Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
“Look at the happy couple.” Molly and Jane walked side by side across the street, their gaze a little too focused on us.
“Nosy,” Torey grumbled and gripped my shirt in her fists. “I know what I said earlier, but I need you to lay a proper goodbye kiss on me, Ryan, and I need you to sell it.”
My heart thudded against my chest, but I simply smiled. “Yes, ma’am.” I pulled her so close that our shoulders and hips touched. My lips descended on hers in a fiery kiss that caught me off guard again. Her lips were soft and pillowy, her tongue wet and pliant. She moaned and melted into the kiss, which was hot as hell.
I swallowed down her every moan and pressed her against the house with my body as I pressed my hips against hers. She pushed back and flicked her tongue against mine with another moan. Torey pulled back eventually, wide-eyed and breathless. “Damn.”
“Too much?”
She nodded and then shook her head before her forehead fell against my chest. “It was too much in the best possible way. Now get out of here before I forget this is fake.”
I knew exactly how she felt, which was why I wore a smile as young Noah pulled up to take me home, where I thought about nothing but Torey for the rest of the night.
It was safe to say that I’d developed a small—tiny, really—crush on my sister’s best friend.
Chapter 5
Torey
When I woke up, I was still buzzing from dinner with Ryan last night. And that kiss? Hot damn, that kiss was electric, and I still felt his lips on mine. That probably had a lot to do with the fact that I hadn’t stopped thinking about him since he left last night. Dreaming about him with significantly less clothes on than he’d worn to dinner. Or fresh from the shower. Thoughts of him persisted all morning.
It was a little perplexing, actually. I’ve known Ryan just about all my life and he’s always been Nix’s older and hotter brother. I mean, I have eyes, of course he’s gorgeous, but I never crushed on him except for that one summer when I couldn’t look at him without blushing, but it wasn’t a real crush. It was teenage hormones. Just hormones. Now though? Now Ryan was older—so was I—and hotter and far more mature than when he’d gone off to the Army. Now that I knew him better, I knew that he was a real catch.
Not for me, of course. Objectively, Ryan was a catch. He looked good, had a good job, and gave good conversation.
"Dammit." My feet came to a complete stop about a block from the bakery as realization dawned. I have a crush on Ryan. Well, that couldn’t happen. This plan wouldn’t work—not for me—if I went and developed feelings for a man who had one foot out the door. "Nope, not a crush," I whispered to myself over and over again until I stepped inside the kitchen and found Nix blasting Whitney Houston. I paused the song with a frown. "What’s wrong?"
Nix spun around with wide eyes and a wider smile. "Nothing's wrong. Everything is just great."
"Pants on fire, Nix." She was always a little too bright when she was upset.
"That’s rich coming from you, given you didn’t tell me we’re going to be real sisters soon."
I rolled my eyes and groaned. It really was silly to think that word wouldn’t get back to Nix. Of course, everyone would assume she already knew.
"It’s funny," she began slowly as she waved her wooden spoon around. "Because I didn’t even know when he was coming home, and I swore you told me just days ago that you kissed Mac."
Right. That's true. "Okay!" I locked the door behind me and crossed the kitchen until we were face to face and I dropped my hands on her shoulders. "Remember I told you about the bet?"
"Of course." Her amusement was too much to take.
"Then I went to the farmhouse and saw Ryan, so he was kind of on my mind already. The next day, I was approached by one of the Brigade, and then later so was Ryan. I saw him and I acted. Impulsively."
"Wait, so you guys are fake dating, and not dating for real?”
I nodded as my gaze darted all around the kitchen. "It makes sense. We both steer clear of the matchmakers and no one would even question it because we’ve known each other forever." The words rushed out, and I hoped my best friend was buying the explanation.
"Yeah, but what happens when he goes off on the next mission to who the heck knows where?" Her green eyes held genuine concern.
I smiled, because it was the one part of the story I’d actually thought about. "Easy. We’ll do the ‘long distance thing’ for a while before it becomes too hard and break up. That should give me at least a year, possibly eighteen months of peace."