Page 6 of Fake Hearts and Kisses

I sag dramatically against him but then hear him chuckle next to me.

“Don’t worry,” Forest says as we walk down the snow-covered path. “I put in my headphones the second I realized what was happening.”

I laugh but I am thankful he’s taking it so well.

“It sucks you weren’t here in time for the run this morning,” he says. “Lily wanted to hit the trail before the snow melted away.”

“I’d have been here earlier if I’d known you guys were going out,” I say, bitterness burning the edges of my words.

Forest ignores my tone. “You know how Lily is.”

We continue down the path back to the lodge. I was so pissed this morning that my siblings had gone without Blake and me; I’d barely taken in the scenery. The lodge is a two-story wooden building with enormous, elaborately carved tree trunks supporting the front porch. It’s nothing but massive windows and solid wood sitting on a slice of rock and dirt overlooking the valley below. The double cabins and a few larger, private ones are dotted around the lodge, set back from the circle path where Forest and I now walk. Tall spruces line the long drive that brings visitors from the main road.

“We are the only guests this weekend?” I ask Forest.

“Erin,” he says simply like this explains everything.

I watch Blake’s tall form ahead of me as we walk. He’s at least a foot taller than Amber, and I’ve got only an inch on her. His legs are long, his body muscled and tight. And that butt. His butt looks so good in those jeans. He turns, flashing me a devastating smile. I smile back, curious about what he’s saying to Amber. I really hope he’s sticking to the script.

“You’ll have to fill us in about this, Blake,” Forest says, nodding in their direction. “Mom’s going to want details.”

Boy, do I know. That’s why Blake and I spent the car ride up here, coming up with a believable story about how we met. I decided to keep it close to the truth, so we’d not slip up and say something that contradicted the other.

The lodge door swings open, and Lily comes rushing out, her ponytail bouncing as she hops down the gigantic steps. “Daisy!” she screams.

I break free of Forest as she sweeps past Amber and Blake to wrap me in her arms. I roll my eyes at Forest, who snickers. Lily’s addicted to drama. Every single sentence that leaves her mouth ends in an exclamation mark. We are so different. I don’t know how we share any DNA.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” She grabs my hand, spinning to look at Blake. “You, I see, are a real man and not a figment of Daisy’s imagination.”

The smile plastered to Blake’s face falters for a millisecond, but he recovers and offers his hand. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you.”

“Now that’s a lie,” Lily says, touching his arm. I want to slap her fingers and snatch her away from him. “I know for certain that Daisy rarely says kind things about me.”

CHAPTER FOUR

BLAKE

One Day Ago

Daisy scans around myoffice as she settles into the chair across from my desk. There is barely any furniture in my office. Other than three monitors, the desk, and two chairs, the room is empty.

“You said you run a security company?” She places her purse on the floor by her feet. She’s wearing weathered brown combat boots, leggings, and a thick sweater. A colorful scarf hangs loosely at her neck, which she’s pulling off now.Her hair’s piled into a messy little knot on top of her head, fine tendrils of hair framing her face. No makeup, no fuss. Just her elegant beauty. A tightness forms in my chest. It’s amazing she’s here in my office, just feet away from me.

“Yes,” I say, watching her free the scarf from her neck. She is fucking beautiful. There is something so pure about her. No mask. She doesn’t hide behind a jaded exterior. She’s just…

Daisy.

“Like…” She looks at the monitors on my desk. “For businesses?”

I glance at the screens near me, wondering if this was a good move. I asked Daisy to come to my office today to discuss what I should expect from our weekend getaway. My office is in a small building downtown, not far from the coffee shop. A psychiatrist rented the only other office in the building. It’s a perfect setup. No one wants to admit going to see a shrink, so even if they spot me, and, on the off chance, recognize me, they won’t mention it to anyone. I thought the public space would be a neutral ground to get to know me better. Now I’m not so sure. She looks uneasy. “I don’t exactly own a security business.”

Something flashes in her eyes. “No?” she asks, looking at the door.

Nice job, you dumb ass.You just scared the shit out of her. My heart thunders at the thought I may have scared her.

I lean back in my chair, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. What non-threatening looks like, I don’t know. If I smile too much, I’ll look like a pervy creep. If I don’t smile enough, I’ll look cruel. I settle for a smirk, but then doubt myself and cross my arms, then uncross them. I need to say something.

This was a bad idea. I’m full of bad ideas lately. I don’t even work here. This office is just to cover up what I really do. I look around the room. It feels like my heart is about to leap from my chest. “Companies hire me to hack security systems and find a weakness in programs designed to keep hackers out.”

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