Chapter 5 - Reiner

Last night was weird as hell. I can admit that. Seeing everyone together, lying through my teeth like I was… I’m so fucking glad this isn’t going to last forever. At least Jane and I were able to tolerate each other at the party. Things didn’t go south like I expected. Small blessings, I guess.

Though, I’m at a loss for what to do now. Have we got the deception down pat? Can we pull this off? Maybe. But what if we have a big fight and she decides to out the whole damn lie in anger? People can get vindictive, and hell, this is my family and pack. I can’t risk them finding out I’ve faked this. All we have to do is make it two months, and then she’ll be back in Stardust Hollow and we can blame the distance and go our separate ways.

I crack an egg into a skillet, the yellow yolk sizzling in a welcome hiss, then place the shells in the compost bin for the garden. Looking around my little cabin, I can admit it’s not much to look at. The walls are wood slats, bare except for a few deer antlers and other hunting trophies my father and I collected when he was still alive. The floor is covered in pine boards. He took great care to treat it regularly so that it remains soft and pale, and it reminds me of honey with its deep color. A fireplace is surrounded by a single, dark gray pillow and bearskin rug, and off to the left is a window set above the kitchen sink so I can look out over the tree line while I do dishes.

Somehow, I can’t imagine a girl like Jane feeling at home here, and there’s no way in hell I’d like to move to her territory to live like a city boy. No, there’s no plausible future where we work out, even with all this fake relationship nonsense, though I have to admit I’ve got the oddest pull in the pit of my stomach when she’s near. Like it feels right to have her close. Strange. Very strange, indeed.

It’s probably just… hunger. I haven’t had sex in a hot minute; maybe I’m just craving some female attention. Physical attention.

Right? Yeah, yeah. Has to be.

I slide my finished eggs onto a plate and toss it on the table. As I pull on the back of the chair to sit, a pounding starts on my front door. Sitting up straighter, I glance at the clock and try to figure out who the hell could be on my porch at nine in the morning on a Sunday. A quick sniff of the air answers that question, and I run a hand down my face before making my way to the door.

Cherry blossom and vanilla assault my nostrils as I swing it open. There stands Jane, her lips pulled into a scowl, her jaw clenched tight, and her arms across her chest, pushing her breasts up until they’re almost bursting from her white tank top. Leggings hug every curve of her thick legs, and holy fuck, do I want to strip her of those right now.

Dammit, stop. Get yourself together.

“It’s a Sunday,” I tell her.

“I realize that.”

“The day of rest. No arguing allowed.”

“Well, today’s the exception because we’re arguing.”

I let out a groan as I step aside, letting her in. Better that than the neighbors listening in. A lover’s squabble is one thing; it’s the content of this particular squabble that I’d rather people weren’t privy to.

“How did you even find out where I live? Last I checked, I never gave you this address.”

She flashes me a sweet smile. “Wouldn’t it be weird if I didn’t know where my boyfriend lives? Besides, you’re friends with my cousins, remember? It wasn’t hard. I just told them everything here looked the same and I couldn’t tell one dinky cabin from another. Boom, address.”

Dinky? Seriously? And they call me arrogant. “Pardon the hell out of me. Maybe I’ll redecorate and add some skylights and an open floor plan. But then again, we aren’t going to do long-distance because I don’t ever want to see you again after we’re done, so I won’t bother.”

I shut the door and turn toward her, watching as her entire face gets redder and redder.

“Actually, I came here to tell you this stupid ploy is off,” she snaps. “I don’t know how I let you talk me into this last night, but I’m out.”

“What? You can’t be serious.” I trail behind her as she follows the scent of coffee to my kitchen. She sniffs my mug, sighs, and drops a spoonful of sugar in it before grabbing a tea bag from a drawer.

“As the fucking plague, Reiner. You saw me in a vulnerable situation last night, and you took advantage of me with a scheme to solve your own problems. I don’t even know why I let you talk me into this.”

“I took advantage of you? I think you have that wrong. If I remember correctly, you were a very willing participant. No, no, don’t pull the innocent card.” I snatch the carton of creamer she was about to pour and hold it high above my head. I hear the air hiss from between her teeth before her arms cross her chest. “You wanted the out just as much as me. We have the exact same reason to pull this off.”

“I’m not a liar!” She jumps to grab the creamer, but dammit if the woman isn’t short. I’d put her at five foot two, tops. Grunting, she jumps again, and finally, her hands close around the milk, yanking it free.

Only, her jump launches her right into my torso. We knock together in an “oomph” and stumble backward. She flattens a hand on my abdomen, and dear God, her touch sears me. Fire and ice rocket up and down my skin, dancing a complex tango, making me shiver.

“Neither am I,” I counter, catching myself before it escapes on a low, throaty grunt. Is she close enough to feel my… cough… excitement? I can’t help it. “But desperate times call for desperate measures, and I’m willing to bet you’re just as desperate as I am.”

When she opens her mouth, I fully expect another complaint to tumble out. Instead, she huffs and looks away, smacking her lips. Cautiously, I lift a hand to her chin and make her meet my eyes.

“I can’t force you into this, Jane. All I can do is ask. This is both our futures. They want to pair you off to the first man, and I…”

She looks up at me, concern in her gaze, waiting for me to finish my thought. I feel the air in my lungs dissipates as her mouth parts. Those plush, pink lips catch my attention. I have to look away before I can continue. What the hell was I going to say?

“Look, everybody in Green Lake has this image of me, okay? All tough-guy playboy. Nothing I say will ever shake that perception. Except maybe settling down. I’m not saying I haven’t earned my reputation, because I have. But I’m getting older now, and the women of the Green Lake Pack think I’ll never change. None of them will even look at me beyond what happens between the sheets. So, if we do this, I can prove myself. Be someone my pack can respect.”

Her stern expression softens, and pity gleams in her gray eyes. I loathe it, truly. I’m stronger than she can imagine; I don’t want her pity. If anything, I’m the one who feels bad for dragging her into this. Asking her to lie to her friends and family. But we both have something to gain here, and even though she’s a little hesitant, I truly think she can look past her qualms.

Or, I hope so, at the very least.

I don’t even know why I felt compelled to tell her so much about my motives. She doesn’t need to know the details or why I feel the need to put on this stupid show. Maybe I just wanted her to know I had a reason, that I wasn’t just out to torture her. Or maybe I wanted to level the playing field, make her feel like she wasn’t alone here. Like she wasn’t the only one feeling vulnerable and exposed.

“Okay,” she replies with a simple nod. “But we need to lay down some ground rules.”

“Rules are important,” I agree with a nod of my own.

“If we do this fake dating thing, there can’t be a single thread of emotions involved. None. It’s not happening.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. I mean, look at us. You can’t stand me, and I…”

She wets her lips before speaking again. “I got it. We’ve made our positions clear. And that little attitude brings me to my next rule.”

“Shoot.”

“I will not tolerate another second of your arrogance, okay.” She says it more like a statement than a question. “I don’t care how little you think of me and my pack. I will not─”

“What makes you think I don’t think highly of you?” It’s a genuine question.

“Is that a joke? After the way you humiliated me last year, the way you laughed at me when I…”

I cut her off with a dramatic roll of my eyes. “I went a little overboard in Stardust Hollow last year. I’ll admit it. But let’s just put that behind us and focus on the situation right in front of us.”

She stares at me for a moment, chewing her lip like there’s something more she wants to say. “All right, then. Just as long as we’re on the same page.”

“And I have one condition of my own.”

That little dimple pops in her left cheek as she chews on the inside of her mouth. “Which is?”

“We need to practice our… physical connection.”

She blinks twice before she barks out a laugh. “Wow, and there it is. This is just an excuse for you to get laid, isn’t it?”

As much as I try, I can’t hide the smirk tipping up my lips. She can see the mischief in my gaze, I know she can. But dammit if the girl isn’t cute when she riles me up.

I inch closer to her, and she backs away until she bumps into the counter. “You really think I need to create a whole elaborate scheme to get into a girl’s pants? Let’s face it, Jane. All I’d have to do is ask, and you’d bend over my kitchen table right now and drop your panties.”

She wrinkles her nose. “Dear God, who even says things like that? You’re such an animal.”

I edge closer and wait until she’s trapped, her lower back pressing against the edge of the countertop. My arms come up and box her in on either side.

“You’re right. I am.”