Page 47 of Play Your Part

Kennedy froze, her empty hand midway to the coffee cup on the counter. She resumed movement after a second, but when she turned to me, I saw the question in her eyes.What the hell are you saying, and why are you saying it?

I’d tell you if I had any fucking clue.It was as if sleeping beside her, consuming her vanilla and orange scent all night had irreparably altered my brain chemistry.

“You’re awfully confident I’ll be back,” she said as she strode toward me, a steaming coffee cup in each hand.

I flashed her a grin. “You mean you didn’t have a good time last night?”

Zach put his hands flat over his ears. “La-la-la. I do not want to hear this.”

Kennedy rolled her eyes at him. “Grow up, Briggsy.” She stuck a to-go cup of coffee out to me.

Fucking hell. Why did she have to be considerate? I needed the Kennedy from the night at her father’s house. Okay, not stupidly drunk, but the version of her who blamed me for Ward being traded. The version of her who cast immovable judgment on me. The version of her who didn’t know me. I wished I could go back to the version of her I didn’t know either.

“Thank you,” I said, then I took a step forward, closing the distance between us, and placing my lips on hers before she could register the movement. Her soft lips tasted like cinnamon from the coffee she’d made. I kissed her because I needed to sell this relationship to Zach, but I also wanted to know what it felt like, hoped it would shatter the fantasy.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but in that time, the power of it coursed through me. I wanted to do it again and again and again. Enough times to get this stupid infatuation out of my system. She didn’t want me, which made me want her. That had to be it. We all wanted what we couldn’t have.

“I’ll see you later for the party.”

Kennedy bobbled her head. “Later… yeah.”

“Zach, be ready in ten, all right?”

Zach saluted me, and we both ascended the steps. When I got back to my room, a text waited for me.What in the actual fuck was that?

Just playing my part,I texted back.

Being Kennedy’s boyfriend was a role I’d slipped too far into. Nothing distance couldn’t fix.

20

KENNEDY

Mattletoutadeep-bellied laugh when I entered the kitchen in my Halloween costume.

“Just how every woman wants to be greeted,” I said as I approached the fridge to grab a bottle of water. “Really helps the self-esteem.”

“I’m… s-sorry… Kennedy,” he said, pushing out the words between his laughs. “It’s… not… you.”

I sipped my water, waiting for him to knock off his antics. Matt wore the bottom half of his Batman costume, the mask resting on the countertop in front of him. Gemma chose their costumes, opting for this one so she could don a skintight Catwoman bodysuit that made her look so good, it was honestly unfair.

“I take it Alexei didn’t tell you what costumes he chose,” I said. Due to our initial agreement, Alexei chose all of our dates, which meant he picked our couple’s costume without input from me. The arrogant ass chose Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf as afuck youto everyone who thought he’d preyed on me while I was in a vulnerable state, to all those people who caused us to embark on this fake relationship. “I told him it was a bit on the nose.”

At least I looked good. The costume was sexy without showing too much skin. I wore boots over fishnet stockings. The red dress hit midthigh and showed no cleavage, but it perfectly hugged my curves. The finishing touches—long black gloves, a black bow for my neck, and the red hood that was not yet covering my wavy hair—would tie it all together.

Matt shook his head. “Why did you let him choose?”

I shrugged. “It’s his party. I’m a plus-one. And I was feeling generous. He bought me baked goods.”

“He already knows your weakness,” Matt said with a teasing smile.

My stomach dropped at those words. I pushed away all that happened yesterday, as I had been doing since I left Alexei’s house.

“I know his biggest weakness too.” Alexei cared about hockey more than anything else; if I wanted to hurt him, all I needed to do was leave him to deal with his reputation problem and the media on his own.

Matt held up his hands in mock innocence. “Go easy on him, all right?”

“Wait—you’re worried abouthim?” I asked.

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