Page 92 of That Fake Feeling

MaggieandJimboth pull faces andurghin unison.

Jimlaughs. “Imight not like you as much now,Rose.”

“You’dbetter take that back,”Connorsays as he kisses me on the cheek. “Becausewe’re not pretending anymore.”

Mystomach drops with the same speedMaggie’shands fly to her cheeks in delight.

“Iknewit!”ShenudgesJim. “Isaid to your dad that you two were made for each other.Didn’tI,Jim?”

“Shedid.”Jimsmiles and nods. “Sheabsolutely did.”

Ofall the remarkable things their son has achieved, they could not look more delighted than they do at this moment.

“Ihave never seen you this happy in your entire life,”Maggiesays as she dabs at the corner of her eye.

“That’sbecauseI’venever been this happy,” he says as he turns to look at me with an expression that fills my soul and silences all my common sense.

Sensebe damned.Itmight be the most impractical thing in the world, but this man is everything.Hehas jolted into life a part of meIdidn’t know existed.Apart of me that sings whenever he’s around.That’sfilled with a childlike joy every time he makes me laugh.Andthat surges with lust at the merest glimpse of him.

Maybemy life was as empty as his andIjust didn’t realize it.MaybeIhad a gaping hole onlyConnorcould fill.

Maybewalking away from this would be madness.

Istroke his cheek and sink into his happy, smiling eyes. “AndI’venever been this happy either.”

Well, shit.

24

CONNOR

Rosewipes dripping chocolate from the edge of her s’more and licks it from her finger.

“What?” she asks with a saucy smile.

Ilean back in theAdirondackchair and soak in the warmth of her face over the flickering flames of the firepit. “Justwishing there was chocolate on some part of me.”

Sheraises her eyebrows as she takes a bite and marshmallow squishes out of the sides, over her fingers.

Holyshit, my life has taken a real turn.Fromthe moment on the stairs whenIfeltRose’slips against mine,Iknew everything had changed.Andnot only doIwant to sleep with her,Ilikeher too.Forthe last few days, every secondIhaven’t been with herI’vecraved her company, and that’s all new to me.She’sperceptive, fun, does amazing things that change people’s lives, and is on the path to doing even more.

There’sa real chance this could be great, andI’mnot going to screw it up.

Who’dhave thoughtI’dfall over a chick in a vegetable patch, hire her to be my goody-goody fake girlfriend, and she’d turn out to be the person who lifts the blinders from my eyes?Imean, what are the odds of that?

Fora moment, just after we got here,Ithought she might be about to run scared, like she seemed to after the kiss at my parents’ house.Butsince the chat withMomandDad, everything’s been perfect.

So, yeah,I’mnot going to be the letdown loser who fucks up everything.Forthe first time in my life,I’mgoing to take the time and care to explore this, to see what it might be, to value it like my life depends on it.Whichit very well might.

“It’slike a whole other world out here,”ItellRoseas she shoves the last of the s’more into her mouth and licks her fingers clean.Theonly sounds are the waves lapping at the beach and the crackling of our fire. “Feelslike so far away from the city.”

“You’reinsane not to use this place,” she says through a mouthful of sweet gooeyness.

“WhatwasIsupposed to do, come out here and hang out in it alone?Orbring randos from whatever club opening was being promoted that week?”

“Doyou not have anyrealfriends?”

That’sa tough question.Istroke my fingers along the wood grain in the arm of the chair. “Walkeris my best friend.”