Page 14 of The Fake Girlfriend's Billionaire Match
Just as he deepened the kiss, footsteps on the stairs shattered the moment, and he pulled away. It was the worst timing ever. Or maybe the best. One more minute, and she was positive her hair would have caught on fire. That was a kiss that future kisses would be measured against. It was a kiss that girls wrote about in their diary, and it had been way too brief.
A woman stopped on the landing and smiled. “Oh, you must be Winnie,” she said, approaching with her hand out. “I’m Stephanie Fredericks.”
Bear had told Winnie about their family friends, the Fredericks, and how they spent their holidays with the Wests. This had to be Gabby’s sister.
Winnie shook her hand, but her mind was a whirl from the kiss. “Uh, nice to meet you.”
Stephanie looked from Winnie to Bear. “I’ll just find my room.” She giggled and walked down the hall, disappearing behind a door with her suitcase.
When Winnie returned her gaze to Bear’s, his eyes were darker than normal. If there was ever a storm in someone’s eyes, it was in his. Should she apologize for tempting him by kissing him on the cheek? Because she didn’t feel sorry at all. The more rational part of her brain said she should be, but her lips were singing a different song entirely.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I guess I don’t have to worry about my family believing we’re dating.”
Right. Fake dating. “That’s the plan.” She wiped her hands down her pants and stepped farther into her room. “I guess I’ll call it a night. Thank you again for the date.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiled.
She didn’t watch him leave before shutting the door, leaning her back against it, and groaning. If there was anyone listening up there, she needed them to rescue her. She’d liked him from the moment she met him. Their talks had only intensified it, and now, the kiss to end all kisses was throwing her body into chaos.
What should she do? She crossed the room to the bed, flopped down, and rolled onto her side. It wasn’t fair that she’d met Bear now. Why couldn’t it have been after her restaurant was open? Or why couldn’t he live in San Antonio?
Then again, he’d most likely kissed her because he’d heard Stephanie before Winnie did. She’d just have to keep in mind the fact that their relationship was fake if there was a next time. Again, she silently asked for help. She needed to make it to the first of the year. Oh, she was in so, so much trouble.
Chapter 11
It was Thanksgiving, and Bear had deliberately kept himself from being alone with Winnie since kissing her. It was the most cowardly thing he’d ever done. He should have faced her, told her he liked kissing her and that it couldn’t happen again. They had separate lives. He respected her dreams and wouldn’t do anything to stand in the way of them.
As he reached his bedroom door to go out and take care of his chores, he rubbed his face with his hands. Getting up at four in the morning was wearing on him. She’d offered to help him with the animals, but in his cowardice, he’d woken earlier than normal the last couple of days. By the time he returned to the house, everyone was up, and there was no chance his lips would stray.
With a deep breath and as much determination as he could muster without a bucket of coffee, he opened the door and stopped in his tracks. Someone was brewing coffee. Reagan never woke up this early to make coffee.
“You look like a man who could use a cup of coffee,” Winnie said as she stepped into view. “I don’t know if it’s as good as Reagan’s, but I tried.” She smiled.
What could he do? “Uh…”
She closed the distance between them. “Since my luggage is still missing, that deal I made to pay you back for my knives is still in force. I even shook on it. You’re keeping me from honoring my word. And from what I’ve been told, it’s a rare thing for people to mean what they say.”
He’d felt bad before, and now he felt lower than dirt. “I’m sorry.”
Closing the remaining gap, she circled her arms around his chest. “You’re a good man.” She leaned back, took his chin in her fingers, and held it while their eyes locked. “I don’t know everything Angela did. What I do know is that she lost out.”
Bear wrapped his arms around her and breathed her in. Their kiss had blown his boots off. He could have kissed her until his last breath, and it wouldn’t have been long enough. This relationship couldn’t go anywhere, and it was ever-present in his mind. “You scared me.”
“I figured as much when you avoided spending time alone with me since you kissed me.” She dropped her fingers from his face and stepped back. “We both heard those footsteps on the stairs. I knew the kiss didn’t mean anything, and I’m okay. We’re good.”
He hadn’t heard a dadgum thing when he kissed her except the pounding of his own heart. His lips had gone rogue, and the next thing he knew, he was holding her, kissing and wishing it would never stop. Knowing that Stephanie’s presence was why Winnie had kissed him back hurt a little, but it was a good thing. The little he was already attached would only get worse if she returned his affection. “Right. I won’t do that again. Next time, I’ll talk to you.”
She grinned. “I’m a grand listener. My dad talked over me my whole life, so I know what it’s like to have no one hear me.”
So that’s why she was surprised he’d remembered little things about her. She was used to being ignored. How could anyone do that to her? How could he have done it the past few days? “I will never do that again. I see you, Winifred Fordham. I hear you too. I’ll do my best to make sure you never feel that way with me.”
Her eyes grew misty. “That’s as good as written in stone, coming from you.”
“You want to grab some coffee and then go out with me? It shouldn’t take too long this morning. We’re just taking care of the horses. The ranch hands will take care of the herd.”
“They’re working on Thanksgiving?”
“We work all year round. Animals don’t much care about holidays.” He laughed.
