Page 26 of My Dream

A slow and knowing smirk spread across his face. It was the kind of smirk that made your heart skip a beat even though you knew it shouldn’t. “It doesn’t have to be.”

I frowned, not following. “Um, what?”

He stepped closer, and the space between us shrank. His hand found my waist, and just like that, I couldn’t think straight. His touch wasn’t demanding, but it was firm and steady.

“Our first kiss doesn’t have to be on camera,” he said, his voice low. “We could kiss now. Practice?”

I blinked up at him, and my heart suddenly did somersaults in my chest. “Get it out of the way?” I asked, more to myself than to him.

He nodded, and his gaze locked on mine. “It’ll help us get comfortable with each other. Make it look natural.”

His reasoning was sound, but the way he was looking at me? That wasn’t just about looking natural. I couldn’t stop my eyes from dropping to his lips. They were full and inviting. I’dbe lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind before. He wasn’t just good-looking; Compass was the kind of ruggedly handsome that could stop traffic. He had that dangerous edge about him, the kind that came from riding motorcycles and living life unapologetically.

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” I whispered, barely able to find my voice. “For the show,” I added.

His expression shifted, and the heat in his eyes turned up a notch. “I’m going to kiss you, Fallon,” he said. His voice was thick with something that made my stomach flip.

I barely nodded before his lips were on mine.

The kiss wasn’t hesitant. There was no awkward fumbling or uncertainty. His other hand slid to my waist, and he pulled me closer until there wasn’t an inch of space left between us. Compass was the kind of man who didn’t do anything halfway, and it showed in the way he kissed me.

I let myself melt into him, and my hands found their way to his chest. His leather cut was cool under my palms and a stark contrast to the heat radiating off him. He smelled like cedarwood and a faint hint of gasoline. I couldn’t help but think it suited him perfectly.

His lips moved against mine with an ease that left me breathless. It was like we’d done this a thousand times before. But we hadn’t, and that made it all the more intoxicating. This wasn’t just practice—it was something else entirely, something neither of us had planned for.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes met mine, and for a moment, neither of us said anything. My heart was pounding so loudly that I was sure he could hear it.

“Well,” he said, his voice rougher than usual, “that was… natural.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of me, even as my cheeks burned. “Yeah. Natural.” My voice was shaky, but I managed to meet his gaze.

Compass smirked again. That damn smirk that made my knees feel weaker. “We’re going to be fine, babe.”

Maybe he was right. Or maybe I was in way over my head. Either way, I had a feeling nothing between us was ever going to be the same.

Chapter Ten

Compass

“I hate this.” Stretch’s voice was low and filled with the same frustration we were all feeling.

I nodded at him and took a sip from my beer. “Me too, brother.”

“We need to be good enough that they like what we’re doing but not so good that they want a second season,” Fade advised.

I wrinkled my nose and tipped my beer toward him. “If we do a second season, I’m heading to Cancun like Yarder.”

“No one is coming to fucking Cancun with me,” Yarder called out from his spot on the couch. “That’s a no-idiot trip, which means no one in this clubhouse is coming with me. Except Poppy.”

I shrugged and leaned back in my chair. “Fine by me. I’ll find my own place to go then. Fallon,” I called out and raised my voice to reach her over the music. “Where do you want to go on vacation?” The cameras around the clubhouse had been rolling for a couple of hours now, and I knew I had to start acting like Fallon and I were together to start setting us up to be a couple.

She was sitting at the bar with Adalee and Sloane, deep in conversation, but she glanced up, surprised. “We’re going on vacation?”

I nodded and smirked. “Yeah. Where do you want to go, babe?”

She tilted her head, thinking. “Uh, well… I’d like to see snow.”

Stretch chuckled beside me and shook his head. “Looks like you won’t be having your ass in the sand and a drink in your hand.”

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