Well, that’s just unacceptable. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to make sure she has any and everything she desires.
With her gaze firmly on where our hands are linked, Ivy speaks softly. I’m too enamored with the pink dusting her cheeks that it takes a moment before her words land. But when they do, they knock my heart around. “I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone like him before.”
Mum and Darcy share a look I can’t interpret. Behind us, the attendant locks the door, shutting me in with the two most important women in my life and one I’ll be lucky to have, if I can manage not to fuck this up.
CHAPTER16
TIME TO IMPROVISE
IVY
It getsrealquiet during take-off. I might be digging my nails into Lincoln’s arm right now, but it’s hard to tell because I’m trying to listen to the safety instructions over the sound of my heart pounding in my throat.
How am I supposed to play this? When Lincoln showed up at my door and asked me out, I’d hoped that maybe… but now his family is here, and he obviously never told them we broke up (boy, would that make this three times more awkward), so… what is this? A date? An audition? Payback?
It’s my fault he has to pretend to date me, after all.
Lincoln, looking unbelievably sexy in dark denim and a buttery soft T-shirt, covers my hand with his, but doesn’t pry it off like I’m expecting. Instead, he leans over and kisses my forehead. It’s so sweet, so comforting, that no, I can’t picture him planning this as petty revenge.
I wasn’t the only one surprised to see Darcy and Astrid onboard.
It’s just, this was so much easier at the masquerade when I was playing someone else. Less chance of getting hurt.
“So, Ivy,” Darcy says, leaning forward and pinning me with the sharp stare I now recognize as a family trait. No wonder their family is formidable. Her hair is darker than Lincoln’s, flicking out in a thick wave, but it’s the black nail polish that surprises me. “Tell me everything. How did you two meet?”
“You remember Emma,” Lincoln says, and Darcy lights up.
“Of course! Oh, I’ve been meaning to get in touch since I heard about her parents selling the house. How is she? It’s been ages.”
Emma’s a topic that requires no falsifying. I’m lucky to have a friend like her. “She’s great. Kicking ass at work, and it’s a long story, but she’s completely in love. It’s almost disgusting.”
Darcy flashes me a wry smile. “She probably says the same thing about you two.”
“Anyway,” I say, breezing on past that land mine. I should stop the charade. I’m not sure why Lincoln never told them the truth, but is it really even my life if I’m not embroiled in a deeply one-sided fantasy relationship? I might as well enjoy the perks while they last. “Lincoln surprised us at her parents’ farewell party and left an impression.” All true. “He’s not shy about going after what he wants, and what can I say? He’s a hard man to resist, but also surprisingly sweet when he wants to be. After that, it was easy to fall for him.”
“Yes, he’s always been that way,” Darcy says, and I feel Lincoln tense under my palm.
Perhaps making up a whole backstory for us is making it worse, but then, he’s not exactly setting anyone straight.
Hoping he’ll feel the apology in it, I thread our fingers together. “Oh, trust me, I thought for sure he’d get bored with me at some point?—”
“Impossible,” he says, and the blush that rushes to my cheeks is 100 percent real. “It’s me who has to worry about keeping you entertained.”
“You won’t have to try hard. There’s nothing about you I don’t like,” I admit.
Darcy pulls a camera out of her bag, a brick of a thing that means serious business. There’s easily a couple grand in her manicured hands, and then I remember I’m sitting on a private plane. So silly of me to forget.
“You two are adorable. I have to get a photo.”
“Darcy,” Lincoln says again, a whole sentence distilled into one word. He’s good at that.
“Just one kiss. It’ll be great. You’ve had her to yourself for a whole year, Lincoln. Don’t be greedy.”
She’s smiling knowingly. I can’t tell if she’s buying this or not, so even though I know my heart is going to read all the wrong things into this, I curl my hand around his jaw and pull Lincoln in for a kiss.
I only mean for to be short and sweet, a simple meeting of lips. Demure. Safe for familial consumption. But the moment he presses his mouth to mine, once, then again, a little firmer, lightning shoots through me, all the way to my toes.
It’s so tender, my heart aches. Like he can’t get enough. Like there’s no one he’d ever want to kiss but me. It’s overwhelming in all the best ways, and I already know no other kiss will live up to it.
