“See it through. Okay…” She hesitated. “So, we’ll date—fake date,” she corrected. “For the long weekend.” I wasn’t sure whether she’d intended it as a statement or a question.
“Exactly.” I held her gaze and her hand a moment longer before straightening.
“You do realize they’ll expect us to hold hands, kiss…” She waited a moment, and I could feel her eyes on me as she processed my reaction. “Do you really think you can be convincing?”
“Yes.” There was no question in my mind.
Was I attracted to Brie? Fuck yes. She was a knockout. She had a head covered in gorgeous curls that bounced when she laughed. The most brilliant smile. And the kindest heart. She was the most beautiful person I knew—inside and out. The problem wouldn’t be convincing everyone else this was real. It would be reminding myself it was all just pretend.
“What about you?” It suddenly felt as if the walls were closing in.
She swallowed hard, loud enough for me to hear it over the heater hissing through the walls of the house. “If you can, I’m sure I can too.”
“Great. See?” I smiled. “We’ll be fine.”
“What about your family?”
“What about them?” I asked, retrieving my dopp kit from my bag.
“Are we going to lie to them too?”
I hadn’t thought of that. Hadn’t thought of anything other than Brie. But, luckily, my family wouldn’t be too much of an issue. “Why would we?”
“You remember who my mom is, right? She’s going to be shouting this news from the rooftops.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing my mom and Dan are in Hawaii. By the time they get home, our relationship will be over.”
“But we’re not breaking up until after we leave, right?”
“Of course not. And I suppose we’ll tell everyone we decided we were better off as friends. Then everything will go back to normal.” My gut churned with unease. I was already dreading it.
She covered her face with her hands. “This is crazy.”
“You know what’s crazy?” I asked, chuckling when she shook her head. “Your sister marrying your ex.”
“Ugh.” She flopped down on the bed, and I tried—and failed—to ignore the curve of her hips, the dip of her back before the swell of her ass in those leggings that clung to her like a second skin. “Fine. You win. We’ll do it.”
I placed my hands on my hips. “You act as if you’re the one doing me the favor,” I teased.
She lifted her head from her arms. “What? Like fake-dating me is such a hardship?”
“It could be. You might snore. You might hog the covers.”
“You know I don’t. And for that, you can sleep on the floor.” She grabbed a pillow and tossed it at me.
I tossed the pillow at her ass. “Oh, hell no. I am not taking the floor.”
She spread her arms and legs, looking like a starfish on the bed. I climbed on the mattress, using my ass to shove her out of the way. She grunted but held firm. At least until I tickled her.
“No fair!” She flipped over, trying to cover her sides while batting my hands away.
I grabbed her by the wrists, using my position to straddle her and tickle her mercilessly. She was laughing, shaking her head, her cheeks pink.
“Stop.” She was breathless, thrashing beneath me, my dick egging me on even though I knew better. “Justin!”
“I’ll stop…” I kept my fingers poised at her side. “If you agree that I can have the bed.”
She met my eyes, her gaze laced with a challenge. “Bite me.”
I smirked, leaning forward to run my nose along her ear. “Gladly.” I nipped at her ear.
She shivered, and I sucked in a hit of her shampoo. She smelled of coconut and summer and a million memories wrapped into that one scent.
Though we’d often wrestled growing up, and even in recent years, this sexual banter was new. I’d never pushed the boundaries this far, and yet, she hadn’t told me to stop or fuck off. If anything, she seemed to want more, at least if the way she shifted beneath me, attempting to rub her thighs together was anything to go by.
“Or…” I ran my nose along her jaw, desperate to be closer to her.
“Or?” She gulped.
“We could share it.”
“I don’t—” She was breathless, her breasts brushing against my chest as she heaved in a rush of air. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“I can keep my hands to myself.”
“Fine,” she huffed, wrapping her legs around my waist and using her strength to flip us so she was on top. Her curls cascaded over me, the neckline of her shirt drooping low enough to give me the perfect view of her breasts. “But I get the side closest to the bathroom.”
At that moment, I would’ve given her anything she wanted. “Sure.”
“Ha-ha!” she exclaimed, thrusting her fist in the air, clearly reveling in her perceived victory.
Secretly, I knew who the real winner was here. She’d climbed on top of me. She’d be sharing a bed with me. If I had my way, our relationship wouldn’t end when this weekend did.
I propped myself up on my elbows, watching as she bent over to rummage in her duffel bag. She had the most perfect ass, and I longed to run my hands over her smooth skin. “You want to take the bathroom first?”
“Oh, so now you’re going to be a gentleman?” she joked, tossing the words over her shoulder.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “When am I ever not a gentleman?”
She shook her head and disappeared inside the bathroom, while I stared at the ceiling and tried to get my raging hard-on under control. This woman was going to be the death of me. I couldn’t live without her, and I had only a few days to convince her how good we could be together.
After she finished getting ready for bed, I stepped into the bathroom, brushing my teeth, changing into my pajamas. When I returned to the bedroom, I found her sitting on the edge of the bed, head in her hands. Shit. She was freaking out.
I knelt to the floor before her, prying her hands away from her face. “Talk to me, Pocket.”
I’d always called her Pocket. From the time we’d met, she’d been so petite, at least compared to me. And I joked that I could carry her around in my pocket. Secretly, nothing would’ve made me happier than having her with me all the time.
“I think we should tell my parents that we aren’t dating. Just…get it over with.”
“And disappoint them.” I shook my head.
“They’re going to be disappointed when we ‘break up,’” she said, complete with air quotes. “We might as well bite the bullet.”
No. No. No. No. I wasn’t going to blow this chance to show her how great we could be as a couple. It was the perfect opportunity. If we were a disaster as a couple, we’d chalk it up to a fake relationship, laugh it off, resume business as usual. But if it worked—if we worked—maybe she’d finally see how good we could be together. Maybe she’d finally be mine.
“First of all, do you really want to admit to your parents—to Evan—that we lied?” She shook her head, and I knew she was on the verge of caving. “It’s only for a few days,” I said, even as I wished for more.