Page 58 of In the Offensive Zone with My Fake Bride

Right now, I want to kiss her and explore her lips with mine. To feel her settle against me as if I were her safe place because she’s fast becoming mine. I want to know what it’s like to hold her and wake up to her smile every morning, to wash dishes with her in the evening.

I want this to be real because I’m in love with her.

The realization knocks the breath out of me almost as much as my run-in with Jennings. I clear my throat as I attempt to breathe normally. “I’m hoping for a third option.”

She considers me a moment, then takes the dish towel from me to dry her hands. “Sounds like you have some thinking to do.”

“I suppose I do.”

“Then I’ll let you get to it.” She leaves the kitchen, heading toward her room.

“More reports to write?”

She stops short of her door and turns around. “That was my plan. Did you need me for something?”

Need you…want you…love you…

Great. I even sound like a sop in my thoughts. I slip my hands into the pockets of my trackies and casually close the distance between us. “Actually, I was thinking I’d like to go out to dinner tomorrow evening since there’s no game. Can you and your sidekick make that happen?”

“I’ll talk toDelabout it.” Her emphasis is clear, but I don’t miss the way the corners of her mouth tip up ever so slightly.

“Good. Then it’s a date.”

“More like an arrangement.”

I hold my hands out. “Whatever you want to call it.”

Her brows dip with her frown. “Good night, Payton.”

“Good night, Lily.” I stand there, watching her until the last moment our gazes connect before she shuts her door.

She thinks this is impossible. That we can’t be anything more than this, but she’s wrong.

And I’m determined to prove it to her.

Chapter Nineteen

LILY

I can’t believe Del agreed to this. When I told her what Payton requested last night, I expected her to say absolutely not. Putting the principal unnecessarily out into the open is usually a hard ‘no.’ But since the latest suspect turned out to be an obsessed royal watcher who thought she could get a face-to-face with Dame Maxwell if she implied knowledge about their cousin’s demise, Del said there was no imminent threat.

Although I agree, going out like this with Payton feels more like a date than a job. I still insisted on driving, but as soon as we walked into the Turtle Tide, he shifted his demeanor and became attentive and charming.

When he placed his hand on my lower back to guide me to our table, I thought I would melt on the spot like an ice sculpture on the beach. He even pulled out my chair for me, which was sweet, until I told him I needed to sit on the other side so I could keep eyes on the main door.

And now we’re sitting at a table for two that includes a votive candle nestled in sand inside a cute glass holder resembling a seashell. Mellow yacht music plays in the background, which perfectly complements the ocean view out the windows to my left.

Payton runs his forefinger and thumb around his mouth again like he did at the airport the first time we met and at the unexpected team spaghetti dinner. I’ve never seen him do this any other time.

He’s staring at me now. “Need any recommendations?”

“What?” I blink back to reality.

“From the menu.” He points to the simple two-sided laminate still sitting untouched in front of me.

“Oh, I’m sure I can find something I like.” I lift the menu, skimming it as I periodically check the entrance.

Payton follows my line of sight, then faces me. “Are you expecting someone?”

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