‘Yeah, it’s a good one this week,’ Jacob went on. ‘The Duke’s Fake Fiancée. It’s a marriage-of-convenience story.’
Daisy swallowed hard. Were they messing with her?
‘He has to marry her to save her reputation.’
‘That sounds… ridiculous,’ Daisy said, gripping tight to Elliot’s hand again. The poor man was going to have her fingernail marks all over him by the end of today.
Do not think about where else your fingernail marks could go.
Do. Not.
‘Ridiculously sexy!’ Isabel added with a laugh. Damn it, could everyone here read her mind?!
‘That part where she convinces him to give herlessons!’ The way Kaori said ‘lessons’ made it very clear they were not of the horseback-riding variety. And honestly, it was all reminding Daisy a little too much of the offer she made to help Elliot practice dating.
Not that she meant practicethat.
She was sure Elliot didn’t need any practice with… not horseback riding.
He’d been married. She was sure he’d already had plenty of practice.
He was probably very good at it…
‘We have to go!’ She nearly shouted the words, and the book club looked at her in alarm. ‘I mean, we have plans.’ She forced another smile. ‘So, we should go. Now. Sorry. Maybe next time!’
She dragged Elliot from the bookstore like it was on fire. It may as well have been, with how hot she suddenly felt. Was it unseasonably warm today? It felt unseasonably warm.
‘You okay?’ Elliot asked with a bemused smile as Daisy stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to tug her sweater over her head.
‘Fine,’ she answered from inside it. She was all tangled up now, her left arm stuck, and she couldn’t get it over her head. She let out a little growl and then felt Elliot’s hands on her arms.
‘Hold still,’ he laughed. ‘Let me just…’ He pulled the sleeve, and the sweater came free, her hair flying up in a static-y mess around her head. Elliot ran his big hands over her hair in an attempt to calm it and instead set off little electric shocks zipping around her ears.
From the static.
Not from his touch.
It was science.
Shut up, brain.
‘There,’ he said, still standing too close, his hands resting gently on her shoulders. ‘All better.’
‘Right. Thank you.’
‘You sure you’re okay?’ he asked, peering down at her with concern. She must look insane dragging him out of there like that and then promptly getting trapped in her own clothing. Had thinking about sex with Elliot really gotten her that twisted? Yes, yes it had.
‘We don’t have to go up to the farm. I didn’t mean to agree without talking to you. It’s just me and my history-nerd stuff… hard to resist.’
‘It’s fine. I’m actually excited to go.’
‘Okay, good.’ His brow furrowed between his glasses, giving him a stern-professor vibe. Like, maybe she was in trouble. Maybe she had to stay after class…
What the hell was wrong with her?!
‘So, is there another reason you just got in a fight with your sweater and now you’re staring at me like I just grew horns?’
She laughed, sounding just as unhinged as she felt. ‘Nope! All is good! You do not have horns.’ She patted his head like an idiot and tried to turn and walk toward the pub to get their lunch, but Elliot’s fingers wrapped gently around her biceps, holding her in place.
