Irresponsible Puckboy (Puckboys 2)

But what was he doing? What does it mean? Maybe he’s looking down the barrel of twelve months without being able to have sex with someone else. Maybe Anton was right when he said given the circumstances, Dex could realize it’s possible to be attracted to me. That theory would work with how Dex has been acting today.

It doesn’t fill me with reassurance though. Him only realizing he’s attracted to me because he can’t have anyone else sounds a hell of a lot like “I’d do you … if you were the last man on earth.”

Dad slaps my back. “You don’t need to worry about us. We’re out of your hair tonight. I have to work in the morning, and you know your mother doesn’t like to fly alone.”

Okay. Tonight. I can deal with a couple more hours.

Maybe.

“Your sister finishes work at three and said she’ll be by to see us before we leave.”

Sienna. Shit. She knows this whole thing is fake.

I get Dex to drive us home while I get my phone out and text Sienna.

Long story, but don’t tell Mom and Dad that Dex’s and my marriage is fake. They think it’s real.

She’s at work, so she won’t see it until she’s done, but she checks her phone religiously, so she shouldn’t miss it. But then I reread my text and again am hit with why did I let this get so out of hand? The deception is really sinking in.

When we get home, I busy myself with washing the coffee cups from this morning and the plates my parents used when they had breakfast at whatever crazy hour they woke up at. It doesn’t take long for Mom to join me.

“I could’ve done that. We’re the ones imposing on you and your husband. Wow. Husband. It’s surreal to say that aloud.”

I don’t know where it comes from—the guilt, maybe—but I accidentally blurt, “It’s not actually real.”

Then I can’t look at my mother.

Her delicate hand touches my shoulder. “What do you mean?”

I turn to her. “It was supposed to be a joke, but we’re dumbasses and accidentally got married for real, and now the team’s PR agent is doing everything they can to try to convince people it is real so it doesn’t look bad on the team or us.” The words come out in one long rush.

“Oh, honey.” Mom steps forward and hugs me. “That must be difficult for you.”

“You have no idea,” I mumble.

“I think I do. It’s obvious how you feel about him.”

“To everyone but him evidently.”

“I’m not sure that boy even knows his own feelings. I mean, if this is all fake like you say it is, why is he going to such big lengths to impress us and make sure he’s always touching you in public?”

“Graham from PR is telling us to act like a couple to cover our asses.”

“Hmm.” Mom purses her lips.

“What?”

“That doesn’t explain why you two came home last night trying to eat each other’s faces.”

I wince. “Uhh, yeah. About that … I don’t even know what that was.”

“Have you talked to him about it?”

“No. Because we were interrupted by unexpected visitors,” I say dryly.

“Talk to him. Maybe this marriage isn’t so fake to him after all.”

I’m reminded of the other part of what Anton said while we were away—that it’s possible Dex has feelings for me too but didn’t know it.

I haven’t stopped to think about it too hard because I don’t want to give weight to an idea that could hurt me. Especially when it’s so unrealistic.

Dex is an open book, and he hasn’t mentioned wanting to give anything more than sex a try. And just because we got off together last night and I gave him a blowjob, that’s not going to magically create feelings just because I want it to.

I already know Dex is not the type of guy to associate sex with emotions. Neither am I. Usually.

But with Dex … everything is jumbled in my head.

“You’re overthinking this, honey,” Mom says.

“You think so?”

“I can see why it would be confusing, but … I mean … you’re married now. Even if it started as an accident, why don’t you see where it can go?”

Sure, because that’s not going to end in heartache or anything. Though I don’t think I can avoid it at this point anyway. “You just want to keep Dex, don’t you?”

“As far as sons-in-law go, he’s a good one.”

Before I can tell her exactly why this whole thing is a bad idea, the buzzer for the front of the building sounds, and I go to the intercom to see my sister’s face on the security camera.

“Sienna’s here.” I buzz her up, and then Mom and I go to the front door to meet her.

When she gets off the elevator, she’s all smiles. “Where’s my favorite brother-in-law? The one who’s totally in love with Tripp, and it’s very, very real.”