Page 95 of The Good Girl Effect

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” he says with a nod.

The air between us is light, no longer pinning us to the ground. And when I let out a sigh, I softly add, “I do love her.”

His affectionate eyes are on me as he quietly replies, “I can tell you do.”

Then, to my surprise, his hand brushes my wrist. And just when I think it was a mistake, he slides his palm against mine and intertwines our fingers. I nearly stop.

We can’t do this. What if we’re seen? What if people get the wrong idea?

But I don’t argue. I just let him hold my hand, savoring the feel of it. As people pass us by, I know we look like a real couple, and I wonder if he’s as proud as I am.

It’s only fifteen minutes, but for the entire walk, we just stroll hand in hand like it’s normal and we can. But before we reach the area where we parted from Elizabeth and Bea, Jack stops and tugs me under the shade of a tree.

“Wait,” he whispers as he stares down at me. I look ridiculous with this large balloon tied around my wrist, but those beautiful green eyes of his make me forget everything.

“What?” I reply softly.

“I just want to kiss you once, out here in the open, in broad daylight.” His fingers stroke my jaw, and I try to keep myself from collapsing into his arms.

“Why?” I ask, wanting to understand what is going through his mind.

“Because…” His words trail off, and I’m hanging on each one, dying to hear him tell me that I mean something to him, more than just a woman to tie up and have sex with. More than just a nanny or an employee. More than whatever we’ve been up until this point. “I want to pretend for one moment that we can.”

His head dips down, and our lips meet softly. At the delicate touch, my heart surges. My hands wrap around his waist as I lean into him. I don’t care about the consequences or the reasons why we shouldn’t do this.

His tongue slips out, tasting my lips. I part them and let him in. It’s innocent and sweet, neither of us letting it grow tooheated. But this kiss isn’t about sex or desire. It’s about so much more.

Around us, there are people laughing and whimsical music playing. It’s not a kinky bedroom or a sex club, and we are not the same people we are when we slip into those roles.

This kiss is not between a Dom and his sub. A rigger and his bunny. Or a boss and his employee.

It’s between us—Jack and Camille. And as his tongue rubs softly against mine, I realize that’s what he meant about wanting to pretend we can.

Jack and Camille cannot kiss—not in broad daylight. Not anywhere.

He has a little girl to protect, and I have a job to do. But just for one moment, we can pretend.

The vibration of his phone buzzes loudly in his pocket, so we break the kiss and pull apart slowly. My eyes stay closed as Jack fishes the phone out and answers it.

“Hey. Where are you guys?” he asks.

I hear Elizabeth’s voice on the other end, telling Jack where to meet them. Just like that, our moment of pretending is over. He hangs up and stares down at me with a sigh.

“They’re by the castle,” he says.

“We should go meet them,” I reply.

He glances down to my lips briefly before moving back up to my eyes. I briefly wonder if all this is in my head. Does Jack truly care about me as a person? Does he want this for more than just a moment? Even if we could take a risk and try to make it work, would he want that?

I know I do.

Hesitantly, he nods.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Rule #33: Everyone has fantasies they haven’t discovered yet.

Camille