Page 5 of Fake Hearts and Kisses

Trish grins. “You’re certainly hot enough, but what do you do for a living?”

“I work for a security firm.” It’s not an outright lie, but I don’t go around advertising my profession.

Trish’s grin gets wider. She looks at Daisy. “Do it. He’s fucking hot, and he does security stuff.”

Daisy huffs. It’s a little exasperation and a little bit of laughter. “And you can leave with me early Saturday morning and come back Monday?”

“Yes.” I give her a smile. I’d go to Mars at this point. “Did I mention I was the boss?”

Trish laughs. “This is perfect.” She reaches across the table and grabs my hand. I resist the urge to pull away. “You have to promise to spend the weekend acting like Daisy is the love of your life and you can’t keep your hands off her.”

I look back at Daisy, letting my eyes slide from her lush lips to the graceful curve of her neck. “That won’t be a hardship.”

CHAPTER THREE

DAISY

Now

If it was possibleto die from sheer embarrassment, I’d be six feet under right now. I fight to keep myself from slinking back into the cabin and hiding the rest of the trip. It’s one thing for my brother to hear gossip about my sex life; it’s another for him to actually listen to me. Or rather, think he’s listening.

Blake grips my brother’s hand. “Forest,” he says, his voice like velvet. “How wonderful to meet you.”

My brother shakes Blake’s hand, giving it two hard pumps, then drops it. His fists clench at his sides, no doubtthinking about where Blake’s hands have just been. Forest keeps his eyes trained on Blake and never looks in my direction. Thank goodness. I’ve never wanted to disappear so badly in my entire life. The cabin door next to ours opens, and Forest’s wife steps out.

Oh, this is just getting worse.Every second, this is so much worse.

Amber rushes forward, wrapping her arms around me. “I’ve missed you so much!” she shrieks, bouncing us up and down in her excitement, jostling my already frayed nerves. She steps back, holding me at arm’s length as she eyes Blake. “And I guess this is Blake?”

I smile, but I’m sure it’s more of a grimace. “This is Blake.”

When I told my sister that I would bring my boyfriend to the Gathering, she laughed. Not that I blame her. In the ten years since my family started the Conner Family Gathering, I’ve never once brought a boyfriend. Not even a prospective boyfriend. To say that every family gathering is rough when you’re the only single party is an understatement.

My mother started the Gatherings when Lily and I went to college. She had wanted a reason for us all to come together several times a year to ensure we didn’t grow apart. So theConner Family Gatherings began. That first summer that marked the very first Gathering was at the family lake house. I was single, and because I was solo, I rarely participated in the game nights, or more often, they paired me with someone’s tagalong friend, which was always awkward for us both. Come Christmas, then New Year’s, then Spring, then Summer, I was still single.

Not that I didn’t date. I did. Until Jim, that is. The damned liar ruined my life and shattered me into a million pieces. My life became slots in time. Before Jim, During Jim, and then After Jim. Before Jim, I was carefree and unjaded. During Jim, I was too scared to admit that I was with him to my family. After Jim, I don’t date. It was that bad.

But even before him, there was never anyone I felt could endure the harsh criticism of my family. I never wanted anyone to know they are obsessed with family vacations and even more obsessed with suitable partners. Not just my parents, either. Forest and Lily are just as judgmental as our parents.

The first year Lily brought home a boy, my mother nearly ran him out of the Gathering. In every other sentence, she mentioned how disappointing he was. When Forest brought his first real girlfriend, she left the Gathering in tears and broke up with him the next day. When he brought Amber, he looked so scared that my parents would reject herthat he nearly wept with relief when my mother kissed her cheeks and winked at my brother in approval. I realized that unless the man I brought was stunningly handsome, intelligent, and completely loaded, the guy would be an outcast, and I’d be told to raise my standards. And probably right in front of my boyfriend. That happened to Lily a few times.

So, after the catastrophic disaster that was Jim, I haven’t bothered.

Right now, after knowing it was my brother in the cabin attached to ours, I’m regretting this crazy plan I concocted with Blake to impress my family and convince them I’m not as bland and undesirable as they think.

I watch Blake shake my sister-in-law’s hand and think about how this is the first time they will not exclude me from the conversation. I’ll actually be a part of the conversation. Heck, I’llbethe conversation. Maybe. If this morning is any sign, they may still exclude me.

“Can you believe we have the whole lodge to ourselves this weekend?” Amber bumps my hip with hers and gives me a wink. Okay, so she approves. Now my brother, which, considering he just heard us fake fucking, Blake probably isn’t his favorite person right now.

Yep. I want to melt to the floor and evaporate.

“Shall we?” Forest offers me his arm, shooting Blake a tight smile. I glance at Blake, who offers his arm to Amber. She giggles and links her arm with his. I watch as they leave me alone with my brother, resisting the urge to run after them just to avoid this awkward conversation.

“So…” Forest says, linking our arms a bit rough. “From what I heard, you really like this guy.”

I try to escape, but he tugs on my arm, dragging me along the path toward the lodge. Now would be a good time to tell him what he heard was fake, but that would defeat the entire purpose of having Blake on this trip.

“Two things I never wanted to hear from my sister’s mouth,” Forest says. “Fuck me harder and deeper.”

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