Sweet Cheeks (14 page)

I look up to the ceiling for a moment and roll my eyes. I can't help it.

“So, um... you still think its ... nice?” Tanning asks, bites his lip, and looks at me, like my opinion matters.

Lustful thoughts fill my brain, as I imagine me biting his lip. Christ, I need to stop that.

I turn from him, and pretend like I'm still deciding. “Yeah. Yeah. It's
really
great Tanning. So ... can we go now? I
really
don't want to be late home.”

I sound like a bitch again. The only way I can cope with this. Except Tanning starts to laugh.

Now I'm just getting mad. This is far from funny. I think I've been a good
friend
. Boy I'm beginning to hate that word. “Why do you keep laughing at me?” I ask and fold my arms.

“Because, you still have no idea why I brought you here, do you?”

I don't want to say it. I don't want to tell him I saw him with his girlfriend. I'm a coward, I know.

I shrug. “Um ... not really.”

He moves closer and passes over a piece of paper. “I've been given this place to live while I go back to college, my ah ... uncle owns it,” he says.

I give a small nod. Okay, so that explains how he got this place so quickly. I don't even bother looking at the paperwork, can't see the point really.

“And...” he continues, “As it says right here...” and he points to a clause in what looks like some kind of contract. “I’m living here with my girlfriend.”

Shit. Here it comes.

I nod some more. That’s about all I can do. He sure is finding pleasure in prolonging the moment.

“Jen ...”

“Hmmm,” I give him a quick glance, like I'm really not interested. Which I'm not.

“I want you to be that girlfriend.”

Huh? Hang on, rewind.What the hell did he just say?

I blink a lot, in between looking at him like he's on crack or something.

He blows out a big breath, and leans on the counter. “I mean, I want you to
pretend
to be my girlfriend.”

Oh, okay, like that makes much more sense.
Holy smokes, what the hell is he talking about?

I frown deep this time, I really don't know what to say.

He rubs his forehead. “Okay. Sorry, that came out wrong.”

Yeah, you think!

He keeps rubbing his forehead. “So, what I should have said is … I want to offer you a place to live. You can live with me. I ah, kind of lied to my uncle and told him I had a new girlfriend who needed a place to live, and asked if he'd rent me out this house. If I wasn't seeing someone, he probably would have told me to live on campus. His company just built this one, and he's happy to rent it for a year, some kind of tax break for the business. And I know we’re just friends, but I figured I could help you out, and you could help me out.”

Whoa, this is all a bit much. My head is spinning and I can't seem to focus. This is not how I envisaged this conversation going.
And what about his actual girlfriend?
  Though I still don't want to ask about her. God, this is such a colossal mess.

“Um ...” is all I can manage to say.

Tanning moves even closer and looks me squarely in the eyes. I want to look away, but I can't, he has the best green, smouldering eyes in the world, and I really love them.

“Jen, I heard.”

Heard what?

But I don't get chance to ask as Tanning continues, “I was all ready to walk out this morning, but then I came back to get the bag of cookies you forgot to give me. I wanted them.” He gives a wry grin. “Not sure why, it just seemed important somehow.”

Okay. I don't want to analyze that one right now.

“I heard Travis and what he said to you. I heard it all Jen. I know he has no intention of sticking around and that he took your money.”

My face flushes red. “Damn it,” I blurt out and swallow down the tears that are still threatening. I did not want anyone to know about that. Least of all Tanning.

Tanning moves even closer and I suck in a breath. Oh, he's going to give me sympathy. Great, just great. And he's doing all this because he feels sorry for me. Triple fantastic. Just what I need Tanning, being all knight in shining armour. Then an image of him as an actual knight comes to mind, and I sigh again. He'd be a hot knight.

Stop that!!

I keep my arms enclosed around my stomach and look down at my shoes. I can't look at him.

“You really would be helping me out, Jen. I've only got classes for four days, and I'm going to commute each day. I'll get a lot more study done in the peace and quiet around here, and um ... I kind of don't want to be in a relationship right now, so I wouldn't have to be bothered with other women ... you know ...”

Not in a relationship
, is the first thing that registers. So he's not with Mrs Supermodel. Thank god. I let out a small laugh in relief and finally look at him. “You mean women actually hit on you?”

He rolls his eyes, at my obvious sarcasm. “Yeah. I know. I sound conceited, but it happens.”

I give him a small smile. He is so adorable. “Oh, I'm sure it does.”

He flushes pink and I want to grab him and kiss him so bad.  He shakes his head. “So ... what do you say?”

Pretending might be a bit of fun. And I'd get to live in my dream house. I'd have a place for me and Treasure Pot, and I'd be helping him out. Oh, this all sounds way too good to be true. And from my experience it usually is. But I'm an idiot and a glutton for punishment.

“Okay.”

Tanning smiles big and cups my face in his hands, then kisses my forehead. “Thanks, Jen. Thanks so much.”

It should be me thanking him, but I'll let that slide, he obviously knows how my mind ticks, and has worked the right angle with me. That could be a constant problem, but for now, as I look around at this beautiful house, I put all those thoughts at the back of my mind and grin really big, right alongside Tanning.

SiXTeeN

_________________________

It’s moving day. Tanning managed to get the house within a week of accepting the contract, with me signing as his fake partner. Still not quite sure how I feel about all that, but I’ve decided I can’t keep living with Cam and his mum. I’ve been here for over five months and I don’t want to outstay my welcome. It was always supposed to be temporary until I got my own place, or that’s what I wanted them to believe. I actually had other motives and hoped to be more than Cam’s friend by now. Weird how things can change so quick. It’s almost like I don’t recognize that desperate, stupid girl from a couple of weeks ago.

Everything has changed. Changed because of one hot, gorgeous guy who still takes my breath away every time I see him. I try not to let my feelings show, though. I can’t afford to scare him away. And he’s made it perfectly clear, I’m nothing more than a friend, and he wants no part in any kind of relationship right now.

I actually discovered through Bailey and Cam that the hot supermodel is his cousin. Hot genes obviously run in the family. I can’t tell you how relieved I was. Took away a whole world of angst. Not that there won’t be other good looking girls hitting on him, but with me as his fake girlfriend, they won’t have the chance to sink their claws into him, I’ll make sure of that. Nothing like a pregnant, raging lunatic as his girlfriend to ward off potential mates. I smile at that thought, happy to take on the pshyco role.

There is also that little voice niggling in my ear, reminding me, this is only for a year. Tanning and I signed the contract on the house for twelve months. At the end of that time, Tanning thinks I should have enough time to find my own place and he might go back to live on campus. He’s decided to double his work load, and get most of his studies out of the way in the first year, so he’s going to be super busy.

Sigh. I don’t really want to think too far down the track. For now I’m so happy. I’ve got somewhere to live when I bring Treasure Pot into this world, and he or she, will have a nice home for the first few months at least. I’ll worry about the rest later.

I hug my pillow tight to my chest, thinking about living with Tanning. To see his gorgeous face and body every morning and every night, will be like a year long pleasure cruise. Squee ... I really can’t believe how he dropped back in my life, and how its changed everything in such a short time. I was on the quick road to nowhere, and now I feel like I’m back on the highway to somewhere.

I hear a knock on my door and I look up to see Cam standing there. I give him a big grin and he grins back. I really love him, he’s been the absolute best friend. I shudder to think about what might have happened, if he hadn’t looked after me.

“You all set?” he asks.

“Yep. I think so. Not like I had a lot of stuff anyway.” I look across to my meagre suitcase and three small boxes.

Cam grins wider. “You know, if someone told me in High School that you'd move in with Tanning, I would have rolled on the floor laughing and told them they were on crack.”

I twist my lips. “He really hated me, huh?”

“Um ... well, not like he had a dart board with your picture on it, but he pretty much swore and cursed every time he saw you, or whenever someone mentioned you.”

“Yeah, well can’t say as I blame him. I was a complete bitch.”

“Nah, you were just misguided.”

I throw my pillow at him and he catches it chuckling. “I’m not going to miss you one bit.”

“Me either.”

He walks in and throws his arm around my shoulder and kisses the top of my head. Once upon a time, I would have tried to snuggle in closer or smell his scent, using that to fuel my fantasises for the rest of the week. Not now. I just take it for the comforting hug it is. Like he’s my big protective brother.

I hear someone clear their throat and look up to see Tanning standing in the doorway. Now there is a sight to fulfil all my fantasies. God he’s beyond glorious. He’s dressed in a white t-shirt and denim jeans. My absolute favorite. He looks like he’s just stepped from the set of a Calvin Kline billboard. I give him a small smile and lean away from Cam, who turns to give Tanning a nod.

“Hey, man.”

“Hey,” Tanning replies and looks to my stuff. He frowns. “Is that it?”

I shrug. “What can I say, I’m low maintenance.”

Cam and Tanning burst out laughing.

I slap Cam on the shoulder and stand up with my hands on my hips. “What? I am.”

Tanning finally stops laughing and shakes his head. “Yeah, okay, if you say so. I kind of expected it might take a couple of trips, but hell, I could have done yours and my stuff in one load.”

Cam laughs again. “When you get there, you could put her in the cupboard under the stairs, she’d fit perfectly.”

I shove him this time. “Okay, enough. I got rid of a heap of stuff when I moved here. And being pregnant I couldn’t fit into all those stupid designer clothes, so I got rid of them.”

“Yeah, but Jen, you won’t be pregnant forever, what are you going to wear, when the baby’s born? You gonna keep wearing those tent dresses,” Tanning says and gives me a smug, hot grin.

I throw up my hands, “I don’t know. I’ll buy new stuff, now just move your ass and let’s get going.”

Cam smirks at me. “I’m going to miss your bossy ass. You better watch out Tanning. You sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

Tanning starts to gather the boxes into his strong arms, his voice is muffled, but I hear him. “Sure hope so. But you’re not renting your spare room just yet. I get thirty days money back guarantee, right?”

 ”Hey, no backsies,” Cam says as he slaps Tanning’s shoulder.

What the hell!
These guys are so dead. I punch Cam hard and he flinches. “Hey, that hurt.”

Tanning doesn’t hang around long enough for me to catch him and high tails it out of the room juggling the boxes. Cam rubs his arm then grabs my suitcase following behind at a steady jog.

Haven’t lost my touch. They’re still scared of me.

I chuckle and then stop to take one last look around the room I’ve called home for the past few months. It’s been my safe place, and I know I’ll miss it. But it’s not mine. It never was. It was an interim, a place for me to get my shit together. And slowly, but surely that is starting to happen.

Closing the door, I sigh big. Ready to make this work, ready to face my future and ready to accept whatever comes.

Or so I hope.

I step through the front door, and my mouth drops. Holy shit, this is so beautiful.

I look back to Tanning. “Oh, my god, when did you do all this?”

The living rooms that were completely empty the last time I was here, are now decorated with furnishings. And they are gorgeous. White couches sit cosily in the living room, placed nicely around a large beige shaggy rug, a huge flat screen tv mounted on the wall, with all the other av equipment. There is a dining room suite to seat six people all made from white washed wood with white leather chairs. The windows have light fabric curtains to dress them, and the whole effect is freshness and light. I love it. A few bunches of colorful flowers is all it needs to give it that finishing touch.