Fake Boyfriend - Miley Maine Page 0,37

her onto the bed and ravaging her gorgeous body once again.

Thirty minutes later, both of us were standing in front of the inn, waiting for the entourage to arrive.

Loren wore a flowing navy dress that looked amazing and I had on the dressiest pair of jeans I owned and a nice shirt Loren had ordered from town.

The bride and groom -- Loren’s cousin Marie, and her fiance Douglas -- were the first to arrive.

Marie got on my nerves as soon as she stepped foot out of the Escalade she’d arrived in. She was cute, but nowhere near as beautiful as Loren. And she wrinkled her nose up. “Ew. Is that fish I smell? We can’t have that smell at the wedding.”

Loren rushed forward to hug her. “It’s the ocean. There are fish.”

Marie frowned and continued to sniff the air. Then she looked at me. “And who’s this?”

Instantly, my hackles were up, but I kept my mouth shut. Loren stepped over and grabbed my arm, holding on tight. “This is Jackson.”

Now Marie eyed me with interest. “Why is Jackson here?”

“Jackson is Loren’s boyfriend,” I said, unable to suppress myself. This spoiled princess could say what she liked about me, but I didn’t like the way she talked to Loren, and I was going to do my best to send that message loud and clear.

It seemed the message was received because Marie’s eyes bugged out. “Well,” she said. “Hello, Jackson. I spoke to Loren last week. I wasn’t aware she had a boyfriend.”

Loren’s arm snaked around my waist. “Things change.”

“That much is obvious. Well, Jackson. I’m glad you could join us here. I trust you’re enjoying Alaska?” Marie asked.

“He has a second home here,” Loren said. “He’s familiar with the area.”

It was becoming quite apparent that Loren didn’t have any real affection for her cousin, and I didn’t blame her.

“Oh. Interesting,” Marie said.

I could tell she was evaluating me. Trying to decide if I was one of the upper-crust, and if so, why she hadn’t heard of me. Beside me, Loren’s body was as tight as a bowstring.

Then the fiance stepped out. He was tall and pale, with dark hair. His green eyes were sharp, like he wanted to sneer, but he wore no expression on his face.

He held out his hand. “Douglas Copeland.”

My gut reaction was revulsion. His handshake was limp, and his hand was clammy. He nodded at Loren. “Hello Loren.”

“I hear you’re Loren’s new boyfriend. And what do you do, Jackson?” he asked after we’d been introduced.

“I’m an Army Ranger. Stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia.”

He withdrew his cold hand. “Thank you for your service,” he said. But his tone was dripping with anything but appreciation. “If you’ll excuse us. We need to take a walk around the property and see if things are on track for the wedding.”

I nodded. I didn’t say it was nice to meet them, because it wasn’t.

Loren and I both watched them walk away. When they were out of earshot I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Why the hell did you say she was a nice person?”

Loren sputtered, covering her mouth with one hand. “Uh. She does a lot of charity work?”

“God. I thought you were going to punch her instead of talk to her a few times.” I wiped my hand on my pants. Something was off about the groom, but I couldn't put my finger on it yet.

Once again, Loren threw her arms around my neck. I was always a little surprised when she did it, but I loved the way her lithe body felt in my arms.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Even her breath against my neck was going to get my libido going. I stepped back and stared into her green eyes instead. “What for?”

“The look on her face. When you said you were my boyfriend. You saw it. It was priceless.”

“She did look pretty shocked. It was the best present. Like Christmas morning.”

Gravel crunched and we both turned to look as another Escalade bumped over the path to the hotel. “That’s my parents,” Loren said.

“How can you tell?” The windows were tinted, and the Escalades were all rented I assumed.

She held up her arm, indicating her smart watch. “They keep us all updated on the schedule.” She dropped her arm and smiled up at me. “I had unsubscribed until just this morning.”

“I didn't even know you had a watch with you,” I said.

“I had it in my purse. It’s handy when I’m taking photos. But it was not necessary while