“You’re not my—no one will buy that.”
She’s pretty when she’s flustered. Her cheeks turn pink as she tries to speak all her thoughts at once. I find myself smiling again, a chuckle huffing out of me.
“Why wouldn’t they?” I counter.
“They just wouldn’t. They’ll see through it in an instant. We’re too different. You’re—you,” she insists, licking her lips as her gaze lingers on my mouth, dipping down my jaw to my shoulders, landing on my hands rubbing together to keep them warm. She trails off for a moment, watching the prominent veins on the back of them. “And I’m… Well, we’re just not compatible. Hello, the age old jock and nerd divide.”
“Divide?” I swipe a hand over my mouth to hide my amusement. “Sounds serious.”
“Exactly. I’m glad you understand. Thanks again for your help.” With a decisive nod, she spins on her heel and continues down the sidewalk. Grudgingly, she adds, “See you around.”
I catch up before she gets far and fall into step with her effortlessly. “So, I’ll text you a ticket if that works for you.”
She jolts. “Have you taken too many pucks to the head? Falls on the ice? Maybe you’ve had your face smashed into those big windows that keep you separate from the audience and are suffering long-term concussive effects.”
“The glass and the boards,” I supply. “Do you want an extra ticket so you can bring a friend? Just not a guy. I get jealous easily. The boards wouldn’t stop me if my girlfriend showed up with someone else.”
She gapes at me, failing to suppress a shiver at the gravelly edge I let creep into my playful warning. “Why? I don’t even know you.”
Part of me is wondering the same thing. Yet the protectiveness I felt is undeniable. My gut tells me this is the right call to make.
I lay a hand over my chest. “Don’t be like that. I’ve been your brother’s best friend for the last five years. I’ve been to your house. Heard you baby talk to your dog.”
Her eyes go round and her mouth pops open. “This is insane, though.” She drops her voice to a whisper. “Who pretends to date? Outside of books where this would make sense, this will go all wrong. A nerd and a hockey player? It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Your dance is in two weeks, right? We’ll keep this easy and fake it until then.” I lift my brows. “I want to do this for you. If word gets around on campus that you’re dating me, people will back off. Win-win. You get to plan your fancy dance in peace.”
Lainey stares at me with wide brown eyes. “You really have taken too many hits to the head.”
I laugh at her hushed words. “I’m a man who goes after what he wants, that’s all. Are we doing this?”
Lainey throws her hands up. “You know what? Fine. I have too much to do to stand here arguing with you about this all day.” She closes the small distance between us and prods at my chest with a finger. “The only way I’m agreeing to this crazy plan is if you’ll stay out of my way.Andyou have to break the news to my brother if you’re insisting I go to that party. If I do it, he’ll know we’re lying to everyone.”
I grin in triumph. “Deal. One more thing.”
“What else could there be?” A worried look crosses her face like she’s in the deep end before we’ve started this.
Smirking, I pass a sweeping glance over her head. A few more people have spotted me. It’s the perfect opportunity to get things going. Rubbing the thick sleeves of her knit sweater, I capture her gaze, feeling out how far she’s comfortable to take this. When I slip an arm around her waist, she stiffens awkwardly, but allows it. With the same careful slowness and gentleness, I trace the soft curve of her face.
I tilt her chin up, enjoying the way her beautiful heart-shaped lips part. “Can I kiss you?”
“You—what?” she breathes, remaining frozen. “Now? Why?”
Because for some reason, I want to.
“Couples kiss. It’ll make it easier to sell this if we go all in with it,” I explain. “I don’t do shit by halves.”
Four years ago, I stayed with the Bouchers in the summer before Theo and I were due at the hockey camp I met him at. I ran into her in the middle of the night when I got up for a drink. She was wide awake, a book tucked under her arm with her place held by a second book sandwiched between the pages, the bottom of an old oversized Flyers hoodie skimming her long bare legs. She was completely lost in her own world and I stood there watching until she left, not once aware of me hovering in the shadows at the edge of the kitchen.
The memory strikes me as I stare at her. I thought about what it would be like to kiss her then, even though her brother would lose it if I tried anything.
I forgot about the fleeting encounter until now. It was the only time I was really conscious of her in the time I’ve been friends with Theo.
But I think that would put her defenses up if I was honest. She’s got a whole thing about how she sees herself in another world than me.
Dipping my head, I ghost a question over her lips. “You want two weeks of peace, don’t you? Let me help. It’s just a kiss.”
Her eyes flicker. “Can I ask you something first?”
