes I asked myself how I could be attracted to such an asshole. “Great then you can have the room.” I heard his footsteps before I felt him, smelled that purely male scent that made my body react instantly.

  “Shit.”

  I turned to him with my best smile. “Looks safe enough, right? You’re welcome.” Walking back down the hall and away from Keane, I found the bag I needed for a quick shower and change. “I have no problem sleeping on the couch,” I told him when his shadow fell over me.

  “We’ll share the sofa. It rolls out to a full-sized bed.”

  I stood and took a step back when I realized how close he was. “No need. You have the bed.”

  With a roll of those green eyes that seemed to change with his mood, he raked a hand over his well-maintained beard. “Don’t worry Fi, I’m sure I can control myself.”

  I winced at his words, feeling them as sharp as he’d meant them to be. Like I needed a reminder of just how little he thought of me. “Yeah Keane you’ve made it pretty clear what you think of me. Thanks.” Bag in hand, I locked myself in the bathroom, hoping the water would be hot enough to erase this day from memory. And if I were lucky, there would be no hot water left for him.

  After showering, I put on a pair of cottons shorts and a sleeveless BU t-shirt and took my books out to the deck at the back of the cabin. The cabin overlooked a small greenish-blue lake that was probably manmade, this would be a nice place to spend the summer. If it had a human-sized bed it would have been perfect. Still though, the place was quiet, serene and beautiful. The perfect setting to get some reading done for my Business Solutions course. Everyone hated attending school during the summer, but by taking this summer session I would be finished more than a year ahead of my friends.

  Then I could start my life. My real life, that may or may not include Cerulean Shipping. I’d built that company to what it was, felt possessive of it too. But as long as it was linked to the Cearul crime organization, it was a bad long term bet. I turned that thought over and over in my head as the sun slowly sank behind the trees, cooling everything down.

  Thinking about school and the future was a fine distraction from the man who was a constant presence in my mind. My heart. As I prepared dinner though, I couldn’t stop thoughts from straying to Keane, his image had provided the backdrop for my teenage self-exploration. I wanted him and I hated myself for it since he looked at me and saw a little girl playing at being grown, and one he didn’t like all that much at that.

  No point dwelling on the things I couldn’t change when there were plenty of things I could.

  Yeah. No point at all.

  How is it so hot in here? It had been on the chilly side when I curled up on one corner of the oversized sectional and dozed off, but now the heat was welcoming but almost oppressive. Popping one eye open I did a sweep of the room just to make sure we were still at the cabin and the past few days hadn’t been a nightmare. Wait…we?

  It all became clear. The hard wall of heat pressed against my back, the hard bar of melted steel around my midsection. Keane. I tried to move, to slowly wiggle out of his grasp without waking him. But his grip only tightened, my breasts now resting on his sinewy forearm. Dammit.

  “Be still,” he murmured in a sleep-heavy voice and pulled me closer.

  I wanted to stay right where I was and savor the chance to be in his strong arms, but it would be foolish to do it. Having him pressed up against me only made me wish for things I shouldn’t, and I vowed when I turned eighteen that I couldn’t survive Dad’s world if I acted foolishly and hoped for the moon. So I tried to pull away again, but he gripped me tighter and slowly ground his hips against me. He forced his truly spectacular hard-on between my ass cheeks. Shocked by the sensations rocketing through my body before settling on my clit, I released a strangled
plea, “Keane.”

  “Shhh,” he whispered in my ear and drew a shiver from me. “Stay here,” he growled and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to that spot right behind my ear. He wasn’t the first man to kiss me there, but none had turned me on this way before.

  I groaned when he did it again. And again when his thumb grazed my already hard nipple, igniting a fire within me. When his thumb came back across my nipple I whimpered loud and turned to look up at him. Big mistake.

  Simmering green eyes seared into me before he lowered his mouth to capture my mouth in a kiss that showed me I knew shit about kissing. Every tentative press of the lips I’d experienced in the past, every makeout session before this moment had been nothing but child’s play compared to the way his mouth incinerated my body. He licked at my mouth, in my mouth. Sucked at my tongue, all while his hand massaged and squeezed my breasts. On and on the kiss went while my body slowly began to smoke from the fire building between us and his cock throbbed against me.

  “Why,” I asked breathlessly. Why was he doing this? “You don’t even like me.”

  He chuckled but his hand never stopped, pinching the tight bud of my nipple between his thumb and forefinger then sliding down my belly. “Does this feel like I don’t like you Fi?” His hands gripped my hips tight and I could feel every glorious inch of him surrounding me.

  It certainly didn’t feel like he didn’t like me, but this was just a physical thing. It had to be. Dad always said a man didn’t need to like a woman to fuck her. Was I going to let Keane fuck me here on this sofa? “Oh,” I let out a surprised gasp when I felt his hand slide beneath my shorts and tangle with the moisture between my thighs.

  “And this doesn’t feel like you don’t like me.”

  His fingers felt delicious down there, much better than my own ever did, and my hips began to ride his hand. “Who said I don’t like you?” I don’t know how he managed to get that many word out of me, because I was pretty sure my brain diminished cell by cell as he circled my clit and one finger dipped inside me. “Oh hell. Yes,” I moaned unintelligibly and he only laughed low and deep in my ear, rubbing his beard against my sensitive skin, further enflaming me.

  “You’re so fucking wet Fiona. Is this dripping pussy for me?” I couldn’t speak, could only feel the hot sensations pinging through my body, releasing a whimper when he stopped. “Are you wet for me Fiona?”

  “I don’t see anyone else,” I said grumpily and the bastard still wouldn’t move his hand. “Yes Keane, all this is for you.” Only you. That must have satisfied him, because he kept up a slow and steady pressure circling my clit while one finger slid in and out of my pussy. Soon my body tensed and that welcome tension coiled through me like a whip. He swallowed the cries of my orgasm with his mouth on mine.

  “You’re like a fucking wet dream, Fiona.” His growl didn’t make that sound like a good thing and suddenly I felt vulnerable. Exposed. “I shouldn’t want you Fi.”

  I froze for a moment at his words, and then I flew off the sofa. “Don’t do me any fucking favors Keane!” Feeling hurt and humiliated I escaped to the bathroom and another hot shower to wash away the desire still making my body buzz.

  Damn him.

  Keane

  “Fiona is fine Seamus. She’s a handful but she’s safe as promised.” I didn’t want to bother him with the dagger in her car nonsense because it had been handled before we left town. All he needed to know was that we were no longer in Boston.

  “If you’re not around, who’s keeping things running at home?”

  “I am,” I growled, wondering what the fuck was up with all the questions. “Since when do I need to be present to put the fear of god into any man?”

  Seamus chuckled and I could hear him puffing on one of those disgusting fucking cigars of his. “True enough. I heard somebody found one of the Red ‘Rock boys near death outside of Madigan’s Pub.”

  I smiled at his mention of my handiwork. The army taught me how to kill, but the streets taught me to enjoy it. Some assholes just needed a beat down or worse, and I was happy to do either in service to my crew. “I’m sure he served to deliver the message as I intended.”

  “I heard the boys came into some extra goods, more than they know what to do with.”

  Yeah I heard the question he didn’t have to ask. “It’s handled. Being split between black and green,” I told him. Just because we were on burner phones didn’t mean we could be careless with details. “I just wish I could be there to see Cally’s face when he sees that empty truck.” We both laughed at the idea of screwing that asshole any way we could. Payback might be a bitch, but revenge was a motherfucker. “Have you found out anything yet?”

  “Only that the fucking Feds were tipped off. Anonymous call I’d bet came from a 617 area code.”

  I knew he would hate this but I had to ask, “You want me to ask Fi for help?” She was always hunched over a computer so she had to have some skills in the area.

  “You know I don’t.” Seamus’ voice went deadly serious and I sighed.

  While I understood his reluctance to involve her, she was already involved. “Seamus, she is already at risk since it was a Cerulean truck. The Feds will be looking for her any day now.”

  “An administrative assistant is hardly worth the Feds’ time.”

  “Maybe so, but it sounds like she’s done a lot more to me.” How could he not know how involved she’d been with the company?

  “Put her on the phone.”

  I turned to call out to her, only to find Fiona standing in the door that lead to the back deck, completely unashamed that she’d been caught eavesdropping. I handed her the phone and she grabbed it, brushing the back of my hand in the process and I had to tell my cock to settle down. She’s not for you, asshole.

  “What’s up Daddy?”

  Though I could only hear her side of the conversation I knew my old friend had to be as frustrated as I with her stubborn nature. His voice boomed down the line, but in typical Fiona fashion, she merely rolled her eyes.

  “Yeah, well it’s a little too late to worry about that now, isn’t it? What the hell did you think I was doing at the office every day for fuck’s sake, finishing up an art project?” She barked out a laugh at whatever he’d said. “Oh please, Maeve couldn’t find her ass in a rectal exam,” she said of the office manager. Shaking her head, she turned frustrated blue eyes towards the heavens and growled. “Whatever. If you want my help, all you have to do is ask. If not, then I’ll happily never set foot inside Cerulean again.” She smiled, obviously Seamus was as unable as I was to resist her. “Write down everything I need to know about the shipment in an email but don’t send it. Just save it and I’ll do the rest.” Another laugh that transformed her face beautifully. “Of course I do, it’s Mom’s birthday. Love you too.” She handed me the phone with an icy look and walked away.

  I guess I’m still on her shit list though I still couldn’t figure out why. “You need anything else Seamus?”

  “Just keep her close.”

  Like I could do anything else when it came to her. My cock stirred again just thinking about how close I’d come to taking her yesterday morning. How wet she’d been on my fingertips. After she stomped away, I couldn’t resist licking all traces of her from my fingers, that sweet juice slid down my throat and made me hungry for more. From her juicy pussy.

  “Will do. Check in again in two days.” We disconnected and I went to check on Fiona, who was already bent over her laptop busy at work. “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to help. Despite what you think of me Keane, I have skills you don’t know about.”

  I refused to touch that remark knowing it only lead to trouble. “You’ll lead whoever is looking for us straight here on that thing.” This was why she needed protection, because Fiona could be impulsive, though usually it was only when it came to friends and boyfriends. Now the stakes were higher with our very lives on the line.

  Rolling those big blue eyes, she ran a ha
nd through her hair and looked up at me like I was a pest. “You really do think I’m useless?” Her voice held equal parts disbelief and disappointment, but she pushed on. “Fine. I’m using a VPN so if anyone is watching they’ll think I’m in Switzerland, Australia, Czech Republic and so on…got it? They can look all they want but all they’ll get is frustrated.” She turned her back to me and got to work.

  Hell she really did have skills I didn’t know about, couldn’t even imagine. “I don’t think you’re useless Fi.”

  “I’m sure I’ll rest easier knowing that.” That flat voice told me I’d hurt her more than she would ever let on.

  “Have you found anything?”

  “You’ll be the first to know,” she told me without looking up or acknowledging that I still stood behind her.

  Damn. Never had a woman so thoroughly dismissed me, and fuck if it didn’t have me hard and aching to pound into that tight little pussy, forcing her to acknowledge me. I groaned and walked away.

  I had a date with a cold shower.

  “Does this mean we’re calling a truce?” I scanned the patio table to take in the feast she’d prepared. Grilled whole fish, salad, grilled potatoes and chocolate cake.

  Fiona shrugged, but she couldn’t hide the pretty little blush that started at the swell of her tits all the way up to her scalp. She wore another one of those little dresses, this one red and just as short and sweet. “I wouldn’t say a truce but sometimes cooking helps me work out a problem.”

  “Am I the problem?”