Between Desire and Denial: A Fake Dating Romance (Hardy Billionaires)

The next morning, I rolled over, ready to tell Dimitri we had to talk about the society.

Except the man who could sleep in for an hour after me was gone. And I felt the stress of it all weigh down on me as I stared at his empty space. I’d been doing so well with working at the salon and then coming home to practice calligraphy and look at my thesis notes.

But Lucille and Jameson had jumbled up my thoughts on my thesis now.

My relationship with Dimitri was all jumbled too.

I stared at the dresser which hid the leatherbound book. How would I tell him about the syndicate? I got up to stare at the people outside my window. How would I explain that I didn’t think Lucille was a danger and that Jameson only wanted what was best for his daughter?

Did I even believe that?

I squinted when I saw a truck with a trailer packed with a lawn mower and gardening tools parked out front. It must have been the lawn service Dimitri hired. I didn’t know why my stomach turned at the thought of them here now. Like I couldn’t take care of my home myself. Mine. In my community. The one I should be learning about and taking care of and helping to flourish.

I touched the necklace and thought of my mother’s words. They were getting to me. Or maybe Lucille’s words were … and maybe Dimitri was too. The idea that I needed to do this, to take care of the lawn myself, suddenly burned in my gut before I stomped over to the closet and threw on some shorts and a sports bra. It was going to be a hot day, but I was going to do this myself either way.

I hurried down the stairs and whipped open the doors. “You all can stop working on the lawn.”

Two men looked up and the other didn’t even hesitate to walk the mower back over to his truck. “Do as the lady says,” he told his colleagues.

“I’ll make sure to reimburse you for—”

“We’ve been paid through the year.”

“Oh, right. Well, how about you come once a month to clean up anything I have missed?”

“Okay?” He dragged out the word and rubbed at a bit of dirt on his chin. “You own this home?”

“Yes, with my boyfriend, Dimitri Hardy. He’ll confirm. Anyway, would you like some lemonade before you head out?”

“Sure.” He smiled big.

But his friend nudged him and grumbled, “Dude, Dimitri ain’t going for this.”

“I got plans with my girl tonight. I’m leaving if she lets us,” he responded back.

Of course I was listening to the whole conversation as they followed me inside. “You should pick her some flowers before you see her,” I offered.

“Good idea.” He smiled and it lit up the room as I gave them some sparkling lemonade that we’d stocked from our last grocery visit.

“I appreciate you all coming by,” I told them before they left with no argument. I pushed the flower behind my ear in a bit further and smiled to myself, excited to get a workout, smell a fresh-cut lawn, and quiet the thoughts in my mind with the loud mower.

Except we didn’t have a lawn mower when I looked in the garage because … why would we? We were going to move.

I shoved that thought down and waved to Lucille across the street as she sat out on her porch. “You have a mower I can borrow?”

She smirked. “You even know how to turn one on?” she quipped before opening her garage. She then yelled to Jameson. “Olive’s going to mow the lawn.”

He was out on his porch as well, looking at a newspaper in a rocking chair. Making eye contact with him was a bit difficult after what I’d done last night, but when he frowned at me, my embarrassment turned to determination. “What? You don’t think I can, Jameson?”

He rolled his eyes and rocked away. “I’m going to enjoy watching this.”

“Jameson!” I frowned at him, not sure if he was making a comment about last night.

“I’m being honest.” He shrugged, sipping his morning coffee.

“Don’t you ever work?”

“On sabbatical.” He smiled like he might never go back to work just to irritate me. “Had to fire Franny’s last nanny so I figured some time with her would be great. Plus, I had to figure out some things here anyway.”

My eyes narrowed. “How’s that figuring out coming?”

“Why don’t you just mow the lawn?”

“You’re really going to watch me mow the lawn?”

“You betcha.” He waved us on, and Lucille waved back.

“I just have to get it out of the garage.” She disappeared for a minute and then came back. I looked at the mower and she chuckled. “Here’s how to get it started.” She explained how to fire it up and stop it. “Good luck.” She winked at me, and I scoffed. I couldn’t believe none of them thought I could do this.

I had mowed a lawn before. It was probably only once or twice when Kee and I were traveling and we’d stayed at a friend’s. I’m pretty sure it was more of a dare sort of thing. I wasn’t that much of a princess though. I could handle this.

I smiled big when I found the primer that Lucille told me about. It didn’t seem to be doing anything, but I grabbed the handlebar and yanked the string thing with my other hand and it revved to life.

I glanced up at Lucille who was clapping and then at Jameson who was giving me a thumbs-up. I was so proud that I got right to work by engaging the other handle that supposedly helped to propel the mower forward.

A small chore like this brought me such joy that I didn’t even notice I’d conquered half the lawn until I heard, “Olive. Cut the mower! Why are you mowing the fucking lawn?”

Hearing his voice over the mower meant Dimitri was yelling. The man never truly yelled at anyone. I heard him on the phone talking sternly, but he had such an even keel nature, that was as harsh as he got—except when he was talking dirty to me.

I tried not to consider what it would be like if he was really angry and talking dirty as I turned to see him standing in his three-piece suit. The scowl on his face made him look powerful and dangerous. I wanted him even more now.

Truly, my body was starting to be completely disconnected from any logical way of thinking. I knew he wasn’t good for me, yet he was all I craved every single part of every single day.

I turned off the mower and took a deep breath. Then I swiped away some of the sweat on my brow before turning around to face him. “You concerned about your girlfriend when you’re at work?”

I glanced around just so he was aware there may be an audience. “Work?” He frowned and then shook his head like he didn’t seem concerned about that. “I hired a lawn service, Honeybee.”

“I know. I invited them in for lemonade and then told them they could go home.’ I didn’t think Dimitri would mind that I canceled the lawn service. What did he care as long as it was done?

Yet, his stare was vicious as he said, ‘And they just left?”

“Well, what did you expect them to do? Stay?”

He growled, “Get inside now.”

“Dimitri, the lawn is only half done and—”

“You won’t be finishing the lawn. I hired those men to do a job. I expected them to do it, not let my girlfriend do it instead.”

“Guess the show’s over,” Jameson announced as he stood from his chair on the porch. “See you on Tuesday, Olive?”

“If you see her, you’ll also be seeing me,” Dimitri made it known. “Happy to have lunch with you too, Jameson.”

Jameson cracked his knuckles but didn’t say another word for the time being.

‘You’re being absolutely ridiculous right now. I can mow a lawn and go to lunch by myself.” I spun back to the lawn mower and turned it on.

He stomped over, balanced the two cups he was holding in one hand, and turned the mower off. “I was getting you a coffee. And you’re not mowing the damn lawn.”

“Okay … well, you weren’t even home,” I pointed out and crossed my arms. “Is this some weird male thing?”

He walked up and kissed my cheek before handing me the coffees. “Please go set these inside, Honeybee,” he grumbled while unbuttoning his suit jacket. Knowing my lack of control with him, I should have looked away, especially when he undid the top button of his freaking collared shirt.

“What are you doing?” I squeaked, my eyes widening.

“I’m not mowing the lawn in a long sleeve.” He handed me his jacket and collared shirt and then proceeded to take off his undershirt too.

And there he stood in slacks and no shirt on, a billion abs on display for the whole neighborhood to see. He yanked the pull cord of the mower and was off. He buzzed up and down the lawn and not one woman looked away. Not Lucille. Not me. Not Melly. Even Zen stopped to watch as she walked by.

Thankfully, he was much faster than me and was done within twenty minutes. I wasn’t proud to admit that I hadn’t moved the whole time. I leaned against one of our porch posts and tried to keep the hunger in me at bay as the sweat glistened across his chest.

Dimitri Hardy was a perfect specimen with ten million abs, biceps and forearms of steel, and tanned skin that almost shimmered in the sun. There was no way I was leaving him outside by himself while he did this. I understood the need to mark territory now, understood why he maybe didn’t want men watching me while I did manual labor, because watching him was freaking intimate. My body heated and my thighs clenched while I stood there, consciously rigid, trying to not walk up to him and stop the mower.

Finally, he pushed through the last line of grass and the sound of the engine ceased. Right away, Lucille and Melly started walking over. Melly basically had her claws and teeth out, ready to pounce on him. I saw how she sauntered, wearing the shortest shorts ever. I frowned at him. “Great job drawing half the town’s attention by mowing the lawn half naked,” I whisper-yelled at him.

He had no shame as he stuck a finger in the waist of my yoga pants and yanked me close to him. Then he dragged that finger up my stomach as I sucked in a breath. “I could say the same about you. How long did Jameson sit on his porch watching?”

“Dimitri, that’s not the point—”

“It is. I’ll make sure Melly gets the same amount of time because I like that look of jealousy on your face.” One of his dimples showed as he shot me a lopsided smile.

I was about to tell him he was a dick and drag him in by his damn ear, but Lucille called to us, “Yoo-hoo, Dimitri, seems you weren’t at work too long today.” She glanced up meaningfully at our house and winked at him. “What made you come back so soon?”

I looked over and frowned. There, by the corner of our garage—and quite frankly on every corner of the house—I now saw small black security cameras.

“What the hell are those?” I pointed to them and the smile that spread across his face held not one ounce of remorse.

“Cameras. For security, of course.”

“That’s such a good idea,” Melly said in her bubbly fake tone as she bounced over. She would have said anything Dimitri did was a good idea. “I especially like the idea of you adding these on street corners too. It really would add such a feeling of safety for me.”

“You’re talking about installing them throughout the neighborhood?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Yes, Honeybee. Just testing them for now.”

That’s when Jameson decided to add from his porch. “Seems to be something you need approval for.”

“Interesting,” Lucille said softly.

“Awesome. That the only reason you want them on the street corners and around our home?” I lifted a brow and then scowled at him.

He rubbed a hand over his five-o’clock shadow before he responded. “Oh, around our house? Those are to make sure I know what my future wife is doing all the time, Olive. I like watching you. You know this.”