Page 27 of Always Been You

When she didn't answer he said, "Jess, I'm serious."

Her first instinct was to be defensive at his request. But then she thought about what her reaction would be if it were Kingston saying it.

With a resigned sigh, she stood and crossed the front room so that she could do exactly what he'd asked. When she got there he was still standing in the doorway. "Just because you're my fake boyfriend doesn't mean you can start bossing me around."

"What about if I was your real boyfriend?"

Damn. Ethan was really racking up the swoon-worthy quotes this visit.

She tried to hide the way his words had her entire body tingling with anticipation.

In an attempt to throw him even slightly off balance, she grinned as she said, "Too bad we'll never find out. I only date guys that bite. I like it rough."

Her plan worked and she watched as his jaw tensed and his nostrils flared with intensity. She'd definitely struck a nerve and before he could regain the upper hand she shut the door. In his face. She clicked the deadbolt and waited.

After several seconds she heard his footsteps as he left and she turned and leaned her back against the solid wood door for support. She placed her hand over her chest to feel her heart beating rapidly. To feel how alive Ethan had just made her.

She wasn't sure how this "fake" relationship was going to play out, but she planned on enjoying every second of it.

9

"If there's any relationship that actually makes me think about giving love a second chance, it's your parents." Brynn stood beside Jess in her parents’ kitchen, helping her put the cards in order for the Not-So-Newlywed Game.

Jess looked up and saw her mom and dad mingling with their friends out on the deck. Her dad had his arm around her mom's waist and he kept whispering things in her ear. Probably telling her how cute she is, if I know him, Jess thought. It was his go-to compliment. At least the go-to compliment that was PG enough to say in public.

Their anniversary celebration was going off without a hitch. It was a beautiful, sunny day and it seemed like the entire town had turned out for her parents’ festivities. The party began at noon and had no end time. She'd expected people to stop by for an hour or two and then leave, but it seemed like everyone was staying much longer than that.

There were probably close to a hundred people milling about her parents’ backyard. Thankfully, her childhood home sat on two acres of land. The house had been her grandfather's, and he'd had a small working farm when her dad was growing up. But when Jess was growing up, the only animals she’d had were two Collie dogs named Sonny and Cher. Both pups were no longer with them. However, they had a litter of six puppies, the six-pack, her dad called them. The original plan had been to give them away but her mom hadn’t been able to part with any of the adorable bundles of fur. When the decision was made that they’d be keeping the bunch, Jess got to name them. So Ross, Rachel, Pheobe, Joey, Monica, and Chandler were running around the backyard and seemed happy to have so many visitors.

"Do they ever fight?" Brynn asked, in awe of the couple of the hour.

Not the first time Jess had been asked that question and she knew it probably wouldn't be the last.

"Of course they fight. Not like screaming matches or anything, but yeah, they disagree."

"I don't think your dad was too happy about the game." Brynn set the cards with the answers that she'd collected from Jess's parents down on the table.

"He'll get over it." Jess wasn't worried about her dad. He would do anything for her mom. "Let's head back out."

Jess grabbed a couple of bags of chips and Brynn grabbed a fresh veggie tray, and the duo stepped back outside. They were refilling the refreshment table that Jess had set up next to the deep end of the pool when Ali bopped up.

"Okay, what is going on between you and the good sheriff of Naughtyham?" Ali looked proud of herself for her play on words.

Jess grinned. “Not to rain on your punrade, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

"Come on," Brynn said as she leaned in close and lowered her voice. "The man can't take his eyes off of you."

"What are you..." Jess turned and saw that sure enough, Ethan was standing at the other end of the pool, beer in hand, not paying any attention to the group of people around him. His deep brown stare was pointed directly at her just like it had been every time she'd looked his way today.

She'd been trying to ignore him, but he just looked so damn hot. He was wearing the same basic outfit that most of the guys at the party were. Plain T-shirt, shorts that fell below his knee, flip-flops, and a baseball cap. But for some reason, her body was responding like she was Marilyn Purroe and he was catnip. He was just so damn sexy.

That was nothing new, of course, but since their talk, her hormones were in overdrive. Since they’d agreed to a fake relationship, the real things that she'd been fantasizing about him doing to her, and her doing to him, were making her blush.

Feeling her cheeks heat again, she turned away from the source of her flush.

"He's been watching you like a hawk. And not just in his normal, worried about you way. He's been watching you." Ali wagged her brows as she did her best Mae West impression, "If you know what I mean."

"I do, actually." Jess deadpanned. “You’re not being subtle.”

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