Page 259 of The First Time
Chapter Nine
Blake's fingers graze my back. They press the silk of my dress into my skin.
He rests his hand on the curve of my waist.
It's possessive. Sweet. Loving.
Of course, that's all a lie.
No, the possessive part is real. I think. But the rest of it—
I force my lips into a smile.
I lean into his touch.
He turns to me with wide, bright eyes. He stares at me like he's madly in love with me. Like I'm his favorite thing in the entire world.
I swallow hard.
This is a lie.
He doesn't love me. I don't love him. Yes, I have all the facts in hisabout mememorized, and he knows all of mine, but that's surface level. We don't understand each other. Not when we're dressed.
I press a French-manicured nail into the pad of my thumb. I think about sitting next to Lizzy, gossiping about all the obnoxious customers at Pixie Dust, the boutique where she works. I think about our dinner this evening, the one at the cute place around the corner, with the waiter who always gives me extra pancakes.
When I look back to Blake, I forget everything.
I think about his smile and his eyes and his shoulders.
I think about his body on top of mine.
I think about the sadness that creeps into his expression.
And how badly I want to wipe it away.
He leans in to whisper in my ear. "You're perfect."
My breath catches in my throat. I'm perfect. At pretending. Only I'm not. Not really.
He pulls back and turns to a man in a navy suit.
Blake offers his hand. The guy shakes.
He turns to me. "You must be Kat."
I nod. "I must."
"I've heard a lot about you." He offers his hand.
I take it. Make my grip as strong as I can. "Kat Wilder. It's nice to meet you." I offer my best coquettish grin. Has Blake really mentioned me? We've only been faking dating a week.
"Declan Jones." He pulls his hand back to his side. "Blake undersold your beauty."
I press my lips into a smile. "Thank you. I've heard so much about you." Okay, I skimmed his name in that little document that explained Blake's entire life. Declan is a San Francisco tech guy.
"And where is your date?" Blake asks.
"I'm here on business, my friend. No dates. But I'm glad you volunteered to entertain me." Declan smiles. "Things didn't work out well with Grace. Different lifestyles."
