Page 72 of The Charade

"I kind of panicked there for a minute as I tried to figure out how to respond," he said. "But then I channeled my inner Ian and decided to go with it."

"So you don't really have throngs of girls throwing themselves at you on a daily basis?" I asked. "Was that just you bluffing?"

"It depends on what you define as a throng." And I didn't know if he was trying to channel his inner Ian again, but the smoldering look that he gave me then was totally that of a guy who knew exactly how hot he was.

And I liked it.

I liked a guy with a healthy dose of confidence.

"Well," I said, deciding that if he was going to bring back his whole Haughty Mc-Hot Hot persona, then I should bring back my inner goddess, too. I straightened my shoulders and said, "I guess I probably shouldn't tell you about the dozens of guys I had to turn down this week because I had to keep our fake girlfriend-and-boyfriend thing going.”

"Only dozens?" Carter cocked an eyebrow and let his gaze slowly wander all along my body, obviously raking me in.

I held my breath as I waited for him to finish his appraisal of me.

I knew deep down that I shouldn't care what a guy thought of me because I knew that I was awesome on my own and didn't need anyone's approval.

But there was still a huge part of me that wanted Carter to approve of me.

Wanted him towant mein the way I very much wanted him.

After he'd finished eyeing me from head to toe and then back up again, he said, "Are you sure it wasn't hundreds? Because I don't think a girl like you comes around more than once in a lifetime."

"You don't?" I breathed, my heart stuttering in my chest.

Did he truly mean it?

Did Carter, this guy who could have any girl he wanted at our entire school, actually see me that way?

But because I was basically fluent in finding the loophole in all compliments directed at me, I said, "You remember I'm an identical twin, right? So, someone like me actually did come around more than once in your lifetime. We came around twice."

Carter chuckled at my logic. Then looking at me with the sincerest expression in his blue eyes, he said in a low voice, "You may have a look-alike, but you, Ava, are one in a million." He traced his thumb across my cheek. "You’re entirely and unapologetically yourself, and I kind of love that about you."

Swirls of heat bloomed across my cheek where he caressed it, and I wanted to just live in this moment forever. I wanted to have him touch me like that everywhere.

But instead of continuing to caress my cheek or tangle his fingers in my hair like I wanted him to, he dropped his hand and reached for the contract again.

He held the paper up between us, and for a moment I wondered what he planned to do with it, but then he started tearing it down the middle.

"You're ripping up our contract?" I asked.

He nodded. "My lawyer never got back to me about the loophole, but if it's okay with you, I'd kind of like to get rid of this right now."

"Does this mean you don't care if I show up on time to our tutoring sessions anymore then?" I asked.

He shook his head. "That's not the rule I have an issue with."

"You don't want me to be ready and willing to learn from you?"

He shook his head again, ripping the contract in half once more. "Not that one, either."

"You don't like the part I added?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm already guilty of breaking that little addendum of yours," he said in a soft voice. "I mean, who couldn't help but fall for a girl who is a goddess on earth with the most enchanting personality, charming wit, and captivating eyes?"

I couldn't breathe.

Was he saying he'd fallen for me?

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