Page 32 of A Little Jaded
I don’t miss the way he doesn’t acknowledge my assessment, but I give in anyway, letting him steer the conversation where he wants as long as it doesn’t involve Mav or any of his family—myfamily.
Carefully, I ask, “What kind of rules?”
“For starters, you can’t flinch anytime I try to touch you.”
“I don’t?—”
He reaches for my face, and I shy away, causing his mouthto twitch. “You do.” Gently, he reaches for me again, and I force my body to stay still as he tucks a few strands of my hair behind my ear. Satisfied, he keeps his hand in place and nods. “Don’t get me wrong. I get it. But if we’re gonna convince your ex this is real, it needs to look real.”
I nod.
“I’m gonna have to touch you,” he repeats.
I nod again.
“And you’re going to have to look like you like it.” His icy blue eyes darken. “Like you want me to touch you.”
I force my head to bob once more and gulp.
“I also need you to understand this isn’t real.”
Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I answer, “Not a problem.”
“You sure?”
I nod. “Trust me, after everything I’ve been through, I’m swearing off men altogether, but yes. I think I can handle a few fake touches.”
“So if I do this…” He moves even closer until the smell of his musky sweat tickles my nostrils. He should stink. Every guy stinks after he works out. But Everett? I don’t know what it is, and I don’t know how I feel about it, but a not-so-small part of me wants to lean closer. To breathe him in.
Those icy blues shoot straight to my lower stomach as he dips his head, keeping his eyes on mine.
Is he going to kiss me? He wouldn’t. There aren’t any witnesses, and he just said this isn’t real, but if that’s the case?—
His bottom lip grazes my top one, being careful not to brush against my still-healing split bottom lip. Heat floods to where he touches me, making my face feel hot and leaving me lightheaded as I force myself to stay still. To not pull away. Not because it’s unpleasant, but because…because I’m curious. If this is how he kisses all his conquests, even his real ones. Soft. Controlled. Calculated. Pleasant, even. Hell, if I wasn’t so jaded, I might even be interested in a guy like him. He’s kind of surly, sure. But there’s something about him. The way he watches me. All too aware of my every move. Every breath. Every?—
He pulls away and drops his hand from my chin. “So you will let me touch you,” he decides. “Good. Maybe we’ll be able to pull this off after all.”
A small part of me wants to call him an ass for kissing me under the guise of a test when there aren’t any witnesses, but I bite my tongue.
Not. Real.
Right.
“What do I owe you?” I ask.
He scoffs. “Not making you pay for this.”
“I want to.”
“Not gonna happen,” he repeats.
“What’s in it for you?” I flinch back, surprised by my annoyance, until I realize I need an answer if I want this to work. “I only mean…if you won’t let me pay you, what do you get out of this?”
“Who says I need to get anything out of it?”
“I don’t know? Every guy on the planet?”
“Maybe I’m not like those guys.”