Page 76 of My Irresistible Enemy

“Really?”

“Not like, with a studio or anything. But I have a CamFans account.” His stare got even more defiant. “Still sure you’re not judging?”

Was I?

A welter of emotions clamored for attention in my chest, and I wasn’t sure I could even pull them apart, let alone put names to them. I was surprised—though I probably shouldn’t have been, all things considered. There might have been a little jealousy, too, which was stupid. I didn’t own Aiden, and he didn’t owe me anything. We weren’t even dating for real. He could do whatever he wanted.

But the primary emotion, the one that rose above all the others and crowded them out, wasn’t judgement. It was fear. Not for me, but for Aiden. A sick, gut-twisting, heart-squeezing fear that he hadn’t considered all the ways this could go wrong, all the ways he could get hurt. That, and a bone-deep certainty that he wouldn’t want to hear me say that.

“I’m not judging,” I said carefully.

“Really?”

“Really.” I took a deep breath. “And I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions about the boyfriend thing.”

“It’s okay.” Aiden moved over to the bed and sat down a few feet away from me. “I probably wouldn’t trust me either, under the circumstances.”

I gave him a sidelong look. “How long have you had your account?”

“A few months.” He shrugged. “I’d pretty much given up on acting when I started it, but my body is the one thing I have going for me. If I don’t take advantage of my looks while I can, what else do I have?”

“That’s ridiculous. You have way more than—”

“Hey, no lecturing, remember?”

The stern look was out of place on his face, but I nodded. I wanted to tell him not to think that way about himself. But I owed Aiden—owed him a lot—for taking care of me the night of the festival. If he didn’t want a lecture, the least I could do was try.

Then a thought occurred to me. “Doesn’tA Piece of Cakehave a no-social-media policy?”

“Technically, I don’t think CamFans counts as social media. Since you have to pay for it.”

“I’m pretty sure we also signed something saying we wouldn’t do anything that could bring harm to the show or the network.”

“How is me looking hot while naked harmful?”

“Aiden.” I sighed.

He looked down at his hands. “I mean, what are the chances they’re actually going to find out about it?”

“Probably larger than you think.”

“Well, what was I supposed to do? It’s not like I have other good options for making money. I’ve been trying to make the acting thing work for three years, you know. My rent keeps going up, and tips at the coffee shop suck, and there’s no fucking way I’m moving home. I started my CamFans account before I got cast onA Piece of Cake. I’m not going to shut it down just because I’m here now. I need something to fall back on.”

“But every week you’re here, you get closer to someone putting two and two together. You’re not worried?”

“Of course I am. But it’s all I have. There are only so many more years I can pretend to be eighteen before people stop believing it.”

“What?” My heart leapt into my throat. “Are you actually—oh my God, please tell me you’re not a minor.”

“God, no. I’m twenty-one. Calm down.” He quirked an eyebrow. “Are you always this anxious?”

“Literally, yes. Always. How has that not become clear to you by now?” I rolled my shoulders uncomfortably. “Anyway, you would be too if the guy you’d shoved a spatula into said something about not being eighteen yet.”

“I didn’t sayyet. The pretending goes the other way.”

“I’m confused.”

“For my account. People are really into the idea that I’m barely legal.”

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