Page 31 of Fall Into Me

“You are going to tear up the town, and you just gave her false hope that you wouldn’t!”

“No, I didn’t.” I crossed my arms.

“Yes, youdid!” She was whisper-shouting now. “You told her you were taking into consideration the opinions of locals!”

“I am.”

“Oh,please.”

“So, you think I’m just here, mind already made up. Pretending to be your boyfriend, willingly spending time around you when you would clearly love to push me into oncoming traffic just so you can show me a bunch of things that won’t even contribute to whatever decision I make?”

That’s actually exactly what I was doing.

Cali could show me a fuck ton of reasons why I should approve the job to go ahead. She could show me everything and nothing, and it would have no sway on the decision I’d already made.

She jolted back a little, surprise clear on her face. “Well, I—”

“And you want to talk about liars?” I took a step toward her. “This whole town thinks we’ve been in a long-distance relationship fortwo whole years.”

“Yeah, well, upon deep reflection, the fact that I ever entertained this charade”—she gestured between us with anedge of hysteria—“was a stupid idea. I’m telling my parents the truth.” She spun toward the door, taking the same angry steps she took last night.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” I reached for her arm, gripping it the way I had inside. This time, I didn’t let go. Even when that spark from the contact of our skin raced down my spine or when her intake of breath shot straight to my cock, which was still fucking semi-hard from the last time she let out that noise.

“I spoke to them for fuckinghourslast night about a mine in Australia I don’t even know anything about,” I said, far too close to her. The thought of giving up this lie now that it was in motion made my gut churn.

It was fucked up and stupid and probably making everything worse, but it kept her close to me—and there wasn’t a single version of this world where I’d willingly spend another second away from her. I shouldn’t want this. I shouldn’t be leaning into it just to hold onto her, but I was. Because the truth was, I’d take whatever scraps of her I could get.

“That’s your problem,” she said back, eyes narrowed and mouth pinched.

“No, it’s not. It’syourproblem that you roped me into. So, this is how it’s going to go.” I let go of her arm to wrap my hand around the back of her neck, tracing my thumb along her jaw to angle her face up to mine. Forcing her to give me those hazel eyes of hers.

“I’ve got some rules of my own, Calista.” I gave her the sort of smile that wasn’t particularly pretty and felt a shiver rack her body. All it took was one step to remove the space between us, to feel her pressed up against me, and to force myself not to imagine how easy it would be to turn her around, flip up the flimsy material of her dress, and see if she was still averse to panties.

My guess was yes.

I could feel the flutter of her pulse against my palm, how rapid it was. If I needed any more proof, the hard point of her nipples that were visible against the material of her dress was the cherry on top, and I couldn’t stop the smile of satisfaction that lit up my face.

Calista might hate me, but she still wanted me.

I flicked my eyes back up to hers. “In public, we’re the perfect, madly-in-love couple you’ve sold to everyone.”

“No.”

I tutted. “Oh, you already made this bed. Now it’s time to lie in it with me, baby.”

11

Calista

After

He was too close to me.

The scrape of his rough and calloused palm as he slid it around my neck like there hadn’t been a whole two years between now and when he did it last made my stomach flip.

Flip and roll. Revel and relish. My body was having a celebration, like the way he held me was a victory.

It wasn’t.

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