Page 6 of Fake Dating My Valentine

Torey stared at me with a blank expression, but her smile grew until she lunged at me and wrapped me in a hug. “It’s my favorite and it’s always hard to come by this time of year. Thanks, Ry.”

The feel of her against me was too good, and when she pulled back, there was relief and disappointment.

“Honestly, Krista was inside, and I chickened out.” She hugged me again before she stilled and stepped back. “Sorry. I keep invading your space.”

“Don’t be.” I liked having her close to me. She smelt good and felt better, and I wanted more. “This is different, but not bad different.”

“Agreed,” she grinned. “You’re an excellent hugger.”

I smiled rather than reminding her that she was doing all of the hugging. “What’s for dinner?”

Torey inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, her blue gaze focused on me. “It’s different, but if you keep an open mind, I promise it will be delicious.”

I gave a sharp nod. “Okay. I trust you.”

Her eyes brightened, and her shoulders relaxed. She cracked open two beers before she made two plates and brought them to the kitchen table. “Bean puree, roasted vegetables, and grilled steak to go along with a fresh loaf of rustic-style garlic bread.”

It was odd-looking, but the smells coming from the plate were delicious. “Wow, this looks and smells incredible, Tor.”

“Good, that’s what I was going for.” She raised her beer bottle. “To a good meal with an old yet new friend.”

We tapped our bottles together, and I was oddly touched by the ceremony of her toast. It wasn’t something we did often on missions or on leave, but I appreciated the effort. “Cheers.”

She took a few bites, eyeing me nervously between each one before she set down her fork and folded her hands in her lap. “So, the Matchmaking Brigade is back in action, and they’re competing on who can match the most young people.” She recounted what she overheard in a slightly panicked manner. “Because there are stakes, each woman will be relentless in pursuing all the singles in town…unless we pretend to be a couple.” Her eyes widened as if something just occurred to her. “Shit, unless you’re looking to be matched. Sorry, it just never occurred to me. My bad.”

It was cute that she was worried, so I lifted a hand and shook my head. “I don’t. You’re good.” It was early days, and I was still hopeful that PT would work and have me back in the field well before summer. “I have my reasons.”

“Right. Okay. So we’re doing this?”

I nodded slowly. “We are, but it’ll only work if we’re mission ready.”

Her dark brows dipped in confusion. “What does that mean exactly?”

“If we’re going to pretend to be a couple, then we need to act like a couple and know each other.” Truthfully, I was curious about who Torey was as a woman. We grew up together, but we weren’t friends; she was always my kid sister’s best friend.

Now she was my girlfriend.

My fake girlfriend.

“Okay.” She sipped from her beer bottle. “Tell me about the Army. Who’s your best friend?”

Her question surprised me. I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t that question. “We call him Crazy Boy, but his name is Jared. He’s a mixed-race dude with green eyes and an insane love of Metallica. Brave and crazy son of a bitch. The guy can fix anything out in the field too. He’s a good dude to have your back any time, any where. We’ve been friends since the day we arrived in the Army.”

“That’s cool. Where is he now?”

“On another mission.” Without me, but I kept that part to myself.

“So what are you doing here?” She leaned in close. “Are you undercover?”

A slow smile spread across my face. “I’m not a cop, Torey.”

“Right.”

“You saw why I’m back, I was shot.”

She gasped. “But you’re all right? No fragments swimming around in there?”

“None,” I assured her.

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