Page 31 of Crazy Little Thing Called Love

“True. Fine, I swear on Pappy Mel’s secret gin recipe that I won’t complain. I will follow you wherever you want today and happily participate in anything you choose to do. I’ll be the perfect fiancé.”

“Fake fiancé.” She pointed at him.

He grabbed her finger, kissing the tip, before lowering her hand and ducking his head down to brush against her lips. “Right, fake fiancé.”

He spoke the words softly against her mouth. Cassie sucked in a breath, and he took the opportunity to kiss her again, deeper this time. In case anyone was watching. They had to keep up appearances. Yup, nothing more.

Delicate fingers grasped his shirt, twisting the material as she held on, angling her head for a better fit.

Hell yes!

Her tongue swept into his mouth. Hot damn, she tasted so freaking good. A groan escaped him, unable to stop it even if he wanted. At the sound, she pulled back. Disappointed but knowing they needed to get this locked up before things got out of hand, he let her. Her hand flew to her lips. Emerald eyes stared back at him, a host of emotions running through them, confusion, wariness…lust?

“For believability,” he explained, motioning to the very real ring on her finger symbolizing the very fake marriage they were about to enter into.

“Um, right.” Her eyes darted around, glancing at the people who were in no way paying attention.

“Where are we going? What makes you feel better after a bad day? For me, it’s a cold drink and a hot woman.” He gave her a wink, looking her up and down. “Looks like I’m halfway there.”

Shaking her head, she laughed. “Nice try, but no. When I’m feeling bad, I treat myself to something special and indulgent.”

“Oh yeah?” His ears perked up. He could think of all kinds of indulgent things he’d like to do with Cassie. First and foremost being finish that hotter-than-sin kiss they just shared.

“Yup,” she said with a wicked grin. “Follow me.”

Curious, and having no other option, he quickly followed.

“You gonna tell me where we’re going?”

Tossing him a saucy glance over her shoulder, she gave him a wink of her own and uttered the two most terrifying words any man could ever hear. “Spa Day!”

CHAPTER 10

After a horrible morning, the day finally started to look up. The churning upset in her stomach had eased thanks to all the primping and pampering she’d been enjoying for the last two hours. Or maybe it was due to the mimosa she’d ingested. Either way, Cassie’s nerves were soothed and her misery abated.

She still felt the twinge of guilt deep in the pit of her stomach for lying to Del’s family. Especially Charlie. Crap on toast. Her best friend had been so mad at her. She hadn’t witnessed her friend’s temper since Charlie’s ex ran off with her yoga instructor and two of her credit cards. The two of them certainly made a pair in the horrible-man-picking department.

Cassie glanced over at her latest man, who wasn’t all that bad—or even her man, to be honest. They sat side by side in soft-as-butter plushy chairs. Both of them had their feet dipped in hot, lavender footbaths. Inhaling deeply, she allowed the warm, sweet smelling water to soak all her troubles away.

Del didn’t look as peaceful as she currently felt. He kept glancing at his nails which had recently been clipped and buffed to a glossy shine. The sweet guy agreed to any treatment she wanted, but he drew the line at polish.

“You’re hating this, aren’t you?” She cringed, knowing if the situation weren’t what it was, Charlie would be the one beside her getting pampered. And her BFF would have insisted on them both putting “Screw Off” black on their nails.

She rubbed at an ache in her chest. She hoped this would all blow over soon. She didn’t know what she would do if Charlie stayed mad at her forever.

“Not as much as I thought.” Del grinned, leaning over and speaking in a low, soft tone. “Don’t tell my brothers or they might revoke my man card, but this is pretty nice. Feels good to get a little pampered. And whatever the hell was in that face gunk is awesome.” He rubbed his chin. “My face feels smoother than a baby’s butt. No wonder women like this stuff.”

He referred to the facial they received, though she doubted his face felt all that smooth. She could see the five o’clock stubble he sported. The rough, dark shadow on his chiseled jaw tempted her. Her fingertips sparked with the desire to reach out and stroke her hand against him. Even indulging in the girliest of activities, Del was all man. A very sweet man who endured something he would never in a million years do on his own, all to make her—his fake fiancée—feel better.

Oh crap, she was in trouble.

Shandra—the owner of Deep Reflections—smiled as she refilled their drinks. “That would be the oatmeal in the mask. It smooths the pores, and the apple cider vinegar releases toxins. A lot of men enjoy our services.” She looked up at Del. “Pampering oneself isn’t a gender thing, it’s a human thing. Everyone needs a bit of indulging every now and then.”

“Plus, you get booze.” He lifted his glass and winked. “You sure know how to make a mean mimosa, Shandra. Savvy business owner, beautiful, and knows her way around alcohol? If I wasn’t engaged, I’d whisk you off to Vegas on the next flight and marry you.”

Shandra, who’d passed fifty about a decade ago, blushed from the roots of her dyed brown hair to the tips of her opened-toed sandals. “Delta Jackson, I’m old enough to be your mother. In fact, I play poker with her every Saturday.”

“A card shark, too.” He clutched at his chest, then reached out to grab Cassie’s hand and kissed her knuckles softly, eyes lit with humor and something else she wasn’t ready to deal with. “It’s too bad this amazing lady snagged my heart before I knew about all your untold talents, Shandra.”

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