Fake Marriage Box Set

"No," Penn said. "I want her to beat this by any means necessary. Wait. You've been talking to her for almost two years?"

"And in all that time, I couldn't get her to see reason." Xavier brushed a hand over his perfectly gelled hair. "I couldn't even convince her to tell you."

Penn scoffed. "This is all a lie. She wouldn't reach out to you. You, of all people, don't deserve to be a part of her life."

A flash of pain brightened Xavier's dark eyes. "She reached out to me, and I am doing the best I can."

"Well, you don't need to anymore." Penn stiffened as Xavier's phone began to buzz. "Go ahead. Take it. This conversation is over anyway."

"Are you sure?" I asked as Penn spun away. He left me stumbling for balance before I followed him across the room to the wall of windows. "Don't you think he can help?"

"I think he can go to hell," Penn spat out.

His vehemence stopped me in my tracks. I had far overstepped my bounds. I should have left as soon as I heard the private nature of the conversation. My heart bled for Penn, but it was a private matter, so I turned to leave.

Penn ground his teeth. "I know, I know. I need to work with him on this. It's just not that easy. I'm sorry you got stuck in the middle of this."

I looked back and found myself at his side again. "I know how hard it is to hear that a family member has cancer. You just have to hold out hope. Some people really do beat it."

"You don't know my mother." Penn gave a strangled laugh before continuing. "Then again, if anyone could beat cancer on their own, it would be my mother."

"She's really opposed to modern medicine?" I couldn't help but ask after what I had overheard, even as I inched towards the door.

"And very stubborn." Penn caught up to me in one stride. "Wait, please don't go. I meant what I said about you staying here rent-free this summer. You'll have the place to yourself. It's the least I can do for putting you through all this drama."

I shook my head. "I can be stubborn, too, and I have to say no. You have a lot going on, and the last thing you need is a stranger in your way."

Penn smiled and caught my hand. "But you're not a stranger, remember? You're my girlfriend."

My stomach did a dizzy flip as I shook my head again. "If I was your girlfriend, I'd be more of a comfort and less of a distraction."

He took my hand and pulled it around his waist until I was tucked under his arm again. Then, he brushed back my hair and whispered, "But you are a comfort. And, there's lots to be said for distractions during a time of duress. Please, please distract me."

His pleading ignited my insides, and I found myself pressing tighter against his body. We fit together seamlessly from my thighs to where my breasts gave against the hard muscles of his chest. When I arched my back to look up into his face, Penn's lips dipped down. The kiss was gentle, exploring, but it set off an explosion of desire.

He must have felt it, too, because he pierced me with a fierce look before he swept down and claimed me in another searing kiss. Then, he groaned. "Please stay, just one more night?"

I knew instantly that I would regret it, but I nodded anyway. "I'll stay tonight," I whispered.

Xavier finished his phone call and cleared his throat. Penn and I drew back from each other, but he kept me tight against his side. "I need you here so I don't kill him," Penn muttered.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, I berated myself. Penn was in the midst of a crisis. I couldn't be getting all fluttery or weak in the knees over anything he said to me. He probably had no idea what he was saying, and when everything settled, he would wonder why I was still hanging around.

I need to get out of here, I thought.

As if Ginny read my mind, she appeared in the doorway of the apartment. "Hello? Sorry to interrupt, but I was just dropping off Corsica's stuff."

"Stuff?" Xavier Templeton asked.

Ginny noticed him and lost the ability to speak.

"My luggage," I said. "Apparently she approves of my change of plans."

Xavier nodded and took my old leather duffel from Ginny. "Good, then you're already packed. We'll leave for Monterey shortly after one o-clock and be there to catch Alice at dinner."

"Alice? Dinner? Monterey?" I stammered.

Penn let go of me and glared at Xavier. "And where exactly do you plan to stay in Monterey?" Then Penn turned to me and explained. "My mother's name is Alice Brightwater, and she lives a short drive from Monterey."