Page 23 of His Fake Fiancé

She nodded, and her chin trembled, although he could tell she was trying really hard to keep everything inside. “Yeah, Jax freaked out and then somehow Brock and Linc got involved and it turned into a whole big thing.”

A sliver of guilt slipped under his skin. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t be fighting with her family. “Do you need a hug? You look like you need a hug.” He wanted to comfort her, make sure she was okay. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to. Normally, when it came to his relationships—and he used the term incredibly loosely—they didn’t involve feelings. It was about attraction and lust and mutual satisfaction. His need to make sure Claire was taken care of, that she was safe and happy, had to be because of their friendship and everything she was doing for him. It was the only thing that made sense.

She half nodded and half shook her head. Looked like he wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand what was happening. He laughed softly and pulled her into his arms.

Their winter clothes, with their added bulk, made the hug awkward, which wasn’t helped by the way Claire stiffened in his arms. Just like that night at the bar. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea.

He was about to release her, take a step back, when she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. He squeezed her back.

It took a minute, but she melted against him and he had to admit, it felt really nice. Especially when she tucked her head under his chin. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time they’d just hugged like this. It had to have been years.

“What are you doing?”

Jake turned his head. Owen had wandered around the side of the house and was staring at them like they’d just each sprouted horns and tails. He’d obviously just come from working the cattle, since he was wearing jeans, his flannel coat and work boots. No surprise there. Ever since he and Isabella split up a couple of years ago, Owen had done nothing but work and prowl around the ranch, snapping everyone’s head off.

Claire pulled away from him and gave Owen a wobbly smile. A weird, almost hollow feeling echoed through Jake. Which was weird. He had no idea what it meant.

When Owen realized who it was Jake had been hugging, he glanced from her to Jake and then back again. He narrowed his eyes for a second and for the life of him, Jake had no idea what that look was for. He and Claire were friends, and always had been. Why was it so strange to see them together?

“Hi, Owen,” she said, and gave a little wave. Owen gave her a chin raise in acknowledgment, and then turned and headed back around the house.

Jesus, his brother needed to get laid or something. Because Jake was pretty sure Owen hadn’t been with anyone since he and Izzy split. There’d been a rumor flying around town a couple years ago that he and Becky Lynn Collins had been sleeping together, but Jake didn’t believe it. For one, Jake knew how much Owen loved Izzy, and that their separation hadn’t been Owen’s choice.

Not long after Izzy moved out, Owen had gotten drunk one night and spilled his guts to Jake. His brother was normally a pretty closed off guy, so it had been a bit of a surprise. And Jake had never uttered a word of the things Owen told him that night to anyone. He’d never revealed just how broken his brother was on the inside.

“Okay,” he said, shaking off the weird way he was feeling. “Why don’t we get your stuff all moved in, eh?”

Claire nodded and gave a half shrug. It was really cute. And where the hell did that thought come from? Claire wasn’t cute, she was Claire. Right?

“There’s really not much,” she said, walking toward the back of the jeep. “It’s not like this is permanent or anything.” Her not looking at him was a good thing, because she couldn’t see him studying her. Because now that he thought of it, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked at her—really looked at her.

Her blonde hair was down today, the golden waves swishing around her shoulders. She reached into the back of the jeep and he studied her profile. Her cute little nose, her plump lips.

Which made him think of their kiss at the bar, the night he’d asked her to be his fiancé. The unexpected, yet extremely hot kiss. He’d initially done it because he wanted to get the rumor mill in town flowing. If they wanted to make this believable, they needed to do things that real couples did. Like touching and kissing and stuff.

What he hadn’t expected was how great she’d feel in his arms, or how sweet she’d taste. And then she’d opened up and let him inside, and he’d been lost. If he hadn’t pushed it, and she hadn’t pulled away, he wasn’t sure how far he would have taken it.

She pulled a carry on sized suitcase out of the back of the jeep and placed it on the ground at her feet. She reached in again and pulled out a guitar case. He did a double take, because since when did Claire play the guitar? She grabbed the suitcase with her free hand and stared up at him.

“That’s it?” He glanced between the two items and her face.

She shrugged again. Yup, still cute. “This is just temporary. I don’t need much.”

“Fair point.” It was his turn to shrug. He reached for the suitcase. “Here, let me help.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’ve got it.”

He flexed his fingers in a give it to me motion. “Are you trying to get me skinned alive?”

“What?”

“Mama would skin me with a spoon if she saw you carrying everything and me wandering around with empty hands.” While Mama was a very liberal lady, she was also very traditional in many ways. She’d raised her boys to be gentlemen, which had been no easy task on many occasions. And they all still slipped up plenty.

“That’s… true,” Claire said, handing over the suitcase.

It was way lighter than he expected. Did she even have anything inside? He wanted to question her about it, but there was a stiffness to her shoulders that said she wouldn’t appreciate the third degree. There’d be plenty of time for them to discuss things later.

“After you,” he said, keeping his tone light and indicating she should go ahead with a sweep of his arm.