Miki

 

 

Oh, lord.

Aidan is absolutely adorable when he’s completely caught off guard. He looks like he’s about to keel over. Maybe I’ve made him have a heart attack at the ripe old age of twenty four.

“Darling,” He sputters after sucking in a huge breath, face all splotchy with bright red and pale spots at the same time, “I thought we, uh, we weren’t going to say-”

“Oh don’t be silly, my love.” I smirk, playfully batting his shoulder and doing my best to contain my laughter, “Why keep it a secret any longer? I can’t keep the news from this lovely woman! You didn’t warn me that your mother would be so charming!”

“Oh! Oh my!” Ruth pats her chest desperately. Her hand flutters over her heart like a little hummingbird wing as she rocks up and down on her heels, practically hyperventilating with excitement, “My little boy! With this beautiful girl! Oh my! Oh my! A wedding! I have to…” She stammers and rambles in half thoughts and fragmented sentences, all while clutching her son and plastering his cheek with kisses of delirious excitement.

Then, abruptly, she spins on her heel and dashes into the house without a single word towards us, screaming at the top of her lungs, “Tina, get me the phone!”

As her excited cries fade into the depths of the large home, Aidan’s face goes from shocked to stony with a quickness that makes my whole body freeze.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” He mutters irritatedly, shooting a careful glance towards the front of the house where the large double doors still hang open. When he stops talking, the shrill lilt of Ruth’s voice over the phone floats through the breeze.

“Why not?” I ask indignantly, hands resting comfortably on my hips.

“I don’t want to get married. Not now and probably not ever. I’d gathered from our short conversation that you felt the same.”

His words are icy, deep brown eyes narrowing into suspicious slits. He doesn’t trust me, that much is clear.

I don’t blame him, he doesn’t know me. And I certainly don’t trust the mysterious blond man much either.

Perfect grounds for an engagement, isn’t it?

“You gathered right.” I reply simply, unable to keep the smug, satisfied grin from twitching my lips slowly upwards.

“Then why did you tell my mother that we’re engaged?”

“Your mother deserves happiness. You said it yourself that it was one of her final wishes to see you in love. If we pretend to be engaged, you can focus on your career and building your business without that added pressure.”

“And you?” He shoots back venomously, eyes still tight and cautious on me, “What do you get out of this?”

“A few years ago I had a really terrible relationship. She’s been dying for me to get back in the dating pool since then, she thinks it’s weird that I’m so adverse to it. This will get her off my back. When the time is right, we’ll break off the engagement and everything will be fine.”

“How was the relationship terrible?”

I bite my lip, drumming fingers on the armrest, “I’d rather not get into that now.”

“Poppy is really going to believe you’re engaged to a man you just met?”

“She believes in love. She’ll believe this story, especially because she wants me to be normal so bad.”

“You’re not normal?”

I watch him levelly, brushing a small bit of dust from the driveway off the front of a white chiffon shirt borrowed from Poppy’s closet. I hadn’t brought enough clothes to stay for more than a few nights. Now, it looked like I might be staying for a few weeks.

“No.” I finally settle on saying, without any further explanation. Surprisingly enough, he takes the answer at face value.

The muscled man before me paces in a thoughtful circle while I watch, then his whole body finally goes still and I know I’ve won. I try not to look too pleased with myself, but I can feel it welling up inside me, puffing my chest and lifting my chin.

“Alright.” He mutters with a begrudging tone that almost leaves me offended, “Let’s do it your way then.”

“Good.” I smirk, stepping forward to drape my arms around his shoulders. His body is hard and strong under my touch, my throat going tight. I hadn’t expected the sparks of electricity that dance up and down the prickling goosebumps of my arms.

Aidan almost jerks away, going stiff as a hard wooden plank under my touch.

“What are you doing?” He hisses, his eyes flickering from my own to the lips of mine that are so close to his I can almost feel the warmth of his tongue.

“Your mom. She’s looking at us from the window. Pretend you’re happy.”

Startled, he glances towards the rustling drapes then back down to me, his hands gliding up my back. I have to bite back a moan, his touch making my whole body sizzle.

It’d been so long since I felt like this… since I felt anything. It wasn’t because of Aidan. It couldn’t be. It was something else that made me feel this way. Loneliness?

“So, tell me about yourself, Aidan Cole.” I murmur in an attempt to distract myself from the growing heat inside my body. I leaning into his strong arms and tilt my head back so my hair tumbles away from my neck. He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple dancing, “If we’re engaged, I need to know at least the basics.”

“What do you want to know?” He murmurs back, and not be outdone by my coy sex appeal, he lets his hands run down over my ass as I lurch slightly in his touch.

 “Just selling the part.” He murmurs smugly.

I pull from him, trying to hide the warm blush blooming over my cheeks as I whirl around and pace up and down the drive of the lovely home, inhaling the scent of fresh flowers and peach blossoms, “Tell me about this business you’re planning. Tell me about what you do for fun.”

“Fun?”

The word is almost foreign in his mouth, as though it doesn’t quite fit right.

I nod, circling around his car, putting space between us as though I could force the sparks of electricity that dance between us into subservience.

“Don’t be snarky. I know you have something you do for fun. Play reindeer games with your friend from the rehearsal dinner?”

The way his gaze follows me is unsettling. He’s so stoic and still, like he’s able to see right through me to all the bruised and battered bits of my soul that I work so hard to hide. I feel naked, standing there on the lawn, like there’s nowhere to hide from the intensity of his beautiful, dark eyes.

I close my own eyes for a second, shutting him out while pretending to enjoy the wafting breeze. I struggle to center my furiously running mind, my heart thudding so rough against my ribs I’m almost worried they’ll break. There is nothing real about this engagement or the feelings brewing like a storm inside me. It is all an illusion, and if I gave myself to it, only pain would result.

“My bikes.” He finally muses aloud, “I’ll show you the bikes then.”

I nod blankly, wrenching my eyelids apart once more to watch as he points to the other side of the house and starts walking. We step off the drive, feet crunching through gravel, and it kind of feels like stepping off a safe ledge - like when you’re wading through the ocean and suddenly step so deep that you’re head plunges under water. Just walking around the side of his huge home, I could feel my world already shifting.

“So, biking?” I croak, desperate to distract my wandering mind.

Though Aidan has a rock hard body and I’d felt the ripple of ripped abs under my fingers at the wedding, I’d never pegged him as the biking type. I wonder if he had one of those silly, bright biking suits as well. And a vibrant helmet collection too, of course. I could practically see the meticulously organized shelves of tire pumps, helmets, and gears.

He mashes the button on the side of a large garage, clearing his throat as he slowly rolls up his sleeves and crosses his arms over his bulky chest.

The metal garage door slowly drags upwards, grinding nosily as I peer into the dark space within.

“Damn.” I whisper in shock, almost grabbing the nearest bench for support in my surprise, “You weren’t talking about mountain bikes, were you?”

He just shakes his head, grabbing an abandoned oil soaked rag as he passes by a row of at least a dozen gorgeous, gleaming motorcycles. With each step he takes, tiny black splotches drip on the marbled garage flooring. The dark metal casings of the huge bikes glitter like jewels. To be honest, I’d never even been this close to a motorcycle before. I’d seen them on the road, of course, lunging quick as lightning in and out of cars’ paths. It was impossible to conceive Aidan doing just that. Had he been one of the bikers I’d seen around town, revving his powerful engine as he blows through a red light?

“Do you work on the motorcycles yourself?” I ask, unable to imagine him with oil slicked hands, laying on the floor of his garage as he checks the engine and gears.

Aidan nods mutely, his feet shifting underneath him as though he’s strangely uncomfortable.

“What’s going on with you?” I laugh, walking forward to run my hands careful across the gleaming ebony metal of the nearest bike, “It’s not like you’re showing me a doll collection or something.”

“This just isn’t something I share.”

“Do you ride a lot? You’d look so sexy in a leather jacket.”

I yelp at my words, clamping a hand sharply over my lips.

I had definitely NOT meant to say that aloud, despite the fact that I’d been thinking it for at least the last two minutes straight.

His laugh echoing off the walls, his eyes gleam amber in the dull light of the garage, “I’m not an extra in some gang movie.”

“Just saying.” I shrug, as though I totally meant to say it.

The rag drops into a nearby sink as he washes his hands before walking purposefully back towards where I linger beside on the bikes, edging a careful finger across the silver handle. When he stops to stand on the other side of the motorcycle, his close proximity almost makes it hard to breathe.

Stoic, stern-faced billionaire Aidan Cole was nothing but a throttle jockey.

“I guess you’re a real bad boy, aren’t you.” I tease, breath catching in my throat as he slowly leans forward just slightly, the growing closeness trembling in my fingertips.

“You have no idea.” He whispers huskily.

“There you two are!”

Ruth’s cheery voice interrupts us as I stumble back a few steps from the motorcycle and try to pretend that my heart wasn’t ricocheting around in my chest like a ping pong ball.

“I made some coffee and sandwiches. Won’t you two sweet lovebirds come in for a little while?”

“That sounds perfect.” I beam at her, inhaling deeply as I follow her back around the corner towards the front door of the home as the garage squeals back shut.

From the heavy power of Aidan’s step behind us and the weakness of my knees, I suddenly realized that there was much more to my new fiancé than I ever could have guessed.

 

~~

 

“You have such a beautiful home.” I sigh as we settle into the living room of the sprawling Cole domain.

Despite being huge and vast, the inside was decorated with such a warm and homey feel that I almost could have sworn I’d been here before. It was cozy and snug and wide all at the same time.

“Thank you, dear!” Ruth giggles as she passes me a plate loaded with entirely too much roast beef and turkey sandwiches. She plops almost double that amount on Aidan’s plate and pushes it towards him before pouring us all a steaming cup of coffee. The scent is bittersweet, steam rising from the cute pink china cups, “Aidan hired the best interior designer in the state to come work with me. He had the place decorated just how I wanted.”

“Even though we had to change it a dozen times.” Aidan interjects with a shake of his head and a twinkle in his eye.

She rolls her eyes, sipping daintily from her cup, “It was no more than ten, my dear.”

“Sounds like he spoils you good.” I wink playfully as she takes a small sliver of meat and nibbles at it.

“He’s good at that.” The woman responds, her eyes going misty for a moment before she shakes her head quickly, bubbly grin back on her lips, “The wedding! I want to hear all the plans. When’s the date?”

“Ah, well, we haven’t exactly ironed everything down yet.” Aidan jets in quickly.

I set my plate down, wrapping my fingers tenderly around his knee and batting my lashes at him, just the way Poppy did with Grant. Usually, that look between my sister and her husband made me nauseous. This time, my stomach fluttered with something else.

“We’re just not sure if we want it small and intimate or lavish.” I murmur, snuggling up into Aidan’s stiff side.

His arm slowly wraps around my shoulder, the warmth of his body washing over my own like a snug blanket. I fit so perfectly into the curve of his body that I almost never want to move.

“Oh, you must go lavish.” Ruth sighs dreamily, “I always imagined that I would have a beautiful, lavish ceremony.”

She goes quiet and again wistful, staring down at the sandwiches she’d labored so hard over

Had she never found love after Aidan’s father left? I wanted to ask, but I filed the question away for later. Now was not the time.

Besides, this was just another reason for me to doubt love’s existence. Ruth was a beautiful, charming, wonderful woman. Who wouldn’t absolutely adore her?

Aidan and I exchange a quiet glance before he clears his throat, drawing the woman’s attention back to us. Almost instantly she swells back to life again, like one of those tacky blowup lawn decorations during the holidays.

“Why did you come home today, Aidan?” The woman asks quizzically, “You usually don’t get off ‘til late. But then again, I see where you’ve been spending some of your time.” She winks at me, giggling again.

I can hear it now, that slight falsity of her laughter. She’s trying too hard to convince us she’s happy.

“Ah, I have to pick up some things for work. Plus, I thought it would be a nice time to introduce you to the love of my life.”

I swear my heart almost stopped beating the second he utters those words with his perfect mouth. My whole body goes ice cold, then boiling hot and even though I know our relationship isn’t real, for a second I almost forget.

Before I can stop myself, my fingers glide up over his cheek, turning his face towards me as his words trail off into nothing. Our eyes meet and the entire world is gone, just like that, faded away to nothingness.

Gently, I lean forward up against his chest, eyes drifting shut as our lips melt together. Torturous red flame bursts inside of me like a volcanic explosion, rushing from my curling toes to the trembling hair on top of my head as our mouths move together in a slow, delicious dance. His hands tangle into my hair and my fingers curl around his suit jacket.

The moment is broken only when Ruth abruptly bursts into tears, the plate on her lap clattering roughly to the ground at her feet.

We lurch apart, both gasping for breath. Aidan rushes to bend at her side, picking up the pieces of shattered china with careful hands.

“Ruth, I’m so sorry, that was inappropriate.” I hastily cry out, tears bursting in my own eyes. Was I distraught that our beautiful moment was over or that I’d upset Aidan’s mother?

“No, no!” She sobs, unable to control the tears surging down her face as I lean over to grasp at her quivering hand, “I just never… I never thought my boy would ever have such a darling fiancée. I thought I’d never see it!”

Aidan wraps his arms around her, letting the woman sob into his chest and clutch at his shirt.

“I’m just so happy.” She wails, clinging to her son.

Over her head, our grim eyes meet.

If there was any chance of either of us backing out of our fake engagement, it had just been washed away with the tears of the kind, dying woman.

 

~~

 

The silence on the ride back was even more heavy and unbearable than on our way to Aidan’s home. By the time the billionaire had managed to collect his necessary items, Ruth had practically stuffed her monthly planner full with family dinners and outings for all of us. While she hadn’t brought up her condition with even a single breath, I’d noticed the vast amount of doctor’s appointments speckling the next few weeks. 

Was it going to be difficult to lie to her? She was such a jubilant soul in the face of such tragedy. Perhaps that would make it easier to deceive her.

As we get closer to the Corp building, I stealthily slide my phone from my pocket and angle it towards the handsome man, snapping a quick, silent picture for Liv.

She was going to go absolutely insane when I filled her in on all this.

The car pulls into the parking spot, engine going silent as we stare together at the looming, beautiful business building.

At least Poppy was going to be thrilled when I told her about my plans to stay. She was going to be even more thrilled when I told her that I was involved with Aidan. At least, I figured she would be. Sometimes it felt as though she disagreed with me just to drive me crazy.

Maybe we had that in common actually.

“I’m sorry about the kiss.” I say abruptly, afraid of the heavy silence and afraid to look at him and afraid to breathe. My heart fluttered again, my throat going dry, “It just seemed like the right moment. To, like, seal the deal. Make it totally believable.”

I spare a glance at his stoic, severe face and know that he is thinking the exact same thing as I am.

The truth remains the same.

No matter what deal we’ve made, we absolutely, cannot fall in love.

“I would have kissed you first.” He shrugs, gazing at me with intense chocolate hued eyes that make me tremble, “But I was worried I wouldn’t be able to stop.”