Chapter 8

chapter

eight

Brook

I didn't mean to fall asleep on the car ride into the Smokies, but well, there are a lot of things I haven't meant to do.

"Brooklyn, darlin, wake up." It sounds like Landry's voice, only gentle and more real.

I open my eyes. Sorta.

"Unless you want me to carry your pretty ass inside the resort, you've got to sit yourself up."

"I'm up. Sorry."

"You're a terrible co-pilot," he says, then gives me that crooked grin that makes my panties wet.

Oh Lord, it's gonna be a long weekend.

"Good thing I'm excellent with directions." His amber eyes flare with heat. "Never had any small, hidden," his eyes drop to my lap, "magic spots I haven't been able to find."

Is he… surely not.

"You are the worst," I tell him quietly.

I turn away so he can't see me smile because he's outrageous and flirtatious and crazy and so much damn fun. I haven't laughed or smiled like this in so very long. I had nearly forgotten that life could slow down and be enjoyable.

We step out of the rental car, and I suck in a breath. Up this high, we have a panoramic view of the Great Smoky Mountains.

"It's literally breathtaking," I say.

"Can't argue with you there," he says.

"Well, that's a first."

"You must be the almost Hendricks," a lady says as she descends the staircase to the circular drive.

Landry smiles and steps forward, holding his hand out. "We are. I'm Landry and this is my lovely bride to be, Brooklyn."

Hearing him say my full name does funny things to my stomach.

"It's so fortunate you were able to step in for your sister. How fun that you're both engaged at the same time," the lady says.

Landry's hand goes to the small of my back and his presence feels like my own walking, talking piece of security. I do not wish to further analyze that thought, so I'm thankful when our hostess continues.

"The staff will get your things and put them in your suite. I know you would like to settle in and rest, but we have a few orientation items to go over and the other couples are waiting. Follow me."

"You need anything from your bags, darlin?" he asks.

I shake my head because I don't trust myself to talk just yet. I have never been good at lying and the whole weight of our charade hit me like a proverbial ton of bricks when she mentioned the other couples. Real couples. Actual fiancés planning their weddings. Couples who truly love each other. We are frauds.

"I'm Marci, by the way, one of the senior wedding planners. I'm one of three on site, along with Lana and Antonio. We'll all be on hand this weekend to answer any and all of your questions."

We follow her up the steps. Landry threads our fingers together and gives me a gentle squeeze. Frauds or not, we're in this together.

And I'm not gonna lie, I am enjoying the weight of Landry's palm against my own. I'm not particularly short, not like my sister, but I'm not a tall woman. Walking next to this big, beautiful man makes me feel dainty.

Marci leads us to what I'm assuming is the backside of the building or at least this wing of it. We enter a semicircle room lined with a curved wall of windows. There are round tables strategically placed and I spot the other two couples sitting at one of them.

A man in a tailored suit stands at the front of them.

The petite, pretty blonde at the table claps. "Yay, we're all here now." Her fiancée smiles at her indulgently.

Landry leads me over to the two empty seats at the table and holds one out for me.

The redheaded woman elbows her fiancé and hisses, "See?"

Once I'm settled in my chair, Landry drops into the one next to me then scoots me over so we're thigh-to-thigh.

"Touchy-feely," he whispers into my ear.

"Now then, as I was saying, I'm Antonio and I'll be the grooms' liaison this weekend. You've already met Marci and later this evening, Lana will be available for questions or anything else you need."

Antonio drones on about the resort's amenities, and his presentation is no different than the information on their website. Landry's arm has found its way around the back of my chair, his thumb absently rubbing my shoulder. Just that tiny brush of his touch and my body lights up.

Good grief.

I remember something I heard recently on a podcast about how you can't force chemistry. People either have it or they don't. You can change attraction based on a person's personality. They either become more attractive or less, depending on their behavior. But chemistry is just that—it's chemical.

I'm not foolish enough to pretend that Landry and I don't have chemistry in spades. I glance around the other couples to see if theirs is as palpable. When I look over at Landry, he's already watching me. He crosses his eyes and makes a goofy face.

I burst out laughing, then try to cover my gaffe with a cough. My doting fiancé reaches forward and pours me some water.

"Here, darlin, you're probably still a little dried out from the plane."

The other two women are staring at Landry like he's a walking, talking thirst trap. Which, let's be honest, he totally is. They're probably sitting there wondering how I landed him.

"Does anyone have any questions?" Antonio asks.

"When do we get to go to the hot tubs?" Landry asks.

Everyone laughs, including myself. I'm beginning to understand that this man next to me… he's way more than meets the eye. He's so handsome to look at that it's easy to get caught up in that, but then he uses his effortless humor to disarm people and help them feel comfortable.

Seeing that and recognizing it in him makes me wonder what else I've missed about him.

"Soon, Landry," Marci says. "But before we let you go get settled, we want to play a little icebreaker game."

I nearly groan out loud, but I manage to swallow it. I would rather walk through a mall butt naked than play a damn icebreaker game.

"You can take turns telling everyone how you met and fell in love," Marci says.

I shoot a glance at Landry. "Told you," I mouth.

He gives me that crooked, cheeky grin of his. I hate that his smile does things to my insides. I cannot afford to fall for my fake fiancé. That will only lead to heartache.

"But," Marci says, holding one finger up, "we want to hear the stories from the groom's perspective."

The other couples are reacting, but I'm just staring at Landry willing him to understand me.

His eyes drop to the cut of my shirt, showing off my cleavage, and he wiggles his eyebrows.

I give him a tiny shake of my head.

He winks.

This is it; this is when it all falls apart. Will they just escort us off the property? Will they have us arrested for fraud? Is this even considered fraud?

"Who wants to go first?" Marci asks.

"I will," Landry says, all cocksure and confident.

I blow out a breath and take a long look at the windows overlooking the gorgeous scenery. The "mountains" in Saddle Creek are not so mountainous as these, but we'll still be able to create something beautiful there.

"She's the sister-in-law of one of my best friends," he begins.

I turn to face him because I might as well look at stupid hotness while this weekend goes up in flames.

"I was getting out of my truck, and one minute she was standing up ahead of it, and the next she was gone. I raced over to her to find she'd fallen ass over tea kettle after tripping on a rock. She looked up at me, and I was a damn goner. Thought she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I should have proposed right then and there. But I figured I should get her name first."

Everyone laughs.

"The rest, as they say, is history." He finishes, then he grabs my chin and presses a kiss to my lips.

It's chaste as far as kisses go. Still, somehow, it is the single hottest kiss of my life.