Page 28 of No Summer Hotter than You

Anthony crossed his arms across his chest, pushing his pecs together and flexing his corded arms and defined biceps. I kept my eyes on his face as he leaned against the kitchen counter. “You’re too stiff. You need to loosen up, Shoua.”

“I’m not the only one who’s stiff. You’re the one who’s just as awkward as me.”

“Am not. You’re the one that went rigid as a board at the airport when I put my hand on your hip.” I silently cocked an eyebrow at him and he sighed. “Fine. Fine. We’re both awkward as fuck when we’re trying to pretend to be a couple.”

“Maybe we should take Evelyn shopping later on in the month. We both want to get it over with, but we should get our act together first.” I looked at Anthony, waiting for him to respond.

The last thing I wanted was for her to realize that we’ve been lying and then reveal the truth to her mom. It wouldn’t surprise me if that was the only thing Aunt Sue would talk about all month long. She sounded like she was the type to hold onto grudges when she got crossed. No matter how big or small the incident was. After hearing her drone all of last June about how a vendor at our local famers market gave her a discount over some cherries, I figured she wouldn’t hesitate to take what Anthony and me were doing even more to heart.

For all I knew, Aunt Sue may even talk about this for years to come.

“It doesn’t really matter when we do it, to be honest. I’d rather just get it over with than to have to deal with this later,” he said. “But if you’re worried, maybe we should practice pretending to be a couple.”

“How?” I raised a brow at him.

He shrugged, unsure himself. “Maybe we should act like we’re in a relationship even when we’re not in front of Aunt Sue, Evelyn, and Kelvin. Like, here at home. We could hug more, hold hands, maybe practice kissing each other on the cheek, and?—”

“Kiss?” I interrupted him with a squeaky voice.

His cheeks flared. “I meant on the cheek, Shoua. Or the temple.”

“I don’t think we need to kiss at all. But I think we should practice.” I nodded slowly.

“And pretend you’re my girlfriend and I’m your boyfriend.” He took a step toward me, and I stayed rooted in place. My throat dried up as his arms outstretched toward me. “It’s fine, right? If I hold your hand?”

“It’s fine,” I breathed, motioning for him to come closer.

Anthony stepped into my space as he intertwined his fingers with mine. We stood there for a moment as he rubbed soothing circles into the back of my hand.

“You’re not as awkward anymore,” he stated as he pulled his hand out of mine and threw his arm over my shoulder.

He pulled me close to his side. I could still smell the light scent of my body wash lingering on his hot skin from his shower last night. He was apparently too lazy go home. Yet, he wasn’t lazy enough to walk up my stairs to shower which was more steps than walking back to his place.

“Because I don’t have an audience to perform for,” I said.

“True.” His arms slipped away from my shoulder to snake around my waist, his hand landing on my hip. His thumb began rubbing circles into my skin. “We should do this every day to get comfortable with being more intimate with one another. You’re worried about Evelyn today, but the biggest test to our fake relationship wouldn’t be this. It’s the lake trip.”

“What do you mean?” My brows knitted together.

“We’re going to be there with Aunt Sue, Evelyn, and Kelvin for a whole week. All their eyes are going to be on us, and if we’re awkward during any moment during that trip, one of them will figure out that all of this is a sham. We need to practice for that.” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down nervously. “We’re going to have to practice kissing.”

My cheeks immediately ignited in flames. “Anthony?—”

“I’m not talking about real kisses, Shoua. Just little pecks. Like on the cheek or temple . . . or on the corner of your lips,” he quickly explained. His eyes flicked to my lips and then he tore them away with a red face. He pulled his hands away from me as he threw on the shirt he was wearing last night. “We can talk more about it later. It’s food for thought.”

He quickly glanced at the digital clock by my microwave. It was already almost seven. I needed to get on the phone in forty minutes to strategize with a client about the offer he and his husband wanted to make on a home they saw on Monday.

“Wouldn’t want you to be unprepared for your call.” He was already on his way out the back of the house. “Just go get your things ready. I’ll come by with breakfast and coffee in fifteen.”

“Aren’t you going to head into work?” I asked.

He shook his head with a smile tugging on his lips. “Nah, I already texted the guys last night I was going in a little later today.”

“Thanks, Anthony,” I said.

He turned to look at me before closing the door behind him. “If it’s for you, it’s no trouble at all.”

After the door closed, I stood in the middle of my kitchen for a while as I tried to steady my racing heart. The idea of acting like a couple at home and maybe even pecking each other’s cheeks had caught me completely off guard. However, Anthony had a point—we needed to make this look convincing if we were going to fool Aunt Sue, Evelyn, and Kelvin. We were going to have to practice.

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