Page 91 of The Fake Date (Brides of Beaufort 4)

The second the question was out of his mouth, I lifted onto my toes and pressed my lips to his. My entire body came alive, all the hope and fear swirled together to make a happiness in my chest that I couldn’t remember ever feeling before.

His lips were petal soft as he moved them over mine, and then he took control of the kiss by cradling my face in his hands and backing me up against the wall. To kiss him forever wouldn’t be long enough. If he thought those words weren’t the most perfect book boyfriend words, he was dead wrong. And this kiss? There was no chance it wasn’tthe kiss.

“Did that feel real?” he asked as he pulled back slightly, his voice hoarse this time as he stared down at me with my face still in his hands.

“Yes.”

“Was it gross?”

I laughed, tears springing to my eyes. “No.”

He planted a quick peck on my lips and stepped back. “Good. How about the first two times?”

“Not then either.”

He put his hands on his chest and sighed. “I’m so relieved.”

“Hush,” I said with an eye roll, stepping forward to give him a quick kiss of my own.

Then he circled his arms around me again and rested his forehead to mine. “I have something else I need to tell you.”

“What?”

“I’m in love with you.”

My breath caught. “Forreal?” He held up a finger between us and gave me a look, so I grabbed it and pulled it away with a laugh. “I’m in love with you, too.”

As if he were unable to help himself, he lowered his mouth to mine one last time. Brief as it was, it felt like the perfect exclamation mark on our conversation.

“So, what do we do now?” I asked when he pulled back.

“Now, you go get ready for the wedding, and I’ll be watching you do your thing from the crowd. And in case you have any doubts about how I’ll be feeling—forreal—just know I won’t be able to take my eyes off you the whole time.”

A low and pleasant hum warmed my blood. “Is that so?”

“Yep. And when you’re done with bridesmaid duties, we’re going to go to the reception, and we’re going to dance. And hug. And hold hands. And do everything we’ve been doing, but this time, alsoforreal.”

At this, I stepped away and shook my head, giving him a bona fide slow clap. “Nowthatwas an epic book boyfriend declaration of love.”

Not that the first one hadn’t been.

He bowed with more than a little cheesy flair. “Fine. But I meant every word of it.”

“I believe you,” I promised. Those words meant more in this moment than they would have out of context. Then I turned to go into the bridal suite, but before I slipped through the door, I turned back around and gave him a wry smile. “Seriously, five stars.Soswoony.”

“Oh, you think you’re funny, huh?”

I nodded with a short laugh. “A little.”

He gave me one of his classic winks, knowing full well how swoony I found them to be since my body’s reactions always gave me away. Then he said the only thing he could in response, given who he was. “I aim to please.”