He hadn’t told her about any kind of fake engagement.

Shit.

Fuck.

Finishing her water, she kept a smile on her face as she entered the living room once again.

She grabbed Caleb’s hand. “I just need a word with Caleb. Excuse us.”

She was tempted to take him outside, but instead, she opted for the safety of their bedroom. Just when she thought he was a genuine guy and she’d gotten him all wrong, he had to go and prove her mistaken. Engaged?

“What’s going on?” he asked.

She didn’t speak or give him any reason as to why she was dragging him away from his family.

Inside, she was fuming. He’d told his family they were engaged to be married. Freaking engaged, and that was news to her. Big fucking news.

She didn’t like to curse but around Caleb, he seemed to be bringing out the worst of her. Slamming the door closed, she turned on him and glared. “Are you freaking kidding me right now?”

“I have no idea what I’m supposed to have done.”

“Engaged? When were you going to tell me about that little snippet of information, huh?” she asked. “This is supposed to be one weekend. Now we’re engaged?”

“And who the hell told you that?”

“William!”

“As if you’re going to listen to him.”

“I know you’ve got some serious issue with your sister’s husband and I get it. You’re protective but he got the information from Cassie, who got it from your father. Now tell me why he would think we’re engaged?” She glared at him, waiting for an answer.

“I told him.”

“Why?”

“It was what he wanted to hear.”

“Caleb, these lies, they’re building. They’re escalating. Don’t you see that?”

“I see it, but so what?”

“So what? This is your life. Your family’s life. My life. This was supposed to be one weekend with the occasional visit while I was at your place and now it’s becoming something more. It’s becoming a relationship and they’re going to expect so much more that we can’t give. They’ll want kids and they’ll want a marriage.” All she could see was her life playing out as one big lie, and here she was thinking how nice he was. The cocky asshole had to go and make this even harder for her.

“And you know what, I’ll give it to them. You’re not with anyone else so you can help me.”

“Ugh! You are so frustrating.”

“You think I don’t see what is going on here. You happen to like my family, so what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is the fact they’re your family. Your loved ones, and one day I may want to find someone for myself. Someone who will love me, and you want the same kind of love as your parents.”

“I don’t believe in it. What they have comes once in a lifetime. You’re pissed at me, I get it, but I’ll give you a good life. I’ll make every single one of your dreams come true. You can hate me all you want but you agreed to this and now I’m not letting you back out.”

“I want to hit you.”

He stepped closer. “Do it.”

They were both panting hard.

She wanted to slap that look right off his face as if he knew he’d won. He hadn’t won. She wasn’t going to marry this man. Right now, she didn’t even like him.

Lauren didn’t know what happened or how she had even fallen, but within the next second, his lips were on hers, her arms were wrapped around his neck, and he had her pressed against the wall.

He took hold of her hands, locking them above her head, holding them in place. His lips trailed a hot path down her neck, sucking on her pulse, driving her wild.

All anger and thoughts left her, so what remained was this overwhelming need to be with him, to feel him inside her.

Need took over.

She hated him and yet, he’d gotten under her skin and she wanted him. This was a big mistake, but she didn’t care. It certainly wasn’t acting. This was real to her. Even angry, she couldn’t help but like him a little bit. Maybe even more than a little bit. He was an asshole but he also owned that part of himself.

She pulled out of his hold and removed his shirt, followed by his pants. He attacked her clothes, tearing them to shreds in his need to get them off.