Page 26 of If Love Had A Price (If Love 3)

“You and Skylar go together,” Nate said. “I’ll—” He frowned. “Sky?”

He and Kris swiveled their heads toward the other side of the now-closed gate, where Skylar clutched her stomach with a faux pained look on her face. Kris knew it was fake because she could see the smile threatening to break out on the girl’s mouth.

“I’m not feeling well,” the blonde announced. “Must be the cotton candy. You guys stay and have fun. I’m going home.”

“The hell you are,” Nate growled. “Get over here, Sky.”

“Nope.” His sister shook her head. “I’m going to vomit.”

The operator paled. “You’re not getting on this ride if you feel sick,” he said.

“Nate. Keys, please.” Skylar let out a dramatic moan. “I need to lie down.”

After much cursing and scowling from both Nate and the operator—who complained that they were holding everyone up—Nate handed his keys to Skylar and told her where he’d parked.

“How am I supposed to get home?” he demanded.

“Kris can drive you,” Skylar said, innocent as a doe. “You wouldn’t mind, would you, Kris?”

Kris’s urge to throttle the other girl resurfaced with a vengeance. “No,” she grumbled.

“Great. See you two later! Have fun!” Skylar rushed off, leaving Nate and Kris alone with the irate operator, who shooed them into a pod with a dark glare.

“Your sister isn’t very subtle.” Kris stared over the edge of their pod as the wheel creaked to life and they rose into the air. The people on the ground grew smaller and smaller until they were nothing more than specks amidst all the lights. Further out, the dark, white-tipped waves of the Pacific crashed against the beach in a hopeless embrace—always chasing, never catching. Doomed to arrive onshore only to get sucked back into the vastness of the sea. Proving that you couldn’t ever escape who you were.

“No, she isn’t.” Nate drummed his fingers on his thigh. “I’m going to kill her.”

“Not if I kill her first.” Kris tore her gaze away from the view and focused on the man sitting across from her.

His mouth kicked up into a smile. “How’d you two meet? Don’t say the movies, because no one talks at the movies, much less make new friends.” He paused. “You’re not some psycho stalker trying to get to me through my family, are you?”

“You have an over-inflated opinion of my interest in you.” Kris didn’t mention the lust licking her skin at the sight of him slouched in his seat, wearing an old blue T-shirt that stretched across his shoulders and muscular biceps. A crazy urge to run her hand over the front of his shirt gripped her. Just to check if the tee was as soft as it looked, of course. “We’re working together. I don’t need to get to you through your family.”

“Fine, but you didn’t answer my question. How did you and Sky really meet?”

As mad as she was at Skylar, Kris didn’t want to give up the girl’s secret. Skylar didn’t want Nate to know she’d joined MentHer, and Kris was no snitch. “Ask your sister.”

“You’re seriously not going to tell me?”

“Ask your sister,” she repeated.

Nate let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Women.”

“Speaking of women, how are things going with Gloria?” Kris switched the subject to safer territory.

He side-eyed her but didn’t comment on the change in conversation. “Good. She’s gotten bolder. She all but offered me a blow job in front of the downstairs bathroom the other day.”

Kris grimaced. She should be happy—their plan was right on track—but the thought of Nate getting physically involved with Gloria irritated her beyond measure.

“I’m going to pull the trigger soon,” Nate said. “Ask her to meet me at a hotel. You can get your P.I. in place.”

“Great.” Kris twirled her gold bangle around her wrist. She’d been focused on getting rid of Gloria for so long that she expected to feel more excited about the Stepmonster’s imminent departure from her life, but she found it hard to muster up her previous enthusiasm.

The past few weeks, she’d been wrapped up in her fake relationship with Nate, only it didn’t feel fake. The chemistry was real. The laughter was real. The way her heart leapt when she saw him was real.

Fuck.

The Ferris wheel ground to a halt. Kris thought the ride had ended, but when she looked up, she realized they were sitting at the top of the ride.