Page 43 of Faking Summer
My attention skimmed over all the faces. Then, Caroline.
I watched as she mingled, her blonde hair bouncing as she was in motion. The tank top and shorts she was wearing hugged her in all the right places. Had she always been this beautiful? Or was I just seeing her differently lately?
I leaned against the wall, taking a sip of my drink, my gaze tethered to her every move as she laughed with her friends—and that's when it happened. Some guy slid up beside her. His hand found her waist—an annoying gesture that almost broke my composure. He whispered something in her ear, and she pulled away slightly, looking uncomfortable. Something inside me twisted. He didn’t move, didn’t take the hint.
Pushing off from the wall, I set my glass down on the table, harder than intended.
"Be right back," I told the guys. They barely glanced up from their conversation. With an eerie calmness, I approached Caroline, determined to cut in before I came to my senses.
"Leave." My voice was low and lethal as I closed the distance between us. The guy still had his hands on Caroline, but the moment he heard me, he stiffened. His steps faltered, eyes going wide as recognition dawned.
"Shit—Reese, man, I-I’m so sorry," he stammered, hands flying up in surrender. He backed away fast, like my words had shoved him straight into whatever hole he’d crawled out of.
"What the hell are you doing?"Caroline angrily whispered.
"What’s it look like?" I shot back, barely sparing her a glance.
She folded her arms, eyes blazing. "Like you still don’t get that I can take care of myself."
I exhaled, leveling her with a look. "I’m not half-assing this, Caroline. If I’m playing the role of your fake boyfriend, I’m doing it my way—take it or leave it. I told you before, when I do something, I go all in."
"Come with me," Caroline demanded, her fingers latching onto mine. She tugged me away from the party, away from prying eyes. Her friends watched us leave, their expressions full of surprise and speculation. Their stares clung to me, but I couldn’t care less.
She pulled me into a secluded bedroom. The door clicked shut behind us, shutting out everyone else. The room was dimly lit by the soft glow of a bedside lamp.
"Reese, you can't do that," she breathed heavily. "What if our friends saw that?"
I didn’t hesitate. "I don’t care."
I stepped closer, closing the space between us. Her scent wrapped around me—something soft, like daisies or wildflowers. But there was nothing soft about the way my pulsepounded.
"I only care what you think," I said honestly, my voice low, steady.
She turned, her eyes wide and incredulous. "Why? We hate each other?"
"Do we?"
"Obviously," she said, her voice a whisper. Her hand felt small and defiant in mine as I drew her closer to me.
"You sure about that?" My voice came out raw, edged with vulnerability I hadn’t meant to show. I searched her face for signs, reading the flicker of doubt in those icy blue eyes that were becoming my undoing. “Because I don’t hate you.”
I knew what was happening with me. The more I was around her, the more I wanted her. Every glance, each intentional touch under false pretenses, had built up something undeniable—something I couldn’t ignore anymore. Caroline liked to pretend she was unreadable, but she wasn’t as untouchable as she thought. Beneath that cool indifference, I caught glimpses of something real—something waiting to break through.
"Reese," she started, lips parted slightly, a silent struggle written all over her face. “If you know something I don’t, then please, enlighten me."
Her grip on my hand tightened, like she was cracking ever so slightly.
"Caroline," I murmured, leaning in so close that our foreheads nearly touched. I could feel her uneven breaths against my skin, see the flicker of conflict. "I think deep down, you know exactly what’s happening."
"Reese," she whispered, her voice cracking, "I don't..."
"Shh," I soothed, placing a finger gently over her lips. "Don’t try to deny it. The way you look at me when you think I'm not watching, your laugh when it's real and unhinged, the heat in your cheeks right now. You want me. And I'm fighting it just as hard because I want you, too."
For a moment, the world seemed to stop spinning, and all thatexisted was the two of us. No raging party just on the other side of the door.
"Even if that were true," Caroline said softly, "this can't go anywhere. Are you tempting at times? Maybe… but that changes nothing." She paused, her breath hitching slightly as if admitting this was the last thing she wanted.
"Tell me," I murmured, my tone low and dangerous, "how tempting am I?"
