Page 94 of The Love Wager

“Hal,” he bit out, his nostrils flared, the muscles in his neck straining above his shirt, “God, I—”

She raised her mouth and swallowed whatever he was going to say in a desperate, wild, hungry kiss.

•••

“Your mom thinks I’m evil,” Jack said, looking over Hallie’s head toward where her mother was seated.

They were standing beside the gift table, where Hallie had been instructed to count how many packages would need to be carried up to her sister’s room.

“She just didn’t understand why the door was locked,” Hallie said, grinning. She was having troublenotgrinning as she talked to Jack like they hadn’t just had screamingly hot sex in the banquet kitchen. “And why it took so long for us to open it.”

“You’re enjoying this,” he said, managing to look disgusted and amused all at the same time.

“Am not.” She looked at his handsome face, heard the notes of “A Groovy Kind of Love” coming out of the DJ’s speakers, and was a little nervous about how happy she felt at that moment.

“Then why are you smiling?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because I’m happy.”

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know if I trust happy Hallie.”

“You should.” She grabbed his tie and pulled him a little closer. “Because she’s obsessed with the way you move around a kitchen and is desperately thinking of a way to lure you back in for round two.”

“If you’re there,” he said, sweetly brushing a tendril of hair behind her ear, “I’m there.”

At midnight, the reception was still raging. Hallie had planned on helping with cleanup, but every time Jack looked at her, she toyed with the idea of being the worst sister in the world. She was seriously contemplating just sneaking away with him when her father appeared with Ben at his side.

“Hal, your mom sent me to get you. She’s in the prep room, trying to figure out whose stuff is whose. Can you help?” her dad asked.

“Um.” She glanced at Ben, simultaneously irritated by his presence and absolutely neutral, emotionally speaking.

Her dad gave her a knowing look and said, “Ben volunteered to help. Isn’t that nice?”

“Sonice,” Jack muttered, and it definitely didn’t sound like a compliment.

“Yeah.” Hallie didn’t care about Ben and just wanted toknow how quickly she could be up in the hotel room with Jack. She asked her dad, “How long do you think it’ll take?”

He sighed. “You know your mother.”

“Ugh.” Hallie turned back to Jack and said, “Just head up to bed. God only knows when I’ll be done.”

“Can I help?” he asked, and as their eyes met, she realized it was their last night there. Their last night fake dating. Their last night sharing a room.

The look he gave her said he was thinking the exact same thing.

They were down to mere hours.

“It’s not your problem, man,” Ben said, giving him a charming smile. “You’re just a wedding guest. If I were you, I’d take that excuse and run. Make the wedding party do their jobs.”

Jack looked at Ben like he wanted to hit him.

Then he looked at Hallie—really looked—almost as if he was searching for her decision.

She had no idea what to say. She wanted Jack by her side no matter what she was doing, but she didn’t want him to feel forced to help, either.

“Do you have your room key?” Jack asked, his eyes unreadable.

“Oh.” She narrowed her eyes and tried to remember if she’d grabbed it while also trying to analyze the nuances of their situation. “I don’t know.”

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