Chapter 12
twelve
. . .
HONOR
The next afternoon we were called to meet the wedding party in some kind of rec room off the main lobby of the hotel for dance lessons.
“Am I supposed to be here? I’m not technically part of the wedding party,” I said to Blake as we strolled to the venue holding hands to really sell our fake relationship.
The thought that stripping down and getting it on in front of everyone would probably sell it better—and be a lot more fun—crossed my mind, but I shoved it aside just as fast as it arrived.
Sex with the hot, broody billionaire was absolutely off the table.
It didn’t matter that my heart had practically beat out of my chest when we’d landed tangled in the mud together the other day. Or that heat had flared inside me just at the way he’d looked at me when we’d had the floor picnic in the suite. And I had to just ignore the way his words on the beach had been on repeat in my head making it spin.
“Seeing you soaked is my only dream right now.”
Surely he’d just been joking around. Just trying to rile me up so he could wear me down. He didn’t actually want to see me wet and panting for him… right ?
The man had sex appeal for days. Weeks evens. That didn’t mean I could lose my composure and cross a line I knew I shouldn’t.
“My parents aren’t in the wedding party and they’re here,” he said matter-of-factly, as we stopped outside the room. His family were gathered inside, waiting for the class to start.
I gave him a look that said, “’get real.’”. “They’re your parents , Blake.”
“Good pick up, Honor. Nothing gets by you,” he deadpanned, and I wanted to smack his arm at the almost-joke.
I wouldn’t, obviously. Because he was paying me to pretend the sun shone out of his ass. And also because he was supposed to dance with Reyna today and I didn't want the last interaction we had before pulling her into his arms to be me smacking him playfully when she was sultry sex on legs.
I beamed up at him like a lovesick fool, really putting on a show. “Is that why you picked me to talk to at the gym the day we met? Out of all the sweat-slicked, sports-bra-wearing women panting after you, is that why you chose me, my little snickerdoodle? Because I’m just so clever?”
His teeth ground together at the cutesy nickname, and I relished the sight. Getting a reaction out of him, no matter how small, had become my new favorite hobby.
“No, sweetheart . I chose you because of your incredible ass.” His hand slid over said ass as I stepped into the room, giving it a firm smack. I jolted in surprise, heat flooding my body.
Jesus. I loved everything about his hand on my ass. What would it be like to be spanked by him in the bedroom?
Given he was my client I absolutely shouldn’t be thinking about it. I’d been trying like hell to remind my body that this was a job, not a relationship, and real feelings, sexual or not, had no place here. But my body didn’t give a damn. Because that smack on my ass still had my pulse pounding in my chest. And between my legs.
“You sure know how to manhandle your women,” I muttered, smiling at his mother who came to greet us as we entered the room.
“Darling, you made it.” She reached out to squeeze my hand. “Honor, thank you for getting him here. I know he wouldn’t have come on his own.”
I smiled back at her. “On the contrary, Blake said he can’t wait to learn the waltz. He’s been like an excited puppy since breakfast.”
Helen tipped her head back and laughed. “What a great liar you are.”
My face fell. She was joking, the comment was intended as praise, but it didn’t stop the guilt slithering through me. She was right. I was an excellent liar and I’d been lying to these people since the day I arrived. Lying was an unfortunate but necessary part of my job.
Only this time, it was different. Blake’s family were unlike any I’d ever been involved with. They were friendly and welcoming, but it was more than that. They’d made me feel like I was one of them without question from the moment Blake had introduced me as his girlfriend. As someone whose own family had rejected them so thoroughly, it felt special to be offered a place within Blake’s family so easily.
Which meant the guilt was real.
There was another side that I didn’t want to examine too deeply. Because if I did, I’d likely discover that it felt worse on this job than other because, just maybe, I wanted whatever was beginning to spark between Blake and I to be real.
But that was ridiculous. And impossible. And a whole list of other things that could bring down my entire business. It wasn’t a risk I could take if I ever wanted to pay off my enormous student loans and afford to live. My rent and bills weren’t going to pay themselves.
Helen moved on to chat to Spencer and April.
I could feel Blake’s eyes on me. “You okay?”
“I guess.”
He moved to stand in front of me, blocking me from the rest of the room. “What is it?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Your family… they’re just so incredible.” I glanced up, eyes locking with his concerned ones. Regret flooded me. “I hate lying to them.”
He was silent for a beat, staring down at me. Then his arms wrapped around me, tugging me to his chest.
“I’m sorry I asked it of you.”
They weren’t the words I’d been expecting from him.
Neither was the hug, if I was being honest, but I appreciated both.
I’d judged Blake from the moment we’d met, believing I’d known exactly the kind of man he was. But he’d been surprising me every day since, and never more so than today. I’d expected a pep talk about how he was paying for a service, and a reminder not to fall in love with his family. Instead, he was offering me comfort and understanding.
He definitely wasn’t the heartless jerk I’d believed he was in the beginning.
My arms came around his waist, and for a long moment, the two of us stood there, wrapped up in each other.
“You about done with your touching couple moment?” Hudson called from across the room.
Blake and I broke apart and I avoided his eye, heat creeping into my cheeks. Not because I was embarrassed about being caught out cuddling him. But because of the undeniable things I was starting to feel.
“Gather around everyone,” the dance instructor called.
We joined the group, which consisted of the whole wedding party, with the conspicuous exception of Reyna.
“I’d really been hoping for a hot Latin man,” Kelly whispered to me.
I couldn’t help the snort-laugh that escaped me, and I clapped a hand over my mouth.
The dance instructor was the furthest thing from a ripped dark-haired man with hips that didn’t quit. She was an older woman for one, small and wide, with a dark complexion and graying hair. Her smile was open and genuine, her passion for dance clear the longer she spoke to us.
“You’ll need to dance with Blake,” Kelly said, taking Hudson’s offered hand. “Reyna hasn’t graced us with her presence yet.”
Blake offered me his hand and I took it, letting him swing me into his arms. We took up a waltz hold on each other and the instructor spent the next fifteen minutes running us through the steps.
Spencer stepped on April’s toes a total of four times.
“Should have worn steel-capped boots, April,” Blake called, eyes still on me as we walked through the dance together.
April laughed through her pain. “Don’t I know it.”
“Let us try now with the music,” the instructor called, moving over to a stereo. Music trilled through the speakers. “Keep your frame locked, gentleman. Lead with light feet.”
Blake’s fingers tightened on my hip, and I swallowed when those intense eyes landed on mine.
We’d been this close before, but it felt like things between us had shifted somehow. There was a closeness between us now that hadn’t existed the past few days. Maybe we were becoming friends.
But I didn’t dream about being paddled on the ass by any of my other friends.
“And… one, two, three, four…” the instructor called.
Blake’s fingers flexed at my waist again. Was this his version of fidgeting? Was being this close affecting him too?
We moved together, gliding around the floor. The moment was punctuated by April’s quiet swearing, but I hardly heard it. I was completely consumed by the feeling of Blake’s hands on my body. Every flex of his fingers, the movement of the muscles in his arms, the intense way he was staring at me—all of it had a kind of nervous energy building in my stomach.
“Honor…” Blake said, his deep voice quiet and just for me. He opened his mouth to say something more, but the door to the rec room opened and Reyna swanned in.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said loudly, not sounding apologetic at all.
She came striding over to us.
“May I cut in, Honor? He is my partner after all.” The smug smile she gave me had my fingers clenching in Blake’s.
“In the wedding only,” Blake clarified, as I dropped his hand and stepped from his embrace to make room for her.
She took up my position in his arms. Blake’s eyes were on me over her head, but I turned away, relegated to a seat at the edge of the room to watch the rest of the lesson.
Reyna had done me a favor.
Things were moving fast with Blake. I wasn’t allowed to feel any of these things. Reyna’s interruption was the perfect reminder that I needed to put my professional boundaries back up. I forced myself to watch as Blake moved Reyna around the room, touching her, commanding her. It hurt like hell, and I needed to feel it.
Blake wasn’t mine, and never would be.
When the lesson was over, the group moved to an open- air room that overlooked the ocean for lunch. White columns stood at each corner of the room, wrapped with strips of white gauzy material that blew in the breeze, giving the space a coastal yet ethereal feel. A buffet table was set up along one side, weighed down with salads and fish dishes and gourmet sandwiches.
A long dining table set with a white linen tablecloth and silver and teal place settings cut down the middle of the space. There was a bar to the left, complete with a bartender who patiently awaited our arrival.
“Let’s eat!” Hudson called, towing Kelly towards the food with an arm around her waist towards the food.
Charles headed for the bar, and Reyna joined him. Soon they were chatting like old friends. The way Blake’s dad was smiling as he spoke with her made my stomach drop.
Obviously they would have spent time together when she was engaged to his son, but what did he think about her now? Did he hope they’d reconcile and resume their engagement? Or did he think I was a better fit?
A fake fit, I reminded myself.
Turning away from them, I moved to the buffet. Hudson and Kelly had already loaded their plates and taken their seats at the table.
I grabbed a plate, surveying the options. Blake’s mother, Helen, appeared at my side, doing the same.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Honor? You’re a beautiful dancer.”
“Oh, that was all Blake. He was making me look good.”
She smiled at me. “You made each other look good. That’s the mark of a great relationship. Partners who build each other up bring out the best in each other.”
That all-too-familiar sense of guilt twisted in my stomach.
“Is that what you and Charles do? Bring out the best in each other?” I asked, selecting a tomato and basil roll from the buffet table.
A loving expression crossed her face. “Absolutely. A solid marriage trickles down to the whole family.”
“You’ve done an excellent job working together to raise a family. You’ve created two amazing men in Blake and Hudson.”
She beamed at the compliment. “I couldn’t be prouder of the people they’ve become.” She glanced over her shoulder at each of them, then back to me. “What about you? Your parents must be proud of you, too?”’
I swallowed, reaching out to spoon rice salad onto my plate. “Not exactly. I don’t speak to my parents much anymore.”
Helen’s eyes were laced with concern as she watched me. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. Is there a reason for it?”
I hesitated. “We had a disagreement a few years back. We’ve never been able to find our way through it.”
There was no way I could tell her that my father had labeled me a whore and stormed out when he'd learned of the business I'd started in college, my mother following after him.
She patted my arm soothingly. “Finding common ground can be so difficult, especially when you disagree.”
My eyes dropped to my plate, slightly embarrassed at airing my dirty laundry, but I was on a roll.
“My father in particular can be very stubborn. Cruel, even. And my mother, well, she’s nothing like you, Helen. I’ve never had the kind of relationship with her that you have with Blake and Hudson, or that they have with each other. It’s why I’ve loved this trip so much. I’m so grateful for the way your family has welcomed me.”
Her expression softened further.
“You're easy to welcome, Honor. We're so happy Blake has found someone he seems to care about the way he does with you.” She glanced back at the table, her gaze landing on Reyna. “Blake has always been a closed book. Even as a child, he was slower to warm up to people. When he and Reyna ended things, he seemed to retreat into himself and his work even further.”
She turned back to me, concerned eyes connecting with me.
“Charles and I were so worried about him, being so closed off like that. But he’s different with you, Honor. You’ve softened him.”
My gaze found Blake in an instant where he stood near the table with Spencer, April, and Jeremy, who had managed to get out of dance lessons, since he, too, wasn’t in the wedding party.
An amused smile tugged at Blake’s mouth at whatever story April was telling, tugging low in my stomach too. His smile was like a hint of the sunrise peeking over the horizon, lighting me up the same way.
To me, Blake was still so serious, so buttoned up. But he’d definitely relaxed since we'd been here. Though I’d guess that the vacation got more credit for that than anything I’d done.
“I think it’s being here in paradise with his family that has him relaxing,” I said to Helen with a smile.
A knowing one of her own crossed her face.
“It’s you, sweetheart. A mother always knows.”
With another pat on my arm, she returned to the table, taking a seat beside her husband.