CHAPTER 9
“If there’s any relationship that actually makes me think about giving love a second chance, it’s your parents.” Brynn stood beside Jess in her parents’ kitchen, helping her put the cards in order for the Not-So-Newlywed Game.
Jess looked up and saw her mom and dad mingling with their friends out on the deck. Her dad had his arm around her mom’s waist and he kept whispering things in her ear. Probably telling her how cute she is, if I know him, Jess thought. It was his go-to compliment. At least the go-to compliment that was PG enough to say in public.
Their anniversary celebration was going off without a hitch. It was a beautiful, sunny day and it seemed like the entire town had turned out for her parents’ festivities. The party began at noon and had no end time. She’d expected people to stop by for an hour or two and then leave, but it seemed like everyone was staying much longer than that.
There were probably close to a hundred people milling about her parents’ backyard. Thankfully, her childhood home sat on two acres of land. The house had been her grandfather’s, and he’d had a small working farm when her dad was growing up. But when Jess was growing up, the only animals she’d had were two Collie dogs named Sonny and Cher. Both pups were no longer with them. However, they had a litter of six puppies, the six-pack, her dad called them. The original plan had been to give them away but her mom hadn’t been able to part with any of the adorable bundles of fur. When the decision was made that they’d be keeping the bunch, Jess got to name them. So Ross, Rachel, Pheobe, Joey, Monica, and Chandler were running around the backyard and seemed happy to have so many visitors.
“Do they ever fight?” Brynn asked, in awe of the couple of the hour.
Not the first time Jess had been asked that question and she knew it probably wouldn’t be the last.
“Of course they fight. Not like screaming matches or anything, but yeah, they disagree.”
“I don’t think your dad was too happy about the game.” Brynn set the cards with the answers that she’d collected from Jess’s parents down on the table.
“He’ll get over it.” Jess wasn’t worried about her dad. He would do anything for her mom. “Let’s head back out.”
Jess grabbed a couple of bags of chips and Brynn grabbed a fresh veggie tray, and the duo stepped back outside. They were refilling the refreshment table that Jess had set up next to the deep end of the pool when Ali bopped up.
“Okay, what is going on between you and the good sheriff of Naughtyham?” Ali looked proud of herself for her play on words.
Jess grinned. “Not to rain on your punrade, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Come on,” Brynn said as she leaned in close and lowered her voice. “The man can’t take his eyes off of you.”
“What are you…” Jess turned and saw that sure enough, Ethan was standing at the other end of the pool, beer in hand, not paying any attention to the group of people around him. His deep brown stare was pointed directly at her just like it had been every time she’d looked his way today.
She’d been trying to ignore him, but he just looked so damn hot. He was wearing the same basic outfit that most of the guys at the party were. Plain T-shirt, shorts that fell below his knee, flip-flops, and a baseball cap. But for some reason, her body was responding like she was Marilyn Purroe and he was catnip. He was just so damn sexy.
That was nothing new, of course, but since their talk, her hormones were in overdrive. Since they’d agreed to a fake relationship, the real things that she’d been fantasizing about him doing to her, and her doing to him, were making her blush.
Feeling her cheeks heat again, she turned away from the source of her flush.
“He’s been watching you like a hawk. And not just in his normal, worried about you way. He’s been watching you.” Ali wagged her brows as she did her best Mae West impression, “If you know what I mean.”
“I do, actually.” Jess deadpanned. “You’re not being subtle.”
She was happy to see Ali being her goofy self again. After Patrick died, Jess had been worried that Ali would always be a shell of herself. But Kade didn’t just bring himself back when he returned to town. He brought Ali as well.
“So, what’s the deal, banana peel?” Ali posed her question playfully.
Jess wasn’t prepared to answer questions about Ethan yet. They’d agreed not to start their “relationship’ until after her parents’ anniversary party. Jess hadn’t wanted to take any of the attention off of her mom and dad’s day. At least that’s what she’d told Ethan. Honestly though, she’d just been nervous and needed some time to prepare.
Was it ridiculous that she’d broken out in hives over a relationship that wasn’t even real? Yep. But there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about that.
They’d also decided not to let anyone in on the fact that it wasn’t real. That discussion started when she said that she’d have to tell her parents and Ali. Ethan then pointed out that if Ali knew then she’d have to tell Kade, and if the twins overheard it they might let Ryder in on it, who would most likely say something to Brynn.
Her solution was simple. She’d tell her parents, Ali, Kade, and Brynn. His response had been a stare that told her what she already knew. If all those people knew, the chances of them all being able to keep the secret were slim to none. And if everyone knew that it was a fake relationship, what was the point in doing it?
So, it wasn’t just that she was stressed about what being in a relationship, fake or not, would be like. She was also stressed about lying to her friends and family.
“It’s complicated.” That was true, so technically she wasn’t lying. Yet.
When she turned her attention back to her friends, she saw that they were both staring at her with their mouths hanging wide open.
“What?” she looked back over her shoulder, convinced they were reacting to something behind her.
“You just said it’s complicated,” Ali emphasized.
“So?” Jess felt her eyebrows scrunch together.
Brynn and Ali both gave each other a look.
Ali turned back to Jess. “You’re finally admitting that something is going on between you two?”
Wow. If this was the reaction that her friends had when all she did was say that something was complicated, she couldn’t imagine what they were going to do when she and Ethan started their fake romance.
This was a bad idea. All week she’d been on a seesaw, unable to decide if this was the best idea ever or the worst plan in history. But being around the entire town today made that decision as clear as the crystal her mom kept in her hutch.
Worst plan in history.
“It’s not complicated. It’s nothing.” Jess glanced over her shoulder again, feeling Ethan’s intense stare boring into the back of her neck.
“The looks you two have been exchanging all day are so hot I’m surprised that you both haven’t gone up in flames,” Ali observed.
“You two have more sparks than a welding machine,” Brynn added.
“No. We don’t,” Jess firmly stated.
Since agreeing to the plan, Jess was feeling even more defensive about her feelings for the man than she ever had before. She barely managed to keep what she felt hidden when she’d professed that she didn’t like him. How in the world was she going to accomplish the same thing when she was supposed to like him? People would see, he would see that it was real.
As the panic rose in her, she made a command decision. She wasn’t going to go through with the plan. She was aborting the mission.
“So you’re not attracted to him?” Ali’s tone implied she already knew the answer.
“No. I’m not.” Jess lied through her teeth, but felt a sense of calm that she was regaining control.
Ali and Brynn looked unconvinced. Which was fair. She wasn’t totally selling it.
“Is he attractive? Sure. But he’s not my type.” That probably didn’t help her case.
Her statement caused Ali’s eyes to widen and Brynn’s lips to flatten in a tight line.
She kept going, attempting to make her case. “What? He’s not. I am not attracted to Ethan Steele.”
“Hey, Ethan,” Brynn chirped brightly.
“Are your ears burning?” Ali asked with a mischievous grin.
“Ladies.” A deep voice rumbled behind her and the sound sent her belly rolling like a tumbleweed in a desert.
Ethan’s hand brushed along her lower back as he leaned in close to her. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Jess turned her head and did her best to appear casual, cool, and totally unaffected by the fact that Ethan’s touch had just sent a shock wave of bliss through her. “I’m a little busy now.”
She looked back to her friends for backup, but they’d scattered. In fact, the entire crowd had migrated to the other end of the pool. It was just her and Ethan.
When she looked up at him, she couldn’t quite read what was going on behind his hazel eyes.
“What’s up?” She heard the tension in her voice.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
“I have not. I’m just busy being a good hostess.”
“Doesn’t a good hostess mingle with her guests?”
“I don’t know. It’s been a while since I was at finishing school.”
Ethan stared at her and she felt her entire body heat from the inside out. Ali and Brynn might’ve been on to something. She was surprised that she wasn’t spontaneously combusting. That’s when she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that there was no way she could go through with this ruse. She wasn’t sure she’d survive a month of this kind of heat.
Ethan leaned toward her and she found herself holding her breath. Her mind was screaming; He’s going to kiss you. Right here. In front of everyone! And the scariest part of that was, she wasn’t doing anything to stop it. She even encouraged it by closing her eyes.
“Here.” She opened her eyes at the sound of his voice.
Jess looked down and saw that he was holding a can of soda out for her. She was dazed as she looked back up at him.
The left side of his mouth turned up in a smirk. “You look a little flushed. I thought you might need to cool off.”
She wasn’t sure if it was the smugness in his voice or the general air of arrogance that sparked her actions. But a brilliant idea popped into her head. Without thinking about it, she stepped in closer to him, scrunched her nose, and said, “I don’t think I’m the one that needs to cool off.”
Then she lifted her hands, pressed them to his chest, and pushed.
In all the years that she’d known Ethan, she’d never seen him taken by surprise. Even when they were younger, he just had this way about him that made her think that he knew everything that was going on. Like he was in control of everything that was going on.
But as he flailed backward, it seemed he wasn’t in control of anything. A huge splash of water rose up and garnered the attention of everyone at the party. Jess was laughing as Ethan surfaced. She wasn’t sure if he was going to be mad, or try to get even, but she was wearing her swimsuit beneath her dress so if she ended up in the pool, she would be fine. She was always prepared for an impromptu dunk in the water whenever there was a pool party.
What she wasn’t prepared for was seeing Ethan emerge from the water. He placed one arm on the side of the deep end and was up and out of the pool in a fluid, smooth motion that had every cell in her body coming to life. His dripping wet clothes were clinging to his body, and the sight made Jess weak in the knees. Literally. Her legs went limp beneath her, like a baby giraffe trying to stand for the first time, and she had to steady herself on the table beside her.
Ethan shook out his arms and ran his hands over his head and face. After scrubbing his face, his eyes locked on her and he began walking toward her like a predator stalking his prey. She braced herself for being lifted off the ground and tossed into the pool. She had it coming, after all.
But that didn’t happen.
Instead, when Ethan reached her, he cupped her face with his large hands, tilted her head up, lowered his head and captured her mouth in the hottest kiss of her life. He smothered her lips with demanding mastery. Unable to do anything else, she gripped his shoulders, holding on for dear life as she parted her lips and gave him complete access to her mouth.
The moment their tongues touched, the smoldering heat flared to a roaring inferno. A needy sound came from the back of her throat as he claimed her with fiery possession. When he suddenly broke their kiss, she was dazed and breathless.
Somewhere in her consciousness, she heard the crowd cheering and another wave of panic filled her.
“Why did you do that?”
“I thought you might be having second thoughts.” A satisfied grin spread on his face.
She had been. And after that kiss, she was having third, fourth, and fifth thoughts.
* * *
“I still don’t understand why we’re doing this.” Ethan leaned over and whispered in Jess’s ear.
“Because.” A fake smile was plastered on her face as she seethed between clenched teeth, “After your little stunt, my mom wanted to know what was going on. I told her we’re dating and she insisted on this. So, thanks. I hope you’re happy.”
He was actually. He hadn’t planned on kissing Jess, it was just that he hadn’t been able to help himself. He’d told her it was because he thought she might be having second thoughts, but that wasn’t the case. The truth was, he’d almost kissed her before she’d tossed his ass in the pool. So when he’d climbed out of the water and seen the smug look on her face, he’d acted on pure instinct. But, he couldn’t say that to her and keep up his charade, so he lied.
Jess had been avoiding him all day, that much was true. Sure, she’d glanced his way a few times, but they hadn’t spoken. He had a gut feeling that she was reconsidering their deal and he figured if she was going to pull the plug, he at least wanted to get his redemption kiss first.
And damn, what a kiss it had been. He hadn’t been planning for it to get so out of control so quickly, but the moment their lips touched, all of his senses short-circuited and his brain stopped working. All he could do was feel. If he hadn’t heard the crowd start cheering, he might still be kissing her.
Once the kiss ended, everything that happened was a blur. Or maybe it just felt like that because he’d been so dazed from the kiss.
Jess left to talk to her mom at the same time Nana pulled him aside and asked what was going on. No going back now, he figured. He told her that he and Jess had been seeing each other but had wanted to keep things low-key. Her suspicious stare made him wonder if he actually sold it.
He didn’t have too long to wonder, because Brynn interrupted them and asked if she could borrow him for a second. She pulled him aside and asked him a bunch of questions about Jess, and now he was sitting beside his “girlfriend” getting ready to play against her parents in some game.
Brynn took her place at the center of the deck and got everyone’s attention. “Okay, let me introduce our players for the Not-So-Newlywed Game. First up, we have the couple of the hour, John and Bonnie, who are celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary!”
There was applause, whistles, and hoots from the crowd. Beside him, Jess clapped, and he could see the love overflowing in her eyes for her parents.
“And playing against the not-so-newlyweds are the never-been-weds, Jess and Ethan!”
The cheering continued.
“Okay we asked both couples the same questions, and they wrote their answers on the cards in front of them. Let’s start with the not-so-newlyweds. John, what is Bonnie’s go-to comfort food?”
“Easy.” Jess’s dad lifted his card and revealed his answer. “Ice cream.”
“Bonnie, what did you put?”
Bonnie’s smile gave away that she had the same answer even before she raised her card. “Ice cream.”
The couple kissed and there were claps from the people gathered around.
“Okay, same question to Ethan. What is Jess’s go-to comfort food?”
Ethan lifted the card. “Pizza.”
Jess had a slightly puzzled look on her face as she turned to look at him and tilted her card up that read pizza.
He thought about following her parents lead and stealing another kiss from her, but decided that it would be better not to.
As much as he wanted to do nothing but kiss her every second of every day for the rest of his life, he knew that he had one shot at this. If he screwed it up, he wasn’t going to get another one. He had to play this just right. And keeping her on her toes, keeping her guessing was the only way to do it.
“The score is tied. This one is for the ladies. Bonnie, what is John’s favorite color?”
Bonnie’s faced cringed as she lifted her card. “I said brown, but I know that’s wrong.”
Her dad smiled and shook his head as he revealed his answer. “Yellow.”
“Ah, I knew that!” Her mom exclaimed.
“And it’s over to you. Jess, what is Ethan’s favorite color?”
Ethan looked down and was surprised when he saw that she’d written. “Blue.”
She said it as if it was a no-brainer, but they’d never discussed his favorite color. He couldn’t believe she got it right. He lifted his card and revealed the same answer.
The crowd cheered a little harder now.
“And Jess and Ethan pull ahead. The score is two to one.”
“Men, we asked you what your partner’s favorite movie is. So, Ethan, what did you say Jess’s favorite movie is?”
Ethan lifted his card. “Dirty Dancing.”
The crowd cheered, but Jess wasn’t impressed. “That was an easy one.”
Her parents got the next few questions right, and Ethan and Jess missed a couple. Then vice versa.
Ethan guessed on a few and had gotten lucky.
There was no way he would’ve known that but he guessed a seven and he’d been right.
What was Jess’s biggest phobia?
He remembered she wouldn’t get out of the car one night when everyone was up at Star Gaze Point because she swore she’d seen a rat on the ground. So he guessed rats. Right again.
Who was Jess’s celebrity crush?
He remembered she was furious when Charlie Hunnam backed out of the Fifty Shades movies, and he seemed to recall her wearing her “I Love Jax Teller” shirt for at least three days in a row after that, so he went with Charlie and they got the point.
His favorite part of the entire night was watching the look of near-horror on her face when she turned her cards over and their answers matched. No. Scratch that. His favorite part had been the kiss, horrified expressions a close second.
“All right, everyone,” Brynn spoke loudly, “John and Bonnie have nine points and Jess and Ethan have ten, but it’s still anyone’s game. This final question is worth five points. Gentlemen, we asked you how old was your partner when they had their first kiss? John, how old did you say Bonnie was when she had her first kiss?”
Jess’s dad turned over his card, and the number fourteen was written on it.
Bonnie smiled as she turned her card over and revealed a match. They leaned over and kissed each other to the delight of the crowd.
“Okay, Jess and Ethan, this is for the whole enchilada. Ethan, how old did you say that Jess was when she had her first kiss?”
He glanced over at her to see if there was any spark of recognition in Jess’s eyes. He was searching for any hint that she remembered that he was the boy she’d shared her first kiss with. But the only thing he saw was a confident look that made him think she didn’t think he had a chance in hell of getting it right.
She was shaking her head no before he even flipped up his card.
“Nine?” Brynn read his card. “Jess what did you say?”
Her mouth fell open and her head spun toward him.
“Jess, show us your card,” Brynn prompted.
Slowly, she lifted her card and revealed her answer. It was nine.
“Nine. Wow. Okay, well Jess and Ethan you are the winners of the Not-So-Newlywed game.”
The crowd, including Jess’s parents, were cheering but Jess wasn’t paying them any attention. Her eyes were searching his for answers. “How did you know that? How did you know I was nine?”
“Good game, guys!” Jess’s mom pulled her into a hug, thus saving him from having to reveal something he wasn’t quite ready to.
A small group of well-wishers gathered around them and offered their congratulations to both couples. A few asked Jess and Ethan how long they’d been together and some said that they always knew the two of them would end up together. Ethan rested his hand on Jess’s lower back and he could feel the tension in her body. He knew that it was driving her crazy not knowing how he knew that last answer.
He’d planned on telling her as soon as they got a moment alone and was looking forward to her reaction, but before he got the chance, he was called into work. As he said goodbye and kissed her on the forehead. It wasn’t as earth-shattering as the kiss by the pool had been, but it felt right.
Being with Jess, even if he wasn’t really with Jess, felt more right than he’d ever felt in his life.