Page 13 of Pump Fake

She laughed. “First of all, what makes you think I’ll ever run into your roommate? And I heard about the fight. Not surprising, as they’re both rumored to be hotheads.”

I grunted in response because no one knew what it was about—not even me and Kylian. The fight had started because of Calvin Fucking Matthews, a second-string quarterback on our team and also Mav’s cousin. But the ferocity behind how Liam and Mav had reacted to each other spoke of something else. Liam hadn’t wanted to get into it, so we’d dropped it.

“And second… you know Maverick well enough to introduce me?”

Her eyes sparkled and danced, and a jolt of jealousy hit me out of the blue. “Well enough. But if I introduced you to him, you would owe me another favor.”

“Eh, not worth it. I don’t have time to date anyway.”

“I hear you on that.” Nor did I want to date. What I did want to do was ask her why she’d needed me to be her fake boyfriend and why it mattered so much around those girls. An idea hit, and I leaned forward, my half-eaten burrito momentarily forgotten. “I bet you’ll have to interact with those girls again.” I held up my hand when she opened her mouth, a protest probably sitting on her tongue. “I know we weren’t talking about them, and I’m not asking for any explanation about why you needed my help. But I wonder what you’ll do for the wedding.” I’d seen the giant rock on the one girl’s hand.

“Crap.” Brielle leaned back and ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “I might need another favor, hotshot. The wedding is in a few weeks on a Sunday. And if—and that’s a big if—I decide to cave to my mom’s demands and go, I’ll need you there and in full fake-boyfriend, I-only-have-eyes-for-you costume.”

“That’ll cost you. You’ll owe me whatever I want at the time of my choosing.”

Her cute little nose scrunched. “So long as it’s not sex, we have a deal.”

“Like I need to bribe anyone to have sex with me.” I took her hand and ran my thumb over her soft skin.

A visible shiver raced over her. Her gaze slowly roamed over me as far as she could see at the table where we sat. Her lips pursed again, and heat crackled in her eyes, her cheeks turning pink. “No. I don’t suppose you do.” She pulled her hand free and shoved back from the table before standing. “I need to use therestroom. I’ll be right back, and if you order me another shot, I won’t be mad.”

I watched her walk away from the table, her long, wavy hair falling to the center of her back and the curve of her ass swaying slightly. She was tall, willowy, and sexy as hell. I didn’t even hate her bossy attitude right then. Instead, it was amusing.

I flagged down the waitress and ordered her a soda. I polished off the rest of my burrito in two bites and sipped on my water. When Brielle retook her seat, several servers surrounded our table. An oversized sombrero was plopped on my head, and they launched into singing “Feliz Cumpleaños.” Someone placed a piece of tres leches cake adorned with a sparkler before me.

Laughter spilled from her lips. When they were done, I gave the sombrero back and thanked them. We were alone, and I nudged the cake so it was between us, handing her a fork.

“Nice prank.”

“I wanted a piece of cake, but you should have the first bite since it’s your birthday.”

She loaded her fork then offered me the bite. I hesitated for a second before accepting it. Her lips parted, and red stained her cheeks as my mouth closed around the tongs. The moment felt suspended as a jolt of desire slammed into me, and I had to resist launching myself across the table.

I wanted to feel her lips against mine, hear her moan, and have her writhing against me. Her other hand rested flat on the table, and I brushed my fingers against hers. For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. The cake sat forgotten between us as I held her stare. “Want to get out of here?”

She only nodded. I flagged down the waitress, paid the check, and had the cake boxed up. We were out the door within ten minutes. “My place okay?”

“Yes.”

Her voice was quiet, strained, and I hoped she felt as turnedon as I did. We walked the four blocks in silence. I ushered her into the lobby then the elevator that took us to the top floor. When I unlocked the door, thankfully, my roommates were either in their rooms or not home.

I turned to face her, not bothering with the lights since it was a full moon outside. The silvery beams provided enough light to read her expression. “Is this okay? Is it what you want to do?”

She nodded, her full lower lip caught between her teeth.

I tilted her chin with a finger, needing to gauge her every emotion. “We don’t have to do anything.”

“I want to.”

“If you want to stop at any point, just say the word. There’s no pressure.”

A slow grin curved her lips, and her shyness faded. “Oh, there’s pressure, just not the kind you’re talking about.”

Fuck. This girl. I wanted her more than I cared to admit, but first… “Give me your phone, please.”

“What?” Confusion pulled at her expression before the reason behind my demand registered. “Sure.” She opened her purse and showed me it was there before handing it over.

“I’m gonna leave it out here.” I made a point of putting mine with her purse on the kitchen counter. “Mine too.”

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