Page 22 of Fake Date with the Mountain Man

There’s a dark, empty courtyard off the main hallway. I step outside and let the crisp night air wash away the fire in my cheeks and lungs. Neither of us says anything for a minute. Ryan stays a couple steps behind me as I cool off.

“You okay?” he eventually asks.

I nod without turning around.

When Ryan’s hand grazes the bare skin between my shoulder blades again, it startles me. I turn to face him. His lips are twisted into a frown.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “That woman just hit a sore spot with me.”

“You don’t need to be sorry. She was the asshole, not you.”

“You’re not pissed?” I ask, studying his face.

“Of course not.”

“Aren’t you related to that woman? Isn’t your family going to be upset that I basically just called her a shitty mom?”

“I don’t give a fuck about her. I don’t even know her. She’s one of Kevin’s cousins. I’ll probably never see her again…if I’m lucky.” Ryan flashes that smile, the one that probably works on most women. It’s a slightly crooked pull of his lips as he looks down and then straight up at me.

Admittedly, it might work on me as well…if it were anyone else but Ryan. Then again,somethingwas working a minute ago. Right up until that woman started talking again.

“Do you mind if we stay out here for a few minutes?” I ask.

Ryan shakes his head and motions to a nearby bench. We both take a seat, leaving about a foot of space between us. Neither of us speaks for quite a while.

Once I shake off that woman’s horrible words, the guilt sets in. Even if he isn’t mad that I bit that woman’s head off, Ryan is having a pretty terrible night. He just watched his ex-girlfriend marry his stepbrother. That would do a number on anyone. Plus, he’s here with me instead of one of his fun, easy flings who would probably crawl under the table and suck his dick if he asked. At the very least, he’d be looking forward to the promise of sex at the end of the night. But he’s here with me because I got drunk and made a fool of myself in front of his ex. I should at least try to go easy on him.

“How are you holding up?” I finally ask.

Ryan shrugs. “Fine, I guess. It’s just weird to think that Blair is part of my family now…my sister-in-law. I’ve fucked my sister-in-law.”

“Not too many people can say that,” I say softly.

“No, they can’t.”

Silence stretches out between us again. The dull hum of music and conversation wafts through the courtyard. The night breeze sends a chill up my spine.

“Want my jacket?” Ryan asks.

“No, we should get back in there.”

“Okay, let’s go make Blair regret her decision to have an open bar.”

I laugh nervously. I make bad decisions when I’m drunk, and not the sexy kind. The kind that lands me a fake date to an awkward wedding. Between cocktail hour and the glass of wine I inhaled at dinner, I’m already halfway to that point.

We time our re-entry just right. People are starting to wander away from their assigned tables to mingle and dance, but mostly to find the bar. The line snakes around several tables, stopping just before the dance floor.

It seems like we missed the first dance. That’s probably for the best. Ryan seems to be more affected by this whole thing than he wants to let on. I saw the way he looked at Blair when she walked down the aisle, and again when she entered the ballroom for the first time. I can’t tell if it’s love or hate that he feels for her. I guess the two don’t always look so different.

Admittedly, I’m dying to ask Ryan for the whole story. How did this woman go from being his girlfriend to his stepbrother’s wife? Did she have an affair, or did Ryan cheat first? Monogamy doesn’t seem like his strong suit.

As much as I’d like to know the answers to these questions, I will never, ever ask Ryan. That’s a level of emotional soul-baring that we’ll never reach. We may be doing a good job of faking it – too good of a job – but that doesn’t change anything.

Before Ryan and I make it to the bar, Blair intercepts. She yanks Kevin into place beside her. I don’t miss the way his eyesflick down to my breasts or the way his lips curl into too familiar of a smile, aimed only at me.

“I’m so glad you guys made it!” Blair shrieks at us in a forced, high-pitched tone. She thrusts herself forward, dropping Kevin’s hand as she reaches out to hug Ryan.

It’s an awkward display. Ryan stiffens and returns the hug with a quick pat on her back then pulls away. He reaches for me, and I cozy up to his side.

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