Page 46 of The Daredevil

My heart quickened. “No.”

I felt his smile on my lips as the kiss escalated from sampling to needy. Warm breath, soft lips, pounding hearts, and his body flush to mine were the only things in my awareness. He intensified the kiss, and I met his greedy demands.

My body trembled from the onslaught of sensation he drew from the kiss, and I wanted to know how my body would react if we went beyond this.

CHAPTERTWENTY

ROYCE

Michelle wantedthe kiss just as much as I did. She moaned, parted her lips, and my tongue slid in, met hers, and a wild battle ensued. A separate heat from the thermal water coursed through me, and my cock hardened.

She pressed her body to mine, and I deepened the kiss, wanting more of her. Her body sagged into me, and my arms banded around her slim waist. Was she kissing me as my “fake girlfriend,” or was this kiss something she wanted?

Fake boyfriend or not, I kissed her because I couldn’t resist her.

I was in dire danger—this fake dating situation would alter my life. I just knew it, but I couldn’t stop myself.

The radical part of me wanted to know how this temporary relationship would affect me. The practical version of me crossed his arms, watching my downfall. Sometimes the best way to learn a lesson was to get through to the end.

What had I been thinking when I asked her to fake date me? My cock twitched as though it knew the answer had nothing to do with my brain. Our kiss was like a collision of stars, bursting with life and energy. I’d never felt anything like it, and I wanted to feel it again and again.

I dragged my mouth to her ear. “You’re a fabulous kisser, angel. If we don’t stop, we’re going to give these people a show.”

Sucking in a breath, she stiffened, remembering we were in a public area. Her cheeks blossomed to an adorable pink, making me want to continue kissing her. Something powerful simmered between us, and if I didn’t step carefully, I could find myself in threatening territory.

Michelle was the danger zone, and I gave her access to me by being my fake girlfriend. What would she think if I backed away now? An intelligent girl like her would be curious. Curiosity provoked questions, and questions slowly eroded my privacy. That was too sacred to me.

She would probably assume I didn’t like the kiss. Or that I wanted Fiona hovering around. From experiences with women, I understood that a woman’s mind could produce frightening thoughts. Thoughts that could mutate into even scarier scenarios that had nothing to do with the original issue. I didn’t need the extra complication or the drama.

So I kept my mouth shut, praying that Michelle and I would miraculously keep our hands off each other while we tried our best to succeed at this fake relationship. I had too much going on at work, and I didn’t need Fiona hounding me.

Michelle looked at me with inquisitive eyes. “Should we have rules for this pretend dating thing? Like no kissing, no touching.”

A sudden tightness cramped the muscles in my back. I didn’t like her suggestion, even though it made sense to have boundaries.

“Like fake rules for the fake relationship?”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Umm . . . I guess. It sounds weird, though.”

This entire situation was weird, but something about it seemed right. At the moment, everything appeared foggy, like the layer of mist blanketing this lagoon.

I’d always been a man who knew his next step. It was like experimenting on volcanic lava. I could see the process and knew what to do to get results. But with Michelle, I was clueless. Carrying out a fake relationship shouldn’t be this hard. With all those years I’d spent in college, I couldn’t come up with a concise answer to a relationship question.

I needed a moment to think about my reply. Should I tell her there wouldn’t be any intimacy? The idea constricted my chest.

“How about we have a safe word? You know, if things got out of control and you wanted to stop, then you say the word.” I jerked a finger in Fiona’s direction. “If she knows we’re faking it, she’s going to harass me even more. We have to make it believable, right?”

What the fuck was I talking about? I felt like I was two people in one body. One had some sense in him, knowing that more kissing would mean more trouble. The other guy wanted to do all kinds of inappropriate things regardless of the consequences.

I was a walking paradox in deep shit.

“I highly recommend a safe word.” It sounded likeIneeded a safe word.

Whoever said spontaneity created the best ideas was a liar. This fake dating would be my end.

And yet you don’t care.

Not when she was looking at me with such inquisitiveness.

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