Page 51 of Away With You
“What do you think?” she asks, her tone low and husky, her eyes still closed shut. “Will we convince your family and friends that we’ve been doingthatfor weeks now?”
My chuckle is strained. “I’d say it was pretty convincing.”
Her eyes open, and once again, I’m lost in them. They’re dazed and languid looking in the aftermath of that kiss, the golden colour now a molten mess. “That’s good.” She takes a step back, her hand running through her hair and over her dress. “And if that’s how you kiss when you’re just practising, Nathan Jackson, I’m going to need a bit more warning when it’s time for the real thing.”
A thrill runs through my veins as her words sink in. With my heart racing, I stare as she walks back into the dressing-room and firmly closes the door, all the while calculating how long it will be before I can kiss her again. Knowing that every time I kiss her, for me, it’s only and always going to be the real thing.
CHAPTER 13
KATIE
Boxing Day.
Otherwise known as D-Day. Or ‘day of reckoning’, depending on what mood I’m in. It’s the day I’ve been agonising over since I made the craziest decision ever. To attend the wedding of Nathan’s ex-girlfriend and his brother while pretending to be his girlfriend. It’s like my life suddenly resembles a Sandra Bullock ‘90s rom-com, and I’m not sure how to feel about it.
Okay, that’s a lie. I know exactly how to feel about it. Terrified.
I wipe my sweaty hands over my beige linen pants. It’s part of the outfit Rosie had chosen for me to wear for a day of travel. She’d paired it with a white shirt and a navy-blue blazer. Which, according to my new friend and fashion expert, is the perfect mix of elegant, casual chic that won’t wrinkle after hours on a plane, and screams ‘I’ve got money.’
Even my clothes are liars these days.
“Leave it.” Jade slaps at my hands as I fiddle with the collar of my shirt.
As befitting her role as the best friend ever, she’s been here since the crack of dawn to help with all things girly. Hair, make-up and packing, not to mention the hours of grooming and self-tanning she’d helped me with yesterday as well. In pursuit of what she thinks is the start of my very own romance story, she’d given up her Christmas Day afternoon (after bringing over mountains of leftover food from her Kenyan-inspired Christmas lunch and watchingLove Actuallywith me) to ensure my body is hair-free, and my hair is tamed. Or as tamed as it will ever be.
“This is a bad idea,” I tell her, nibbling on my thumbnail.
Again, she swats my hands away, glaring at me. “We spent hours filing those nails into a thing of beauty. At least wait until I’m out of sight before you ruin my efforts.”
I glance down at her work. Given my hands spend much of their time in latex gloves in the lab, I keep my nails short and low-maintenance. Right now? After filing, buffing and painting, they look like they belong on the hands of someone else. Someone who also belongs in this outfit. And now that you mention it, with someone like Nathan.
“I’m sorry.” I flutter my heavy mascara-coated lashes at her in apology. “I’m so nervous.”
“Understandable,” she replies, smoothing back the flyaways from my forehead. “But you weren’t like this all week. It’s like you went shopping and your anxiety flew through the roof.”
I motion to the five (yes, five!) pieces of designer luggage gathered next to us. “Look at this, Jade. Not only did I have to buy a new wardrobe to attend this wedding, but I needed new luggage to go with it.”
She eyes the Gucci tote with envy. “If you don’t want it, I’ll happily take it off your hands.”
I pull the bag closer to me. I may be anxious, but I’m not crazy. This bag is gorgeous. “It’s not just the shopping spree, it’s…”
I trail off, the sensation of Nathan’s lips against mine so vivid I lose all thoughts from my head. In the thirty-seven hours since his mouth left mine, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. And even though I know it meant nothing to him, to me, that kiss waseverything. That kiss will be the benchmark that I fear all other kisses will not reach for the rest of my days.
My dramatic self is shining with her hyperbole today.
“What?” my friend prompts me with a small frown on her face.
How long have I been lost in my post-Nathan-kiss-fog?
“It’s nothing.” I shake my head and gather my wits. “It’s so real now. I’m spending an entire week with Nathan’s rich and famous family and friends, pretending to be in love with him. What made me think I could get away with this?”
She tilts her head, her long braids falling over one shoulder. “Um, maybe because you’re halfway there already?”
I gulp and pull in a breath, ready to bluff my way through this. “Oh, come on—”
A sharp beep from outside saves me from some grade-F lying as we both bolt to the window.
“He sent a Bentley to get you?” Jade whispers with reverence, her hand against the glass like she longs to touch it.
