Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 157273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
God help me, it was over before I was ready for it to end.
He lifted his head and looked at me like he’d never seen me before. “We’re done talking, Caroline.” His gaze never left mine.
I couldn’t imagine a lifetime when I would ever tire of looking into his eyes.
“Already gone,” she muttered. Her footsteps faded as Hudson and I stood there staring at each other.
“You kissed me.” His focus shifted to my mouth.
“I kissed you.” My voice dropped to a whisper, and my hands slipped from his face. I’d gone too far. “Are you mad?”
“Mad?” He let go of my waist and retreated a step, putting some space between us. “I’m feeling a lot of things right now, but I’m not sure about anger. Depends on how you answer this: Did you hear that argument?”
“Yes.” Anyone else, I would have hesitated, pondered what answer they wanted to hear, but I’d agreed to tell him the truth.
“Fuck.” He leaned back against the railing and yanked his hat backward. “You kissed me because you were pissed at Caroline.”
“Yes.” The breeze picked up, and I pinned the hem of my sundress to my thighs. “Kind of.”
A family with two young children climbed the steps from the beach and headed for the overlook, stopping to admire the view about ten feet away.
Hudson muttered a curse, then pushed off the railing, grabbing my hand as he walked by. “We’re not having this conversation out here.”
My heart galloped as I followed him down the side of the building, and through the first door he opened. You were playing a role. But was I? Chaotic, complicated feelings rose, and I scrambled to construct the defenses that kept me alive, but it was impossible when my lips still tingled from that kiss.
He dropped my hand and flicked the light switch, illuminating the private shower room with its teal and bright-white tiles, then closed the door and locked it. The sound of the latch reverberated in my head.
We were alone, which meant I had to choose if I was going to play the role and laugh off what just happened or be truthful and give him a genuine piece of me, knowing I might never get it back.
“You heard what she said and wanted to prove a point.” He slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the door.
“Yes.” It was the truth. Mostly.
The muscle in his jaw ticked, and he knocked the back of his head against the door as he looked up at the ceiling.
“I’m guessing this means you’re angry now.” Where had all my earlier bravado fled to? God, it was so much easier when I could tell myself we were pretending, but it felt too real in this little room.
“That was not how our first kiss should have happened.”
“Never thought you were the romantic type.” The joke fell flat.
“I’ve waited eleven years to kiss you.” Inch by inch, he lowered his head, pinning me in place with those sea green eyes. “Eleven years of thinking what it would be like to cross that line, imagining all the ways—” He shook his head. “Did you even want it? Or was it just to prove her wrong?”
“You thought about kissing me for eleven years?” My chest tightened.
“Yes. Did. You. Want. It?” he repeated.
Now was most definitely the time to protect myself and lie. But I couldn’t. Not to Hudson.
“Yes.” My confession echoed off the tile. “Why do you think I got away from you so quickly when we were out there in the water? I’m not supposed to want to kiss you. This is fake, remember?”
“Not right now, it isn’t.” His eyes darkened, and my pulse jumped.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Warmth prickled my cheeks. He’d never looked at me like that before, like I was someone he wanted—no, craved. In fact, I wasn’t sure any of the men I’d been with had ever looked at me with such blatant need.
“It means I want five minutes.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and worked the screen.
“Where we’re pretending what?” I folded my arms and fought to control my racing heart. “That I don’t hate you? That this arrangement is real? What roles are we playing?” Any mask was better than none.
“Five minutes where we don’t pretend. Just you and me.” He showed me the timer and clicked Start. Numbers started flying as it counted down, and he slipped it back into his pocket. “Can you do that?”
“Five minutes.” I fisted handfuls of my sundress just to make sure I wasn’t as naked as I suddenly felt. “Fine. No pretending.”
He nodded. “Now would be the time to leave if you don’t want this.” He pushed off the door and stalked forward slowly, giving me ample time to go. To protest. I did neither.
Lifting my chin, I retreated a step, bumping into the sink as he reached me.