Festive Faking (Rust Canyon #1)

by Siena Trap

It was borderline pathetic that I was still a virgin at twenty-six, and it didn’t look like that would be changing anytime soon. Fuck my life.

Buckle up, buddy. You’re riding shotgun on this game of festive faking.

“You’re gonna need to tone this down before we land because there’s no way anyone is gonna believe I brought home some entitled pretty boy who’s never gotten his hands dirty a day in his life.”

“You think I’m pretty?” “Pretty annoying,” she shot back like we were slinging insults back and forth on a school playground.

The first time I saw him, I thought he was the hottest man I’d ever seen. Then he went and ruined it by opening his mouth.

“I was young once myself, you know, and I’m under no illusions that my daughter and the man she’s brought home aren’t intimately acquainted.”

Oh my God, I was going to pass out. His scent surrounded me, making my head swim and my vision blur.

“Honey, you don’t need to be embarrassed about being affectionate with your boyfriend. To be honest, it’s nice to see a man staring at my baby girl like she’s hung the moon.”

“The way he held you in the kitchen? Took me back to when your daddy and I first fell in love. Those early days are full of excitement, and you are so wrapped up in each other that the world could be burning down around you and you wouldn’t notice. You should enjoy it because that feeling doesn’t last forever.”

“Love changes and matures as you do. It becomes deeper, a part of your soul. Intimacy is less about tearing each other’s clothes off and more about closeness and connection.”

I might not have much personal experience with sex, but I’d sure read my fair share of romance novels.

“If that boy doesn’t get his head screwed on straight soon, some other guy is gonna swoop in and steal her right out from under his nose. Then, he’ll be sorry.” I could have sworn I heard Mac mutter under his breath, “Maybe I should just tell her how I feel.” Who was he secretly pining after?

“The idea was for Tripp and Penny to find themselves beneath it, but you two will do just fine.” Tripp groaned. “Meemaw, we’re just friends.” She waved him off. “You keep trying to sell that story, but nobody’s buying.”

First sex, and now drugs. What’s next? Rock and roll?

“Why do I get a feeling this is going to be an event this town never forgets?” she remarked wryly, face tilted toward the ceiling to hide her smile. “Because it features me. Duh.” My playful scoff had several of the ladies stifling giggles.

Even though she was out of earshot, I lowered my voice as I shared a secret with her mother. “I’m the one who’s trying to hold onto her.”

Because she’s special, and you know it. You’ve never met anyone like her, and if you let her go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.

Sure, there were beautiful wonders to be seen, but the further you went, the more you realized how truly insignificant your existence was. The centuries-old monuments only served as a reminder that millions had come before you and millions more would come after you—your time on this Earth was barely a blip in time.

It took everything in me not to throw her over my shoulder in my rush to get her alone.

“I plan to have my hands and mouth on every part of your body tonight, Aspen. That means you are entitled to the same when it comes to mine.”

I promise to have you naked and on your knees, telling you what a good girl you are while my cock is stuffed so far down your throat you’re gagging.”

You jerk a guy off through his clothes one time and, all of a sudden, you’re a cum slut.

“If you taste half as good as you smell, Freckles, I might have to check into rehab tomorrow. Because I’m gonna be addicted.”

“Hold on, let’s take a step back and think about this rationally, Aspen. If you don’t let me refuel, I won’t have enough energy to do that thing with my tongue you like so much.” A cocky grin accompanied that final statement.

“Love is scary.” My head whipped up at the words. Rose’s eyes grew glassy, and her voice thickened. “It doesn’t come with a guarantee. Sometimes, it’s cut short, leaving you in so much pain that you’re left wondering if you were better off without it. But if you’re lucky, you have enough memories to remind you that it was worth it, and you’d do it all again, even if you knew how much it would hurt when it was gone.”

“Hate to break it to you, honey, but I’m itching to fuck you all the time, even when you’re fully clothed.”

“Gonna have to double my efforts tonight to ensure you don’t have a voice in the morning.” Merry Christmas to me.

“You’ve got that right, honey. Most girls would be having a private moment in a quiet library, and I’d turn tail to avoid entangling myself in their drama. Most girls don’t make me smile by simply walking into a room. Most girls don’t know what it’s like to fall asleep in my arms. And if all of that’s not enough, most girls don’t know and probably wouldn’t like the guy I am when you strip away the wealth and connections my last name provides. You are the furthest thing from most girls, Aspen Sullivan.”

“Want me to get down on my knees, honey?”