Page 30 of Crazy Little Thing Called Love

She shoved him playfully but kept hold of his hand as they continued down the sidewalk. He knew it was because people were out and about and they had to keep up pretenses, but damned if some small part of him didn’t revel in her touch.

“Since we have the rest of the day ahead of us,” he said, “what should we do? Back to your place for wild, engaged monkey sex?”

She laughed, shaking her head at his joke. Half joke. All truth if she’d been willing.

“Honestly, I’m not in the mood for anything.”

Needing to make this better, he squeezed her hand. “Don’t let my bone-head siblings ruin your day. Or at least, let me make it better.”

Suddenly she halted, causing him to stop, too. Turning to face him, she scrunched up her nose in that cute way she had when she was confused. And damn it all to hell, he did not need to be thinking of his fake fiancée as cute.

“Why?” she asked.

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to make my day better?”

“Because that’s what people in relationships are supposed to do, right?”

He hadn’t been in many—okay, none—but he knew the point of having someone in your life was to make it better.

“Yes, but…” She glanced around, lowering her voice. “We’re not in a real relationship.”

Minor detail. “We’re friends. And friends help each other feel better after bad days.”

Cassie stared at him like he had two heads.

“We are friends, right?” He always assumed so, even if he loved to get a rise out of her at every opportunity. That was just the nature of their relationship. Or was he fooling himself? Maybe Cassie never even entertained the idea of friendship when it came to him. Perhaps the woman only saw him as her best friend’s annoying little brother. Shit. That would sting.

After what felt like an eternity, Cassie’s lips tilted up into a soft smile. “Yeah, I guess we are friends in a way.”

In a way. Not a resounding affirmation, but he’d take it.

“Okay then, friend, what would you like to do? What would make you feel better?”

She tilted her head, tucking a wavy lock of hair behind her ear when it fell in her eyes and sucked her plump bottom lip between her teeth. Del held in a groan at the sight. Witnessing the move made his mind float back to a few nights ago and that blazing hot kiss they’d shared in her doorway. Damn, the woman had thrown him for a loop. He’d always suspected Cassie would taste good, but he’d never imagined the fire she held inside.

She released her lip, giving him a small smile. “It’s okay, Del. You don’t need to cheer me up.”

He didn’t need to, but oddly enough he found himself wanting to.

“Come on.” Gently, he nudged her with his elbow. “We’ll do anything you want.”

“Anything?”

“Promise.”

Her smile widened, a devilish gleam entering her eyes. “You’re not going to like it.”

Strange to say, he was pretty sure anything that put a smile like that on Cassie’s face he’d be more than happy to endure.

“Try me.”

“You promise not to bitch and moan about it?”

Slightly wary at her warning but willing to do anything to keep the gut-wrenching tears from filling her eyes again, he held up a hand. “Scout’s honor.”

She snorted. “You were never a boy scout, Del.”

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