Page 21 of Her Filthy Mistake

“No, of course not.” Heat floods through me, creeping up my neck, over my face, and to the tips of my ears. The rest of our group turns to watch us, adding to my misery. “Where do I need to stand?”

“Two steps closer. You want to be in line with Zoe so that when she falls, her head lands against your heart, and you can stare into each other’s eyes.”

Zoe groans. I don’t have to see her face to know she’s rolling her eyes. I’m close enough already. For fucks sake, she’s wearing a bikini, and the amount of skin that’s covered is painfully minimal. At least, she wasn’t involved in setting this whole thing up as an attempt to try and…. And what? Put the moves on me? Seduce me?

Please. If she had those feelings in the past, they’re long gone. I made sure she’d hate my guts, and I was damned good at my mission. As I move closer, the scent of her perfume swirls in my head. Vanilla, citrus, and…. I inhale again. Fucking heaven. The central air kicks on, causing goosebumps to raise the hairs on my arms.

‘Right. Like that’s the reason.’ My dick smirks as he hurls the insult.

All that golden skin. Smooth legs and arms. Her tight ass is covered in a strap of black fabric with tiny strips on her hips. My mouth waters as I force my hands to stay to themselves and not drag her into the bathroom. Or the nearest closet.

Or hell, right here on the floor is fine. If they don’t want to watch, they can be the ones to leave.

“That’s better. Now, study your partner. Watch as her shoulders rise and fall. Reassure her that you aren’t going to drop her.” Elise steps back and clasps her hands together.

“Now?” My voice sounds panicky, even to my own ears. That’s one thing about performing that I don’t miss. Being the center of attention and everyone waiting for you to screw up so they can gloat or toss insults.

“Yes, now.”

Zoe glances over her shoulder, and my tongue lodges in my throat. “Just get it over with. The air conditioning in here is freezing.”

“Right.” I cough and gather my bearings. “Zoe, I promise not to let you fall.”

Her eyelids flutter shut as she twists her head back to face the other direction.

“Ah….” Carly’s eyes get misty as she watches us. “It makes me happy to see the two of you getting along. It’ll make family dinners easier to navigate.”

No, it won’t. I can’t be in the same room with her and not want her. That’s not going to change because of some trust fall. It’s only going to make it worse.

“All right.” Elise claps her hands together, and I jump from the tension crackling in the room. “Let’s do this.”

She moves to the front of the room. “Trust fallers, I need you to take a deep breath, close your eyes, and fall backward as if you’re easing into an enormous pillow. You’re going to be landing against a soft object that will keep you safe and warm. Everything is fine.” Her voice is low and melodic. “And nothing bad will ever happen to you if you trust your partner to always have your back.”

Carly floats backward into my brother’s arms. He cradles her to him, spins her around, and soundly kisses her lips.

Jesus. This is a shitshow. I block everyone else out. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Right.” Zoe nods jerkily and lurches backward.

Oh, shit. I stretch my arms out as she lands with a thud against my chest.

“Shit,” I gasp as her elbows shove into my stomach, and she shoots back up to a standing position. I rub my chest where her head hit like a torpedo being shot out of a warship.

“What?” She whirls around, slams her hands on her hips, and glares.

“You hit me with your head on my chest and then shoved your elbows into my stomach.”

“Dears.” Elise marches toward us with a pained expression on her face. “You both did it all wrong.” She waves her hand at the other participants in the group. “Go on. Take a break. I need to work with Zoe and Jace for a few minutes.”

As they file out of the room, Zoe taps the toe of her sandal on the floor. “What’re you saying? That I’m overweight?”

“No.” I inhale, straightening my shoulders, and return her glare. “I’m not saying that you’re overweight. I’m saying that you’re hardheaded and stubborn. Did you see how your mom floated down into Landon’s arms? You didn’t do that. You hurled yourself at me like you were hoping to hurt me.”

“I did no such thing.” Venom flashes in her eyes as blood splotches under her cheeks. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” My jaw flexes as anger settles in my gut. I’m angry at myself for being weak and wanting her. I’m angry at my brother for setting this up. Anger at–everything. Nothing in my life is going as I wanted. So why should this be any different?

Fuck. I need a drink. I slam my eyes shut and count to ten. I don’t need a drink. I can handle my emotions.

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