“Knew what?” I asked, my voice tight with curiosity.
Noah met my gaze, his eyes softening as a gentle smile tugged at his lips. “I knew that anyone who got to be with youwould be the luckiest person alive. Too bad it took us so long to get here.”
“But you’re both here now,” Francesca said with a smile.
When Noah smiled, the freckles on his face moved. Like stars in the night sky, searching for their next home above us. And when I smiled back at him, I think they found a place to call permanent. Because that smile didn’t leave his face for a long while. Based on the way my cheeks hurt, mine didn’t either.
It was a while until we were alone again. I would’ve counted time with my pulse, but it had been fluttering out of control all night.
I should probably get that checked.
We were sailing back to land, and we were likely not far from returning to harbor. In the back of the boat, it was the two of us facing each other, proud looks on our faces. “I think we successfully fooled everyone today,” I said. “Did you get any photos of us?”
Noah stared at me, confused.
“You need to post a bunch of photos tonight, remember? Jennifer thinks we’re together, so she’s going to expect you to post about us.” I paused. “And me too, I guess.”
“Right.” It dawned on him, but he didn’t look happy about it. Odd, considering his life consisted of photos on social media. “Scoot in for a selfie.”
I did. He held his phone out in front of us, the selfie camera on. He hooked his free arm around my shoulders and flashed a smile. A real one. It would no doubt stand out against the gimmicky grins he usually posted.
After, I tried to glimpse the phone to see how the photo turned out, but Noah slipped it into his back pocket. I reached for it, but he grabbed my hand.
“Are you trying to grab my ass?” he asked, fake-scandalized. “In public?”
“Maybe I need to remind everyone here who my fake boyfriend fake belongs to.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “There’s no one around us.”
“Right. We are alone.” I acted disappointed. “Guess there’s no claim staking needed.”
The reminder did something to me. Lit a new fire inside my belly, one that could only be doused by stepping closer to Noah. I suspected he felt the same heat because he stepped toward me until our chests were brushing.
He leaned in closer and I stood dangerously still, not wanting to disturb the moment. The steady waves brushing against the boat. The twinkling stars in the sky.
Logical me saidyou idiot, didn’t you just tell yourself this would be a bad idea?
Horny me saidfuck it, kiss him anyways.
Noah’s nose brushed against mine, and that was it. I was a goner. If you had asked me a year ago if I would ever be desperate for a kiss from Noah Hansley, I would have died of laughter. Now I might die if he didn’t kiss me.
He stepped a hair closer.
Then his ankle buckled and he tumbled overboard.
12
NOAH
The first thing I noticed when I hit the water was how much my ankle hurt, which shouldn’t be my highest priority considering I’d just fallen over the railing of a boat. While about to kiss the girl I was fake dating. And my phone was in my pocket.
Fuck.
The cold water enveloped me instantly. The chill sent a jolt through my muscles, making me gasp as I sank beneath the surface. I kicked my legs frantically, bubbles swirling around me as I fought my way back up.
Breaking through the surface, I frantically inhaled all the oxygen I could. Wet hair plastered against my forehead. The boat loomed above me, and I could just make out Macey’s panicked voice yelling my name.
I treaded water, keeping my head above the surface. Thankfully, I was a decent enough swimmer, as the waves catapulting from the boat would be strong enough to pull a weaker swimmer under.
