Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
CARA
“?Mierda! This is where Drea lives? I should’ve quoted her a hell of a lot more for Kaia’s office than I did!”
We had just pulled into Drea’s driveway and I was driving as slow as humanly possible without being too suspicious.
I was not looking forward to this, at all. Of course, I loved all of my friends, and was happy to spend time with them, but I could’ve done without the whole practically naked pool party part.
It was the closest I’d get to seeing Vera naked again and I did not need that distraction. I knew we had to play a part in front of my friends, but I didn’t want to blur the lines. I didn’t want to fantasize about her anymore than I already had.
I could admit that since Fairview, I’d had more than enough material to handle things on my own, a lot more. I had eyes, after all, and a memory. Every time I saw her, talked to her, or thought about her, my mind instantly went back to that night, and I couldn’t help myself.
I gave her a look. “You wouldn’t have done that, would you? And, mierda? What does that mean?”
She looked at me and her eyes softened slightly. “Of course not, Cara. And it means, shit.”
I choked out a laugh. “Yeah, it’s something.”
“Something? This house is bigger than the city my parents grew up in.”
I turned off the engine and she was on my side before I could even take off my seatbelt. She opened my door and reached over me to unbuckle it. I froze.
Her hand was very close to my skin, and I could feel the slightest brush of her fingers across it. “Vera,” I whispered, unable to speak any louder than that. “What are you doing?”
She grinned and extended her hand to help me out of the car. “Just being helpful. Someone’s got to take care of you.” She winked and I had to be strong not to react, which I failed at, miserable.
“Jesus.” The word slipped out, but she noticed, giving me that megawatt smile that got me into trouble the first time I saw it.
“You can call me whatever you want, princesa. Shall we?”
I steadied myself and let her help me out of the car, knowing damn well she could’ve picked me up and carried me to the party. After that thought was produced, I was very tempted to test the theory.
We were greeted by Drea’s housekeeper who pointed us to the party out back. We smiled and thanked her and made our way to the pool.
The entire house was quiet, and I could hear faint music that I knew was coming from the back yard.
Vera stopped me with an arm on my wrist. “Wait, princesa.”
I turned to meet her eyes, not thinking about the feeling of her hand on me, and how warm it made my skin feel. “What’s wrong?”
She bit her lip and good fucking God I wasn’t going to survive this day. She was already killing me in a white tank top. I could see her bikini top underneath and my mouth was watering just thinking about it.
“This is our first wedding event as a ‘couple’.” She put air quotes around the word to emphasize the ruse. “What are your rules for this? The same as the pickleball game?”
Damn, she was right. The pickleball game was one thing, with just Drea and Blair, but this was another entirely. The whole wedding party and their significant others would be at this party, and they all needed to think this was real.
If one person was skeptical, it could get back to Drea or Blair, and I’d be humiliated that I was so desperate I asked someone to agree to pretend to be my girlfriend and my date for this wedding.
I shook my head. “No, you’re right. This is different. We need to step up our game a little. There will be children here, so appropriate PDA is acceptable. No ass or boob grabbing. Hand holding and waist grabbing is fine.” More than fine, I wanted to say.
She smiled. “Are these rules for me, or for you, darling? I don’t know if I can stare at your ass in a bikini all day and not reach out for it,” she said with a wink.
I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the images my brain decided I needed to have in my head of my legs wrapping around her, and letting her feel my ass. “They are for both of us.” I admitted.
“Hmm, and what about kissing. Is a peck on the cheek allowed?”
I nodded slowly. “I guess that’s okay. Do you have a problem with any of those rules? Wait, don’t answer that. That was a dumb question. Do you agree to follow them?”
She smiled. “Damn, you know me so well already. Yes, Cara. I promise I will only think about groping you, and won’t actually do it. Unless you ask nicely.”
I groaned. This was going to be a very long and tortuous day. “Great, let’s go then.”
The second we were through the door, she connected her hand to mine and I had to force my feet to keep moving, but I couldn’t hide the intake of breath. It felt like too intimate of a gesture, and my body was having a hard time not reacting to it.
The last time she touched me like that, was the first time we met, and the first time I felt alive. I knew it was silly to say. We had barely known each other and we didn’t really talk. But we didn’t need to. She just knew what I needed before I did, and was there, which I hated.
I wanted for her to hate me or be rude so it would’ve been easy not to like her. I wanted her to not smile at me, or speak fucking spanish to me. I wanted her to not always be in my head. I wanted a lot of things I didn’t have.
The biggest one being her. I did, I wanted her, but I couldn’t have her.
We were just so different, and she wasn’t my type.
I felt like a broken record saying that, but I couldn’t lie.
I’d never dated someone like her. I’d never been attracted to someone like her.
I liked my women on the softer side, and to me, a butch was too close to a man.
But something about her drew me in that night, and now I couldn’t get away from her. I wanted to, but at the same time, I wanted to get closer. Know more about Vera, and what made her, her.
How did she grow up? Where did she grow up? When she was younger, what did she want to be when she got older? How did she get into construction? When did she know she liked women? What else could she do with her body?
As her fingers entangled with mine, all my thoughts stopped spinning and racing.
The soft caress of her thumb across the skin of mine set my whole body at ease.
It was like she knew I was anxious and was trying to distract me, to calm me.
It was working. She was distracting me, but not in a good way.
I wanted to take her somewhere private and touch her how I’d been craving to since our night in Fairview.
I still hadn’t got a taste of her, and I was desperate for it, even though I kept telling myself to forget about it, which was never going to happen.
That night was seared into my brain and the only way to get it out was to reenact it, which would not be happening.
Everyone was at this party. Fallon, who was Drea’s maid of honor. Mackenzie, and Drea’s other best friend, Penelope, who were her bridesmaids. Kaia, her fiancée, Daisy, and I were on Blair’s side. I was the maid of honor since I was her best friend, of course.
We walked up to my friends and we immediately exchanged hugs and hellos. “You guys look amazing.” I smiled at everyone. They all already had a drink in hand and wore bright smiles.
Fallon was wearing a sage green two piece number and Mackenzie had opted for a black swim top with black swim shorts. Blair and Drea were in matching burnt orange two-pieces. Daisy was wearing a powder blue two-piece and Kaia was wearing a white two-piece with brown straps and trim on the bottoms.
“Cara, stop. You look stunning!” Fallon said, Mackenzie at her side where she always was. I was wearing a red halter swim top with matching bottoms and a sheer cover up dress over it.
“Honey, this is Fallon and Mackenzie. Fallon is Drea’s best friend.”
She smiled sweetly and stuck her hand out to shake Fallon’s. “Fallon, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Vera’s hold tightened on my waist as she turned toward Mackenzie and lost her smile. Her handshake was firm, perhaps a little harder than it needed to be. “Mackenize.”
Mackenzie’s smile never faltered. “Vera, it’s so nice to meet you. We’ve heard nothing but good things. We hope you’re having a good time. You look great!”
I stole a look at Vera, not hiding my appreciation.
She was wearing a teal sports bra style swim top and matching black board shorts.
Her arms and abs were on full display and I was all too happy that we were pretending to be a couple.
There was no way I could’ve looked at her casually.
The shorts fit her just right, her ass looking nice and firm.
And the top? Perfection. The material was thin so if I looked hard enough, I could see her nipples barely poking through.
Vera hummed and it brought me back to reality, her arm still wrapped around me. “Will you guys excuse us? We’re going to get a drink.” I gave Vera a look and she put on a smile.
“Fallon, it was lovely to meet you. Mackenzie.”
I looked at Mackenzie who shrugged. I frowned and took Vera’s hand, leading her away from the Bennett’s.
As soon as we made it inside the kitchen, I dropped our hands and scowled. “What the hell was that about?”
Vera shrugged, handing me a glass of lemonade. “You introduced me to Fallon and her wife.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Fallon and Mackenzie, yes.”
Her lips were in a straight line and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah.”
I was so confused. What was her issue with Mackenzie? They’d never met before, I didn’t think. “Do you have some sort of problem with Mackenzie?”
“As long as she keeps her distance, there’s no problem.”
“Okay, there are so many things wrong with that statement. One, she is my friend. Two, she is not interested, nor am I. And three, you’re being a little protective. Did you forget this wasn’t real?”
“I could never forget what we’re doing. But you are mine, Cara. Real or not, I’m going to protect you. And I don’t like the way she treated you. She was immature and played games, and that is not okay with me.”