Page 63 of Fire of the Fox

Until I knew where he stood and how he actually felt, giving in to my feelings would only put my money to Italy in jeopardy because then he’d see this wasn’t fake for me anymore. If he only wanted to explore a physical relationship like he’d done in the past, if this didn’t go beyond that for him, he could take the deal off the table. That was something I couldn’t afford.

Chapter Twenty-Six

THE CLOCK STRUCK five. As soon as I looked up from my phone, Rune’s car pulled next to the curb, and he looked at me through the passenger-side window. I got in with excitement flooding my system.

His eyes roamed over me as I buckled. My cheeks heated under the intensity of his gaze. It was like he was taking in every inch of me, tattooing it into his memory. When he finally met my eyes again, he asked, “What would you have done if I were taking you to play paintball or something?”

“I guess I would’ve been in a sticky situation. Why? Is that what we’re doing?” I asked. I looked over his own outfit. He wore khakis with a dark blue button-up shirt. I was going to assume that meant the paintball idea was out the window. Thank God.

He pulled away from the building and made his way for the exit on campus. “I thought I’d take you out somewhere nice to eat.”

My heart grew warm, but my worries about where we stood still plagued me. Staring forward at the passing scenery, I picked at the hem of my shirt. “Can I ask you something?”

“Depending on the question, I may or may not have an answer, but sure.”

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and asked, “Why did you never take other girls out on dates?”

“I’ve told you before. I don’t date. Every girl I ever—I guess you could say ‘hooked up with’—knew beforehand that I had no interest in being serious with her. I wasn’t going to take someone out when I had no interest in building a relationship with them. That wouldn’t be fair to them, getting their hopes up for something more than what it was, and dating would’ve done exactly that.”

My heart stopped. Dating meant there was something more in his mind. And here he was, taking me out. Did I dare to get my hopes up?

“Then why are you taking me out?”

“Because you and I are pretending to be a couple, are we not? We need to do the things a real couple would. That way it’ll feel more genuine and believable when the time comes for us to put on the show.”

“Right. That makes sense.”

It did make sense, but it hurt, too. I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to do this. Two months of fake dating. That was it.

Looking down at my curled hair and new clothes, I mentally slapped myself. I had tried so hard to look nice tonight, all for him. I was so embarrassed over my pointless efforts. Was he making fun of me on the inside, too? Silly, Bria. Trying to get all dressed up for someone who would never like you back.

I sighed and mumbled, “Will I ever find someone who actually likes me for me?”

“What?” he asked, glancing at me.

I waved a dismissive hand. “Nothing. I’m just talking to myself.”

“You probably shouldn’t do that. People are going to think you’re weird.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thank you for the advice. You’d 100 percent be the head of that weird club, though.”

He looked at me aghast and gave a brief laugh. “Excuse me? I’m perfectly normal.”

“Right, right.” I nodded, exuding as much nonchalance as I could muster. “Except for the whole Fae thing. And magical powers thing. Oh, and the bad personality. Did I mention the Fae thing?”

“Wow,” he dragged out the word. “Are you trying to hit below the belt?”

Laughing, I met his eyes. Leaning in close, I dropped my voice. “You wish I’d go for below your belt.”

Surprise flickered in his gaze for a brief minute before being replaced by an intense, almost pained flare of something I knew all too well. Desire. Longing. My heart quickened as I caught a glimpse of that look, but he quickly recovered and turned away from me. In a daze, I leaned back in my seat and turned to look out the window. Maybe that joke had gone a bit too far.

“Have you started packing for the trip yet?” he asked after a few moments of silence. I was glad for the sudden change in topic. “Since we leave next week, it might not be a bad idea to start getting all your stuff ready. Depending on what you have clothing-wise, we may need to go shopping before we leave. Like I said, my family is very traditional.”

The reminder that it had already been nearly two months of being with him was difficult to stomach. It seemed like only yesterday that we met at the club. The time had passed quickly, and more than anything, I wanted to slow it down. I wasn’t ready for our time together to come to an end. My chest tightened when I thought about losing him and the other guys. They had wiggled their way into my heart in such a small amount of time, and the thought of not seeing them again ached like a physical wound.

“No, I haven’t packed yet. I’m not too worried about the clothes, either. I have some dresses I can bring. Honestly, I haven’t even told Dallas I’m leaving yet, but I’m sure she won’t mind me being gone. It means she and Rance can have our dorm room all to themselves.”

“That’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. It doesn’t make sense to me,” he said, his eyes narrowing.

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