The Unintended Fiancé (Captured by Love Book 4) (8 page)

She gulped, and nodded. “And to be honest, I want to prove to myself that Kevin was wrong when he said I was lacking in bed.”

Brad cupped her face. “Kevin is a moron. I bet we’ll prove him wrong,” he said softly before leaning down to plant a sweet kiss on her lips.

Her heart hammered in her chest. Was this finally happening? She was going to have sex with Brad? She couldn’t quite believe it.

Brad pulled away. “We’ll talk more about this tonight, okay?”

“More talk? You’re not sure if you want it?” she asked, disappointed.

“Oh, I do want it, Erin. No doubt about that. But I want to be sure you’re fully sober. I’ll go to work and see you tonight.”

She rolled her eyes. “I might just change my mind because you’re playing so hard to get,” she muttered.

“Then we’ll know for sure if this is what you really want,” he said softly, running his thumbs down her cheeks before kissing her forehead and leaving the bathroom.

Argh. What a frustratingly sweet, considerate man.

Her heart was pumping hard, and a voice was trying to whisper something to her.

She pushed it away. She didn’t want to be scared off from this. She wanted Brad. She wanted to do something authentic and honest for herself. She deserved to simply
enjoy
, didn’t she? And damn it, she was already so looking forward to it.

B
rad shut the door of his bedroom and stood in front of the dresser. He placed his hands on his hips and frowned at his image in the mirror.

“What the fuck did you just agree to, Bradley Mead?” he said under his breath.

But, try as he might, he couldn’t get angry with himself. How could he, when he’d spent a sleepless night trying to convince himself that turning down Erin’s advances had been a good idea? And how good had it felt making himself come while thinking about her?

A smile tugged his lips. If Erin was serious about what she’d just said a few minutes ago, then why not? They had a strong friendship that had developed over the years. She was fully aware of his disinterest in a relationship. She
knew
the score, and she was clear on what she herself wanted.

So, yeah, why the hell not?

He sighed, glancing at his door. He was still horny from seeing her in that ultra-sexy lingerie. Damn. That piece of clothing did nothing to hide her perky breasts and skimpy underwear. Fuck. Now he was even harder.

“Go to the gym, then go to work, Brad,” he ordered, but he knew his day would be spent looking forward to tonight.

Oh, plus he needed to swing by his parents’ on his way home later to pick up his mother’s engagement ring.

*****

“
Is this good enough?”

“What do you mean?” Brad asked his mother as she handed him her ring.

“Well, I love it and it’s beautiful, but the diamond is slightly less than a carat. Of course, when your father bought it years ago, it was all he could afford, so I wouldn’t exchange it for the world. But if you were to buy one for a real fiancée, I would assume you’d be giving her something bigger, wouldn’t you?”

Brad stared critically at the ring. His mother was right. It was much smaller than what people would expect him to get his fiancée. If this ring was to show James Coyte and Warren Oliver that he was truly engaged, they’d laugh at his show of love for the woman he wanted to marry. He bet Valerie’s ring was, at the very least, three times the size of this.

“You’re right, Mum. This wouldn’t do. The people who need to believe I’m engaged would think I’m low on cash.”

“You can buy a much bigger one, then resell it later on when you don’t need it anymore,” Vivian said.

“Okay. I don’t think I have any other choice.”

“I’m worried about this situation you find yourself in, Brad. Why is this happening? Why is someone wanting to destroy your reputation and business?”

“Just a competitor keen to win at all costs. I’ll find a way to out him one day.”

“And Erin’s okay with all this? You’re not forcing her into anything?”

He smiled. “No.”

Vivian grabbed his arm and led him to the couch. “I want to tell you something.”

“What?”

“I hope Erin wouldn’t mind me telling you this, but I think you should know.” Vivian paused, sighing hard. “When she was around nineteen or so, she had a thing for you.”

“I know,” he said with a laugh. “She told me.”

“She did?”

“Yeah. She’s over that. Apparently, my inability to commit to anyone has put her off me permanently. You don’t have to worry about us.”

“She was so distraught back then,” Vivian said, pursing her lips. “You started going out with that singer, and there she was, crying in your sister’s bedroom, telling me how much she loved you and asking why you never noticed her.”

Brad’s eyebrows rose. Erin had said she loved him? She’d used the word “crush” earlier on when they’d been talking.

Meh, she was just a teenager then. It could only have been some deep infatuation. Besides, she’d sworn this morning she didn’t have anything for him emotionally anymore, apart from friendship and wanting his body. He believed her.

“Just be careful about leading her on, okay?”

“Don’t worry, Mum. And I better get a new ring before the shops close,” he said, checking his watch. “Except that I have no idea where to go.”

“Why don’t you ask your brother-in-law? That ring he gave Lexie was beautiful.”

“I guess,” he said, pulling out his phone.

“Hey, bro,” Rick answered.

“Hey. Need your help.”

“Sure.”

“Where did you get Lexie’s engagement ring?”

“Why?” Rick asked suspiciously.

“I need one for my fake engagement with Erin.”

“I thought you were borrowing your mum’s.”

“It’s too small. It’ll just make it easier for people to believe I’m having cash flow problems.”

“So you’re buying Erin a real
engagement
ring?”

“Well, a real
diamond
ring.”

“Hm.”

“Hm, what?”

“Big step, bro,” Rick said teasingly.

“Hey, don’t you get any ideas.”

“Big step, what?” he heard Lexie say in the background.

“Brad’s buying Erin a real, big engagement ring.”

Then Lexie was on the line. “Why?”

Brad rolled his eyes as he explained the situation to his sister. Geez. Why did they have to make such a big deal out of this?

“Seriously, I hope the two of you know what you’re getting into,” Lexie said.

“For the two of us, this is straightforward and clear,” he said with impatience. “It’s you guys who are imagining something out of nothing. Erin and I are comfortable with this fake engagement.” And the sleeping together that they’d agreed to this morning. But no one else needed to know about that. Heaven knew what kind of hoopla his family would create if they got wind of that.

“Okay,” Lexie said. “Guess we just have to let you guys do what you think you have to do.”

“Yup.”

“Well, then. Make sure Erin has a gorgeous ring you both can be proud of. And don’t let that Warren Freaking Oliver continue to mess around with your livelihood.”

“I won’t, sis,” he said affectionately.

“Here’s Rick.”

Rick gave him the direct line of a jeweller in the city. For some reason, Brad was excited about shopping for a ring.

*****

T
he delicious aroma of Erin’s famous butter chicken dish assailed Brad’s senses as he entered the apartment. Yum. One of his favourites.

He went to the kitchen and stopped in his tracks. Erin had her back turned to him as she stirred the pot, wearing a short black dress that highlighted her sexy curves. And man, wasn’t she wearing a bra? Her bare back, which was showcased by her backless outfit, indicated she wasn’t.

Quietly, he walked behind her and put his arms around her waist. What was the point of waiting? He’d been horny all day. Hell, he’d been horny since last night from her continuous advances.

Erin jumped. “Brad!”

“Hi,” he said, placing a kiss on her shoulder.

Erin grinned. “Stopped playing hard to get, have you?”

He laughed. “I wasn’t playing hard to get. I just wanted to give you all the opportunity to back out.”

“Nice of you.”

“And you haven’t changed your mind, I take it,” he said, nuzzling her neck. He couldn’t help himself. He loved seduction, and Erin was clearly ready to be seduced.

“I haven’t changed my mind,” she said with a smile on her voice. “But I need to feed you first. I intend to take up a lot of your energy.”

His cock jerked. “I like the sound of that,” he said against her ear, and was rewarded by a shiver. Ah, this was going to be fun. “Do you want me to set the table?”

“Yes, please. This is ready. Then we can talk over dinner.”

“Talk? We don’t have to talk anymore. You’re clearly sober.”

Erin smirked. “Just because I’m a sure thing doesn’t mean we can forgo conversations, Bradley Mead. I want to discuss something with you first. It’s sex related.”

He grinned. “Oh, good, then.”

“Men,” Erin murmured, shaking her head.

Chuckling, he went to get plates and cutlery from the cupboard as Erin scooped a generous amount of her butter chicken into a serving bowl.

“I cooked extra rice because I know how much you love this dish,” Erin commented.

“Thank you,” he said, sniffing the air appreciatively. Good thing they were both living in this apartment. They had all night—and all of the next morning, for that matter. He could take his time enjoying dinner, and then enjoying Erin. Ah, he couldn’t remember looking forward to a surprise date before. And this was a fantastic surprise.

“So,” Erin said as they sat down. “I want to ask you something about tonight.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, tearing the hot naan bread in half and putting a piece on Erin’s side dish as she heaped some food on his plate.

“Remember what Kevin said about me?” she asked nonchalantly.

“What, in particular?” he asked as he had his first mouthful. “Mmm. Best butter chicken in Sydney, Miss Baker.”

“Thank you,” Erin said. “Anyway, I’m talking about when Kevin suggested that I should seek sex coaching or something.”

He frowned at her.

“I’ve only ever had sex with three men,” Erin continued. “And I’ve never heard them complain, except when Kevin made that comment. But I was wondering if you could... well... be honest with me tonight? And perhaps, give me some coaching if you think I need it?”

“I don’t think you’d have a problem, Erin,” he said, hiding his smile.

“How do you know that?”

He leaned close to her and looked into her eyes. “Because I intend to discover every little thing that turns you on. I intend to find out the most sensitive parts of your body and how you want to be touched. I intend to get you so hot that all inhibitions leave you. By the time we’re done, Erin, you will know that you
are
a goddess in bed.”

Erin stared at him, her face flushing deep red. “I guess... I, uh... I’m glad that...” She swallowed. “Well, I can’t wait.”

He grinned and gave her a peck on lips. “Good. I can’t wait either. But you promised to feed me first.”

Erin laughed. “I did, too. Now eat.”

Eat he did, as he and Erin talked about work, and how their friends and family were taking their fake engagement.

He loved that Erin was getting so relaxed about this. With his past female buddies, once the decision had been made to sleep together, they’d only seemed interested in talking about dating. That was why he was more confident than ever that this would work with Erin. She wasn’t shunning friendship-only topics like the other girls had, even if he couldn’t resist glancing at the outline of her hard nipples through the soft material of her dress. This was a true friends-with-benefits-with-no-other-hidden-agenda arrangement.

Perfect.

E
rin glanced at Brad as he loaded the dishwasher. Should they be cleaning up? Wasn’t this a mood-killer?

Brad had openly ogled her chest all night, clearly enjoying her braless state, and had taken every opportunity to touch her. He’d even placed his hand underneath her dress to caress her thigh while he thanked her once again for the delicious meal.

She’d managed to finish her dinner through all that, but her panties were now soaked. And judging from the bulge in Brad’s pants, he was as ready as she was.

“Perhaps we should have some wine in the lounge room?” she asked, clearing her throat.

“Do you want one?” Brad asked as he turned on the machine, then washed his hands.

“Not if you’re gonna tell me you won’t sleep with me because I’m tipsy,” she teased.

Brad walked purposefully towards her. “The way I’m feeling right now, I don’t care if you’re drunk or not, Erin Baker. I’m taking you to my bed.”

She grinned. Goofily. “So we’ll be doing it in your new bed?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. Hmm. It definitely felt good being this brave.

A frown flitted briefly on Brad’s face, before it quickly disappeared, replaced by a smile. “Why not? It’s your apartment.”

“Oh! I forgot. You don’t usually take women home to
your
place for fear of them becoming too comfortable. But you’re right. Your room is still in
my
apartment.”

“Yeah. So how about right here?” he murmured, running his fingertips along her arm.

She gulped. “Now?”
Duh.

In response, Brad dipped his head to capture her mouth.

Her breath caught in her throat and her lips moved, responding readily to his soft, sensual kiss.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since last night,” Brad said, slowly pushing her dress off her shoulders and letting it slink down to the floor. “And even though I enjoyed dinner immensely, I can’t wait to have you.”

All she could do was gasp as Brad left a trail of kisses along her jaw, her neck, her throat, his hands exploring her naked back. When Brad ran his hands down the sides of her breasts, a fresh rush of arousal hit her.

Wow, this was finally happening. It was... momentous.