Chapter 4
FOUR
Brock
I toss back half my beer in one gulp, trying to keep myself in check.
When I suggested Willow and I practice a few things, I didn’t expect to feel myself getting hard while doing it.
Especially since all I did was touch her briefly.
It’s probably just because it’s been a minute since I’ve been with a girl, at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
This is Willow. She’s always been around and I’ve enjoyed every second of it because I love teasing her. She gets worked up so easily, it’s fun watching. That’s what makes this situation so perfect because neither of us could possibly fall for the other.
Even if I did enjoy the limited time I had touching her.
What worries me is her reaction.
When I touched her in front of everyone she visibly stiffened and that can’t happen.
Not if we are going to make this believable.
However, when I touched her upstairs, she was fine, until she wasn’t.
She ran off to the bathroom like I set her clothes on fire.
I’m not sure if she’s so hung up on that asshole, Lake, or if my touch nauseated her, but she couldn’t get away fast enough.
I need to talk to her and get her to understand this will work if we play it right. Now I’m trying to get myself to relax with a bit of liquid courage and I’m hoping she’ll do the same when she comes down.
“Hey little brother, where’s your girl?” Paxton asks, slapping my back as he raises an eyebrow.
I sip my beer and grin. “Getting ready. She’ll be down shortly.”
He thinks I’m gonna say this is all bullshit, but he’s wrong.
“This happened kinda suddenly, no?”
“No, it didn’t. I’ve always flirted with her, disguised as teasing. But when I saw her and Fake Lake together and got jealous, I knew,” I lie.
“Fake Lake?” he asks, laughing.
I lift a shoulder and lean against the bar. “The guy is a tool. I mean he cheated on Willow and hurt her. I should kick his ass, but it’s your wedding week, so I’ll be respectful.”
“Thanks for that.” He turns to face me and sighs. “Don’t hurt her for your own gain. You just said she was hurt, don’t add to it.”
Fire burns in my stomach as I stand tall and cross my arms, feeling immediately defensive and pissed. “That’s not who I am and I take offense to you suggesting differently. I’m not saying I’m in love here, but I like her a lot. We’re having fun and that’s enough for us right now.”
He holds his hands up in defense and steps back. “All right, sorry. Hartford and Anya asked me to talk to you and now I have. I’m happy for you guys. Willow is great and I’ve always had a hunch all the teasing was flirting.”
I relax a bit and finish off my beer. The lies come easily and I should probably question why, but I don’t.
“Hey, where is everyone?” Shepherd asks, pulling Felicity closer to his side.
“Who cares, where’s my nephew, August?” I ask, smiling.
“He’s in the hotel room with my mother. He’s had a busy day,” Felicity says.
You can see the love for her son in her eyes. That baby already has everyone wrapped around his finger and he’s barely a few months old.
“Hartford and Anya will be down in a minute. Brock said Willow will be down shortly. Tripp was arguing with Mom and Dad about drinking and Callum will be here in the morning,” Paxton says.
“And Fake Lake is probably banging someone in the bathroom,” I add.
“What?” Shepherd asks with a laugh.
“Nothing, ignore him. Everyone needs to hurry up because we need to get this going,” Paxton says, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“You nervous?” I ask.
“Hell yes. Not for the marriage and definitely not the Honeymoon, but the wedding is kinda overwhelming. But I promised to always make Hartford happy and this is what she wants. So, I’m dealing with it, for her.”
“That’s sweet, “ Felicity says.
Before I can make a joke, the wind gets knocked out of me.
Willow walks into the bar and I’m not sure the look of shock on my face is good when trying to convince everyone we’re a couple.
She looks absolutely stunning. I’ve never seen her look so incredibly sexy before.
That blue dress hugs her body, showing off her every curve.
It’s low cut in the front, revealing a large amount of cleavage.
It’s short, just barely covering her ass, but damn it makes her legs look insane.
When I drag my eyes away from her body, I still have a hard time getting air into my lungs when I see her. Her dark makeup gives off a bad girl vibe that I’m fucking digging. Her hair is curled and frames her face perfectly.
She’s beautiful, that’s always been clear. But tonight—tonight she’s a goddess.
I step away from everyone and meet her halfway. She smiles up at me and I grin with a nod.
“Damn, Willow, you look fucking incredible,” I breathe out.
She continues to shock me when she pushes up on her toes and presses a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth. “Thank you.”
Oh hell yes, this night is going to be better than I imagined.
“What happens if we get him really drunk, and he’s hungover?” Tripp asks, laughing.
We’re all in a huge room that Paxton rented for dinner. It’s been just over an hour and we’re all drinking and having a good time. Mainly teasing Paxton and Hartford about tomorrow.
I take another shot. And then another. I can barely see straight.
Willow has been close to me nearly all night.
She admitted to me that Lake texted her and wanted to talk. She’s very much into making this look as real as possible. Which is working because my mother keeps smiling at me with pride like I just won the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Hey, baby,” I say, pulling Willow in front of me so her back is pressing against my front. I wrap my arms around her, keeping them just below her tits.
She glances back at me and smiles. “Hey, yourself.”
I lean down and kiss her lips because I’ve discovered they are extremely soft and inviting. “Have I mentioned how fucking good you look?”
“Maybe, but I don’t mind hearing it again,” she says, flirting like a pro.
I’ve never seen this side of her. I’m not sure if it’s how she is with her boyfriends or if she’s just playing the part very, very well. But it’s not something I need to figure out, because ultimately it doesn’t matter.
“Look how cute you are,” Anya says, smiling at us. “Smile.” She snaps a picture and squeals, turning her phone for us to see. “Look.”
I stare at the picture and realize Willow’s actually very pretty. I mean, I’ve always known she’s pretty, but now it’s out there.
“Send me that,” I say. Am I drunk?
I might be.
“Normally we’d get a speech from the best man, but Callum isn’t here yet, so I’m going to speak for myself,” Paxton says, standing up.
“Oh boy,” I whisper.
“What?” Willow asks, turning her head to me.
I tighten my hold on her and grin. “He’s been drinking and I feel like this is going to go in a direction it shouldn’t.”
Paxton smiles, drawing the attention of the crowd. “Hartford’s been my best friend forever. She knows me better than anyone else in this world.”
“Bullshit, your siblings know you,” Tripp shouts.
We all laugh, but Paxton just shakes his head. “Not like she does, little brother. She knows every part of me. The good, the bad, the strong, and the weak. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“This is sweet, I think you’re wrong,” Willow whispers.
I nuzzle my nose against her neck and place a soft kiss just below her ear. “Maybe.” I’ve got to be drunk, because I can’t keep my hands off Willow, and I should. But it looks real, right?
“She’s also the best sex I’ve ever had,” Paxton says.
“Alright, enough son,” my father says, shaking his head with a small smile.
“No, listen. If it wasn’t for her article on BDSM and me volunteering to help, who knows where we’d be? It was a disaster when we weren’t together, but once we got together, damn. Wax, whips, handcuffs, blindfolds—”
“That’s great, thanks Paxton,” Hartford says, covering his mouth with her hand.
I’m hysterical, my chest shaking Willow in front of me. “Told you,” I whisper in her ear.
“I think that’s it for the speeches. Let’s finish up dinner and get some sleep. We’ve got a busy day of wedding prep tomorrow,” Hartford says, pushing Paxton to sit down.
Willow turns in my arms, but wraps her arms around my waist. She stares up at me and I see a small smile tugging at her lips. “That’s a lot of information.”
“Yep, that’s Paxton.”
She searches my eyes and worries her bottom lip between her teeth. “Kinda hot though.”
I lift an eyebrow and grin. “Oh yeah? You want everyone to believe we do that stuff?”
“I mean, I never have, but yeah, maybe,” she whispers, glancing at the floor.
I grab her chin and force her to look at me. “Oh, Willow. This just keeps getting better. Now, we’re being watched, so I’m going to kiss you with tongue. You good with that?”
She nods and I don’t waste my time. I press my lips to hers and she immediately opens for me.
The second our tongues touch, we both moan.
My hands move down and grab her ass while her hands fist my shirt.
I deepen the kiss and I know it’s enough.
I know my point has been made, but I don’t stop.
I squeeze her ass and pull another moan from her.
I’ve been fighting with my dick all night, but I can’t fight it now.
I break the kiss and keep my eyes locked with hers.
“Let’s make our exit and keep them all talking,” I say.
“Okay,” she whispers.
I grab her hand and wave as we get closer to the door. “Thanks, Paxton. See you guys in the morning.”
We head across the lobby as I try to keep my hard-on hidden.
This is fake, just some damn good acting.