First Down (Beyond the Play, #1)(29)

“Will your brothers be there?”

“Not Cooper, unfortunately. He has a game in Vermont. But Seb will be there, and my parents.”

I nearly choke on my drink. “James.”

“What? You’ll like them.” He leans in a bit, dropping his voice even lower. “Even fake girlfriends can meet the folks.”

“What about friends?” I whisper back.

For some reason, that makes him brush his lips against my forehead. “Definitely.”

His kiss unleashes a cloud of butterflies in my belly. I’ve been trying to ignore it—especially when he crossed over the line—but it’s useless. Something about my body reacts to his in a way it does for no one else. I want to feel his lips on mine. His hands. When he brushed my skin as he zipped up my dress earlier, I had to press my legs together to relieve the ache his touch inspired.

If his kisses are anything to go by, he would be amazing in bed. If only I’d be capable of keeping it casual, I’d be all over him. We’d never work as a couple, but as a hookup?

“You’re staring,” I tell him.

He grins. “Sweetheart, you stared first.”

Crap. That was probably true.

He puts his hand on my thigh. It’s underneath the table, so no one can see; it’s not for the benefit of the server or the nosy couple. It’s very clearly for one person—me.

I swallow. His gaze flickers down to my throat and lower before settling back on my face. His hand, which covers my thigh easily, squeezes lightly. “Don’t try to make this any more or less than it can be,” he says.

I nod.

“Don’t leave me tonight, baby. Stay.”

I shouldn’t say yes. I should keep the boundary between us as airtight as possible. Because this scares me. This could so easily lead to deeper feelings, and I’ll be the one looking foolish again the second James finds someone he truly wants to be with or decides he doesn’t need our deal anymore.

Before him, I had no trouble doing the smart thing. Now? I make decisions I shouldn’t left and right. Like asking someone my body aches for to pretend to date me.

Yet the streak continues; I nod. I lean in. I press a lingering kiss to his mouth, promising him—and myself—something I have no business offering.

But in this moment, with candlelight shining on the table and James’ ocean eyes on mine, I don’t care.





17





BEX





The second we get in the house, James hauls me over his shoulder. I shriek at him to mind the dress, which just makes him laugh. Thrown unceremoniously over his shoulder, I’m aware of every single one of his muscles. This is why athletes are the best; their bodies are toned to perfection. He steadies me by cupping his hand on my ass, making me shiver as he climbs the stairs.

Hopefully Cooper is super into Crime and Punishment. It would be just my luck if he came out just in time to see James drag me, caveman-style, to his lair. I knew he was working up to something; he kept his hand on my upper thigh the whole ride home.

I might be a teeny bit thrilled I’m affecting someone so much. This is going to blow up in my face, but I’m resigned and determined to have fun first.

“You’re being barbaric, you know.”

He laughs. “Don’t pretend you don’t like it.”

“You don’t know what I like.” I punctuate that by pinching his back. I’d think it didn’t bother him at all, if not for the way he tightens his grip on my butt. “We’re only fake dating, remember?”

“Vividly.” He practically kicks open the door. My tote bag is in the exact same place it had been when we went to dinner. I’d expected to change out of the dress, grab it, and book it home to watch a couple episodes of New Girl before falling asleep. This is… different.

I could stop it all right now. Tell him that we can’t.

But I don’t. Instead, I let him set me down on the edge of the bed, a surprisingly gentle juxtaposition to the whole carrying situation. He shrugs out of his suit jacket, draping it over the back of his desk chair, and to my surprise, kneels before me.

My hands find his shoulders, smoothing over the fabric of his shirt. “James?”

He runs his hand down my leg, all the way to my ankle, and undoes the strap of my heel. I moan a bit as he takes off the shoe; they’ve been pinching my toes all evening. He does the same for the other shoe, setting them both aside gently.

“And just like that, you’re fun-size again.”

I hit his shoulder lightly. “Rude.”

“What if I told you I prefer you this way?”

“Do you?”

He presses a kiss to the inside of my thigh, right at the hemline of the dress. “You ought to know by now that I’m not big on lying.”

I can’t stop the smile from crossing my lips.

He keeps his mouth right where it is, speaking against my skin. “We can do this. We’re obviously attracted to one another.”

“Once to get it out of our systems, and then we can just be friends.”

He looks up at me. “Exactly.”

My body is already aching for him. In the position we’re in, he could so easily slide his head up my skirt and taste me.

If he did, I wouldn’t push him away. Not right now. Now, I refuse to think about the future. I meant what I said earlier—we’re not the same—but attraction doesn’t care about that.