The Wedding Hoax Read online

  Cole tried not to appear too nervous or excited, although both emotions were present. He could be affectionate without getting too carried away. No problem.

  Mason was turning to leave even before he finished his thought. “Did you decide about the whole moving-in thing?”

  Daisy stiffened under his arm. She must not like the thought of living together any better than he did.

  “We’re still thinking about it.” He tried to sound sure of himself, but inside he didn’t have a clue what to do. Was he willing to risk this deal over something as silly as becoming roommates with Daisy? But rooming with her would mean all kinds of temptation. Was he strong enough to resist her?

  …

  Cole took Daisy’s hand as they wandered down the main walkway that ran through the bridal show, noticing how small it felt in his. She glanced down at their joined hands, then up at him and smiled. He couldn’t tell for sure if it was genuine, but if he had to guess, he thought he detected a hint of unease. It didn’t seem to reach her eyes like it did when she laughed. Or even when she shot him a smart-assed remark, which she was practically a professional at.

  They stopped in front of a jewelry display. Diamonds sparkled under the bright lights. He looked at the engagement ring already adorning her finger. It wasn’t her style. She picked up a platinum ring, with what had to be a half-carat diamond center stone. Circling the center stone was a row of tiny pink diamonds. It made the ring look like a flower. A daisy. Simple, yet beautiful and timeless. Just like his Daisy.

  Not my Daisy, he thought abruptly, irritated with himself.

  “Would you like to try that on, miss?” the jeweler asked.

  “No, thank you. I already have my engagement ring.” She moved her hand awkwardly as if trying to show him the ring without actually showing it to him.

  “It’s lovely,” he said, almost choking on the compliment before clearing his throat and continuing. “Perhaps you’d like to see what we have for wedding bands instead?”

  “I don’t think—”

  “We’d love to,” Cole said, winking at her despite the lump of anxiety blooming in the pit of his stomach. She was cute when she got nervous. Maybe if he focused on her, he could get through this himself. “We haven’t decided what bands we’ll buy yet, have we, Dee?”

  His old nickname for her slipped out. He’d said it once already, at their engagement party, but he’d promised himself he wasn’t going to let it happen again since using it brought back too many old memories he didn’t want to deal with.

  She smiled at the jeweler and sat in the chair he offered as if hearing her nickname had no effect on her. But he knew it had the moment her cheeks turned rosy.

  “I guess we do need to pick them out eventually,” she said. “Now is as good a time as any.”

  He sat beside her and glanced at the rows of wedding bands, a lump of discomfort settling in his chest and his palms felt so moist all of a sudden that he wiped them on his pants. Why had he suggested doing this?

  She picked up a ring, studying it carefully before putting it back and choosing another. He mimicked her so he would look involved, rolling one back and forth between his fingers. The jeweler handed her a white-gold band with diamonds around the entire circumference. It was stunning in its simplicity. She accepted it, slipping it onto her third finger next to the ring Mason had supplied. On its own, the band would have been gorgeous on her, but together with the engagement ring, it was over the top.

  She ran her finger over the stones and sighed, then took it off and handed it back to him. “It’s lovely, but I think I’d rather go with something like this.” She picked up a standard yellow gold band instead. It had no diamonds or etchings or anything at all. Plain and boring. Nothing like Daisy.

  “Is that really what you want?” It shouldn’t matter to Cole since the wedding wasn’t real, but he couldn’t stop from noticing how much she disliked the band she’d chosen to match the engagement ring he already knew she hated.

  “Yes, Cole. For our upcoming wedding, this is what I want.” She put a lot of emphasis on the word as if implying that for her wedding to someone else, someone other than him, she’d want something different. The thought of her marrying someone else annoyed him. But it shouldn’t matter what she did in the future. The fact that he cared annoyed him even worse.

  “Why don’t you try one on?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t need to.”

  “Yes, you do. Here,” she said, choosing a ring that went with hers and pushing it onto his finger. The metal felt cold, hard, and binding. But her fingers lingering on his hand felt warm, soft, and intimate. She stroked her thumb along the back of his hand, then across the surface of the ring, spinning it slightly on his finger. “It looks good on you.”

  His gaze met hers. For a moment neither one moved or looked away. It was as if the rest of the bridal show ceased to exist. All his could see was her peering at him with an expression he hadn’t even realized he’d missed seeing all this time. She looked hopeful, and loving, and… He shook his head to clear away his wandering thoughts. She’d stuck a ring on his finger. The very thing he’d rejected her for merely suggesting last year.

  What the hell was he thinking getting caught up in another moment with her? Certainly he didn’t want to lead Daisy on, thinking that he might actually enjoy having that ring on his finger.

  He didn’t. He never would. Settling down was not in his future with her or any other woman.

  “This one is fine,” he said, taking his hand back from her grip and pulling the ring from his finger. “It doesn’t matter anyway, since the magazine will run a poll with ring choices for us. The magazine readership will decide, and I’ll wear it. Done.”

  He stood abruptly from the table, ignoring the look of hurt that flashed across her face. Well, she needed to remember that this thing between them wasn’t real. And neither were his feelings for his fiancée. Fake fiancée.

  “Cole Benton?” a sexy voice called from somewhere in the crowd of people that had stopped to watch them try on rings. Funny, he hadn’t even noticed people gathering, but it made sense since they were the couple of the day. He glanced back to Daisy. Maybe he should have acted the part a little more after all. Was that what she’d been doing looking at him like that? Just playing the part for the crowd he hadn’t noticed, and he’d gotten all weird and freaked out. It wasn’t like he could help it. Shying away from anything marriage-related was instinctual, like a gazelle would know to flee a lion on the prowl.

  “Cole, I don’t believe it’s you.” A leggy blonde kissed him on both cheeks and held his biceps tightly.

  “Arianna, it’s nice to see you again.” He hadn’t seen her for a couple of years, since before he’d dated Daisy. They’d been a hot item for about six months, but she was another one who’d tried to suggest marriage, and he’d quickly lost interest. Why did they always try to mess with a good thing? Not that life with Arianna had been good, necessarily. It had been fun. She’d been a bit of a wildcard, always looking for the next crazy life experience. He gotten tired of it at the time, but now the thought of being wild and carefree was incredibly appealing.

  “It’s been too long.”

  “You’re as beautiful as I remember.” He winked. She raised an eyebrow, subtly suggestive.

  His thoughts flashed back to their nights together but instead of the usual shot of heat to his groin, his stomach clenched, feeling slightly like he’d eaten bad shellfish. His pulse quickened. Not at all the reaction he expected.

  “You always did know the right thing to say to make a girl feel like the only one in a room.” She squeezed his arm playfully, flirtatiously. He opened his mouth to flirt back but nothing came out. He racked his brain for words, finding none.

  “So what brings you to the bridal show?” she asked, finally breaking the awkward silence for him.

  “I do,” Daisy said, coming up beside him.

  Shit. Cole snapped back into reality noti
cing there was still a crowd near them. What was he thinking talking to Arianna without even mentioning Daisy?

  Since when am I not allowed to talk to another woman?

  Since when don’t I want to?

  Arianna dropped her hand to her side.

  He slipped his arm around Daisy, discomfort at the whole situation settling in his chest. Her warm hand on his stomach instantly calmed the anxiety bubbling inside him from his conversation with Arianna.

  “Arianna, this is my fiancée, Daisy.”

  Daisy shook Arianna’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Any friend of Cole’s is a friend of mine.” She may have said the words, but he heard the truth behind that statement. She wasn’t happy about what she’d seen, but she would cast that aside while they were still in public, carrying on their charade.

  “Nice to meet you, too. I was on my way to find my sister.” Arianna met Cole’s gaze. “I’m here with her. As her bridesmaid.”

  He didn’t take the bait. Instead he took Daisy’s hand in his again and began pulling her in the opposite direction. “Wish her our congratulations.”

  As soon as they were away from the crowd, she tugged her hand free and turned on him, her eyes full of fury. “I can’t believe you.”

  He stood dumbfounded as she weaved her way through the crowd away from him, feeling as if he’d been smacked upside the head with a two-by-four.

  Chapter Seven

  Daisy bit back tears of annoyance threatening to spill. Screw Cole. Screw Mason. And screw this whole stupid marriage plan. It wasn’t worth the headache.

  Cole wasn’t worth the headache.

  For a second there, trying on rings, she’d almost thought he’d been enjoying himself. Like maybe the next five months wouldn’t be torturous and awkward to get through.

  Ha! She couldn’t be more wrong, obviously.

  “Daisy, wait,” Cole called from somewhere behind her.

  Why wouldn’t he let her leave in peace? Why did he have to make a scene in front of the people they were supposed to be fooling?

  She glanced around for a quicker escape since the front doors of the convention center still seemed miles away. She didn’t want to have this conversation with him out in the open. Seeing a service door off to the side, she made a beeline for it. She stepped into a small hallway that looked as if it led back to some kind of storage room. This would do.

  Hearing the door open, she didn’t bother to turn around. She knew it was Cole. His cologne blew past her as the door slammed shut.

  “Wow. Our second public appearance and our second lover’s spat. We’re officially batting zero.” Cole chuckled. “I’m sure Mason will be thrilled with us when he hears the news.” He leaned against the wall casually, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  “I don’t care what Mason thinks.” She crossed her arms, hoping it would stop them from shaking.

  “What’s this about?” he asked, sounding annoyed. “What did or didn’t I do right this time?”

  She didn’t care for his mocking tone. He wasn’t getting away with this as if he hadn’t done anything wrong. “You couldn’t even go five minutes off the market, could you? Was it the ring shopping that pushed you over the edge? Because that wasn’t my idea, if you’ll remember. I said we didn’t have to, and you insisted that we should.”

  “I didn’t want to look at rings, but Mason expects us to do that kind of thing.”

  “Does Mason also expect us to chat up our exes like we’re not engaged? I can’t believe you.” She threw her hands in the air, frustrated at Cole, at the situation, and at herself for even caring. “You tell me to lower my voice when I mention our business deal, which could have been interpreted as sharing a booth at the show, by the way, and then you have the gall to go and flirt with your sexy ex-girlfriend while I’m still trying on wedding bands.”

  “I didn’t plan on running into an ex here and I wasn’t trying to flirt.”

  “Smiling, cheek kissing, arm holding, telling her how beautiful she is…”

  He shrugged. “I can’t help it if she flirted with me.”

  “Right in front of the woman you’re supposed to be engaged to. Smooth, Cole. Great way to show everyone how in love we are.” She rolled her eyes to emphasize how much of an idiot he’d been, in case he hadn’t gotten the hint yet. She wanted to make sure that point came through crystal clear.

  “You’re jealous of Arianna?” He laughed quietly.

  “I am not. I’m annoyed, not jealous. Got it?” She stepped closer to him.

  “Got it.” He raised his hands like he was defending himself. “But you have to admit, your behavior right now does tend to lead me to believe you are actually jealous since you’re acting in a jealous-girlfriend sort of way.”

  She was not jealous. That implied that she had some sort of feelings for him, which she did not. Nope. He could go and flirt with whomever he wanted to right after they were done with this charade.

  “You’re the one who promised me you could keep it in your pants. And here you are, two weeks later, already chatting with your ex. Damn it, Cole. I’m not going to let you ruin this for me. I need this investment.”

  “First, I was simply being polite and saying hello to an old friend. I didn’t agree to become an asshole for our business arrangement.”

  “You didn’t have to sign a contract for that,” she mumbled.

  “That wasn’t nice,” he said. “Second, I have at no time taken it out of my pants for a woman since making that promise to you. But now that you’ve brought it up, I’m a man, and I have needs. Sooner or later those needs are going to have to be met. So…” He smirked suggestively.

  She stepped away from him until she leaned against the opposite wall. “You, Cole Benton, are a jackass. If you think for one second I’m going to get into bed with you because you can’t get with anyone else for a while, you’re dead wrong.” She shook her head, hoping it might clear away some of her anger. But it didn’t help.

  He was still the same playboy asshole he’d always been. The few nice moments she’d had with him had been nothing but him trying to satisfy a simple male need or playing along with their charade. Nothing about him or the vibes he’d sent her had been real. Only a couple of weeks, and she was already getting hurt by him.

  She couldn’t go through this again.

  “The playboy might have put a ring on my finger, but he’ll never stop playing the game, will he?” she asked. “This was a mistake. I don’t know why I ever thought we could pull this off.”

  He narrowed the gap between them, trapping her back against the wall. “I’m doing the best I can, Daisy. It’s hard to suddenly be someone I’m not because a piece of paper and a ring tell me I have to.” He ran his hand through his hair, looking as frustrated as she felt.

  “I’m sorry that being with me is such a hardship for you. Maybe it’s best if we call this whole thing off now before it goes any further. Maybe Mason will let us keep the first part of his investment. It’s better than nothing at least.”

  Cole pressed his hand against the wall beside her, leaning on it while his other hand forced her chin up to look at him. “No. We’re not giving up on this. We both need it. I let Arianna flirt with me out of habit, nothing more. I’ll try harder from now on.”

  His gaze penetrated into her, deeper than she wanted it to. It took her breath. “And I was only joking about fulfilling a need. I’ve gone without sex before. I can go a few more months without. You know I would never pressure you into something like that.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. The need to lighten the intensifying moment between them forced her to joke when it was the last thing she actually wanted to do. “Did the playboy just admit to having a dry spell? Where’s the photographer now to get this moment documented?”

  When she giggled, his thumb brushed across her lower lip. Her breath caught in her throat, and she choked on her laugh.

  “I won’t pressure you. I’ll go the whole time on your terms to ma
ke this deal work,” he said, his tone serious and low. “But I’d never tell you no if you came looking.” He brought his lips to hers, barely grazing them with a kiss.

  His touch, the look in his eyes—all of it made her head swim. This was another reason why going through with this commitment was a bad idea. She already couldn’t stop the reaction she had to him every time he looked at her or touched her or…kissed her.

  If she went through with this, she was bound to walk away with a broken heart bigger than the investment check. No amount of money could prevent the pain she already felt on the horizon. No. She couldn’t do this. Not for Cole. Not for her store. Not for the money.

  Falling for him had hurt too much the first time. She couldn’t bear the pain a second time.

  She turned her head, breaking their kiss. “Don’t. I can’t do this with you.”

  He hovered over her. “It’s okay. We’re allowed to do this. We’re engaged, remember?”

  She shook her head. “No. I can’t do this. Any of it. I’m breaking off the deal. Six months of my life isn’t worth it.”

  “Daisy, don’t ruin everything. Let’s talk about this and come up with a way we can work it out. I have too much riding on it to let you go.” He stepped back, finally giving her some breathing room and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll stay away from you the whole time, except for in public. We can do this. Daisy, I—”

  “No,” she cut him off, “I just can’t.”

  “Why not?” he demanded, his frustration breaking through his otherwise-calm facade.

  Because I can’t get hurt by you again.

  She bit her lower lip and cursed herself for letting her old feelings for him affect a decision for her business. But she couldn’t ignore the knowledge that she was not only signing up for money, but for a heartbreak that left her shattered last time.

  She didn’t want to tell him the truth about why she needed out of the deal. Telling him she would get hurt again would only succeed in letting him know how much he’d affected her before. And it would only give him the power to do it again. She had to be strong, keep her resolve, and commit to her decision. She was getting out of this deal before it was too late.