Page 19 of Hate to Love You

“Hey!” Brody tugs me closer until I’m tucked against his side and his arm can slip around my shoulders. “I just want everyone to know that we’ve made it official. Davies and I are together!”

I wince as a loud roar tears through the crowd. Brody’s grin widens. Did I seriously think the fiasco with Reed was the most embarrassing thing that could happen tonight?

This feels worse.

I’m going to strangle Brody as soon as I get him alone. This will be the shortest-lived relationship Whitmore has ever witnessed. Just as I’m about to whisper something scathing, he repositions me in his arms and his lips crash into mine.

I gasp in surprise, and his tongue slips inside my mouth, tangling with my own.

It’s like I’ve entered a parallel universe. If you’d told me yesterday that I would be Brody McKinnon’s fake girlfriend, I would have laughed my ass off and told you to seek psychological help.

Immediately.

And yet, here I am. Doing exactly that.

He pulls away, only an inch or two, and whispers, “Well, this is certainly going to be a perk.”

Not knowing how to react, I can only stare. This night has turned out to be eerily similar to that old black-and-white TV show, The Twilight Zone. How did this happen?

“Come on, Davies. I’ll drive you home.” His lips curve. “You look like you’re on the verge of stroking out.”

I need to get away from all these people and think about what I’ve just agreed to. Then I need to figure out how to undo it. Because there’s no way I can go through with this.

Maybe having everyone think I’m a lousy lay isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Chapter Seven

Natalie

The door to our apartment swings open and in strolls Zara doing the walk of shame. Her dark hair is mussed. Her clothing, which had been in perfect order last night, looks askew. Eyeliner is smudged under her eyes, giving her a raccoonish appearance, and her lips are puffy.

She halts in her tracks when she finds me perched on the kitchen counter, digging into a big bowl of Lucky Charms, and stabs a finger in my direction. “You, my dear friend, have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.” Tossing her purse on the small table, she places her hands on her hips and gazes expectantly at me.

I give her a blank stare and shovel in another spoonful.

When I say nothing, both of her brows shoot up. “Well?”

“Well, what?” I ask.

“Well, what?” The words explode from her mouth at a decibel that could send dogs within a mile radius into a barking frenzy. “That’s all you have to say for yourself?”

“Ummm…” I’m stumped. “About what?”

“About you and Brody! That’s what!” She throws her arms wide and rapid-fires questions at me. “Oh my God, you two are together? You’re dating? When did this happen? Have I been asleep for twenty years or something? Because the last time I checked, you two hated each other!” She amends her statement. “Well, you hated him. I’ve always suspected that he had a thing for you.”

“What?” I shake my head. “No. You had it right the first time, we can’t stand each other.”

Looking confused, Zara massages her temples with her fingers and takes a few more steps toward me. “I think I’m still drunk, because you’re not making a damn bit of sense.”

“Brody and I are most definitely not going out,” I say emphatically.

She gives me a strange look. One that says she doesn’t believe a word coming out of my mouth. “And yet, he told the entire party last night that you two were dating.”

“Oh, that.” I wave a hand dismissively. “That was a joke. He was just goofing around.” My new tactic is to downplay what happened last night. If I don’t pay attention to it, no one else will either, right? In a few days’ time, the entire situation will have blown over.

It could already be forgotten as we speak.

“Goofing around?” She stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. And I have to admit, it’s beginning to feel that way. I’m hanging on by a thread. “Why on earth would he do that?”

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