My Silver Lining: A Small Town, Fake Dating Romance (Rosewood River Series Book 2)
My Silver Lining: Chapter 10

I’ve attended more family events in my life than I could begin to count. But tonight had been the best one yet.

My fake boyfriend was a hit.

I spent years dating a guy I always thought was the life of the party. The yin to my yang. But it always ended in drama. Beckett was sloppy and selfish, and he always found a way to bring a good night to a catastrophic end.

But Rafe Chadwick… he was the whole package.

He rocked a black suit like he just stepped off the runway for a luxury brand. He charmed all the women, including my grandmother, who was a hard nut to crack. He spun her around on the dance floor before getting her a cocktail and helping her to her seat.

My grandfather had taken him and my father to his den to smoke a cigar, which had Charlotte seething because Gramps had never done that with Hunter.

My mother couldn’t get enough of my fake boyfriend.

Even Francois Tremblay was enamored.

But my father talking to him was the biggest surprise. He was skeptical of anyone I brought around him, and always had been. But he seemed to be very comfortable with Rafe. He stopped asking him endless questions, and they were just having normal conversation last I checked.

I stepped out of the bathroom and leaned against the wall, typing out a quick text to Henley.

I looked up to see Rafe striding toward me. Long legs. Broad shoulders. Those dark eyes bored into mine. His lips turned up the slightest bit in the corners and those dimples on full display.

“I’ve been looking for you, Wildcat.” His voice was gruff yet playful.

I could tell he’d had a few drinks. His cheeks were slightly flushed, his tie had been loosened, and he’d undone one more button on his dress shirt.

His lips parted when he stopped in front of me, and he smiled.

Damn.

Maybe it was that I’d had too many glasses of champagne to count, but it was taking everything I had not to tug his head down and kiss him.

“Did you have fun with my grandfather and my dad?” I asked, fidgeting with my hands to keep from touching him.

“Sure. They’re great. But the party is winding down, and your mom wants us to get in one last dance. I requested a song, and they said they’d wait to play it until I found you.”

We already danced our asses off tonight, but who was I to say no to one more?

“All right. One more, and then we call it a night,” I said.

“I’m not in a hurry to get back to the room, so I may hang out in the cigar room for a while until you’re asleep,” he said, extending a hand, as mine slipped inside his.

“What? No. We need to go up together. It will look suspicious if I leave without you. You want to stay out?” I asked.

He came to an abrupt stop, and he ran a hand through his hair before leaning down close to my ear. “There’s only one bed. My dick is very responsive to you, especially after seeing you in this dress all night. I’d rather not embarrass myself again.”

I squeezed my thighs together in response to his words. “Don’t worry about it. I know how to take care of that.”

He chuckled. “If it involves your tits or your hands, count me in.”

“There you are,” Serena said as she and Jasper called out to us from the other end of the hallway, pulling us from a very questionable conversation. “The DJ is anxious to play the last song. Your boyfriend picked it especially for you. Everyone is waiting to leave.”

“Let’s go, lover boy.”

I tugged him down the hallway, but his words were still ringing in my head.

If it involves your tits or your hands, count me in.

That was hot and sexy and honest.

Damn him.

If I had a penis, I would definitely have a boner right now.

Of course, my fake boyfriend would have to be the first man in a very long time to turn me on. I used to love sex. But then for the longest time, I didn’t enjoy it, and I’ve been in a rut ever since.

Would it be so bad to just give in to it?

We were clearly attracted to one another.

We’d be fake dating for another week.

So what if he was my best friend’s boyfriend’s brother?

So what if we lived on the same property and would have to see one another all the time?

“Stop overthinking. We’re fine. I can tame the big guy down. Don’t worry about it,” he whispered in my ear as if he could read my thoughts. He led me straight to the dance floor.

He thought I was bothered by the fact that he had a boner around me.

Hell, I was far from offended.

I kind of loved it.

The music started playing, and it was one of my favorite songs.

“Rumor” by Lee Brice.

I chuckled when he tugged me against his body and he swayed us both to the beat.

The lyrics were all about a couple who were friends but were suddenly replaceing it hard to stay away from one another.

He started singing in my ear, his words slurring the slightest bit. No one else would notice, but I recognized the slight drawl in his words.

He was singing about the way people were talking about us.

About the rumors swirling around.

And then he sang the line about making the rumor true.

Giving them something to talk about.

I pulled back and looked at him, and he was smiling down at me. He glanced around and my eyes followed to see everyone watching.

And then he sang the last verse loudly as he looked down at me, and everyone joined in and sang along.

He was putting on a show.

And I was getting lost in it.

I knew better. I’d made it my mission not to allow things like this to happen. Getting lost in a charming man.

I swayed my hips and smiled, reminding myself it was just a game.

One that I asked him to play.

The song came to an end, and there were a few whistles and lots of clapping, and we both laughed.

“Kiss her already!” someone shouted, and his eyes searched mine.

Play along.

His mouth came down over mine, and it was soft and sweet. His hand found my lower back as he dipped me down and then pulled back.

No tongue.

No nipping or biting or franticness.

It was lukewarm at best.

He smiled and led me off the dance floor.

My grandparents were waiting, and Gramps smiled. “That was some dance. Nice to see you two having so much fun. Tomorrow, we’ve got the photographer and some press coming to do a story on Uncle Charles and Hunter. We’d like Rafe to be there with us, as he just feels like part of the family now.”

My chest squeezed, suddenly feeling guilty about lying to Gramps.

“Yes, of course. We’ll be there, but we’ll just be on the sidelines, if that’s okay.”

“Whatever you want, my love. Thanks for making today so special. Love you.” He kissed my cheek, and my grandmother smiled and patted me on the shoulder before walking away to say goodbye to their remaining guests. Most of the older people had left about an hour ago, so it was just the younger generation still here drinking and having fun.

My parents came over and said goodnight. I watched as they hugged Rafe, and a tinge of guilt flooded. They liked him.

It felt good to be with someone that everyone liked.

I had just wanted to get them off my back about all the negative press that had tied me to a guy I hadn’t been with in a very long time. But I didn’t know they’d be quite this enamored with the man.

Hell, I didn’t know I’d be this enamored with him either.

“Goodnight. We’ll see you in the morning.”

They walked away, and Rafe quirked a brow. “That last dance made you the talk of the party.”

“I think my boyfriend made me the talk of the party,” I said.

“I’m going to bed,” Charlotte said as she approached, a scowl on her face. “We need to all be dressed appropriately for the interview tomorrow. It’s important.”

Her eyes scanned the front of my dress, and I chuckled. This was a party. She wore a dress that rivaled my grandmother’s and was more age-appropriate for a woman in her eighties.

“We’ll be there,” I said.

“This is a big deal for Hunter,” she said. “You can be in the background, as I know Grandfather will want you there.”

“Well, she is part of the family, so I would guess everyone wants her there.” Rafe found my hand and interlaced our fingers.

“Of course. But you should know, seeing as you two seem to be inseparable—” She paused, glancing at me before looking at Rafe. “Lulu tends to steal the thunder from others, and tomorrow is not about her.”

I was ready to rip into her when Rafe squeezed my hand and looked over at me. It was a look that I understood.

Allow me.

“Well, scheduling a media circus when it’s your grandfather’s eightieth birthday celebration for your husband’s personal gain sounds like you’re pretty good at stealing other people’s thunder yourself, Charlotte. My girl doesn’t need to steal anyone’s thunder. She manages to shine all on her own by simply existing.”

Oh, this was good.

He was pouring it on.

And I am here for it.

My fake boyfriend could hold his own against anyone.

“Yeah. Exactly what he said.” I squared my shoulders. “We’ll see you in the morning, if we can even get out of bed because this guy tends to keep me up all night.”

I laughed when we walked away.

“You told her, Wildcat,” he said, as he led me up the steps and into the room. “And just so you know, what I said to her wasn’t me putting on a show. It’s the truth. Your cousin is jealous of you. And that’s because you’re fucking amazing.”

My teeth sank into my bottom lip, and I shook my head. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Thank you. Do you want to use the restroom first? I need to take a shower.”

“A cold shower?” I asked, as I waggled my brows. “One where you think about these perfect tits of mine?”

“Lu, stop fucking around. I’ll be out in a little bit.” He pulled the green stone from his pocket and set it on the dresser, which made me laugh.

“Wait,” I said, grabbing his hand. I was still slightly buzzed and on a high because it was the first time I wasn’t the center of attention for the wrong reason. I hadn’t brought a date who made a scene or embarrassed us both. I wasn’t alone and feeling self-conscious about it. I just had a great night. And I was with this sexy man and feeling turned on for the first time in a very long time, and I wanted to be reckless. “What if you take your shower, and I’ll come in and wash my face and do my beauty routine while you’re taking care of business?”

His lips turned up in the corners, his eyes dark, looking almost black, as his hand moved to the side of my neck. “You want to watch me get off to thoughts of you?”

“I can’t read your mind, so your thoughts are your own. And I won’t be staring, I’ll just be—” I paused to think over my word choice. My voice was breathier than usual.

“Turned on?” he asked.

“Maybe.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea? You’re the one with all the rules,” he said, his thumb stroking the line of my jaw.

“Listen, we aren’t going to do anything about it.” I sighed. “So here’s the thing… I used to really like sex. And then I didn’t like it. I haven’t liked it for a while. I’ve dated, but I’ve had no desire to do anything more than kiss anyone. I don’t know, maybe after you come off a relationship that ends terribly, you’re cursed in a way.”

“You’re not cursed, Wildcat. You’re healing. You don’t trust easily because you’ve been hurt. I get that.” He paused and studied me for a few beats. “So you haven’t wanted to have sex because you don’t like it anymore. But you want to watch me shower?”

Well, hearing him say it like that was a little mortifying.

“No. What I’m saying is that I was feeling something tonight. Even with that lame kiss you gave me on the dance floor… I don’t know,” I chuckled. “You’re sexy and attractive, and we don’t have to cross the line to have some fun, right?”

He smiled, and my stomach flipped.

I was not a girl who got the tummy flutters from a guy.

But here I was, fluttering away.

“All right. But just like our original deal, there has to be something in it for me, too, right? This can’t all be one-sided.”

I raised a brow. “You get to think about my perfect tits, remember?”

“I remember. And I’ll do that on my own. But if I’m going to have an audience, I think you should sweeten the pot.”

Interesting.

“How would you suggest I do that?”

“Take a shower with me. Make yourself feel good, and I’ll do the same. We’ll do it together.”

“You’re joking.”

“You asked me if you could watch me get off in the shower, and you replace it offensive that I want to do the same?” His voice was gruff, his chest pressed against mine.

“No touching,” I said.

“No problem. Seeing you will be more than enough.” His tongue swiped along his bottom lip.

Dear God. Have I ever been this turned on?

“We never discuss this. We wake up tomorrow and put on a show for my family, and it never happens again.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. It’s not like it’s something we both haven’t done before. We’re just doing it at the same time. Chances are we’ve done it at the same time at some point in our life before; we just weren’t in the same room.”

“The same shower, you mean,” I said.

Why was I panting?

“Listen, we’re two good-looking people pretending to date, and we’re not with anyone else. We’re not crossing any lines. We’re just going to enjoy a friendly shower. Tomorrow you can go back to being annoyed with me, and I’ll do the same.”

“I can easily do that tomorrow.”

“All right, then, let’s do this,” he said.

I turned and walked to the shower. I could do this. I was a twenty-eight-year-old woman. I hadn’t had sex in close to a year and a half.

I was just going to take a shower, and he was going to shower at the same time.

I was a conscientious environmentalist anyway.

Why waste the water on two showers?

I was doing my part to protect the ecosystem and wildlife habitat.

That’s what I was doing.

Taking one for the team.