Page 56 of Forever and Other Lies

Maybe it was the adrenaline rush from the cheers of the crowd, or the tequila shooter that made him do it. Whatever the reason, he dipped Jayna backward and kissed her. Not just kissed her, but really kissed her. Kissed her senseless. He kissed her like he didn’t want to stop.

Chapter 27

He’d kissed her like he didn’t want to stop. What the hell had that been?

She gave her head a good, firm shake and forced herself to focus on the two black dresses hanging on the closet door. Both dresses were black, yet each gave a completely different vibe. One was sexy and the other more classic. She felt torn.

While she wanted to knock Derek’s socks off, she didn’t want to WANT to knock Derek’s socks off. And she didn’t want him to think she was trying to knock his socks off. What did it matter what she wore?

She reached for the demure dress, but her hand hesitated. This conflicted feeling had been with her all week, ever since the karaoke contest that they had won!

Karaoke had seemed like a good idea when she signed them up. The number one reason: she couldn’t miss the chance to defeat Maisie Whyte. Number two: no way was she missing an opportunity to annoy the hell out of Derek. He despised karaoke. And number three; the reason she was fake dating Derek; to get Lance Roman’s attention.

She hadn’t been able to gain the paramedic’s attention all night. Begrudgingly, she had to admit Derek may have been right. Lance would have gotten the wrong impression earlier when she’d been ‘hustling’ the two paramedic students. ‘Hustle,’ was Derek’s word. She had not been hustling them. It was not her fault that men naturally assumed she couldn’t play pool because she was a woman. They had been proven wrong.

She had been guilty of assumptions herself. Just because Derek hated karaoke, she’d believed he must not be a good singer. She’d been proven wrong as well. The man had a deep, low, completely in tune sexy voice. And he’d worked the crowd right beside her.

Wow, what a kiss at the end! Her toes had curled. What exactly had prompted that?

He’d helped her gain Lance’s attention and secure the win against Maisie. But the kiss hadn’t been necessary, unless he’d wanted to kiss her. No. He was up to something.

Derek Brennan always did what he wanted. The only reason she’d been able to coerce him into karaoke was by threatening to pull the plug on their arrangement. Derek’s limbs and career were on the line. He had significantly more at stake than she did. Sure, she wanted Lance like she’d never wanted a man before. But she’d survive if it never happened. Derek’s career might not be so lucky.

Was the kiss his way to get back at her? Or was it his way to take control of the situation? Maybe he was trying to get her to fall for him.

Oh, he wouldn’t stoop that low, would he?

Of course he would. What an ass!

“Hold them both up. I can’t see,” Jessica’s voice interrupted from behind.

Turning, she stared at the computer monitor on the desk and held up the classy black dress in front of her. “This one or...” She lowered the first dress and then held up the black dress that would drop jaws and socks.

“Oh, that one,” Jessica’s sigh vibrated through the speakers. “Definitely the second one.”

How she wished her friend was sitting on her bed. With Jessica still in Sierra Leone, video calls were the next best thing.

“Who is the date with tonight? You never go to this much trouble.”

Jayna turned her back and cringed. Obviously, Jessica had not spoken with Jamie recently. Perhaps Jamie could be trusted with secrets.

She spun back around. “Um, it’s with Derek Brennan.”

“Derek Brennan?” Jess’s eyes grew large, her voice echoing.

Normally, Jessica was her conscience and Jamie was her confidant. These two women kept her grounded. Jamie had a built-in bull shit detector and Jessica had no patience for bull shit. It was impossible to lie to either woman.

“You have a date with Derek? There has to be static in the line. No way, that’s what you said. I must have heard wrong!”

“Nope. You heard right.” She set the dresses on the bed and pulled out the desk chair, sitting down. “But it’s not what you think.”

“I don’t know what to think. I’m shocked, dumbfounded, close to speechless.”

“Speechless? You really must be shocked,” she joked. Jessica always had lots to say about everything. And she prayed that when she told Jess about what she was doing with Derek, her friend didn’t have an entire lecture for her. “We’re not really dating.”

Jessica blinked. “Not really dating? What does that mean?”

“Fake dating.”

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