Page 51 of His Fake Fiancé

Sam and his girlfriend, Cassie, walked up to Claire and KC’s table. Claire and Cassie hugged, and Sam said something to KC, chucking her on the shoulder. KC said something, and Sam threw back his head and laughed. Then it looked like Claire was introducing KC and Cassie. The two women fell into what seemed like an easy conversation. Probably about LA. Cassie had lived there before she and Sam got together, and she moved up here permanently.

Sam tapped Claire on the shoulder and swept his arm toward the dance floor. She nodded and grabbed his hand, leading him onto the floor. Even though it was an upbeat song, Sam pulled her into his arms.

Jake straightened up, a shot of acid green jealousy sliding though his veins. The reaction was ridiculous, because even though this was a fast song, everyone was two-stepping around the floor to it.

But from here, it seemed like the ranch foreman was holding Claire way too close. And she was smiling up at him way too wide.

Before he even realized he was going to move, he was halfway across the bar.

“Hey, Jake.” Siobhan Clarke planted herself in front of him, forcing him to stop. Her red curls framed her elfin like face, her brown eyes big behind her glasses. She was the last person he’d been with before Olivia had barreled into his life. They’d had a couple of fun nights together just before she moved to New Mexico. Apparently, she was back.

“Hi, Siobhan. It’s nice to see you again.” He didn’t wait for a response, just slipped past her on his way to the dance floor.

Claire and Sam were still dancing, and Claire was laughing at something he’d said to her. Jake weaved his way through the other dancers until he was standing next to them.

He put his hand on Sam’s arm. “Mind if I cut in?”

Sam glanced at him in a quick double take and then gave a half smile. “As long as it’s okay with Claire.”

She looked at Jake, her eyebrows creased so deeply, her mouth turned down in such a fierce frown, he was convinced she was going to deny him. Walking away with his tail between his legs was going to be humiliating.

But then she nodded, a single quick dip of her chin, and he felt like he could breathe again.

Before she could change her mind, he pulled her into his arms. The songs had switched, and the band was now pumping out something with a great beat. It wasn’t a song he recognized, but that didn’t matter. Two stepping didn’t require a specific song, just a specific set of beats.

Claire was stiff in his arms, their movement together awkward. It had been a while since he’d done this, so it took a few turns around the floor to find his groove. Once he was comfortable, his movements a little more fluid, he tightened his hold on her just a touch. It had been a long time since he’d done this with Claire—the last time they’d been teenagers. In fact, she’d been his first partner. They’d decided to learn because it was the thing to do and was impressive for things like school dances.

A few more steps and she relaxed, getting into the rhythm. Now that they were in sync, they flowed around the floor like water, gliding and turning like it was second nature. He spun her and she laughed. The sound made the tension in his chest pop, to be replaced with a warmth he didn’t understand any more than he had the ache from earlier.

The one thing he did know though, was that this felt right. Being here with Claire, making her laugh, was where he was supposed to be.

It terrified the shit out of him.

Chapter 15

Claire let Jake lead her around the dance floor, pushing aside all of her wayward thoughts and feelings and questions. The first and foremost one being, what the hell was he doing here?

When she’d left the Callahans with Kase, he’d had his gorgeous butt planted on the sofa, wearing sweats and watching the game. Not to mention, he was supposed to be spending the night with Olivia. And now, somehow, he was here, in the bar, and they were two stepping around the dance floor like they didn’t have a care in the world.

And, God help her, she loved it.

It was like old times, back when they were kids. When things were easier.

Well, not easier. Her feelings for Jake had always been complicated—ever since that day, when they were twelve, and far too young for such things, and he’d kissed her in the hayloft at the Callahan ranch. Just a quick press of lips, very chaste, very innocent. When she’d asked him why he’d done it, he just shrugged and smiled and said he wanted to know what it was like, because his brothers were always talking about making out with girls.

Even then, he’d been indifferent. But that moment, that brush of his mouth against hers, had upended her world. That moment was when her feelings for Jake had gone from friend based to something more.

The subsequent years hadn’t done much to change those feelings. They’d only grown. When they turned fifteen, and Jake became the star of every high school girl’s fantasy, Claire had been forced to push down those feelings, locking them deep inside. It quickly became clear Jake didn’t feel the same way, and she was too afraid to put herself out there. She’d convinced herself it was better to be in Jake’s life as a friend, than to do anything that might push him away.

Of course, nothing was as complicated as what they were doing now. This whole fake fiancé thing was so dangerous. Not only because they were playing with fire in regards to the law, there was also the ethical questions brought up by the lies. Her feelings and the fear she could get pummeled in the process were also high in the list of reasons this was a terrible idea.

Which was why she shouldn’t be having so much fun with the whole thing. Letting him get under her skin and inside her walls, to her fleshy, vulnerable center.

She stumbled, caught up in her thoughts and doubts and guilt. Jake tightened his hold on her, steadied her, smiled down at her with that beautiful, genuine grin. The one he didn’t give to everyone, just those in his inner circle. The icy case she’d spent the last decade building around herself shattered.

The song came to an end and Jake spun her once more time, and then pulled her in for a hug. She laughed and wrapped her arms around him, patting his back.

“We’re going to slow things down a bit now.” The lead singer of the band pushed her blonde curls away from her face and grabbed the mic with both hands. “This is one of my favorites.”