Page 23 of A Real Good Lie

They were still holding hands.

“Never what?” Jace asked again.

“I’d never marry for looks,” Callahan said

“I didn’t think you would.”

“No?” Callahan arched a doubtful brow.

“You’re not the type.” Jace cleared his throat and tried to shake his hand out of Callahan’s grip. He didn’t realize how tight he’d been holding on until he let go and the blood flowed back into his fingers. He looked down at his empty hand, pink and red from strain, then he looked up at Jace.

“He’s gone, by the way,” Jace told him. “He went out after we came over.”

“Oh.” Callahan kept staring at his palm. “Right.”

“This one’s mine.” Jace snagged a fancy looking suitcase off the belt and hauled it over the edge of the carousel.

“I like your bag,” Callahan said absentmindedly, reaching for his own suitcase.

“I borrowed it,” Jace admitted. “My roommate.”

“Well, I like it.” Callahan cleared his throat and looked around.

He still felt out of sorts from the kiss and from running into Rhys, and even though he’d spent most of the flight trying to hype himself up to the fact that his pretend boyfriend for the weekend was the man he’d been secretly dreaming of for the past two weeks, he hadn’t gotten himself calmed down yet.

“I’ll be sure to tell him.”

“The car should be waiting.”

Callahan started toward the door, leaving Jace at the baggage carousel. He needed to get outside and get some fresh air, get the smell of eucalyptus out of his nose.

“Hey,” Jace called. “Forgetting something?”

Callahan paused and turned, looking back, his brows knit in confusion. Jace beckoned for him to return, and Callahan dragged his suitcase back with a frown.

“I know this is weird,” Jace said quietly. “But I know you’ve had a boyfriend before, so you know how this works.”

Jace reached for him and dragged his fingers across the top of Callahan’s knuckles.

“You’ve got to at least pretend that you like me.”

“Rhys isn’t here. No one else is here.” Callahan gestured around the empty terminal, eyeing the door.

“Here, okay. But what about at the hotel.” Jace stepped closer. “In a hallway. A secluded corner.”

“I don’t think we should be in secluded corners anymore,” Callahan rasped. His lungs felt too big for his chest but too small to get a breath and Jace was standing so close to him now.

“That’s what boyfriends do.” Jace tipped his head back so his breath ghosted against the sharp line of Callahan’s jaw, making him shiver.

“Boyfriends,” he murmured.

“If you want to be convincing.” Jace dragged his lips against Callahan’s skin. “Convince me.”

“You’re a playboy,” Callahan accused, “a flirt.”

“I’m fun.”

Callahan didn’t feel like he was any fun. There was a knot that had manifested at the base of his spine as soon as he realized who’d sat down beside him on the plane and it hadn’t unfurled. Seeing Rhys had only made it grow larger, and Callahan was desperate for a reprieve.