Chapter 8 #2
Who’s going to ask you if he has abs, Mia? The devil inside of me rears its ugly head, and I ignore it.
“Shall we grab a drink at Cocktails & Chaos first and then head to the beach party?” I say quickly as I try to get us back on track.
Going down memory lane is the last thing we need to be doing right now.
“First round’s on me.”
“All rounds are on you, Luke. You’re the rich one, not me.”
“I see you’re only dating me for my money.” He grabs his heart. “Oh, do I feel used now.”
“I can make you feel even more used if you want?”
“How is that?”
He bites down on his lower lip, and I notice his eyes flicker to the top of my dress. Which is particularly boobalicious. Maybe too boobalicious? Is Luke checking out my boobs? I don’t know, and I don’t know if I want to know.
“We can go shopping, and I can make a huge dent in your bank account.” I give him my most wholesome smile. “Don’t you want to spoil me, oh darling boyfriend?”
“Nah.” He grins and grabs my hand. “I think you’d be a terror if I spoiled you too much. Come on, Mi-Mi. Let’s get you that drink and talk about how we’re going to fool everyone into thinking we’re madly in love.”
“Or just mad,” I groan under my breath. “I’m sure people would need no convincing as to that fact.”
“Are you ready to take the stage, Meryl?” Luke asks me as we head back to the beach for our first public performance.
“Of course, Brando.” I spin around, loving the feel of my silk skirt against my skin as it brushes past. “Let’s get this party started.
Just remember the rules, Luke.” Meryl Streep and Marlon Brando were two of our favorite actors and we’d always pretended to emulate them whenever we needed to fake something.
“How could I forget? Rule one, we will pretend we’re soulmates and destined to be together.”
“Yes, and rule two is that we won’t cross any physical lines,” I say pointedly, as a reminder to him and myself. “We will have to be slightly touchy-feely in front of others, but we won’t do more than pecks on the lips and hugs.”
“Like every normal couple,” he adds with a chuckle, and I glare at him.
“And rule three, we break up immediately after the wedding,” I add. “That way, no one expects either one of us to make life-changing decisions for the other.”
“Makes perfect sense.” He nods, and then his eyes widen. “Ten o’clock,” he says suddenly.
“What?” I look down at my watch. “It’s not ten. It’s—”
“Rex at ten o’clock,” he hisses.
I look to the side. Even though he just gave me a warning, I’m still surprised to see Rex headed toward us, an intoxicatingly handsome look on his face as he makes his way.
His eyes rove over me in pleasure, and I’m satisfied to know that he likes what he sees, even if it does make me feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Mia, you look gorgeous. Long time no see.” He stops in front of us, and he pulls me in for a long, lingering hug before stepping back. “And, Luke, dear brother, thanks for making it.”
He grabs his brother and pulls him in for a hug as well. Luke doesn’t seem to be too receptive though.
“I still can’t fucking believe that the two of you are banging.” Rex glances at us with narrowed eyes. “When Grandma told me that you were coming to the wedding together, I nearly fell to the floor. You sly dog.” He hits Luke in the arm. “Never woulda thought you had it in you.”
He cackles and then looks back at me.
“Who knew you would have a glow-up, eh, Mia?” He lets out a low whistle as he checks me out.
I don’t bother reminding him that we both live on the same island and that if he’d had any interest whatsoever he could have dropped by the bookmobile or Cocktails & Chaos to say hello.
But Rex lived in his own world. A world that didn’t frequent the same small-town establishments as my friends and I.
“If I had known that you’d become this sexy little thing, I might have paid more attention to you when you came over all the time.
” He chugs his beer and throws his head back.
“Mighta let you sneak into my room a couple of the nights you stayed over.”
He grins at me, and I try not to make a retching sound. Rex is even more obnoxious than normal tonight.
“That’s enough, Rex.”
Luke wraps his arm around my waist and brings me into him.
It’s not an unwelcome feeling, but the way he touches me seems way too familiar.
I am not used to us being in close proximity like this.
I notice that the movement is soft, lingering, and possessive.
It’s nice, but weird. Way too comfortable.
But I suppose that’s the only way we’re going to sell this.
Rex’s eyes narrow, and he appears to be inspecting us for any indication that this might not be a real union.
Luke shifts and is now even closer to me, and my stomach flips.
I’ve never seen him like this before. And I’ve never felt this heat spreading at his touch before either. What on earth is happening?
“I must say that Luke is the man I’ve been dreaming of all my life. Who knew that he was under my nose all along?”
I snuggle next to him, and he holds me closer. Rex presses his lips together, and his eyes meet mine for far longer than feels comfortable. I wonder if he’s going to call us out right here and now. Is he going to tell us our acting sucks and he knows we’re only doing this because of his notes?
“Can’t lie. If I had known you were going to grow them big ol’ titties, I woulda let you hit it.
” He throws his head back and laughs loudly.
“When you were chasing me around, you were just a string-bean, tomboy-looking thing. Never thought you’d grow up to be a banger, Bishop.
” He licks his lips. “Play your cards right, and I might still let you—”
“What the fuck?” Luke steps forward, and for a moment, I think he’s going to hit his brother. In all that is good and holy, I’ve never seen him look so threatening in all my life. “Who do you think you’re talking to, Rex?”
“Can’t you take a joke, golden boy?” Rex pretends to hit Luke in the jaw. “You go to New York like some crybaby in the night and hide your gal. I’m just saying we all know that …” His voice trails off as Mr. and Mrs. Haverbrook approach us with glasses of champagne in their hands.
“Hey, Mom, Dad.” Rex’s voice changes, and his expression becomes friendly.
He really is a chameleon, and I wonder what I ever saw in him.
“I was just telling Luke and Mia how happy I was that they were able to make it and participate in all the fun.” He grins and looks back at me.
“And to think, Mia, if you’d played your cards right, this could have been our celebration.
” He chugs more of his beer, and his expression changes slightly.
“But who knows what could happen, right?”