Page 86 of Faking It With the Small-Town Bad Boy

glass shatter against the steel. My ass hits the countertop, my body

on the edge of the kitchen island where my legs snake around his

hips on instinct. My hands cup his face, fresh with a reddish stubble

that offsets his brunette hair.

He’s so magnificently put together for a man who drives me

absolutely wild.

“Find you attractive? Please, Leah, don’t insult me like that.”

“What do you mean?” I hiss, unsure about our mangled position. He

grinds into my hips further, the feeling daunting but welcome. So

very welcome. “I get it, Percy.”

“You don’t get a damn thing if you think I don’t find you attractive.”

His lips melt into mine, and I hike my body against his chest, clawing

at his back like he’s a tree I can’t climb fast enough. He tucks my hair

back, yanking his mouth away while we both stifle a shaky breath

and come to our senses. My heart is racing, nearly out of my body,

but I don’t care.

I want Percy.

I can see he wants me to, but he refuses to give in, his restraint more

under control than my own.

“Tell me why,” I pant, needy and desperate for the answer.

He nods, his tone smooth and cold as he replies, “Because we

wouldn’t be like this if not for the circumstances. I don’t want you to

sleep with me on a whim when you’re upset about Ryan and the

wedding we have to fake our way through. It’s only a matter of time

before this deal is over, darling. I don’t want to break you twice.”

Holding my breath, I try to take his words with a grain of salt, but it’s

difficult. On the one hand, I understand. We need to play our parts

and not make this complicated and not make any bad choices

regarding intimacy—something we can’t take back once we do it.

But on the other hand, and the more prevalent side of my mind, I

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