Twin Fantasies by Opal Carew

His words made no sense to her.  Then her blood turned cold. His mother’s comment, a comment that had made no sense, trickled through her consciousness.
     
    Why is your brother kissing your wife-to-be? The
    meaning of those words danced in and out of her mind, ultimately eluding her. Somehow, the consequences seemed too threatening, too frightening even to consider.  Slowly, she turned sideways, toward the voices. An elegant elderly woman stared at her with intense gray-blue eyes full of curiosity. Holding her elbow was a very irate-looking Ryan.
     
    Ryan!
     
    A sick feeling bubbled through her stomach and she felt as if she was going to throw up. She turned her head back to face the man she’d just been kissing.
     
    Ryan. Jake?
     
    “Oh, God.” The words trickled from her in a very small, tight voice. Her fingers clamped down, clutching the fine wool fabric of his suit sleeves.
     
    She glanced from one Ryan to the other, feeling faint. Suddenly, the whole situation became clear. The man who held her in his arms, who’d just kissed her with such passion—whom she’d just kissed with such passion—was not her beloved fiance, but a complete stranger.
     
    “Oh, God,” she uttered again, as she remembered her fantasy lover. A complete stranger.
     
    Tears prickled at her eyes. The air around her felt thick and heavy, almost impossible to breathe. The light seemed to fade and her knees turned to rubber. She felt arms tighten around her as consciousness fled into the waiting darkness.
     
    JAKE’S HEART SANK and a numbness claimed his body as he slipped his arm under her legs and lifted the unconscious woman into his arms. Her head fell against his shoulder.  He couldn’t believe it. Aurora was actually Jenna. Ryan’s wife-to-be.
     
    Cindy rushed toward him. She took Jenna’s hand and patted it frantically.
     
    “Oh, no, she’s fainted.” Cindy’s hand clamped around Jake’s arm. “Let’s get her somewhere she can lie down.” She led him forward but Ryan stepped in front of them.  His hands planted firmly on his hips, he leaned toward them slightly.
     
    “What the hell did you think you were doing?” Ryan demanded. Fierce anger stormed in his eyes.  Jake faced his brother’s barely contained rage, suppressing a little anger of his own. Jake had fallen in love with Aurora—Jenna, he reminded himself—only to find out she was going to marry his brother. How could he not be angry at the man responsible for stealing his happiness?  “Ryan, I didn’t know she was your fiancee,” he said through gritted teeth. “Do you really think I would have kissed her if I’d known?” Impatience shimmered in his words.  Cindy planted a hand on each of their shoulders and held the distance between them.
     
    “Look, you two,” she scolded. “Right now you need to think about Jenna. Deal with your own issues later.”
     
    Ryan glared at his brother and forked out his arms. “She’s my fiancee. I’ll carry her.”
     
    Reluctantly, Jake placed Aurora—Jenna—in his brother’s arms. Her head lolled to the side, resting against Ryan’s chest.  A shock of jealousy burned through Jake at the sight.  A large, burly man in a tuxedo appeared, wringing his hands together.
     
    “Is Miss Kerry alright?” The concern in his accented voice was clear.
     
    Cindy drew the man through the gathering crowd of people surrounding them.
     
    “Ryan, you remember Mr. Deluse, the catering manager?” Ryan nodded his head, barely turning his glare from his brother. Cindy turned back to Mr. Deluse.
     
    “Do you have somewhere we can take her?” “Yes, of course.” He gestured toward the door. “Gentlemen, please follow me.”
     
    He led them toward the elevators, then past them through a door to a service elevator. He inserted a key, then summoned the elevator. Ryan tapped his foot as they waited. Finally, the door slid open and they stepped inside. Mr. Deluse took them down to the lobby level, then led