Fakecation, page 8
Her heart lifted. “I don’t get the vibe that you’re a vengeful man.”
“When it comes to how cold this water is? I very much am.”
She laughed, wondering what he could possibly come up with. She didn’t get long to ponder on it because she saw John walking to the beach.
He was dressed to the nines. He had a drink in his hand and a pink, flowy cover-up that didn’t do much covering up.
John always stood out in the small town. Most people here welcomed him with open arms.
“John!” Daniel called, his eyes on her brother. Amelia’s heart stuttered in her chest.
John came over, letting his designer sunglasses slide down his nose.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Your tag is showing. You might want to tuck it in.”
“Oh.” John reached behind him for the offending item. “You’re a lifesaver. There’s a bartender here I want to impress and he would definitely have seen that.”
“Happy to help,” Daniel replied.
John winked at him before waltzing to the nearby bar.
Amelia let out a sigh of relief.
“You okay?” Daniel asked.
“Me? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just, you know, my family is . . . not everyone’s cup of tea.”
“They’re great people,” he said. “Real people. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I agree. It’s just . . . my ex didn’t.”
“The infamous ex?”
“Yep. He and John didn’t get along.”
“That’s a shame. Be honest. Was he jealous that John dressed better than him?”
She laughed. “John dresses better than all of us. I bet that cover-up he was wearing was worth more than half my clothes.”
“It was designer.”
“You know designer?”
“Not me, but Lucinda does.”
“Did she leave anything behind? John might take it. He’s on a somewhat-tight budget and I bet she’d hate having her things given away.”
“She would. I’ll check when I get back.”
Amelia went to say something else, but a rowdy kid jumped into the pool right in front of them, splashing her in the face.
She sputtered while Daniel laughed.
“That’s what you get for splashing me,” he said. “Karma.”
“Let’s go down to the ocean,” she suggested. “Maybe there will be less splashing.”
“I thought you loved splashing.”
“I only love splashing you. Get it right.”
She hauled herself out of the pool, excited to feel the sand between her toes. The beach was busy, but there were only so many people this tiny island could hold. She’d heard Myrtle Beach was worse.
Amelia made a beeline for the water, eager to feel the push and pull of waves. When she got in, a larger one crashed over her, nearly knocking her over.
“Is that . . . fun?” Daniel called from the shore.
“Why don’t you come here and find out?”
His eyes narrowed at the challenge and he cautiously waded into the water.
“The key here is,” she said, “to never turn away from the waves. You don’t want to get caught looking at the shore when a wave hits you. But when a wave is coming, jump up and then turn.”
“You just said never to turn.”
“If you’re staring right at it when it crashes, you get saltwater in your eyes and mouth. It’s disgusting.”
“So, always watch the waves, jump, and then turn. That’s . . . somewhat clear.”
“Trust me, it’ll be fun.”
Another large wave hit them, but this one dumped water on her head. The salt stung her eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Oh yeah. This is great.”
“So can I laugh now?”
“Absolutely,” she said, finally opening her eyes. “That’s half the fun. We’re both going to look ridiculous.”
And she was right. Amelia’s braid fell out in the first hour they were in the water. She could taste salt in her mouth, but all she could do was laugh at either herself or Daniel as they tried to jump over the waves.
Daniel didn’t fare much better than she did. His hair curled wildly, all product washed out of it, giving her the sight of a man who belonged on a swimsuit magazine cover. Amelia felt like a mess, but he somehow looked perfect while soaked.
“Maybe we should head in to get some food and water,” Daniel said after their second hour.
“We have plenty of water here.”
“I mean drinkable water,” he said, rolling his eyes. She would have wondered if she’d offended him, but the smile on his face said otherwise.
She briefly considered staying to enjoy the ocean even longer. But then she took stock of how she was feeling. Her throat was dry and her stomach was begging for food. She felt a little like an unmaintained car with all its dash lights on.
They went back up to the room and gulped down three glasses of water before she looked for nearby restaurants on her phone. While she browsed options, Daniel showered.
Amelia needed to as well, but all she could think about was food.
Before she could pick out a place, John walked into the condo.
“Do you have food options?” Amelia asked.
“Hello to you too.”
“Sorry, I’m starving.”
“And I’m dejected,” John said. “The bartender is not single anymore.”
“Oh no. That really sucks.” She did feel for her brother, but she also saw a listing for pizza that made her mouth water.
“Give me good news. Something to make me happy.”
“Do you want Daniel’s ex-wife’s designer clothes?”
John blinked. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I understood that sentence. Daniel’s who and what?”
“Daniel was married. They’re divorced and it’s finalized now, but he might still have some of her stuff. She was . . . not the greatest person”—her nose scrunched as she thought about her—“and I bet she’d hate to have her clothes given away. She had really nice stuff.”
“First off, I would love to ruin a snooty woman’s life by taking her clothes, and second, I love how jealous you got when mentioning her.”
“What? I didn’t get jealous.”
“You made a face.”
“Well yeah, because she sucks.”
“And he’s your man now.”
Her heart raced at the idea. “Okay, maybe. But she also ignored boundaries and came into work to embarrass him, which is not okay.”
“That’s right. Defend your man. By the way, I approve. He’s a major improvement from the trash you dated before.”
“You like Daniel? You barely know him.”
“Right, but I know you. And you have that giddy, new-love aura around you. Plus, he’s been nice to me, which Andrew never was.”
“You’re right about him being nice. But not the other thing. I’m perfectly normal.”
John gave her a doubtful look. “You have never been normal. It’s what we love about you, but you stare at him. It’s like he’s your whole world. Just seeing you two makes me wish I hadn’t sworn off long-term romance for life.”
She could have agonized over his words, but her stomach growled. “As much as I love these life talks with you, I think I will die if I don’t eat food.”
“You’re always hangry when you come back from the ocean. What are you wanting?”
“Pizza.”
Just as she said it, Daniel came out of their room.
“Pizza sounds good,” he said. His hair was wet and a little less styled than usual. Like in the water, she could see his beautiful curls. Food be damned, maybe she could eat him instead.
“I thought you were starving,” John said.
Amelia blinked. “I am.”
“Then let’s go,” Daniel said. “No need to waste time.”
Thank God he hadn’t noticed how she had been looking at him, but John had.
“Down bad,” he mouthed and then made kissy faces at her when Daniel’s back was turned. She flipped him off.
“Come on,” Daniel urged, gently putting a hand on her back. “Food calls.”
Amelia went willingly, but she couldn’t help but notice they’d gotten much more comfortable with each other.
And she was doing a lot less pretending than she expected.
Chapter Ten
Daniel
After a day of enjoying local food and swimming, Daniel was exhausted and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. He didn’t have a second to think about the way his arm had touched Amelia’s.
But when he woke up, she was all he could think about.
He’d shifted closer to her in the night. Both of them were in the middle of the bed rather than on their respective sides. They weren’t quite cuddling, but her cheek was pressed against his bicep and one of her legs was curled around his.
That urge he’d felt the day before, the one calling him to pull her closer, screamed for him to move his arm around hers. He wanted to press his nose into her hair and breathe in both her and this moment.
He shook it off.
These were not feelings he should have for a coworker, not even a coworker who he was pretending to date. He wasn’t even a cuddler. With Lucinda, they’d never gravitated toward each other during the night, only away.
Amelia let out a soft noise in her sleep, her leg hiking farther up as she got comfortable. This time, her head lay on his arm. It was then that he realized another part of him was very interested in this new proximity.
Twisting his eyes shut, Daniel tried to think of everything but her body next to his, but all he could see was how she’d looked in her swimsuit jumping into the pool.
This was not good.
He needed to get away and think. Maybe even jerk off. He wasn’t sure which would help more. He just needed to move before this quickly got awkward.
Amelia protested as he moved his arm, but thankfully, she fell back asleep.
He nearly ran to the bathroom. He turned on the shower, trying to clear his head, but to no avail. He stepped under the spray of the water, still seeing flashes of Amelia whenever he closed his eyes.
He was attracted to her, there was no doubt about it. He thought of her in a way he shouldn’t, yet he couldn’t stop it. She was what he wanted.
He didn’t have experience with wanting people. He liked Lucinda because she was pretty and seemed smart, but he never felt like this about her. He never had to throw himself into the shower simply because she moved closer in her sleep.
Get her off your mind, he begged himself. Think of anything else.
But none of it worked. Once he stopped thinking about her body, he remembered the tiny little noise, almost a moan, that she let out as she moved closer.
It didn’t matter what he tried to do. She wouldn’t leave him.
Daniel wrapped his hand around his length, but he made one rule.
Don’t think about her. Get this over with but leave her out of it.
The rule seemed simple in theory but difficult in practice. As his hand moved, he tried to think of anyone else he’d been attracted to.
No one came up.
He then decided to think of nothing, only the sensation in his body as he moved himself closer to release. His hand moved up and down his cock, his mind focused only on how it felt. He could feel himself getting closer.
His mind replayed how her skin had felt as he rubbed her back, except this time, he was only doing it for himself. He could see him taking her back to their room, her under him, as he kissed his way down her chest, her stomach, and then to her—
He came.
And then immediately hated himself for it.
That was not what he was supposed to do. He’d broken his one rule right at the last second.
Leaning his head against the bathroom wall, he sighed. No more of this. This was the one time he would allow himself to ever do that. The last thing he wanted was to be a creep.
Daniel cleaned himself off and got dressed for the day. He barely put any cream into his hair, his mind too distracted by what he’d just done.
Maybe he needed fresh air.
That should solve it.
He went to the balcony, where the wind was blowing and the call of the waves was loud, and sat.
That was when his phone rang. He pulled it out and his mood plummeted further.
It was his father.
“Hello?” Daniel answered, his voice sounding more annoyed than he wanted it to.
“My boy! I have some good news.”
“What?” Daniel rolled his eyes. He was unable to keep the frustration from seeping into his voice. Thank God he was alone for this. The last thing he needed was for anyone to overhear his tone and ask questions. Just how was he supposed to admit to Amelia’s family that his wife had left him for his father?
“Lucinda said yes to marrying me.”
His ears rang as his father spoke more.
Lucinda and his father were getting married? Only four months after Daniel and Lucinda’s divorce was finalized? This couldn’t be real. His father couldn’t be that cruel.
Then again, his father did sleep with her in the first place. Staying as boyfriend and girlfriend wouldn’t last for long. His father wanted a trophy wife, someone beautiful to parade around in his church. Lucinda wanted money, which her soon-to-be husband had plenty of.
“So, what do you say, son?” he asked.
Daniel blinked back into the present moment. “What?”
“Are you coming to the wedding?”
“What? You want me to come to my ex-wife’s wedding? To you?”
“I thought it would be helpful for moving on from her.”
Daniel couldn’t believe his ears. “No, I don’t want to go.”
His father sighed, as if he expected this. “Daniel . . .”
“No.”
“You need to move on from her, son.”
“I have moved on,” Daniel said. “I am literally at the beach with my girlfriend right now.”
“Oh, well, what’s the problem?”
“You still slept with my wife. While we were married.”
His father sighed. “We talked about this.”
“No, you talked about it,” Daniel said. “I don’t want to be a part of this.”
“You have to be. What will people say if my own son is not at my wedding? It will be televised, and millions of people will watch.”
Daniel shook his head. “No, I don’t care what people think, and besides, your daughter won’t even be there. You’re not inviting Terri.”
“She strayed from God.”
“And adultery isn’t straying from God?”
“I atoned for that.”
Daniel took a deep breath, resisting the urge to throw his phone off the balcony.
“I’m not going,” he repeated. “And I’m not changing my mind about it.”
“You’re still hung up on Lucinda, then?”
“I just said I’m dating someone else.”
“Does she know about your ex-wife? It’s okay to still be in love with your ex, especially when she’s a woman like Luc—”
“I’m not in love with Lucinda. I’m not sure I ever was, but that doesn’t mean I want to come to the wedding. Now, please leave me alone. I’m currently on vacation with my girlfriend, who I actually like, trying to have a good time.”
Daniel hung up angrily, gripping it tightly as he tried to get his emotions under control. Minutes passed, and just as he was finally beginning to breathe normally, he received a text.
Lucinda: Who’s your new girlfriend?
His jaw tightened again. Why did she even care? Didn’t she have the happy ending she wanted?
Of course not. She wouldn’t be satisfied until she knew he missed her.
The balcony door opened, and for a second, Daniel thought Amelia had woken up and come and found him. Instead, it was John.
“Hey,” John greeted.
“Hey,” Daniel repeated back, letting out a breath and trying to sound normal.
John looked at him quizzically. “Are you okay?”
“Not exactly.” There was no point in lying. “But it’s nothing involving your sister, I promise. You don’t have to kill me or anything.”
“If you pissed off Amelia, I’d let her do the killing anyway. Want to talk about it?”
“I’d rather not.”
“Then . . . would coffee cheer you up?” John asked. “If you’re dating Amelia, then you’re probably into coffee, right? I mean, I don’t exactly know about how relationships work, but you have to have something in common.”
Daniel laughed despite his sour mood. “No, I’m more of a tea drinker, but maybe going down to the coffee shop would help.”
“I’ll go with you,” John said. “I need my caffeine anyway.”
Daniel nodded. He needed to get his mind away from everything that had happened in the last hour.
“So,” John started as they walked down the stairs, “should we do some kind of small talk?”
“We can. I’m not very good at it, though.”
“Me either. Especially with guys my sister dates. I mean, there was only the one, but still. I knew he didn’t like me.”
“Why didn’t he?”
“I’m going to go with the fact that I have more skirts than Amelia does. Some people don’t like that.”
“Oh.”
“She tried to hide it, but I saw it. It’s kind of hard not to. So, good on you for not being like him.”
“You’re a person first and foremost. None of the rest matters to me.”
“See? You get it. My family does too. I think Amelia had bad luck with him.”
“We all have to have one bad ex.”
“Not me. I don’t usually date,” John said, rolling his eyes. He opened the door to the coffee shop, and Daniel stepped in. He glanced at the menu, deciding to take another risk and pick something new for Amelia.
“Ooh,” John said. “The barista is cute. How do I look?” He turned to Daniel expectantly.
John looked better than most people in the coffee shop, with one exception. “Are you wearing mascara?”
“Yes. Is it too much?”
