Page 41 of The Fake Date Deal

“I don’t know yet. But I know you can do it.”

“Just me, by myself?”

I pulled her closer. “No. Of course not.” I shuffled back to the bed and pulled her down with me, and let her rest against me while I ran my hand through her hair. “We’re going to do something, something together. I don’t know what yet, but it’ll be huge. It’ll be so huge it goes beyond socials. People will see it, and they’ll have no doubt. They’ll see you living your best life and go ‘Rafael who?’”

Eve laughed softly, a puff of breath on my chest. “You’re confident,” she said.

“Because I’m right. I always am about this type of thing.”

“What type of thing?”

I shrugged. “Breaking through. Living your dreams. Like when I knew I wanted to race. I was bent over this cop car, burning my face on the metal?—”

“Wait, what?”

“Getting arrested for speeding, for reckless driving. Driving without a license. Stealing Ma’s car. I was thirteen, a kid out on a joyride, but the cop slapped the cuffs on and said I should race, and I saw it right then. I saw my whole future. I knew in that moment I’d end up right here?—”

“In this hotel room?”

“Yeah. Here with you.” I tilted her head up and planted a kiss on her lips. “Tease all you want, but I swear it’s true. I knew I’d break through. I knew I’d be big-time. And I know you will too, and the whole world will see you.”

Eve shivered against me. I kissed her again.

“You don’t believe it right now. You don’t see what I see. But I promise it’s happening, you and me. Something huge. They’re all going to see you, who you really are.”

Eve looked up, eyes glistening, and I grinned, confident. I didn’t know yet what I was going to do, but I could feel an idea taking slow shape.

We’d show them, all right.

And I’d be her hero.

CHAPTER 17

EVE

Marco slid up behind me while I was doing my hair. He set his chin on my shoulder and kissed his way up my neck, and the updo I’d been constructing came tumbling down. I pushed him off, laughing.

“Marco, damn it!”

“It looks better down. All wild and free. Besides, you don’t have time for whatever all this is.” He jerked his chin at my bobby pins, my sparkly barrettes. I pushed him off again.

“I thought you had a shoot today.”

“That’s not till later.” He nuzzled up again and nipped at my ear. “Come on, you look great. But we need to get going.”

I closed my eyes. “Going where?”

He pressed a kiss to my temple. “It’s a surprise.”

“Didn’t I tell you I hate surprises?”

“Not this one, you won’t.” He kissed me again. I kissed back, a thrill coursing straight down my spine. He’d learned my body in the weeks we’d been dating, where to touch, where to tease, how to take me apart.

“Let’s stay in,” I said. “Spend the whole day in bed.”

Marco groaned, but he pulled back, shaking his head. “We can’t. It’s all planned.”

I grabbed his belt. “What is?”

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