Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Angus
Y es, it’s colder than a witch’s tit outside, but I’m pretty sure my body is shaking for a whole different reason. I’m about to spend the evening pretending to be Mia’s husband and I’m amped to know at the very least I’ll get to touch her all night long.
After dinner the other night, I was a man on fire, every nerve ending blazing to touch her. I had to get out of the house, or I would have crossed the invisible line keeping the two of us from repeating the best night of my damn life.
I know it was just dinner, but it had felt more like a fairytale.
I’m still adjusting to being alone with her.
It’s new.
It’s everything.
Throw Sawyer into the mix and it’s downright perfect.
When she served my birthday dinner, including my favorite Mexican lager, it felt like Christmas all over again. She knows me as well as I know her, which only makes staying away harder and harder. Dinner had me shoving the reasons I couldn’t be with her into a nice little box.
When I built the ranch house, I didn’t really give any thought to who would sleep in the four bedrooms. But seeing Mia and Sawyer move around the house so comfortably has me giving it a lot of thought. I like them moving within the walls I built with my bare hands, filling the house with laughter, and for the first time, joy. They’re fulfilling a dream I hadn’t realized I had.
One I didn’t want to wake up from.
What I did want was crystal clear as I laid in bed later that night. The years of nameless, faceless women who had been in and out of my loft, never to the ranch, ran through my head. And I felt nothing. Because none of them were worthy of the house I unknowingly built for Mia and Sawyer.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a fairytale, and I’m no Prince Charming, deserving of a happily ever after. Regardless, come hell or high water, I’ll be damned if any harm comes to them on my watch. I will always be there for them.
Exiting the highway, onto the road that takes me to the property I grew up on, my stomach flips and my excitement grows. I know it’s stupid to be this excited. All I’m doing is orchestrating some perverse self-inflicted torture. But she needs me. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
The truth of the matter is I want more time alone with her.
Scratch that, I need to be alone with her.
She has quickly become an addiction.
All I think about.
The self-control I’ve shown to Daisy’s best friend, and Chris’s baby sister, is gone.
All logic is out the window.
I’m sure she feels the same. I feel it in my bones. Something special happened when I laid Sawyer down the other night. There was a connection, much stronger than lust, between us. Like some sort of invisible string binding us together.
My relentless craving to kiss her had been so intense it took every ounce of my willpower not to press my lips to hers the other night. Even though it felt like I may never breathe again if I didn’t.
Knowing we get to play make-believe tonight has been the only thing keeping me breathing.
To call her mine, even if just for a night.
The truck sways side to side as I navigate the bumpy snow-plowed road leading to my house. It’s cold out, but I’m not wearing a coat. My worn work jacket wouldn’t go with the very expensive Tom Ford suit I’m currently wearing thanks to Knox and the occasional dress up functions he’s dragged me to. Tonight is a big night for Mia, and I want to look my best, so, I’ll freeze my balls off for her.
I’d do anything for her.
Hopping out of my truck, I’m happy to see the walkway to the front door is clear. I’ve been paying one of the ranch hands to plow the road to the house and shovel the path to the front and back doors every morning. The last thing Mia needs is to be late to work or God forbid slip and fall. I had been showing up early every morning myself to make sure the porch steps were clear, but that became too much of a risk after New Year’s night.
Fixing my suit like a prom-bound teen, I knock on my own front door and hold my breath as the lock clicks before the door pulls open. I sigh in disappointment when my sister comes into view instead of Mia.
She gives me a quick once-over before nodding her approval. “Well, don’t you clean up nice?”
“Nice to see you too, sis.”
Unmoving, her expression turns venomous as she studies me.
“Dais, it’s fucking freezing out here. You gonna let me in or what?”
“I don’t know, Angus. How about you tell me what intentions you have with my best friend?”
Suddenly, it’s hot as hell despite the snow on the ground.
What are my intentions?
Not knowing what Mia has told Daisy, I have no idea how to answer her question.
Does she know what happened the night of the wedding?
After Mia told Daisy I’m playing the part of her husband and father to her son she took it upon herself to inform the immediate family about our situation. So, she knows the deal, but not much gets past her. She likely sees right through me. Likely knows there’s more between us than a fake relationship.
“I’m doing a friend a favor. Relax.”
“And that’s all?”
“Yes. Now let me in before I freeze to death.”
Finally, she swings open the door. I sneak past her, grateful for the warmth of the fireplace burning in the great room. It’s not as hot as the feel of my sister’s watchful eye on my back, though.
“Your wife will be out in a sec. She’s just finishing up.”
Well, that answers that question.
A nod is my only reply.
“Where’s Sawyer?”
“In his room playing.”
Itching to get away from my sister, I weave around furniture and down the hall until I reach Sawyer’s room. His back is to me, so I lean against the doorframe, watching him drive his fire truck over the roads on his bedroom rug. My heart swells to see him happy and flourishing. Especially knowing I played a small part in his happiness.
The sound of Mia clearing her throat snags my attention.
You could knock my ass over with a feather.
She’s absolutely breathtaking in a black velvet floor-length dress with a slit that reaches her upper thigh. The bodice hugs her body as though the designer intended for only her to wear it. Her long silky waves hang over her shoulders and down her back.
She looks like a goddess.
Stepping away from Sawyer’s door, closer to where she stands at the end of the hall, I whisper for only the two of us to hear. “You look beautiful.”
She blushes, but her eyes don’t leave mine.
There’s only a couple of feet between us now. “So do you,” she whispers back.
One corner of my mouth lifts, because I’m a lot of things, but beautiful isn’t one of them.
Without thinking, I reach to take one of her hands in mine. Her eyes widen as she looks over my shoulder.
Daisy.
“You ready?” I ask, a little louder than necessary.
“Yep.” She runs her hands over her hips, taking a step forward.
Stepping aside, letting her walk in front of me, I’m not surprised to find my sister at the end of the hall watching us like a disapproving parent who knows we’re up to no good.
Mia stops by Sawyer’s room to say goodnight and to tell him to behave for Daisy. He shows me his truck, then gives me a high five as I do my best to move us out the front door without catching my sister's eye again.
The tension in my shoulders eases as I step across the threshold, relieved we’re in the clear and have made it past the five-foot nothing inquisition inside. Mia is a couple steps in front of me and I’ve turned to close the door when the she-devil appears in the open space.
“Hurt her and I will make your life miserable.”
Shit.
She already knows.
What she doesn’t know is that if I hurt Mia, my life will be miserable without her intervention. It’s one of the few things I’m sure of. My peace of mind relies solely on Mia and Sawyer’s well-being.
Closing the door in her face without acknowledging her threat, I find Mia standing at the bottom of the porch steps. Her long leg peeks out of the slit of her dress and she trembles from the cold, momentarily wiping my sister's warning from my thoughts.
“Didn’t you bring a coat, Goof?”
“I don’t really have a coat that goes with this.”
Not caring that my sister is likely watching from the front window, I grab her hand and rush her to the truck. I left it running so it would be warm when she got inside.
Pulling my coat from the back seat, I slip it over her shoulders. “What am I going to do with you?” I wonder aloud while I bundle her up.
She doesn’t speak, but her eyes say it all. They tell me she can think of several things she’d like me to do with her.
Or is that wishful thinking on my part?
Once we’re in the truck driving down the dirt road, I ask her what’s been on my mind since Daisy opened the door.
“I know Daisy and the family know about our fake relationship, but does my sister know more than that?”
“She knows you’re my fake husband. But that’s it.”
“You may not have told her any more than that. But she knows there’s something more going on.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Uh, you’ve met her, right? She knows everything. She can probably smell our pheromones. At the very least, she can read our minds.”
“And what would she read in your mind?”
“Before or after I saw you in that dress?”
She giggles and swats at my arm. “You’re so stupid.”
She’s trying to keep things light between us, and I can’t blame her. We’ve drawn a line. One I’ve been determined not to cross. But something happens when it’s just the two of us. Our walls tend to crumble, and things feel easy between us. Right. Like we’re already a foregone conclusion. When it’s just us, I don’t care that she deserves better, or that she has a secret so big she thinks I would run for the hills. Instead, I hop right over the line, keeping us apart.
“And you’re too scared to ask what’s been going through my head since I first saw you in this dress.”
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head before going quiet, her attention focused out the window, proving my statement to be true. She’s too scared to ask what’s going through my head, because she knows that imaginary line will be obliterated before we make it to the party if I tell her the truth.