Page 23 of The Wedding Fake
For that reason, I wouldn’t even consider hitting the man, which was lucky for Grant as he tried to put on this little show of male dominance. “My father’s a contractor, and I worked alongside him through my teens and into my twenties,” I replied.
“Oh,” Grant said, sitting up straight again, surprise written on all of his features. For a moment he seemed flustered, and there was quiet as Grant floundered, trying to come up with some new method for emasculating me. Not that I intended to let the prick, but either way, I was saved by the opening of the sliding door.
“There you are,” Claire said with a smile. “Am I interrupting grill time?” Her oversized eye roll left no doubt she was well aware her father was escaping more than grilling.
Grant popped up onto his feet as Claire got close, offering a nearby chair with a quick gesture that looked almost like a bow.
I was pleased to see Claire looked no more impressed with his theatrics than I was, and I reached out as she walked by, capturing her hand with a little tug that sent her falling into my lap with a laugh. “You’re not interrupting,” I said, squeezing the hand I still held.
Claire smiled and leaned back into my chest, allowing me to wrap both arms around her waist. I’d agreed to a half-as-much-touching rule on the drive up here, but I’d failed to mention just how much I wanted to touch her. Half as much was still a tremendous amount. Claire was addictive. My hands were going to need a twelve-step program.
“Dad, I was actually coming out here for you,” Claire said, settling further into my arms. “Mom wants you to come inside so she can explain something about the food—which burgers are which or something?”
“Oh, yes.” Charles nodded. “She got vegan ones for you. Are you a vegan, Hudson?”
“I’ll eat whatever. Don’t worry about me,” I said. Charles smiled approvingly and made his way back up the stairs of the deck. I expected Grant to stay and force us into boring conversation, since he seemed to want to be wherever Claire was, but he followed Charles instead, leaving Claire and me alone for a few blissful minutes.
“I’ll come with you and check in with Juliet,” Grant said as he climbed the stairs just behind Charles.
Greedily, I tucked my face between Claire’s chin and shoulder, kissing her neck softly. “Maybe he’s got the hots for your mom, too,” I joked.
“Eew,” she said with a giggle, slapping my bare arm where it lay slung across her waist. Her head tilted ever so slightly to the left, giving me better access, and I ran my nose along her skin.
“Looks like we’re alone,” I said.
All subtlety gone, Claire tilted her head fully, giving me unobstructed access to her smooth skin. I let my lips drag along the flesh, from her neck up to the tender spot behind her ear, which was marvelously smooth and soft.
Her voice came out breathy and strained when she spoke. “If there’s anything I’ve learned in twenty-seven years, it’s that there is no alone in this house.”
It’d been less than a day and I already knew that to be true, but that didn’t stop me from kissing my way back down her neck to her collarbone. The moment my lips found the ridge of bone she twisted away, turning enough to find my lips with her own. Her kisses were hard and needy, and I settled a hand on her jaw to slow her down. Her family and Grant Dupree may’ve disappeared inside for a moment, but I was under no illusion we had privacy, and the heat of her mouth on mine had my control on a razor’s edge. Claire was addictive like a drug. The more I had her, the more I wanted her.
“Get a room!” Nora exclaimed, far too loud for the quiet backyard.
Claire pulled away so abruptly the motion made a little squelching sound that pinkened her cheeks. She shifted, and it was clear she intended to stand, but I tightened the arm I’d slung casually over her waist, banding her in. If she stood now, there would be no hiding my erection. “Give me a minute,” I said, the plea coming out a rough growl in her ear, and without a word she settled comfortably into my lap again, this time facing Nora as the younger woman walked down the stairs with a slender blond man who looked suspiciously like Grant. He had to be Ethan.
“Ethan, this is Claire’s mysterious new boyfriend, Hudson.” Ethan was walking down the steps with one hand outstretched, and it was instantly evident to both Claire and me that we’d need to stand. The sudden appearance of Claire’s family had gone a long way toward deflating my desire, but I was still visibly chubbed up.
Claire squeezed my thigh once, then put a hand on each of the armrests and slid forward in the chair. The move was agonizingly sexy, but it also gave me a moment’s privacy to adjust my dick before I stood up.
“Hudson North,” I said, standing and clasping the other man’s hand. Ethan Dupree was shorter and fairer than his brother, although he looked to be holding slightly more muscle than Grant. They shared the same blond hair and brown eyes, though.
“Pleasure to meet you. I was surprised to hear Claire had brought someone home.”
“You and everyone else,” Nora added, her sweet tone belying her words.
Claire smiled, unfazed, and I wrapped an arm around her waist. Claire had apologized for how her family was acting, which gave me some hope they weren’t always so dismissive of her opinions and choices, but how they were treating her today still made me bristle. She deserved way better.
“And I’m sure he appreciates the warm welcome,” Claire quipped. Nora rolled her eyes but said no more.
“Well, great to have you here,” Ethan said, grinning in a casual way that appeared far more genuine than his brother. I wasn’t sure if Ethan had a more effective artifice than Grant or if he was simply a more likable guy. Frankly, I didn’t care. I didn’t plan on developing a friendship with either Dupree brother.
Tessa wandered out behind Nora and Ethan, followed by her parents and Grant, and once again, the man was drawn to Claire like a bug to light. The arm I’d casually slung around her waist tightened as a surge of possessiveness overtook me. Claire probably thought it was all part of the ruse, but I wasn’t pretending as I watched Grant’s eyes laser in on her. She wasn’t mine, I knew it intellectually, but I couldn’t get the message to my hand where it held her tight and refused to let go.
Still, Grant crossed the distance to stand near us, his lips tilting up in a crooked smile as he made eye contact with Claire. I fought the urge to pull her even closer, worried my grip might hurt if it got any tighter. I understood better than most how magnetic Claire was, but I couldn’t have anticipated it would take this much work for Grant to take a hint. She’s taken, dammit. She’s mine. But Grant’s eyes never wavered from Claire’s to see the threat my gaze surely held by now, and, in that moment, I understood how Claire had felt desperate enough to invite a virtual stranger home with her.
“Nora and Claire, come on inside with me,” Juliet said as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Claire’s spine stiffened beneath my palm, but she said nothing.
“What for?” Nora asked.