Page 47 of The Pucking Fake Marriage

But then I also want to end tonight by tearing Charlie’s dress off her and having her ride my dick until morning.

My mother sits Charlie next to me, with her father onthe other end of the table and the two older women across from us.

Great. As though the blaze in my veins wasn’t hot enough.

Standing up, my mother raises a glass of wine. “I’d like to start tonight by everyone sharing what they’re grateful for. And we can all drink to it.”

Of course, Mrs. Chapman goes first. “I’mgrateful that my daughter finally has a job. We’ve been waiting for her to find something suitable ever since the fall. You know, the one that happened right here on these stairs.” It’s hard to tell if she’s blaming our family or her daughter for falling.

I feel Charlie stiffen beside me. “I have a job, Mom. I’ve had one ever since I recovered from my injury.”

“Running a restaurant in the red is nota job,” she says, downing her glass in one gulp.

“Ariel…” her father intervenes, his fingers kneading into his temple. “Don’t. We have a wonderful daughter, and she’s always made us proud.” My mother looks between the couple uncertainly and takes her seat.

Ariel Chapman looks doubtful. “Well, she’sstartingto make us proud.”

A sickening feeling grows in my gut. Yeah, this has become way too familiar. Sitting around, watching Charlie become the punchline of the joke for no damn reason. We went through the exact experience as teenagers, and we managed to make it fun for ourselves.

There’s nothing funny here anymore.

“If she’s only started to make you proud now, I’d question your criteria for deeming your child successful.”

A strange chill descends on the table. My mother glares at me, and Ariel merely stares.

My father tries to break the tension. “We should startoff with the yams.” He turns toward Mr. Chapman. “James, I was just telling Ken that we only just spoke about how good of a forward he is…”

“Center.” This time, it’s Charlie that corrects my father, seemingly automatically. I glance at her, and there’s a knowing, almost tired look in her eyes. This isn’t the first time she’s had to do that for me. Just like this isn’t the first time I’ve been furious at her mother’s statements. Still, there’s an almost pleading look in her eyes, one that warns me to back off from her mother.

The two men start to talk about hockey, James Chapman correcting my father and explaining, once again, the main details of the game. Ariel is still staring at me, no doubt waiting for another explosion. Before I can decide what to do, I feel Charlie’s slender fingers on my knee underneath the table.

I crash against my chair, my heart pounding so hard I can barely hear anything else around me. What her touch only serves to do is awaken the other fiery beast within me, the one that wants nothing more than to be with her.Inher, to be precise. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, forcing myself to dwell on something else.Anythingwill do. But thinking about Charlie’s mother causes a different ember of flames to spike through me, one that makes my teen rage against her seem like childish annoyance.

I always felt overprotective of Charlie, but it’s way worse now. And not just because we’re older now and Ariel should have gotten tired of putting her daughter down. It’s because Charlie isn’t just my best friend or my brother’s girlfriend anymore. She’s mywife. No one at this table is aware of that, but damn it, she still is.

And I’m going to keep protecting her.

As the two men fall into a pointless discussion of politics, my mother leans over to Ariel and apologizes on my behalf. My stomach steels, but Charlie shoots me another glance, bidding me to stay quiet. Her hand is still on my knee, and I return her look with a raised brow, conveying what I feel with my eyes.

Your mother’s behavior is the only distraction I’ve got against thinking of how badly I want to fuck you right now.

She swallows hard, snatching her hand from my leg.

Looks like she got the message.

Half-amused, I turn back to the table. Teenage years were fun, but I much prefer this version of our life, one where I get to make her uncomfortable by reminding her how much we want each other.

Beats the four years I spent thinking she wanted Kali instead of me.

“Oh, that’s fine, Elizabeth.” Ariel’s response to my mother’s apology is so loud that everyone stops talking to look at her. “We all know Ken’s always had a little crush. Looks like it’s still the case, after all these years.”

“Mom,” Charlie protests, glaring at her mother.

“I’m joking.”Ariel rolls her eyes, as though she thinks her daughter is being overly sensitive. “Ken knows I’m joking. Right?”

Ariel’s jabs about my crush on Charlie are as old as our friendship. This time, though, I refuse to give the obligatory smile or chuckle. I stare back at her, unsmiling, the chill from my silence settling heavily over the table.

James, Charlie’s father, clears his throat awkwardly as he darts an anxious glance my way. “Ken has always loved Charlie as a sister, and we’re all grateful for that.”

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