Fake Dating an Orc Cowboy (Sweet Monster Treats)

15. Rosey

Chapter 15

Rosey

W here are you? Macy texted. Are you and Ostor in bed or something?

Nothing like that, I replied.

Ostor’s hot. Cute. Incredibly sweet. If it was me, I’d be rolling around in bed with him myself. She added a bunch of suggestive emojis.

We . . . What could I say? As she’d said, he was wonderful. Cute. Hot. Sweet.

If I wanted him, would he be mine?

Where are you guys now? I asked.

At the swim-up bar, of course! Mom and Dad are here, too, though they’re staying in the shade. When you’ve finished (take your time!!!), join us. She signed off with that.

I changed into my swimsuit, and we went down to the pools, dropping towels and my beach bag on lounge chairs under a palapa beside my parents. The sun sliced through the palms overhead and cast dappled shadows across the bright turquoise water. The scent of sunscreen filled the air, mingling with the sharp tang of the sea. Music thumped from hidden speakers, a tropical beat that had the whole pool in a rhythm of its own. People swam around while others tossed balls or played games in the water. It was paradise wrapped in sunlight.

“Hello, hello,” Mom said, giving me a smile and a wink. Truly, she had more hope for my love life than I did. Although, Ostor and I had fun this morning. Maybe we’d have more fun later.

Dad grunted but rose from his chair, his gaze on Ostor. “Your friend and I need to talk.”

“Dad,” I warned.

“Now, honey. I promise I’ll be nice.” The look in his eyes as they remained on Ostor didn’t appear nice, but we might as well get this over with. Dad wouldn’t stop until he’d laid down his rules. I was sure Jacob had gone through the same routine when it was clear he and Macy were getting serious.

“You don’t need to do this,” I told Ostor.

He gave me an easy smile. “I don’t mind. Your father is within his rights to ask this of me, and I welcome it.”

More power to him, then.

He looked completely out of place in the best way possible. His large frame stood out among the milling crowd of human males, and he towered over my father. Surely Dad wouldn’t take this too far.

“This way,” Dad said, waving to the path that meandered around the outside of the resort.

“This may take a few minutes.” Mom nudged her chin toward Dad’s chair. “Sit. We can chat ourselves.”

Our talk would be nothing like the grueling barrage Dad was about to drop on Ostor. How would he handle it? I cringed, wishing this wasn’t happening.

“Rosey,” Mom said. “Sit.”

With a grumble, I perched on the edge of the lounger.

“Tell me more about Ostor. I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”

“We haven’t been together for long.”

“Long enough to invite him to your sister’s wedding.” Mom’s penetrating gaze snagged mine. “If Ostor makes you happy, I love him already.”

And there was my mom, always kind to others, behaving as if she was okay with whatever it was me and Macy did, even if she might have hidden doubts. She’d always urged us to jump off the cliff, so to speak, and we could because we knew she was there to catch us if something went wrong.

She was the only one who knew how heartbroken I was when Jacob ended things with me to pursue Macy.

“He’s a great guy.” That was neutral enough, but what could I say? I wasn’t mentioning that this had started out fake but was beginning to feel real, because for all I knew, nothing would come of the weekend.

“I’m glad. Bring him by for dinner once we’re home?”

I shrugged. “I’ll see when he’s available.” And make up excuses if he wasn’t.

Dad and Ostor returned, Dad wearing a pleased smile, Ostor looking a touch shell-shocked.

I got up, and Dad dropped onto his seat. He lifted the playing cards sitting on the low table between the two chairs and gestured to the board. “Your deal or mine, Jenny?”

“Mine, I think,” Mom said, taking the deck from him. “You kids go have fun!”

While Mom dealt the first hand, Ostor and I slipped into the pool, wading through the warm water.

“Everything okay?” I asked him.

“Excellent.”

I wasn’t sure if I was glad to hear grim satisfaction in his voice or not. “He didn’t, like, grill you about us, did he?”

“I explained and he seemed quite pleased with me.”

“About what in particular?”

“You,” he said, looking down at me. “You.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear more. Maybe he’d pretended, like this was all pretend. I decided to shrug this off. Dad was just being Dad, and Ostor . . . well, Ostor was an easygoing guy. I was sure he’d handled Dad’s inquisition with ease.

As soon as we made it close to the swim-up bar, Macy's squeal lit up my ears. She left her stool and floundered over, her arms outstretched, the bounce of her curls sending sprays of water across her shoulders.

“There you are!” She wrapped herself around me in a wet hug that nearly knocked me off my feet. “Saw you and Mom and Dad. Things go okay?”

She must know why Dad dragged Ostor off for a “walk”.

“Fine. Just fine.”

Macy leaned back, studying my face. “Oh my god, Rosey! Look at you. You’re glowing! Seriously, I’ve never seen you look this happy before.” Her smiled turned into something more knowing. “Is it because of him ?” Her eyes flitted toward Ostor, who stood behind me, his warm fingers lingering on the back of my waist.

“Maybe, but I’m not saying anything else.”

Macy squealed.

My cheeks heated but there was no denying I liked Ostor, not to my sister who could see all the way to my soul. I tossed out a casual laugh but didn’t confirm or deny. The words got caught somewhere between my brain and my heart because she was right.

Everything inside me glowed.

I glanced up at Ostor, and I felt like I was in the sea with the tide pulling and tugging me in all directions at once. My heart was full and light and heavy all at the same time.

I was falling for this orc.

Not just attracted to him.

Falling. Hard.

And the scariest part? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stop it from happening.

His dark eyes locked on mine, and the air between us did that strange thing again, snapping taut like a rubber band. Macy's grin spread, mischievous for sure, and she leaned in close. “If this is how I look at Jacob, you’re in trouble.”

Trouble could be a thrill or a warning.

When the weekend came to a close, would we say goodbye under the dull airport lights? I worried about building a dream that would never have time to bloom into anything beautiful.

Macy took my hand and started dragging me toward the bar. “Come on! Bring your cowboy along with you. It's time to party.”

I rolled my eyes but grinned. Macy was always like this. Full of energy, determined to tilt full speed toward everything in life. She had no chill. Not that she needed it, but tomorrow's wedding had amped her energy to something superhuman.

Maybe Mom’s steady influence would relax her.

Or not.

The rest of the wedding party greeted us when we reached the bar, even Jacob, who leaned against the counter, his gaze squarely on Ostor. His gaze flicked from Ostor's hat to the wide expanse of his muscular chest, down to the top of his swim trunks, and back up again to study his face.

Such a leveled, assessing look. Not one of curiosity, but something almost . . . competitive. Was he sizing up Ostor? He had no reason to do anything like that. Unless Macy, in her usual, gushing way, had been chatting about how amazing Ostor was.

Jacob could be jealous.

Nah. I shrugged it off. Jacob had a lot on his mind with the wedding. That was all this was.

“When are your parents arriving?” I asked him. When we first went out, he’d mentioned they were divorced. I didn’t know anything else about them.

“Not coming,” he said lightly, though his gaze darted away from mine.

“I’m sorry.”

He huffed. “It’s not a surprise.”

I didn’t ask why.

“What do you two want to drink?” Macy asked. “I’m buying!”

Ha ha. Sure. All-inclusive included alcohol too.

Before we could order drinks, a voice boomed over the speakers. “Alright, people. It's time for pool games!”

Excitement rippled across the water as a few hotel workers began tugging a large inflatable bridge—basically a brightly colored bouncy walkway—across the middle of the pool behind us. People started wading towards it like kids being called out for recess.

“Oh, we’re doing that.” Macy spun, stroking Jacob's side. “You too, babe, right? All of us.”

He nodded and kissed the tip of her nose.

“What do you think?” I asked Ostor. “I assume the game will involve running along the walkway without falling into the water.” I'd seen enough similar games on TV reality shows to size this one up.

Ostor chuckled. “If you want to do it, tiny one, I do too.”

“Yes,” Jacob drawled as he and Macy passed us, aiming for the starting point of the game. “Show us what you've got, Ostor.”

Jeez.

We and the rest of our group swam over to join Macy and Jacob, milling around while the hotel staffer explained the simple rules. The person to make it all the way across won. If more than one could do it, they’d repeat until one fell in before the end. The man held up a small bottle of tequila, the prize.

Other hotel guests gathered to watch, Mom and Dad included.

Macy clapped like a cheerleader. “Easy, right?”

“Who wants to go first?” the staffer called out.

“Me.” Macy waved her arm in the air. “Pick me!”

He pointed right at her with a big grin. “Come on up.”

She sashayed up the ladder and scooted over to stand beside him while he spoke in a low voice, maybe giving her pointers on how to win this. His hand flicked toward the walkway.

After giving him a nod, she extended her arms out and started running across the unnatural, wobbly surface. Her arms flailed wildly as she nearly fell a thousand times, and I burst out in laughter along with everyone else.

“You can do it, sweetheart,” Mom called out, me echoing her words.

Halfway across, Macy tripped and toppled sideways into the water with a huge splash.

Everyone cheered.

She soon popped up, tossing her wet hair back. “Hey, hey! I’m fine. The bar's still open, right?”

Someone laughed and shouted tequila .

“You go next,” she told me when she’d joined us, giving Jacob a big kiss and Mom a hug.

Cool, cool. I could do this. I climbed the stairs and strode over to the staffer.

“Keep your arms out and go as fast as you can,” he said. “When you're ready.”

No time like now.

I stepped out onto the walkway. It wiggled beneath my feet. I flapped my arms like a bird and bolted toward the end of the inflatable. Three quarters of the way down, my right leg went one way while my left decided to go the other. With a shriek, I tumbled into the pool.

When I surfaced, Macy was already laughing. “That was amazing, Rosey! You're so good at this.”

“Well done, sweetheart,” Mom said with a grin.

Dad shook his head. He smiled up at Ostor as if they were buddies, and that pleased me more than anything else.

I wasn’t hurt by the fall. Honestly, it felt freeing. The kind of free that clears your mind of everything that isn’t today, right now.

“Next up,” the staff member shouted. “Jacob!”

My future brother-in-law climbed up onto the side of the pool, water slicking down his body and his hair plastered to his head. He studied the walkway as if analyzing it for flaws and cracked his knuckles. When a few women cheered, he flexed his muscles, and spun around to wiggle his ass, thrusting his hips forward to their shrieks. Turning back to face us, he swept his grin across the crowd, focusing on his bride-to-be, who he blew a kiss to.

“Caught it, babe, and right back at ya,” Macy shouted. “Run, babe. You can do it.”

His grin replaced with determination, Jacob stepped down onto the beginning of the walkway, sending his arms out to hold his balance. He glanced Ostor's way, and there it was again, that competitive gleam in his eyes. Why did guys have to turn everything into some kind of stupid gladiator match?

“Go,” the staffer cried.

Jacob focused, taking it slow, his movements smooth as he worked his way forward. I had to admit, he was doing pretty well. Until about two-thirds of the way across, when, just like Macy, his foot slipped on the slick material. His limbs went flying in all sorts of directions as he slapped into the pool with all the grace of a shot-down bird.

Macy screamed, “No,” and swam over to him, giggling. “You were close, babe.”

He dragged his hands down his face, but when Macy arrived and planted a kiss on his cheek, his scowl eased.

“Who's next?” the staff member cried.

“Mom? Dad?” I asked.

“Never,” they vowed in unison. With a shared smile, they started wading across the pool, aiming for their palapa.

“Me, Ostor,” he called out. “I’m next.”

“Come on up, then, my friend.” He scanned the crowd. “Anyone else? No?”

No one else waved to show they were interested in competing.

“Alright, then, Ostor is our last contestant!”

Ostor climbed out of the pool, and man, compared to Jacob, this guy was hot with a capital H. His gaze fell on me and with a quirky grin on his face, he turned his baseball cap around to make the brim hang down the back of his neck. That only made him look hotter, evidenced by a few women making whooping sounds.

Some guys would've performed for their view—Jacob had—but Ostor's attention remained on me.

I gave him a thumbs-up, and he returned the gesture before turning to study the walkway.

I waded closer, my heart hammering more than it should. Why was I hoping he’d succeed?

Ah, I knew. I wanted him to beat Jacob. There it was, me seeking vindication, as if me being with the hottest guy in the place and watching him one-up the man who’d rejected me would make everything better.

Actually, it kinda would.

Macy swam over to my side, her eyes sparkling as she shoved wet hair out of her face. “This is so much fun. But our guys . . . They’re ridiculous, right?”

“Men. Leave it to them to turn a pool game into the Olympics.”

“Ostor’s gonna crush it, isn’t he?” Macy whispered, her gaze flicking between him and Jacob. “All those muscles. He's ripped. I bet he works out all the time.”

“He's actually a true cowboy.”

“Gotta love a man who builds his body the natural way.”

I sure did.

Everyone fell quiet as Ostor lowered his massive frame onto the wobbly surface. Even Jacob, recovering from his barely there loss, had his eyes locked on my orc date.

“Our last contestant!” the staffer announced.

I held my breath.

“Go!” A whistle blew, and Ostor charged forward, his powerful legs churning as he barreled across the inflatable walkway with a grace that shouldn’t be possible for anyone of his size. Every step he took was measured and fearless. Despite the jiggle of the bridge, his footing remained steady. Confidence radiated off him in waves.

The last few paces seemed to slow, like the moment was stretching out longer than it should. The crowd watched in silence as he neared the finish. My heart tumbled up into my throat, pounding in rhythm with the thud of his feet on the rubbery surface.

He launched himself off the end, diving neatly into the water.

“Whoa,” Macy breathed.

Jacob scowled.

Mom and Dad hooted.

And the rest of those in and around the pool exploded into cheers, a few letting out wolf-whistles as he disappeared beneath the surface.

My heart raced as I caught sight of him slicing through the water, heading straight for me.

When he burst up in front of me, he rose with all the beauty of a sea god, shimmering wet and perfectly sculpted.

Something inside me snapped. I reached for him as he pulled me close, sweeping me up in one fluid motion, spinning us both through the water. The rush of air mixed with the laughter around us, but none of it mattered. The only things I could feel were his hands, his arms, and that buzzing desire slamming through me with every spin.

He came to a stop, and his lips crashed against mine.

This wasn’t a kiss performed for my sister. This kiss was real, filled with possession. His mouth claimed mine in a way that left no room for pretending anymore.

I melted into him. His fingers curled into my waist, holding me as if nothing else existed beyond us. My body flared, everything inside me aflame.

The cheers around us blurred into white noise as my soul hummed with emotion, with arousal, with something much deeper than us playing a dating game.

When we broke apart, he whispered against my skin. “You’re mine, Rosey.”

My heart clenched. Tight. Warm. Ready to burst.

I wasn’t going to argue.