Page 101 of Pretend Girlfriend

Our laughter carried across the beach.

41

Joanna

I grabbed a sandwich from the resort cafe for lunch. While leaning on the counter waiting for it to be made, someone came up behind me and wrapped their arms around me.

“Hey there, gorgeous,” Landon said.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Just trust me,” he whispered into my ear. “Act natural.”

I was surprised, but trusted him enough to go with it. His arms enveloped me in a hug, his crotch pressing firmly against my ass. He gave me a soft kiss on the back of the neck, which made the hairs on my arm stand up.

“What did I tell you?” Danicka suddenly said as she joined us. “True love! You two are the loveliest couple here. Don’t tell Bradyn I said so.”

“You’re embarrassing us, Mom,” Landon said.

“Oh, stop being so stuffy. You’re on vacation at the beach! Enjoy yourselves without worrying about what I think.”

She placed an order, and Landon continued holding me closely. He felt good. Really good, like a warm wall of muscle. His breath stirred my hair and tickled my cheek.

And he was definitely enjoying it, based on the rapidly stiffening portion of his swim trunks.

For a few moments, I surrendered to his embrace. I didn’t need to pretend we were something; he was just a handsome man holding me in his arms, and I was a woman who wanted to be held. There was nothing wrong with that.

Intrusive thoughts slipped into my mind. Landon kissing my neck some more, moving lower. Sliding my cover-up off and then unclasping my bikini top, cupping my breasts before the cool air could hit my bare skin. Pushing me forward, bending me over the counter the way Theo had bent me over in the hot tub…

“Your sandwich, ma’am,” the cafe attendant said.

I took the package and slipped out of Landon’s embrace. Danicka was still there at the counter, just a few feet away. I leaned forward and brushed my lips against Landon’s, then said, “See you back at the beach.”

When he returned to our chairs with his sandwich a few minutes later, he said, “Sorry if that was too much. After what Marisa told you yesterday, I’m worried about looking like a genuine couple.”

“Not too much at all,” I replied. “I’d hate for our cover to be blown this late in the game.”

Landon sat down and unwrapped his sandwich. “And sorry for my… ah…”

I immediately knew what he was trying to say. “Forget about it,” I replied, eyes flicking down to his crotch for a millisecond. “You can’t help it. Honestly, I’d be offended if you didn’t get hard while grinding against my ass.”

“I didn’t grind,” he said, pointing with his sandwich.

“You ground against me a little,” I replied. “Let’s just drop it. You don’t have to apologize.”

He bit into his sandwich and rested back in his chair.

At precisely two o’clock, I left our spot and walked up the beach to the activity shack. There were three others waiting there: Marisa, Bradyn…

…and Austin.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. “Signing up for another jungle hike?”

He ignored the jab and said, “Danicka asked if anyone wanted to parasail for free. I’ve never been, so I figured I’d give it a shot.”

“It’s better than hiking all day in the jungle!” Marisa exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Austin said, narrowing his eyes at me. “It is.”

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