Page 60 of Love Arranged

You can’t become obsessed with someone if you stay away, the voice I fightdaily speaks up.

Well, I can’t become mayor if I’m ten points behind my competitor, so there’s that.

I can take careful measures to prevent becoming emotionally attached. It’ll require effort on my end to remind Lily of our arrangement, but I’ve never been afraid of a little hard work.

So, without further delay, I decide to take fate into my own hands.

“Fine. Let’s do this.”

She’s about to open her mouth, but a fire alarm goes off inside the bar, drowning out the noise.

“How do you feel about starting right now?” She fists the loose material of my T-shirt and tugs until my mouth is within striking distance.

It happens so fast, I don’t fully process what Lily is doing until her mouth is pressing against mine, making me forget about the chaos ensuing around us.

All I can think about is how this kiss, along with everything else we do from this point on, will be nothing but alie.

12

LILY

It took me five minutes to process Lorenzo’s apology and accept that while I’m still angry at him for the choices he made and the heartache he caused me, I need to put our history aside if I want to save Rose & Thorn. Doing so won’t be easy, but it’ll be way easier than watching the Ludlows destroy me along with my parents’ legacy.

If that requires me to fake that I’m “in love” with Lorenzo, so be it.

Except nothing about our kiss right now feels likepretend.

I have done my best to erase the memory of how Lorenzo’s lips felt—of how theykissed—but all my efforts go to waste because one kiss ruins everything.

The world around us ceases to exist. I’m in no hurry, so I takemy time, setting a languid pace he matches, right before he turns the heat up.

I lean against the brick wall behind me because I don’t trust my legs, and Lorenzo follows, his hands finding the curves of my hips. He presses his body into mine, and I gasp at how right it feels to be underneath him.

He grins against my lips, and I kiss it away to spare myself from cravingmore.

More smiles. More fleeting touches. More of his hard length pressing into my?—

Rusty hinges creak, and a burst of cold air hits the side of my face. Lorenzo ignores it, deepening the kiss until I forget about the original plan.

It is hard to multitask with Lorenzo’s teeth tugging on my bottom lip?—

Someone gasps, followed by a squeaky, “Lily!”

Lorenzo tenses ever so slightly. I doubt I would’ve noticed his rigid posture if it weren’t for how closely our bodies are pressed together.

More people pour out of the emergency exit, and a tingle spreads from the back of my neck straight toward my face.

I tuck my head against Lorenzo’s chest—a genuine reaction that makes his hold on my hips tighten.

Reluctantly, I lift my head, and Lorenzo’s gaze connects with mine. It’s the heat in his eyes that has me questioning how much of this is real, but then I remind myself how I made that mistake before and where it got me.

Ignoring the crowd forming in the alley, I grab Lorenzo’s hand and tug him toward the lights on Main Street. People’sstares drill into the back of my neck as he slides his fingers through mine.

The main road in town is hectic, with two fire trucks parked in the emergency lane, casting a red-and-white glow on the larger crowd waiting outside Last Call. My sister is standing on the edge of it, looking panicked as she searches the group of people.

Julian’s gaze lands on me first, and he whispers something into Dahlia’s ear. She turns to look over at us with wide eyes. Her mouth falls open, and Julian’s lips press firmly together as he takes us in.

Lorenzo’s grip tightens, and Dahlia and Julian’s eyes drop toward our clasped hands.