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For now.This wasn’t real. He was putting on a show, that was all. I’d better not forget it.

“You behave and I’ll try to behave,” I said, anger boiling up out of nowhere.

His smile faded.“Do better than try.”

He pressed into me, forcing my curves to mold to him. His mouth covered mine like he owned it, and I reveled in it. I couldn’t think past the feel of his hands holding me, or the spicy, clean scent of him that felt like a drug.

When he finally broke the kiss, I was glad I had the wall at my back.

“What was that?” My heart pounded so hard I couldn’t catch my breath.His smile didn’t help.

“We agreed to act like we were together. Everyone could clearly see we were fighting. Now we kissed and made up.” He nipped at my lower lip before stepping back. “See you in a little while. Don’t forget to smile as you watch me walk away.”

Chapter Twenty-One

I was drinking tea in the kitchen the next morning alone. There was a plate of biscuits and some hot tea, but no people.

Kaden walked in, plucked a half-eaten biscuit off my plate, and began eating it. Somehow that simple action felt as intimate as anything else he’d done so far.

Well, maybe not everything.

“Meet me in the field after you’re done,” he said.

He was acting normal otherwise, like the kiss yesterday was truly just for show.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Not like I had anything to slow me down. The kitchen was a ghost town.

I headed to the field a few minutes later, not surprised we were starting back up. My back was completely healed. Even though I’d tried to reject Kaden’s help, every morning I woke up with fresh grease on my back.

As I walked, the usual dread wasn’t filling me as it had. There could only be one reason: when I’d been standing toe to toe with Mason, even when I agreed to let him hurt me, I hadn’t been scared of him. I’d known I could take care of myself. I’d been frightened for everyone else. There was something about taking on a bully and knocking him on his ass that was slightly liberating.

When I got to the field, Kaden was standing there alone. Where was the new bully? I’d been hoping it was one of the people who’d laughed at Mason’s jokes.

“Where is he?” I asked. Maybe he was late? I hoped it was the guy with the weird tattoo on his forearm. He’d laughed the loudest. I’d really like to lay that one out.

“He?” Kaden asked.

“The new guy, you know, whoever I’m going to fight today. Where is he?” I looked over toward the tree line, waiting for someone to appear.

“We’re not practicing like that anymore,” Kaden said.

“We aren’t?” No one was going to show up? What the hell was wrong with this man? I’d just adjusted to his crazy tactics, decided maybe there might be some sound reasoning behind it, and he pulled the rug out from under me?

I’d felt beyond stressed to my breaking point every time we did it, but there were quite a few people I’d like to lay out at this point. And if they were willing…

“No.” He had thatI’m not going to budgevoice.

I stood there, biting my lip for a second, trying to figure out what he had up his sleeve now. Maybe there was something even better? “Why not?”

“Because I’ve decided that it wasn’t a good idea.”

“No,” I said, trying to sound as dug in as he had. “You need to go get me a bully to volunteer.” I pointed in the direction of the community, in case he was having a memory lapse.

He shook his head, being oddly stubborn, considering this had been his idea from the start.

“But itworked.”

“No, it didn’t. That was to help you defend yourself if the need arose. Instead of doing that, you took a beating as if it were your due. No, we’re regrouping and trying a new tactic.”