Fake Fiancé, Real Love: Fake Fiance Accidental Marriage Box Set

by Dez Burke

  Angela slowly nodded, seeing the wisdom behind their actions. Shane may have thought he was a brilliant strategic player, but he paled in comparison to his mother.

  “Then you showed up for my birthday party,” Valerie continued, “and we both saw how much he really cared for you and how he’d changed...for the better.” She shrugged. “You probably think we’re an awful, nasty bunch of people, conniving and tricking each other.”

  The humor of it all overtook Angela and she started laughing. What a mess!

  “No, I don’t think you’re awful. You all love each other very much and that’s what matters.” She turned to Valerie. “Shane only wanted you to stop worrying about him. He wanted you to start enjoying your life again too, traveling or whatever else makes you happy. The fake girlfriend was for your benefit.”

  “Well I’m doing what makes me happy right now,” Valerie replied with a relieved smile. “I’m with my family getting ready to watch my boy race again. Seeing him do what he loves more than anything in this world is what makes my heart sing.”

  The Star Spangled Banner began to play over the loudspeakers and Valerie stood up, taking both Angela’s and Lloyd’s hands tightly in hers.

  THE RACE WENT BY IN a blur, with Angela alternating between feeling exhilarated by the thrill of the race and feeling like she was going to throw up any second from nerves. She held tightly to Valerie’s hand for support most of the day.

  After three hours she stood up and stretched. Damn! She didn’t realize how long these races could be. They went on for hours and hours.

  The stress and strain were killing her. Every second Shane was on the track, she kept her eyes trained on his car; willing him not to take any chances and stay safe. She knew he must be getting tired out there, especially with the heat.

  She’d heard the average temperature inside the racecars was over 120 degrees. She hoped Beverly was doing her job in keeping him hydrated enough.

  The last five laps were excruciating to watch. Shane and another driver raced neck-and-neck until the final lap when Shane pulled ahead at the last second to finish two car lengths in front. When Shane passed the checkered flag, the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered wildly.

  Shane’s comeback had been on all the news stations ever since he’d made the qualifying speed a few days before.

  His tale was a perfect comeback story, the stuff movies were made of. Angela couldn’t be prouder of him.

  She didn’t realize she was sobbing like a fool in both joy and relief until Lloyd handed her his handkerchief. “Here you go, darling. Now dry up those pretty brown eyes and let’s hurry down to the pits. We don’t want to miss Shane getting his trophy.”

  Angela blew her nose and shook her head. “No, you two go ahead. I don’t want to get in the way. Shane will need to do interviews and stuff. I’ll catch up with him later.”

  Valerie linked her arm through Angela’s. “Did Shane ever mention to you how I always get my way? Come on darling, you’re coming with us. Shane would never forgive us if we let you leave now.”

  ANGELA COULD BARELY see Shane through the throngs of people gathered around the Winner’s Circle. He stood on a large stage in front of a red backdrop boldly advertising the race’s major sponsors.

  All of his pit crew were with him, along with a couple of big breasted blondes dressed in midriff t-shirts and shorts. Angela was glad to see their shirts held the logo of a popular beer which meant they were part of the PR team and hopefully not there with Shane. Either way, she still didn’t like the way they were rubbing their boobs all over him.

  While the rest of his crew whooped and hollered and popped bottles of champagne, she noticed Shane searching the crowd with his eyes. Angela pushed and shoved her way closer, knowing there was no way she could reach the stage. She’d already become separated from Shane’s parents, but she knew they were trying to make their way toward Shane too.

  Suddenly Shane spotted her in the crowd and as their eyes connected, time stood still. A big smile broke across his face before he jumped off the stage and ran toward her. She moved faster too but when she finally stood in front of him, her nerve dissipated as she stared into Shane’s face.

  There was a glint of hope in that gorgeous grey gaze before he shuttered it. He held up a hand to the two security guys flanking him on both sides. They both stepped back a few feet.

  He was looking at her like he couldn’t bear to look away. He hesitated a moment before saying, “You’re really here. You look beautiful as always”

  “Thanks. And you look great too, Shane. Exhausted, but great. The other night at the party I...”

  “You don’t have to go into that,” Shane said gently when she faltered. “You don’t owe me any explanations Angela.”

  “But you came to see me. I ran and tried so hard to catch you. And I’m the one who left that morning.”

  She bit on her bottom lip, hard. Looked down at her hands and sighed. “I hate excuses, Shane. And I hate to think I’m a coward.”

  “You think you’re the coward?” Shane asked on a low chuckle.

  Now her eyes held his squarely. “Maybe we both took the easy way out.”

  Shane seemed to nod in agreement. His attention was stolen for a moment by a camera crew yelling for him to come back to the stage for the ceremony.

  “Angela,” he began slowly, then paused as if searching for the right words. “You’re right. I did take the easy way out. I thought I had all the answers but that was far from the case. There were many ways I could have handled things better between us. All I did was complicate it further.”

  “I don’t regret anything that happened. Not the beginning...and certainly not the end. Especially not that,” whispered Angela.

  She felt Shane take her hand and she looked sideways at him sharply, her heart pounding at the warm touch of his fingers clasping hers.

  “Why did you run away like that, Angela?” he asked quietly.

  Angela could feel his thumb stroke her knuckles and the way it struck her deepest nerve with desire made her gasp inaudibly. Just a casual touch of his fingers and she was in heat.

  So pathetic of her.

  “I guess the same reason you walked off a week ago, from that club,” she said hoping the hurt didn’t choke too loudly in her voice. “I was afraid of being hurt.”

  “I didn’t want to disrupt...,” he began, then paused thoughtfully again before adding, “I guess I came to terms with the fact that I left things too late. I had many weeks to tell you how I felt. I wanted you that first day. Not just sexually. I wanted to kick myself for making that crazy offer for you to share my bed. The moment you walked in I knew you were someone special. But for so long I’d deprived myself of any real emotion, that I didn’t trust it when I felt it. I thought, if I held off long enough, I’d find it was a passing infatuation. Then came that last night. I was so sure if I had you one time, I’d get you out of my system. What a stupid idea!”

  There was no way Angela could conceal what his words were doing to her. Could he tell her hand had grown clammy with the flush of pleasure she felt to know how deeply he felt for her? She thought of how much she quavered to Shane’s touch still holding her hand in that warm clasp which felt more intimate than even the hottest kisses at that moment.

  “Please tell me you’re staying this time,” he said, his grey eyes pleading.

  She reached up take both sides of his face in her hands. “I’ll stay as long as you want me, Shane.”

  The crowd around them broke out in spontaneous applause when he picked her up in his strong arms and whirled her around. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Planting both her feet back on the ground, he raised her face to his and swooped down to claim her lips in a long, slow possessive kiss. Flashbulbs went off like fireworks around them as photographers jostled to capture the moment.

  “Come with me,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her with him back up to the Winner’s Circle. “I want you beside me wh
en they give me the trophy.”

  She nodded and slid an arm around his waist. They stood hand-in-hand as he accepted the Winner’s Trophy and gave a short speech thanking his crew. When the President of the racing association stepped off the stage signaling the end of the ceremony, the crew popped more bottles of champagne, spraying the bubbly liquid all over them.

  Shane drank straight from a champagne bottle then handed it to Angela to do the same. After taking a big swig, she laughed joyfully and reached up to wipe the sticky champagne from his face with his dad’s handkerchief.

  His eyes grew serious for a moment and he leaned down close to her ear to whisper wickedly, “When I get you home I’m going to lick a whole bottle of champagne from your beautiful body.”

  Heat flooded her, from her head to her toes. Good heavens! If he kept that up, she’d jump his bones right here in front of everybody. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be much longer.

  He’d warned her about the many interviews. Apparently not his favorite part of the job, but a necessary evil. After asking the mandatory questions about the car and his driving strategy, one of the reporters turned to Angela. “Shane, who is your lovely lady here today?”

  Shane went still for a moment and looked down solemnly into Angela’s upturned face. “This beautiful and talented young lady, Angela Neil, is the love of my life. She’s the only reason I’m back here at the track again today. And...if I’m incredibly lucky I hope to convince her to become the future Mrs. Shane Davis.” In front of thousands of spectators and television viewers, Shane bent down on one knee.

  As if on cue, Lloyd Davis jumped up on the stage and pulled a blue Tiffany’s box from his shirt pocket then handed it to Shane.

  Angela gaped at him in surprise.

  He knew?

  Shane’s family would never cease to surprise her. Lloyd winked at her, grinning ear-to-ear.

  Shane opened the box and turned it so Angela could see inside. She gasped, recognizing the elegant Tiffany setting. Classic and simple. Exactly the type of ring she would’ve picked herself.

  Shane removed the ring and handed the empty box up to his dad standing by his side. He took both of Angela’s now trembling hands in his.

  “Angela Neil, I love you more than you could ever possibly know.” He hesitated a moment, overcome with emotion. “I’m so lost without you. Will you please do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?”

  “Yes,” Angela sobbed, unable to believe this was really happening. “Yes, of course! I love you Shane, so much. Nothing would make me happier than being your wife.”

  The crowd laughed when he breathed a huge sigh of relief and slid the ring onto her finger. She wasn’t surprised that the fit was perfect. Leaning down, she tugged him to his feet.

  “Forever, Shane,” she promised, linking her arms around his neck. “Forever and a day,” he replied before claiming her lips with his.

  IT TOOK SHANE A WHILE to find out where she was. She heard him checking the living room and the kitchen before deciding to look in his study.

  Angela sat cross-legged on the edge of his desk, facing the door when he came in. He stopped short when he saw her. She’d purposefully changed into the same white dress and pink shoes she wore the first day they met. She wondered if he noticed that the first few buttons on her dress were already undone, displaying much of her creamy cleavage. She hoped she didn’t look silly, which she almost felt. She’d been going for sultry but she’d never really tried out a seduction scene before. Not in reality that was for sure.

  “Angela.” He walked in and shut the door behind him. She couldn’t tell if she read the gleam in his eyes right. Did he seem ready to pounce on her and ravish her where she sat? She hoped so. That would mean that they understood the same language.

  “First, I have a few more questions,” she said in her best sexy voice, re-crossing her legs. In her seated position, her hips seemed extra curvy.

  “Okay.”

  Angela bit on her bottom lip to stifle a smile. She heard the catch in his voice.

  “When did you buy the ring?” She held up her hand for the hundredth time to admire the sparkling diamond. “It’s perfect you know.”

  He smiled. “I hope so. If you must know I called Tiffany’s to discuss designing the ring the morning after you forced me to dance with you here in the study.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Forced you?”

  “Okay, coaxed me, seduced me. Whatever you want to call it. I knew the moment you danced for me that I wanted it to last forever. I made up my mind at that moment that I would do whatever it took to make it happen.”

  His words took her breath away. If only she’d known then. So much heartache on both their sides could’ve been prevented.

  “Any other questions?” he asked, now reaching where she sat perched. He slowly slid his hands up her thighs and under her dress. His fingers teased around the rim of her panties.

  “One more. If I’d said yes that first day...I mean to your proposition to share your bed as part of the contract. Would you have thought worse of me?”

  He paused to think about it. “Actually, no. I guess I’d have convinced myself you must have felt the same pull I had; and that like me you’d have wanted to explore it further.”

  “Well, you would have been right,” she said in a slightly purring voice. “I won’t lie; your suggestion got me hot under the collar. I was disgusted, infuriated, even dismayed. But beneath it all I felt impossibly turned on. It made me feel dirty and bad that I wanted to give in to your whim. That night I dreamed of you being inside me. It was the hottest fantasy I’ve ever had. I knew then that at some point, it would happen.”

  “Damn, Angela,” Shane said gruffly. His eyes trailed over her face and down to where her dress gaped open. He lifted a hand to trace the tiny gold medallion hanging to rest in the cleft of her breasts. “Then why didn’t you make the first move?”

  Angela smirked, lifting her hands to rest atop his broad shoulder encased in his black polo shirt. He looked so thrillingly handsome. He’d lost some weight and there were shadows embedded in the depths of his gorgeous grey eyes. She wished every dark cloud over him away. If she had a hand in causing him pain, she’d take as long as she needed to make things right again.

  “You absolutely do not ‘get’ females, Mr. Davis,” Angela told him teasingly.

  “Yes, I admit I’m a bit slow on the draw – especially since it was almost a year since I let myself get close to anything remotely like an adult female,” Shane returned in the same tone.

  Angela’s eyes widened. “Wow. Well...I guess you’re the type who’s very picky. But then it’s good that you were waiting for the right time.”

  “The right person. I was waiting for you,” he said, staring unwaveringly into her eyes.

  “You can’t imagine what it means to me to hear that,” Angela whispered.

  Her hand traced over the burned side of his face. Could scars be beautiful? Because Shane’s were. He made them seem so much a part of him she couldn’t imagine him without them. Couldn’t imagine wanting him without them. To her, his looks made him all the more exciting, and unique.

  Shane turned his face into her palm and kissed it. Angela shivered, feeling his hands settle on her waist.

  “When I woke up that morning and found you gone...I wanted to smash everything in the house. I almost went berserk. I was torn between rushing out to find you and drag you back, or closing my mind to the chapter and maybe, trying to follow your advice and find someone for real. So instead what did I do? I pined away. At the same time, I tried to do what I felt would make you proud. I stopped reacting negatively when I felt undue stares from strangers. I hung out more with my friends at public venues of their choice. I thought you’d be happy knowing I was at least making the effort.”

  “I am, believe me. I always thought about you, wondering what you were doing. Hoping you were happy. And wishing that you were missing me too. I was terrified of looking in the papers one day a
nd seeing you with pictures of your beautiful fiancée or...heaven help me, your bride. It would have killed me. I can’t even think about it.”

  “I never wanted anyone for a long time before I met you,” Shane said soberly. “And once you came into my life, I never looked at another woman again. I’d always heard people talk about soul mates, but I never understood its meaning until now. It crushed me to think I was too late, that you’d found someone else to take my place.”

  “Never,” Angela told him firmly. “Every other man seemed like a waste of time after you. I was worried I’d never feel that way again for someone else. I’m so glad I never have to worry about that.”

  “I love you, Angela.”

  Angela shivered at the way Shane made her name sound like an endearment in itself. She gazed up at him with an impish smile.

  “What are you going to do about it handsome?” she asked him in a brisk tone, before reaching for his buttons, undoing them quickly.

  “Anything you want me to,” he replied in a voice that grew decidedly thicker. His hands were smoothing upward to rest just beneath her breasts. Angela hummed sensually, her hand slipping inside his unfastened pants to cup his promising bulge. Shane let out a feral groan.

  “Shane...I know we’re going to have a lot of ups and downs,” Angela said with sudden solemnness. “Not so much between us, no. But from the outside world who are going to have their own opinions why we shouldn’t be together. I’m promising you here and now that that’s never going to be a problem for me. I’ll never let the hang-ups of others interfere with what we share. Can you promise the same?”