by Willow Aster
“Sorry ‘bout that. It’s been a while.” I try to play it off to that, but I’m almost certain it’s all her. My dick doesn’t seem to realize that this is a little game we’re playing.
She surprises me by looking over her shoulder and then back at me, grinning. And then she kisses me. Not a sweet, keep it simple in front of your parents kind of kiss, but a full-on, I am going to knock you right off your feet kind of kiss. Her tongue and mine duel for control and I forget that we’re at a party at her parents’ house. I have to hold onto her glorious cheeks underneath the water to not go down, which makes her push into me harder. Not what I thought I’d be doing today, but I am here for it one thousand percent.
Until there’s a huge splash next to us and Cosette takes her plush perfect lips off of mine. It’s a sad moment. But probably for the best. I was about to rock into her or sneak my fingers underneath her bikini bottoms and that wouldn’t have been the best decision in front of the fam. Or at all. Right, right. Good internal.
Jeremy splashes water on us—of course it was him jumping in. “Get a room,” he says under his breath.
“Good idea. Thanks, Jeremy,” Cosette says, staring up at me. Her lips are parted, and it takes every ounce of willpower in me not to finish what we’ve started.
It’s a show. It’s a show. I repeat those words to my dick. Fake, fake, fake.
Fortunately, most people are by the bar or in conversation and haven’t noticed the full make-out session in the pool. Everyone but Jeremy, and when I glance around, I see that Alexander and Vivienne seem to be paying close attention too. Hmm. Well, I guess we were playing to the intended crowd.
I just have to keep reminding myself that this is not what it appears to be. Not even what I’m feeling. I can’t get lost in the moment. But it’s not as easy as I’d planned when I signed on for this gig.
And that thought alone is a bit alarming.
Time to pull back a bit and keep my head in the game.
Chapter Fourteen
Cosette
I’m toweling off and glancing back to see Caden doing long strokes back and forth across the pool. Damn. I did not want to untangle my legs from his waist. That was the single hottest moment I’ve ever experienced. My mom moves in next to me and clucks her disapproval.
“A beautiful man is only good for a distraction,” she says, as she watches him swim too.
“He’s more than a beautiful man, but damn, he sure is that.” I sigh and she turns to me, taking my hand in hers.
“That scene in the pool was appalling, but if you would only let your good sense return, you’d see that it seems to have worked. Not only is Jeremy walking right into your hands, more than ready to commit, but Alexander Fontaine can’t keep his eyes off of you. The world is your oyster, Cosi. It’s time you stop this rebellious streak and grow up.”
I’d been honored by Alexander’s attention earlier, but I couldn’t help but feel he was more about a fun time while he’s in New York than wowed by my job skills. He asked me out to dinner and I told him I’d have to check with my boyfriend to see if his schedule was also open. He’d grinned politely but didn’t pursue the topic.
I love having a fake boyfriend. Is that okay to admit? It’s the perfect excuse. And it’s endless fun. No complications. Well, maybe a couple. The only time it ever gets weird is the guilt I have for holding Caden back. I know he’s horny as hell after that experience in the pool—I’d love to think that’s all me and that I turn him on so much he can’t see straight, but I’ve always been the realistic one in the family.
The other complication being me. I don’t know how long I can keep this up without blurring the lines. It’s like my brain knows this is short-term and we’re just having fun tricking my parents and Jeremy, but my heart and body are at war with that theory.
Caden gets out of the pool and my mouth goes dry. He gives his hair a good shake, and I watch his every move. The way the sun glistens off his tanned shoulders, his hair that’s lighter than Spence’s and Jesse’s but darker than Gus’—is my favorite shade and slightly wavy, and I love winding my hands through it. His chocolate brown eyes that are so kind and caring and that seem to see straight through to my soul.
“Cosette,” my mom says, and I jump. She shakes her head and mutters under her breath.
I walk toward Caden because he’s really the only one I care to be with at this party, and Alexander steps in front of me before I reach him.
“You and your boyfriend seem quite close,” he says. “I wonder if the two of you might want to join me for the evening. Something tells me we’d have unforgettable experiences together.” He looks at me and then at Caden, who has picked up his clothes and is walking toward us.
I swallow hard. Can’t say I’ve ever had this kind of invitation before. But Caden does that to people. He makes us see things through rose lust-colored glasses.
“Oh, my boyfriend doesn’t like to share,” I say to Alexander just as Caden walks up.
Caden’s eyebrows reach the heavens. “Doesn’t like to share what?” He smirks.
“Me.” I wink and his pupils dilate, his mouth parts, and he is by my side in an instant, his arm around my waist.
He lowers his mouth to mine and I think I’m floating. Too soon, he pulls back and I crash back down to earth.
“No, I don’t,” he says.
“Too bad,” Alexander says under his breath. “If you change your mind, here’s my card.” He holds it out to me and I take it, only because I don’t want to be rude, not because I will ever contact him in a million years. “I’ll make it worth your while, both of you.” He gives us a sexy smile and strolls away.
I don’t look at Caden for a few seconds because I know once I do, I’ll be a goner. His hand tightens around my waist and I feel his shoulders shake.
“Stop,” I hiss. “I won’t be able to get it together if I start laughing now.”
“I’ll make it worth your while,” he says in my ear, in an exaggerated Alexander accent. “Did the man really just proposition both of us?”
I place my hand on his chest, not because I care if anyone’s watching. Not because I want to put on a show.
Nope.
I touch Caden because I want to. I need to. This isn’t a game to me at the moment.
I don’t know what it is.
“He did. That’s definitely a first.” I laugh.
He puts his hand over mine and his mouth moves to my ear to whisper. “Are we putting on a show again? I hope I didn’t come on too strong in the pool. Just trying to be the perfect fake boyfriend.”
His words are a literal punch to the gut, but I tap my fingers against his chest before pulling my hand away. I smile up at him. “I think we’ve put on enough of a show for the day. Should we head out?”
His gaze narrows and he studies me. “Yeah, sure.”
“Okay, let’s make our rounds and we can head home.” He takes my hand and a lump forms in my throat.
This is me getting carried away. Reading the signals all wrong. I asked him to do me a favor and now I’m making more of it than it is. The guy is doing everything I’ve asked, and for what? Just to help me out. And now I’m going to start crushing on him and make him feel awkward for shutting me down.
I feel sick to my stomach when we say goodbye to my mother. She’s been carrying Louie in a BABYBJÖRN ever since the pool accident. His hair has dried slightly spiky and he’s wearing a white V-neck.
“Goodbye, buddy. Is he wearing scrubs?” Caden asks as he pets the top of Louie’s head.
“No. He doesn’t work in a hospital. He’s wearing the finest Egyptian cotton known to man. After the trauma, I thought comfort was most important. Thank you, Caden. You saved his life.”
I close my eyes for a minute because my mother has clearly lost her mind over the incident. At least she’s not shaming me for my girls-gone-wild-spring-break-edition escapade in the pool any longer. Caden is the hero of the moment.
Hell, he’s been
the hero for me since the day I met him. I look up and watch as he hugs my mother. He’s so kind. He didn’t think twice about diving into the pool. No one else made an effort to move. My father chuckled as if he’d completely forgotten the fact that my mother can’t swim very well.
Mom’s hair looks a bit shellacked into place, but considering the woman took the plunge into the pool in the midst of her shindig, she’s pulled it together well.
“You saved his life, Vivienne. I was just there to help you out.”
My mom has treated Caden like the dirt beneath her Manolo Blahniks ever since we started this whole fake dating thing, and yet he jumps into a pool to help her out for no other reason than he’s just a good man.
Such a good man.
A man who hasn’t had sex in weeks because he’s being loyal to his fake girlfriend who’s too afraid to stand up to her own family.
What does that say about me?
“Well, I appreciate it all the same.” My mother turns her nose up once again, as if her mask has slipped back in place. “Cosi, Alexander has invited your father and I to his home in France for a visit. I can’t bring Louie on this trip because we’ll be yachting part of the time and with the water trauma he just had, I am not willing to subject him to it. You know you’re the only person aside from me that he loves, so I need you to watch him for me. It’s not for two weeks yet, so you have plenty of time to prepare your schedule. I’d like you to stay at the house with him.”
No better time than the present to take control of my life.
“I’m happy to watch Louie, but I will be doing so at my home. That’s where I’m comfortable.”
“But it’s a condo? I don’t know if he’ll be comfortable.”
Caden cracks up next to me. “As long as he has Raffi, I think the little dude will be happy.”
My mother sighs a few times before looking at me. “Fine. If those are your conditions, what choice do I have?”
“You’re welcome, Maman. I’ll be happy to help you out.” I kiss her cheek, and she looks completely perplexed by the conversation.
Caden takes my hand, and we say goodbye to everyone on our way out. My father has retired to his room in the middle of the party and no one seems to find that odd. My mother shushes me when I ask if he’s okay. I completely ignore Jeremy when he kisses my cheek and tells me he misses me.
“You okay?” Caden asks, when he opens my door for me to slide into the passenger seat.
“Yes, of course. Just a little tired.”
“Yeah? Proud of you for putting your foot down with your mom. That was impressive.”
“It’s about time, right? I’m making you put on this show because I’m afraid to say what I want. The least I can do is demand I watch Louie at my own place.”
“She’s not an easy woman to stand up to. I get it. And I’m not complaining about our arrangement. I’ll do it as long as you need me.”
“You shouldn’t have to though,” I say, as I stare out the window and the reality of what I’ve done sets in. I’ve fallen for a man I asked to pretend to be my boyfriend. A man who isn’t looking for a relationship. A man who agreed to do this because he has a good heart.
“Are you hungry? Want me to grab something on the way home?” he asks.
My heart is pounding because somehow, I lost control of the situation. I want him to grab dinner. I want him to come to my place and eat. I want him to spend the night with me … not as my fake boyfriend … but as someone who wants to be with me. But that’s not the reality.
How did I get here?
“Thank you for the offer, but I think I’m just going to head home and get in bed early. It’s been a long week.”
He nods, and we’re quiet the rest of the drive home. When we arrive at the building and take the elevator to our floor, he leans against the wall across from me.
“I’m really sorry if I took things too far in the pool, Cosi. I was just having fun,” he says.
I think about the elevator ride on the way to the party. I swear he almost kissed me before Gus stepped on. Am I crazy? Did I misread that too?
“You didn’t at all. Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he says, as he studies me.
“Before we started this...” I use my hand to motion between us. “This whole big fake relationship thing. Did you date? I mean, I know you’re uncomfortable because you’re going without sex while we keep up appearances, so you obviously used to have it. But you didn’t date the women you slept with?”
The doors open and he holds it for me as I step off.
“Cosette.” The word flutters around like there’s so much more meaning there than he’s saying.
I pause and lean against the wall, waiting for him to answer.
“I haven’t been with anyone since we started this whole thing. You know that, right?”
“I do. But before me, what did you do? Just sleep around?”
He’s standing in front of me and he looks wounded. “I do all right.”
Of course he does all right. The man is a Greek god on a bad day.
I’ve let myself get carried away.
I’ve let myself fall for an unattainable guy.
“I’m sorry this went on for so long. I messed up asking you to do this. I think we need to call this done. It’s just getting too … messy.”
His gaze narrows as he watches me and he takes a step back. “All right. Got it.”
“Thanks for playing along. I think we fooled everyone.” Including me.
“Happy to help.” He shoves his hands in his pockets.
His words sting. “I guess you can go back to sleeping around. You don’t have to put up with me or my crazy family anymore.”
“Sure. I’ll see you at work on Monday, I guess.” He starts walking down the hall and I follow him, pausing when we get to his door.
“Goodnight, Caden.”
He nods but doesn’t say anything as he puts the key in the handle.
Once I’m inside my condo, I lean my back against the door and cover my mouth. There’s a lump in my throat that’s making it difficult to breathe.
But I need to call this done, because if I get in any deeper, I won’t survive when he walks away.
And he most definitely will.
Chapter Fifteen
Caden
What the fuck just happened?
I toss my keys on the counter and fight the urge to punch a wall. Maybe the lapse of judgment in the pool scared her off. I mean, I certainly didn’t hide how much I wanted her.
Fuck me. That was stupid.
Maybe it was about Alexander? He most definitely propositioned her. Maybe she wants to date him.
There’s a knock on my door and I hope it’s Cosette telling me she was just messing with me.
Spence and Emma stand on the other side and I hold the door open to invite them in.
“Where have you been all day?” Spence asks.
“Pool Party at the Dubois.”
I go to the fridge and grab a beer. I hold one up for Emma and she takes it. I hand one to my brother and pop the lid off of mine before taking a long pull.
“We were going to see if you and Cosi wanted to go grab dinner,” Emma says. “Jesse and Mya went to a show.”
“Cosette and I ended our little arrangement,” I say, tipping my head back and drinking the rest of the beer.
“Oh. Well, you don’t look too happy about it.” Emma hops up on the counter and studies me.
“It’s fine. We knew it would come to an end at some point, right? Now I can get back out there.”
“Back out there, my ass,” Spence says.
“Why? It’s been a while. I’m ready to get back in the game.”
They both laugh and that pisses me off. “What the fuck are you two laughing at?”
“You, little brother. You left the game the day Cosette Dubois asked you to pretend to be her boyfriend. The whole thing is bullshit. We all see it.”
“Yo
u all see what? Enlighten me, old wise one,” I hiss.
“You like each other. A blindfolded man in a darkroom could see that,” Emma says.
I roll my eyes. “Well. You read the signals wrong, because Cosette just ended it. She told me to go back to sleeping around.”
“That’s a very odd thing to say when you’re ending a fake relationship? Am I right, Old Solemn?”
“You’re always right, baby.”
“Good answer.” She turns back to me. “Caden, wake up. She clearly doesn’t want to end it or she wouldn’t have said for you to go back to sleeping around. She would have just thanked you and acted like a buddy. Something happened at that party, and she got scared.”
She’s not the only one.
My feelings for Cosette Dubois scare the shit out of me.
“Listen, I’m not good at this. I don’t think she’s looking for anything, and I haven’t been in a relationship in a long time. We’re good friends, and I would hate to mess that up.”
Spence nods. “Spoken like a true coward.”
I reach into the refrigerator and grab another beer. “Takes one to know one, I guess.”
“Probably right, but at least I can admit it.”
“Fuck you, Spence.” I stalk into the living room and drop down on the couch.
“Okay, let’s tone down the GD snark.” Emma laughs as she comes to sit beside me, and my brother chimes in with her when he drops down in the chair across from us.
“You’re frustrated and I get that. But it seems like you and Cosi had a really good thing going,” Emma says.
“It was fake.” I lean back against the couch and shake my head.
“Was it though? It sure didn’t seem like it to anyone else.”
“She wants to be free. I was acting like her boyfriend so she could get rid of the last dude that tried to tie her down.”
“The last dude that tried to tie her down was a dicknugget. You’re a motherfucking Taylor. Start acting like it. If you like the girl, go get her. If you lose her, you have no one to blame but yourself.”
“So eloquently stated, Old Solemn.” Emma laughs before turning back to me. “He’s right. Maybe she thought she wanted to be alone, but I think you both were pleasantly surprised to find out you like spending time together. Trust that. But you’ve got to tell her how you feel and put yourself out there. What’s the worst that can happen?”
