Page 29 of Faking Summer
"Even though you’re probably the last person I’d ever expect to go with," she said, as she flicked an imaginary piece of lint off her top, "I do need a date to the wedding, and I know you can impress my family."
"Is that so?"
"If anyone is confident enough, maybe too confident about themselves, it's you. And I know you could handle them. I’ll get your sister on the team, we will make it to the wedding, and then we can break up right after."
I flashed her a dimple. "So, you think I'm impressive?"
"That's what you took from what I just said?" she asked, dropping her hands to her side.
"No, while you were talking I was actually wondering if this deal comes with any benefits." The words slipped from my lips, knowing I was pushing it now.
"You mean the benefit of getting to fake date me and be my date to the wedding?"
I swung my legs off the bed and inched closer, my feet silent on the carpet. "That's not what I mean."
"No benefits, Reese." Caroline's slender body tensed, like she was preparing to fight off an active threat. "Nothing changes between us."
This was a challenge, then. One she laid before me with a shiny red bow attached to it.
"What's the fun in that?" I let out a small chuckle. "If we're going to act like we're dating, we might as well enjoy the fun part of dating."
The look she gave me then was almost worth the words—her blue eyes flared, daring and defiant, but something else was going on with her. Some sort of battle was happening in her mind. Her lips parted, but it wasn't just any response that escaped them—it was pure Caroline, and the force of nature that she was.
"I'd never date you under normal circumstances," she declared, but her voice held a softness that betrayed her, a vulnerability she couldn't quite hide. "And I definitely would never hook up with you." The defiance was there, yes, but so was the uncertainty—a fleeting glance, the hitch in her breath, her shaky voice that told a different story.
She was seated on the edge of the bed, her hands fidgeting with the rings on her fingers—had to be a nervous habit. The scent of her perfume, a blend of vanilla and something wild, like a forest after rain, filled my nostrils and clouded my senses.
"Why don't I believe you?"
She swallowed hard at my question, the delicate movement of her throat drawing my attention momentarily. When she spoke, her voice was stronger than before, but I sensed the effort it took to maintain that composure. "This is just an agreement, Reese. When we get what we both need, this is over."
"Whatever you say, Chaos."
Her eyes sparked with that familiar glare. There was always a fire in her that never seemed to burn out where I was involved. "You think you're so irresistible but there are women in the world who aren't obsessed with you, you know."
There was no missing my grin. Not from her words but at the frustration behind them. Even when she was angry, I could feel the air between us crackling with electricity, and I was drawn closer to the flame of her spirit more than ever before.
"I know," I drawled, a small smile still on my face. "And maybe those are the kind of women I'm into. I like the challenge."
Caroline was still for a second, and then she turned. "Well, this isn’t some game you can win," she retorted as she got up and walkedto the door. That spark in her eyes, the quickened pulse at the base of her throat, they told me everything she refused to confess.
"You must not know who I am," I shot back, and only silence answered. The door clicked shut, soft but final, the sound echoing with more conviction than any of her previous protests.
I remained perched on the edge of the bed, running a hand through my hair as I gathered my thoughts. That woman had no idea what she had just done. By walking out that door, by trying to keep me at a distance. Caroline Matthews was a mystery to me, and I was now fully committed to figuring her out. To finding out what made her the way she is—to understand the unwavering stance she always took against me, the vulnerability she thought she hid so well.
"Challenge accepted," I whispered to the empty room. The thrill of the chase pulsed through my veins.
She was one hell of a firecracker, and I so badly wanted to unravel her. Not because I couldn't resist a challenge, but because for the first time, I couldn't resist her.
And she had no idea.
thirteen
Caroline
"Okay, I've had enough. Time for carbs." Sam panted, her face flushed as she turned down her speed on the treadmill.
"I'll never understand your nutrition plan," I said, breathlessly. "But it works because you're always in such good shape."
