Fake Marriage Box Set

“Come on, scooch in,” Maria said, grinning ear to ear. “I don’t think the professor bites. Does he?”

I wanted to die. Right then and there. She had to have told Jake, based on his reaction to what she said. For his part, Ian was shooting death glares at his brother. I looked from one brother to the other, and my money was on Ian. He was older, bigger and royally pissed.

“It’s okay,” he said, in a low voice, looking at me.

I nodded and carefully moved my chair next to his. We sat next to each other all the time. This is no big deal, I reminded myself.

The waitress appeared, dropping off a variety of appetizers and taking our drink order with the promise to return in a jiffy. Maria and Jake had their heads together, talking and kissing on occasion. They were in their own world.

“Nothing like a blind date to make your day complete, huh?” I joked, knowing how much he had hated the one on Sunday at the barbecue.

Like that, the tension flowed away. Ian’s shoulders went back a little, and he smiled before taking a long drink of his beer.

I watched as his lips touched the bottle and he began to drink. Heat washed over my body as I remembered those lips on mine. I longed to feel them again, to taste him. He put down his beer, his gaze never leaving mine. I know he could see my passion rising to the surface by the way his normally light green eyes darkened. I had seen that happen once before, right before he kissed me.

“Your drink’s here,” he mumbled.

I looked up and watched the waitress place my cocktail on the napkin in front of me. “Thank you,” I said, my voice low and husky.

I felt him jerk next to me. He too was experiencing the same affliction as I—forbidden passion was a bitch. I wanted him so badly, but I couldn’t have him. It didn’t seem fair. I watched Maria and Jake lean into each other. They were happy. Their relationship was completely normal and didn’t break any rules.

“I guess you weren’t expecting this,” he said in a quiet voice. “I know I wasn’t.”

I shook my head. “No. Not exactly. She said she wanted to go out. Blow off some steam and all that crap.”

I debated the merits of telling him she knew about the kiss but was too embarrassed. It made me sound like a silly girl running to tell my friends about my kiss with a boy. What was the rule—never kiss and tell?

We sat in relative silence, engaging in conversation occasionally when Jake and Maria came up for air. Their attention never lasted long, and they ended up returning to their little love nest, seemingly unconcerned that it was in the middle of a crowded bar.

“Need another drink?” he asked.

I vigorously nodded my head. “Yes!”

He chuckled before waving the waitress over. It was a new one. She looked at me, held out her hand and demanded to see my ID.

“Little late for that now, isn’t it?” I grumbled but did as she asked.

I handed her the ID; she declared I was legal and took our order. Before I could get my license back in my wallet, Ian snatched it out of my hand.

He was reading it when I snatched it back. “Yes, I’m legal,” I laughed, knowing he was curious.

His gaze heated up about a hundred degrees before he leaned in close to my ear and breathed, “Lethal is more like it.”

I couldn’t move. His hot breath washed over my bare skin, nearly causing me to climax without even touching me. My mind jumped back to the way his lips had felt against my own, and I was craving to know what they would feel like against my neck.

My heart was doing a series of flips and twirls that made it difficult for me to breath. I finally brought both my breathing and my racing libido under control and looked at him. He was taking another drink from his fresh beer as if he hadn’t just made me wet. I had a feeling he knew exactly what he did and was feeling very proud of himself.

I was half tempted to reach under the table and give him a taste of his own medicine but decided against it. When the waitress delivered my drink, I took a long sip of the icy liquid. It helped cool the fire that had been started under my skin.

With the fire extinguished, I was able to turn my focus back to the conversation between Jake and Ian. Finally, Maria and Jake had disengaged themselves, and we were able to have a real conversation. It was fun. The earlier episode was forgotten, and I was able to relax with Ian by my side. It all felt very natural.

When Jake checked his watch, it was a signal our night was over.

“This was fun!” Maria exclaimed. Jake had his arm around her as they made their way to the door.

I had to agree. “It was.”

Ian walked behind me. “I had a good time. I wasn’t expecting it to be so fun.”