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Nothing except the way I treat her. I can control that, and I can give her what she needs. As long as I do that, I’ll handle whatever pain comes my way.

“West,” she says. “He won’t find out.”

“He can’t.” My hands find the silky fabric at her hips. “This dress. It’s almost nothing.”

“Mhm. I know. I made it out of scraps earlier today.”

“Youmadethis?”

“Yes.”

I find her waist and fit my hands around it. She’s so lithe beneath my touch, and only half a head shorter than me. “You’re so good at what you do.”

“This one was stupidly simple.”

“And you decided to dress half naked and wait in here for me?”

“Maybe I want to practice being a good fake girlfriend,” she says, “and cheer you up. What do you want tonight?”

A good fake girlfriend.I wind my hand into her hair and tip her head back. I kiss the fragrant skin of her neck where I know she likes it. “This is about what you want.”

“I know. But… what if…” Her breath catches, and I know she likes that spot. I suck on her skin harder than I should.“Oh.What if I want to know what you want? What would you do right now, if I was… if this was real?”

“If this was real,” I mutter. “Does this feel real to you?”

“Yes. But you know what I mean,” she says, and I do, and I hate that I do. If she were mine. If this wasn’t all preparation for some other asshole she’ll want to date after this. For the love she wants, the relationship she wants.

All the things I can’t give her.

I grip her thighs and lift her up onto the pool table. Her knees part for me.

“Let me make you feel better.” She’s breathing hard, my mouth still on her neck. Her words close like a fist around me. As if there’s a single moment where being around her doesn’t make me feel better. “Tell me what to do.”

I lift my head, and I’m going to hell, but when she asks me so prettily… “You know what would make me feel better, sweetheart?”

“What?”

“You, naked on this table,” I say, “and my head between your legs. Can you be good and let me make you come?”

CHAPTER37

NORA

He’s standing between my splayed knees, hands on my waist, his honey eyes a deep color. His words make it hard to breathe. Hard to think. “You want to…”

“I want to see you.” His hands slide up my bare thighs.

I’ve never been naked with a man before.

He kisses me again, the deep, searching touches that set heat off like slow-moving honey through my veins. I’ve touched him. He’s seen me half naked, he’s held me as I came… this is what I wanted. This is what I’ve always wanted.

I nod, my lips brushing his. “Yes.”

“I need to know I can trust you.” His hand comes up, plays with the fastening of the silk slip by my neck.

“Trust me?”

“Yes.” He tugs on the knot, and it falls in a ribbon of silk. Goose bumps race over my bare breasts. “That you’ll be honest with me. That you’ll say no, yes, stop or more. To push me away like you’ve practiced so beautifully.” He runs a thumb over my hard nipple, and there’s something drugged about his gaze, his eyes glazed. “Can you do that for me, my clever girl?”