How to Fake-Date a Vampire (Charming Cove, #2)

by Linsey Hall

“You gave me this seat on purpose.” She grinned. “I thought you might like the view.” “The view of your grandson, you mean.” She raised her glass. “Precisely.” “Well, you’re not wrong, Your Grace.”

“Dinner is almost ready,” Alaric said. “Shall we eat in here?” “You know I prefer the formal room,” Vivian said. “But I can tolerate this. For you.” He stopped by her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You’re a darling. Thank you, Granny.” I could only see half of her face, but it was clear that she beamed at him. I loved the two of them together. I stood. “May I get some water?”

“We met in the men’s loo,” I said. “She assaulted me with her goat,” he said. Vivian laughed. “It can’t be both.” She looked between us, a gleam in her eye. “Which one of you is telling the truth?” For the briefest moment, I thought she might be on to us. Then she grinned. “It wasn’t both,” he said. “I was just trying to save her the embarrassment.” “They’re both embarrassing,” I said. He shrugged. “The goat wasn’t so bad. And you improved his temperament, didn’t you?” I smiled. “I did. Mostly.” “There you have it. The loo was more embarrassing.” I laughed. Was he…teasing me? He was. And I liked it.

But there was just something more—a connection between us that transcended anything I’d ever felt before. I couldn’t stop thinking about it as we finished dinner and I walked her out to my car. Her skunk followed us, taking the back seat and curling up to nap.

“Oh, I’m still a bastard. Just not to orphans.” She smiled. “I suppose that’s the bare minimum, but it’s fine for now. Can’t have people think I’m fake dating a jerk.”

I nodded and reached for the door to her flat. She reached for it at the same time, and we bumped into each other. I stilled, and so did she. We were so close that I could see her pupils dilate as she looked up at me. Her wildflower scent wrapped around me, and I drew in a deep breath, unable to help myself. It made my head go foggy.

“Kiss me.” A low groan escaped me as I bent down to take her lips. She was soft and delicious and divine. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed herself close to me. I gripped her tighter, never wanting to let her go, and lost myself in her mouth. The kiss went on and on, sweeping me into a maelstrom of pleasure as she moved against me. It took every ounce of control I had to pull away. After I stepped back, she stared up at me. It took a moment for her to focus her gaze, but when she did, she gasped and stepped back.

“Good. And thanks for dinner.” Before I could say anything else, she’d turned and hurried through the door.

“You kissed him?” Holly barely managed to keep her voice low, and her eyes shone with excitement. “Like, a for-real kiss?”

At least one of us was in a relationship not destined to fail. I pulled the car to a stop in front of the grand house. It was dark out, since we needed to take advantage of the full moon, and the lights in the house gleamed golden through the windows.

He nodded to me, and the sight of the small smile on his face made my heart beat a little faster. Stupid organ.

“I’ll come back to you around Halloween for that.” He smiled, and I had to turn away. Keep your head in the game, you numpty.

“Thank you.” I held out my glass to toast her, then took a sip. “You can mix your own,” she said to Alaric, then took her seat on the couch. “When do you think this ghost lived?” “During your lifetime.” “I don’t remember an older man dying while I was here. A young woman, yes. But not an older man.” I blinked at her. That was it? “Is there anything else you want to ask me?” She sipped her martini. “Yes,” I said.

And I wanted to be there. With her and with the duke. Even though this was supposed to be fake, it didn’t feel like it. Sure, there was tension between the duke and me, since we were keeping a pretty big secret and trying to avoid any thought of the kiss we’d shared. But there was still something immensely comfortable about being together.

She was incorrigible. I’d have looked over to see what I was sure would be delight on her face, but I was too distracted by Alaric’s hands on me. He kept his touches brief and professional, but it didn’t matter. Every one of them burned through my clothes and made my heart race. The kiss had not been a fluke. No one had ever made me feel this way.

Yeah—that he was handsome and nice. That was all it meant, and there were plenty of handsome, nice men out there. And most of them didn’t come with the baggage of a dukedom.

Family. A man like Alaric. And that scared me. “I’m going to go get some air,” I said. “You two play a match.” “Are you all right?” Alaric asked, his voice low. “Yeah, fine.” Not really, but he nodded, so I figured I sold it pretty well. “Now kick your grandmother’s butt for me.”

“Come here.” I bent down and swooped her up. She made a little squawk of surprise, but it was cut off by my shout. “Show yourself, old man! Quit messing about with the garden and show yourself, or I’ll bring that huge dog out here and let him have a go.” “That damned dog?” The ghost appeared, offense written all over this face. “You had better not.” “Then talk to me.”

There were people who could banish malicious ghosts, but that wasn’t Barnaby, despite his destructive nature. I needed to solve this by helping him pass on, not by destroying him.

When Emma didn’t return to the house within twenty minutes, I went to look for her.

“Everything all right?” I asked. “Fine,” she shouted, then blushed. I could just barely see the darkening at her cheekbones as she passed under the lights that bordered the patio and climbed the stairs. “I met our ghost.” “Oh?”

“You’re taking care of me. I like it.” I like it, too. I managed to bite back the words, at least. Though it might not have mattered, since there was every chance she wouldn’t remember this in the morning. Careful not to jostle her, I flicked on the light switch to reveal the large bedroom, which was dominated by an enormous wooden bed covered in blue silk. I carried her to it and sat her gently on the side.

The next morning, I woke with a pounding headache and the memory of Alaric taking care of me. I rolled over and buried my face in my pillow. I had not handled that well. But I had made progress with the ghost. That made me smile. The movement made my head ache, and I drew in a deep breath. Regrets.

“Where did you learn to cook?” I asked. “My mother, a bit. Then on my own.” Oh, right. His grandmother had mentioned he’d learned from his mother before her early death. It made my heart hurt to think of a young Alaric continuing to cook as a way to be close to his mother.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us if we’re going to get rid of that ghost,” he said, carrying over his own plate.

I looked at Alaric, who looked both happy and tired at the same time. When the whirlwind of a woman arrived in the doorway, I had an idea why. She looked fun but exhausting.

Alaric put his arm around my waist, and a shiver ran over my skin. It drove the last of the hangover from my head, and I leaned into him, unable to help myself.

I’d been present at the last two balls, but the ones before were a mystery. I’d need to consult the book again to see what had been done so that I didn’t repeat anything.

“You know quiz nights are important to us, and we want to meet the duke and make sure he’s good enough for you.” Her words warmed me because I believed them. “Thanks.” I smiled. “I’ll ask him.” “You’ll be there.” “We’ll be there.” “Good.” She turned and swept from the room. I looked down at the book. Oh, bum.

I love her. “Penelope says she loves you.” “Well, I love you back, you little stink queen.” Penelope preened. Stink queen. I like that. “Thought you might.”

“We can tell. And he likes you. I haven’t seen him look at someone like this in years. Maybe ever.” “Really?” My heart fluttered. Madeline seemed sincere. “Really. Now go get him. He’s in his happy place, and it will only get better once you’re there.” His happy place? I wouldn’t have expected the bee garden to be his happy place. I didn’t say it, though. That was something a girlfriend should know.

There was no sign of Alaric, however. I followed the path deeper into the garden, inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers as my feet crunched the pea gravel. Finally, I reached the back of the garden where the beehives were kept. There were three of them, and one had the doors swung wide open, revealing the honey comb inside.

He smiled. “Careful. That must be against your fake dating rules.” “Good point. We’ve got to keep it professional.” I drew in a bracing breath. “Speaking of, my boss insists that you attend the pub quiz night with us. She’s not really the type that I want to tell no.”

I approached the pub, feeling like a teenager with his parents coming along for his big date. As I’d been leaving the house, Madeline and Harold had stopped me to say how much they liked Emma. Things had snowballed from there.

Inside the pub, the tables were already mostly full. Excited chatter sounded from people holding glasses full of golden beer. The sound died as they all noticed us. Not ideal.

“Really?” “You just don’t seem like a match.” “I know what you mean. She’s far too good for me.” “Hmm.” She smiled. “You’re a good boyfriend, Your Grace.” “Hmm.” Fortunately, the bartender finished the last of the beers. I handed over a hundred-pound note and told her to keep the change just to get away from Lily as quickly as possible. “Why don’t we get these back to the table? I think the quiz is starting soon.” “Sure thing, Your Grace.” I felt her gaze on me as I led the way back to the table. She was definitely one to be wary of.

“Well, he’s quite something, isn’t he?” she asked as she walked to the other sink and checked her lipstick,. “Alaric?” “No, Harold.” She shot me a deadpan look. “Of course, Alaric. I must say I’m surprised you managed to bag yourself a man like him.”

“May I kiss you?” The request, and how it was delivered, was so sexy that I almost swooned backward. My breath came short as I said, “You’d better.” He moved his lips to mine and gave me a kiss that made my mind go blank as pleasure swept through me. The pub disappeared as his lips parted mine. From the outside, the kiss probably looked chaste. It didn’t feel chaste.

Alaric drew back, his gaze meeting mine briefly. The heat in his gaze made me blush, and I looked away. Fortunately, the next round pulled everyone’s attention away from the kiss. Not mine, though. My body was at the table, but my mind wasn’t present for a single question.

“I suppose we’d better keep up the ruse with a good night kiss?” Desire flushed through me. We could just stand here talking until the witches passed and then say goodbye like the business partners we were. Or we could kiss.

and lifted me up to him, pressing me against the firm expanse of his chest. I clung to him as I ran my mouth down his neck, tasting the salty skin there. When he pulled away, my head was spinning.

I gave him a little shove and a smile. The grin that he shot me was so charming, I felt compelled to press my hands to my chest and laugh like some ridiculous schoolgirl. Embarrassed, I turned and let myself into my house. I was being ridiculous. Totally ridiculous. But it was so damned fun.

His gaze dropped to my lips, then rose to my eyes. “What did you need to talk to me about?” “Do you know the Marquis of Dale?” “A bit. Stuffy old man, lives up north in the Lakes District.” “Well, I need a favor.” “Anything.” He said it with such quick agreement that I had to smile before telling him what Aria had shared with me. When I was finished, he nodded and said, “I’ll call him today and see what I can do.” “Thank you.”

Alaric sent a car for me the next morning. I’d expected him to pick me up as he usually did when we went to his house, but the driver had said that Alaric had to meet the boat. “A boat?” I asked as I climbed into the back of the big dark car. “You’ll be traveling by boat today, ma’am.”

“Hello.” His voice was rough and soft, and he leaned down to press a kiss to my cheek. It warmed me from the inside, and I leaned into him just briefly. There was no one here to put on a show for, unless he expected the driver to report back to his grandmother. Since that was highly doubtful, he was kissing me just to kiss me. And I liked it.

But it was the deck that was my favorite part of the tour. There were various sitting areas with chairs and sun loungers, each covered in a navy cushion.

The boat dropped anchor about a football pitch’s distance from the small dock on the shore, and one of the crew members prepared the smaller boat to take us to land. They loaded our luggage, and then we boarded for the short ride. As we neared, I spotted two figures standing at the dock, waiting for us. “They’ve come to greet us,” Alaric said. “That’s the Marquis and Marchioness of Dale?”

They were the epitome of an adorable elderly couple who were deeply in love. Both were tiny, with pale white hair and lined faces. They wore matching wax jackets to keep out the wind, and even their Le Chameau boots were identical, coming up to the knees of baggy trousers that looked like they’d donned them for gardening or walking.

“Please let me introduce you to Emma Willowby, my girlfriend.” I smiled, liking the sound of that, even though I knew it was fake. “Lovely to meet you, My Lord, My Lady.”

This was another group of people I’d disappoint with my lies, and I’d need to make sure that I ended this as well as I could. Eileen looked down at Penelope, who sat patiently at my side, her pink bow fluttering in the wind. “And who is this little one?” “My familiar, Penelope.” “Oh, of course. Vivian mentioned that you were a witch.”