Page 7

7

I expected to wake up alone. The heavy arm draped over my waist told me I was wrong.

Reece was curled around me, my back pressed against his chest. We were both fully clothed, but the facts didn’t make a difference to my imagination. My hair moved slightly with his breath, and not a single thought in my head was appropriate for a fake relationship.

Sunlight streamed through my window in a cheerful reminder that summer wasn’t far behind us—and that I really needed to clean my room. Clothes were draped over every available surface, books scattered in piles anywhere they’d fit, and the infamous nacho plate needed to be returned to the kitchen. Last night had been dark enough not to worry about it, but I had a guy wrapped around me who had every right to decide I was a slob.

In my defense, I hadn’t woken up with a guy in a long time. My history with sleepovers was few and far between. Toby had stayed over occasionally, but we’d always maintained separate places. He insisted he needed space to decompress, and I was happy to not share. I never questioned his distance.

Looking back, I could see why everyone thought I was a pushover.

Not anymore. Reece was no Toby. Before I fell asleep, I’d wondered if he’d be a bed hog or one of those guys who absolutely couldn’t be touched while they slept. Ask me how I knew about that one.

No worries there. Reece was a cuddler.

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. In the short time I’d known him, he’d probably touched me more than Toby had in the last three years. Bonus, he smelled good. I wanted to bury my nose in his chest and breathe in the faint spicy scent.

So I tried to roll over and do just that.

Reece tensed before I could move very far, and I realized two things. He wasn’t asleep. And I wasn’t the only one affected by our closeness. His thumb dipped under my shirt and stroked down my stomach.

A line of heat pulled taut, and my inner muscles clenched. Probably my outer muscles too. I wasn’t paying much attention to what my body was doing when his was so close behind me. I might have pushed into his fingers, I might have encouraged him to keep moving until he reached the ache between my legs. I might have thrown all caution out the window for another bout with him, but a pounding on my door pulled me out of my lovely fantasy. Reece’s arms tightened then relaxed.

“Better get that,” he murmured into my ear.

Shivers raced down my back, and I seriously considered pushing the boundaries. If I closed the inch between us, maybe gave a little wiggle against the impressive erection I could feel through my sweats, he’d probably call off the whole relationship and I’d be back where I started.

Probably worse. Without Reece “dating” me, I’d simply be another of his conquests as far as Amanda—and everyone else—was concerned. Not exactly the screw you message I wanted to send.

Instead of snuggling closer, I flipped the covers back at the next hard knock. A small part of me hoped it was Kiki or one of my other sisters with a peace offering. At my old school, we’d take turns making coffee.

Reece’s kindness must have addled my brain because none of the girls here brought each other coffee. The whole vibe was different. More like prey animals circling each other waiting for a weakness.

I stretched and added the wiggle I’d been too smart—or afraid—to do lying next to him. A low chuckle from the bed almost had me diving right back under the blankets.

“Careful, little thief, or whoever is at the door is going to get a show,” Reece rumbled.

Idle threat , I reminded myself and refused to glance back at him. When I cracked the door open, Amanda stood on the other side, fully dressed and scowling up at what I could only assume was the wild mess of my hair.

“Yes?”

She shifted her attention to try to peer past me, but I tilted my head to block her view. I wasn’t ready to dive headfirst into faking a relationship without at least a daytime conversation confirming it.

Her lips pinched when she couldn’t get a clear view, and she finally addressed me. “Mandatory house meeting this afternoon. Three o’clock.”

I was supposed to meet my mom for a tennis match she insisted on playing at the hottest part of the day, but whatever fresh hell Amanda had come up with might actually be an improvement. “What about?”

“A refresher on proper party etiquette.”

It took everything in me to not roll my eyes. “Sorry, I can’t make it. I have plans with my mom.”

Amanda’s chin lifted, and she smiled. “Too bad. You know missing mandatory meetings means possible demerits.”

“Yes, Amanda. I’m aware.” Since I’d moved in, she’d found every excuse to assign me demerits, and if I accrued enough of them, she could go to the council with a request to have me removed from the house.

When I’d been dating Toby, she’d left me alone for the most part, but after the breakup, it was open season. My saving grace was a majority of the house needed to agree, and she hadn’t poisoned them all against me yet.

I opened my mouth to try for a civil goodbye, but a wave of heat engulfed my back, and a hand landed on the doorframe above my head. The shiver returned just in time for Reece to snake an arm around my waist.

Amanda’s eyes widened as they traveled up past my head then down to his arm tucked securely against my stomach, his fingers sneaking under my t-shirt. I swallowed the urge to slam the door in Amanda’s face and jump on my new accomplice.

“Morning,” he said, and I could feel the smirk in his tone.

Her eyes narrowed, and she offered him a tight smile before turning on her heel. I wiggled my fingers at her retreating back and seriously considered asking him to move in. If his presence kept her away from my bedroom, it would be worth sharing the bed.

I closed the door and turned to face what could prove to be a horrible mistake. Reece let me go, leaning against the door with a tilt to his head suggesting he knew I wanted to talk. Better to get the rejection over with now if it was going to happen. “Are we for sure doing this?”

He sent me an incredulous look. “You’re not backing out already, are you? Because Amanda is going to talk.”

I shook my head, tangling my fingers together. “No, but I thought you might want to. It will most likely cause problems between you and Toby, and my family can be a lot.”

He hooked an arm around my neck and hauled me close to brush a kiss against my temple. “There are already problems between me and Toby. You can’t scare me away. I’m in it for the long haul. As for your family, you need me, I’ll be there.”

I knew he had his own reasons for wanting this to work, but the unexpected support went straight to my heart. Tears pricked at my eyes as I sucked in a deep breath. My family expected me to support them, Toby expected me to support him, even my friends back at Easton had mostly taken without giving. When was the last time someone had offered to do something for me?

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I let my air out slowly, relaxing into his arms without thought.

Reece gave me a squeeze, then let me go a second time to put on his shoes. “Don’t forget the list. I’m happy to come up with things on my own, but you’ll probably have more fun if they’re your idea.”

“Do you want to help?” The question came out of nowhere, but I was nervous about him leaving. Stupid, but the whole night sort of felt like a fever dream.

“I’d love to stay and work on your list, or just intimidate a couple more of your housemates, but I have to get going.”

I let my eyes wander over his frame, lingering on the breadth of his shoulders and ending on his knowing smile. “Big waxing appointment?”

Reece let out a laugh. “Not quite. Conditioning.”

“Like your hair?”

He shook his head in awe. “A travesty. Your knowledge of college hockey is a travesty. We’re going to fix that.”

I wrinkled my nose, playing it up even though I knew perfectly well what conditioning was. “I can’t be expected to memorize every aspect of a hobby just because my ex was into it.”

His mouth dropped open. “A hobby? That’s it. I want a divorce.”

“We’re not married. Not even fake married. You’re welcome to go your own way at any time.”

He stalked toward me, eyes intense on mine, until my back hit the door. “Keep talking shit, and I’ll have you fake engaged in no time.”

My lips twitched, but warmth spread from my chest. I wasn’t scared of him or nervous or worried about what he thought. I was excited. He’d made it clear he was attracted and also that it would lead nowhere. The pressure was off despite the tension rocketing sky high.

Reece was fun in a way I’d never experienced before. Like I’d suspected the last time when I’d run, I wanted more of him. It was a dangerous thought if I couldn’t keep things casual in my own head.

“I thought you wanted a divorce,” I breathed.

“Changed my mind. It’ll be more fun to convert you. Wifey.” His gaze dropped to my lips, and the damn warmth turned into a full-blown wildfire.

My heart took a slow turn at his teasing. I’d never been teased before. Certainly never by someone who’d given me a mind-blowing orgasm then said the perfect thing while I ran away from him. As far as first impressions went, it was memorable—and disarming.

I’d spent less than twenty-four hours in his company, yet I couldn’t seem to filter myself. A lifetime of presenting the perfect front was simply gone when he was around.

I cleared my throat and slid away from him, breaking the moment. “Your nicknames need work.”

Reece’s smile grew. “Whatever you say… wifey. Work on the list. I’ll text you later.”

He slipped through the door before I could work up an answer.

My stomach growled, and I realized I’d skipped breakfast for the first time in… I wasn’t even sure. Reece was a distraction at the highest level, but he was leagues better than yet another breakfast burrito with too much queso.

I shook my head, threw on a bra, and tucked my phone into the pocket of my pajama shorts. What was I saying? There was no such thing as too much queso. One night with Reece and I was talking crazy. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I really wanted some cold brew. Almost as much as I wanted to avoid talking about last night.

The TU Chi Omegas weren’t shy about their conquests, and I wasn’t ready to blush my way through a conversation about my fictional sex life. One day, maybe I’d be able to stop people pleasing and tell them to mind their own business. Not today though.

The hallway was dark, but no one really hung out there anyway. My steps were silent as I padded around the corner, and I breathed a sigh of relief at the empty kitchen. One encounter with Amanda was more than enough for the day.

My hip vibrated, and I jumped at the unexpected movement. What did it say about me that I hoped Reece was texting me already? Probably that I was a simp and I’d always be a simp.

The sudden rush of hope drained out of me when Mom’s name appeared on the screen. I groaned, then attempted my best fake chipper voice when I answered the phone. “Hi, Mom.”

“Good morning, sweetie. I know we’re supposed to meet for tennis later, but I had an opening in my schedule, and I thought you might want to get brunch first.”

In general, I didn’t say no to free food even though I wasn’t exactly a poor college student with the account my parents set up for me. I still hesitated. Lately, too much of my mom and her constant criticism gave me a headache.

Reece was long gone though, and my best option for the day was the new book I’d picked up yesterday. Normally, I’d be excited for the book, but I was still feeling the sting from Amanda and Kiki’s conversation last night. Did I spend too much time in my room?

Maybe, but I didn’t have to.

“Sure, Mom. Where do you want to meet?”

“I’m running errands in Addison for James, so how about the tennis club in town?”

James was Toby’s dad, and running errands in Addison was code for prepping his condo for sale. Mom fancied herself a decorator despite having no training or real experience. I sighed, feeling guilty all over again for something that had nothing to do with me.

Some asshole from Easton had used the Kane condo to assault a girl, and when I’d heard about it—not from Toby, I’d like to add—he brushed it off as a misunderstanding. A friend of a friend had asked to borrow the place, and Toby had agreed to be nice. He said the girl had gotten all dramatic when she changed her mind about going, but I’d heard there was more to it. Like she never agreed to go and might have been drugged.

The casual dismissal of sexual assault didn’t sit right with me. We’d both been mid-semester at Easton at the time, and Toby was dealing with the hockey championships. He wanted me to let it go, so I did.

But it felt like our families were trying to cover something up with the quick sale and the moratorium on discussing the incident. Hence the guilt.

“Kenzie? Are you still there?”

I blinked as my mom’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I’d legit forgotten about our conversation. “Yes, sorry. The tennis club sounds fine. When?”

“Eleven?”

I glanced at my screen and agreed. An hour would be plenty of time to get presentable and catch a ride to the restaurant. Mom said a chirpy goodbye, which left me standing in the kitchen wondering why the whole conversation felt weird.