Friday couldn't come fast enough.
All week, Dominic fucked me like he was running out of time. Morning sex that left me limping to work. Lunch breaks spent bent over his desk. Late night visits where he'd show up at my door, push me against the wall, and take me right there in the hallway because he couldn't wait the extra thirty seconds to get inside.
We were spiraling. Getting more reckless. More desperate. More addicted to each other.
And now we were supposed to spend a romantic weekend at a bed and breakfast with Mara and James, pretending we were falling in love when we'd already fallen months ago.
"You packed?" Dominic asked Friday morning, watching me get dressed.
"Yeah. Though I don't know why. You're just going to take everything off me anyway."
"Damn right I am." He pulled me back into bed, his hand already sliding between my legs. "One more time before we go. Need to hold me over."
"We're going to be in adjoining rooms! We can have sex all weekend!"
"Not the same. Can't make you scream when they're right next door." His fingers slid inside me and I gasped. "Can't spank this perfect ass. Can't tie you up and edge you for hours."
"Dominic, we're already late..."
"Don't care." He pulled his fingers out and replaced them with his cock, sliding into me in one smooth stroke. "Need to fuck you properly before we spend three days pretending to be polite."
He took me hard and fast, both of us chasing release, both of us knowing this was the last time we could be completely uninhibited for days. When I came, I screamed into the pillow. When he came, he bit down on my shoulder hard enough to leave marks.
"Mine," he growled against my skin. "All fucking mine."
"Yours," I agreed, even though we both knew the weekend was going to test that claim.
We met Mara and James at the bed and breakfast around noon. It was one of those cute country places. All exposed beams and floral wallpaper and rooms that definitely weren't soundproof.
"You're here!" Mara squealed, hugging me tight. "This is going to be so fun! Couples weekend!"
Couples. Like we were normal. Like we hadn't been lying since day one.
"The rooms are adorable," she continued, pulling me inside. "You and Dominic are in the Rose Room. We're in the Lavender Room right next door!"
Right next door. Perfect.
Dominic caught my eye and smirked. He was thinking the same thing.
The Rose Room was exactly what you'd expect. Big bed. Romance novel vibes. A bathroom with a clawfoot tub that looked perfect for sex.
"What do you think?" Dominic asked, closing the door behind us.
"I think we're fucked."
"Literally or figuratively?"
"Both." I sat on the bed. "How are we supposed to have sex with them right next door? These walls are thin."
"So we'll be quiet."
"Have you met us? We don't do quiet."
He grinned and pulled me up, backing me against the wall. "Then I guess you'll have to learn." His hand wrapped around my throat gently. "Think you can keep your mouth shut while I fuck you, baby? Think you can stay silent while my cock's buried inside you?"
"That's not fair."
"Life's not fair." He kissed me hard. "But I'm going to enjoy watching you try."
There was a knock on the door. We sprang apart like guilty teenagers.
"You guys settled in?" James called. "We're heading to the vineyard in twenty minutes if you want to join!"
"We'll be right down!" Dominic called back.
The vineyard tour was painful. Beautiful scenery. Wine tasting. Mara hanging on my arm talking about how romantic everything was. How perfect Dominic and I were together. How she just knew this was the real thing.
Meanwhile, Dominic kept finding ways to touch me. His hand on my lower back. Fingers brushing mine. At one point, while Mara and James were distracted looking at wine barrels, he pulled me behind a grape vine and kissed me so hard I forgot my own name.
"Can't keep my hands off you," he muttered against my lips.
"You have to. They're right there."
"I know. Makes me want you more." His hand slid up my skirt. "You wet for me, baby?"
"Always."
He groaned. "Tonight. After they go to sleep. I'm sneaking into that bathroom and I'm going to fuck you in that tub so hard you see stars."
"They'll hear us."
"Then you better keep quiet." He bit my bottom lip. "Or I'll have to gag you."
Jesus Christ.
Dinner that night was at the inn's restaurant. Candlelight. Wine. The works. Mara kept looking between me and Dominic with that knowing smile.
"You guys are so cute together," she said for the hundredth time. "The way you look at each other? It's like the rest of us don't even exist."
If only she knew why.
Under the table, Dominic's hand was on my thigh. Sliding higher. Teasing the edge of my panties.
"So Dominic," James said. "When did you know you liked Scarlett? Like really liked her?"
Dominic didn't miss a beat. "At the wedding. Watching her during the ceremony. She had this look on her face. Pure joy for Mara. And I thought, that's someone who loves deeply. Who feels things. I wanted to know her."
Liar. He'd wanted to know me six months before that. Had already known me inside and out by the wedding.
But god, he was good at this.
"And you, Scar?" Mara asked. "When did you know?"
"I don't know if there was a specific moment," I said carefully. "More like a gradual realization that I couldn't stop thinking about him."
Also a lie. I'd known I was in trouble the first time he made me come. The first time I saw that possessive look in his eyes. The first time he called me baby like it meant something.
Dominic's fingers slipped under my panties. I nearly choked on my wine.
"You okay?" Mara asked.
"Fine. Just went down wrong."
Dominic's finger slid into me under the table and I gripped my fork so hard I thought it might bend. He was absolutely insane. Doing this here. Now. With our family right there.
And I was soaking wet for it.
"Actually," Dominic said, his finger still inside me, moving slowly. "There's something we need to tell you both."
My heart stopped. What was he doing?
"We haven't been completely honest with you."
Oh god. Oh no. This wasn't the plan. We were supposed to wait. Ease into it.
James looked concerned. "What do you mean?"
Dominic's finger curled inside me, hitting that spot that made me see stars. "Scarlett and I. We didn't just meet at the wedding."
Mara's eyes went wide. "What?"
"We hooked up. At the engagement party. Six months ago." He added another finger and I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning. "It was just supposed to be one night. A mistake. We both agreed to forget about it."
"Oh my god," Mara breathed.
"But we couldn't stop thinking about each other," I managed to say, my voice strained. "We ran into each other a few times after. Started talking. Realized there might be something real there."
"So when we suggested setting you up," James said slowly, "you were already..."
"Already interested in each other. Yeah." Dominic pulled his fingers out and I could breathe again. "We're sorry we didn't say anything sooner. It just seemed easier to let you think you were setting us up."
There was a long silence. Mara and James looked at each other, having some silent conversation.
Finally, Mara spoke. "So when you went on that first date, you already knew each other?"
"We knew we were attracted to each other," Dominic said. "But we didn't really know each other. The dates were real. Getting to know each other was real. The feelings developing were real."
Another partial truth. Another lie.
"Wow," James said. "That's... unexpected."
"Are you mad?" I asked quietly.
"Mad? No." Mara reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "I'm happy for you! I mean, yeah, you could have told us sooner. But I get it. You wanted to figure it out privately first." She grinned. "And clearly you figured it out!"
The relief was crushing. They believed it. They actually believed it.
"I can't believe you hooked up at my engagement party and didn't tell me!" Mara continued. "I want details! All the details!"
"Absolutely not," I said firmly.
"Oh come on!"
"Some things stay private," Dominic said, his hand finding mine on the table. "But I will say this. That night changed my life. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since."
At least that part was true.
After dinner, back in our rooms, I barely had the door closed before Dominic had me pressed against it.
"That was insane," I breathed.
"But it worked. They bought it." He kissed me hard. "Now we can breathe a little easier."
"We're still lying."
"Less than before." His hands were already pulling at my dress. "And right now, I don't want to think about lies. I want to think about getting you naked and fucking you until you forget your own name."
"They're right next door."
"So?" He pulled my dress over my head. "We'll be quiet. Or we'll try to be."
He picked me up and carried me to the bathroom, turning on the water in the tub. While it filled, he stripped me completely, his eyes dark with hunger.
"You were so good tonight," he said, his hands roaming over my body. "Sitting there at dinner with my fingers inside you. Not making a sound. Such a good girl."
"I hated you."
"Liar. You loved it." He slid his hand between my legs. "You're still dripping wet from it."
The tub filled. He climbed in and pulled me on top of him, positioning me so I was straddling his lap, his cock right there, pressing against me.
"Ride me," he commanded. "Nice and slow. Show me how much you missed my cock today."
I sank down onto him with a quiet moan, both of us groaning at the sensation. The water sloshed around us as I started moving, rolling my hips, taking him deep.
"That's it," he encouraged, his hands on my hips. "Just like that. Fuck, you feel so good."
I rode him slowly, savoring every inch, every sensation. His hands roamed my body, touching, squeezing, claiming. When he leaned forward to take my nipple in his mouth, I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out.
"Quiet, baby," he reminded me. "Can't let them hear."
"Then stop doing things that make me want to scream."
"Never." He bit down on my nipple and I gasped. "Love the sounds you make. Love watching you struggle to stay silent."
He was evil. Absolutely evil.
I picked up the pace, riding him harder, chasing the orgasm building in my core. The water splashed over the sides of the tub. Our breathing echoed off the bathroom tiles.
"Touch yourself," he commanded. "Rub that clit. Make yourself come on my cock."
I did, my fingers finding that perfect spot, circling, building. The combination of his cock inside me and my fingers on my clit was too much.
"I'm going to come," I whispered.
"Do it. But stay quiet. Not a sound."
I came silently, my mouth open in a soundless scream, my whole body shaking, my pussy clenching around him. He followed seconds later, his hands gripping my hips hard enough to bruise, his own orgasm silent but intense.
After, we lay in the cooling water, tangled together.
"That was close," I said.
"What was?"
"You telling them. I thought you were going to tell them everything."
"I wanted to. For a second, I really wanted to." He stroked my wet hair. "But this is enough. For now."
"You think they really believed us?"
"Yeah. I do." He kissed my shoulder. "We gave them enough truth that the lie is palatable. That's all we can do."
We dried off and climbed into bed. For the first time in days, we just held each other. No sex. No desperation. Just quiet intimacy.
"I love you," he said in the darkness.
"I love you too."
"Even with all the lies? All the mess?"
"Especially with all the lies and mess." I curled closer. "You're worth it."
"So are you, baby. So are you."
Saturday morning, I woke up to voices outside our door. Mara and James, talking quietly in the hallway.
I couldn't make out what they were saying, but something in Mara's tone made my stomach drop.
Next to me, Dominic stirred. "What's wrong?"
"I think they're talking about us."
He sat up, listening. Then his face went pale.
"What?" I whispered. "What is it?"
"James knows," he said quietly. "About before. About how long this has really been going on."
My blood ran cold. "How do you know?"
"Because I know my brother. And that tone in his voice?" He ran his hands through his hair. "He knows we're lying."
"What do we do?"
"I don't know." He looked at me, fear and determination warring in his eyes. "But whatever happens, we face it together."
There was a knock on the door. Sharp. Angry.
"Dominic," James called. "We need to talk. Now."
This was it. The moment we'd been dreading. The moment when everything fell apart.
Dominic squeezed my hand once, then got up and opened the door.
James stood there, his face unreadable. Behind him, Mara looked like she'd been crying.
"Get dressed," James said coldly. "Both of you. We're having a conversation."
And just like that, our carefully constructed lie came crashing down.