Page 66 of How Jenna Became My Dilemma

For the ratings.

For my job.

For my mantra.

For anything other than my own desires.

I’m innocent—a lie I’ll keep telling myself because it sounds so good.

Cody brushes my hair off my shoulder, clearing a path to my neck. “For best optics, I’d live right here.” His nose slowly skims over my jawline, down my neck to my collarbone, stopping at my ear. It’s the same action I did to him in the hall back at the bed and breakfast, and let me tell you, it’s an effective strategy. My stomach flips and bounces around. I’m seriously wondering if I was born with all the correct gastrointestinal parts, because there’s so much stomach flipping happening. Like, shouldn’t a small intestine stop some of that movement? If not the small, at least the large.

“And we can’t forget about hand holding.”

“Hand holding is good.” Somehow, repeating his words keeps me grounded in this moment. Otherwise, I might drift away, lost on cloud nine forever.

Cody’s fingers trail from the tip of my shoulder to my wrist until they lock together with mine. My eyes drop to his forearm and the sexy way his veins twist and move as he intertwines our hands. Why are big veins on a man’s arm so manly? I don’t know. But I bet nurses would line up for miles for a chance to give Cody and his big sexy veins an IV.

“But that’s just a start,” he whispers against my ear. My breath purposely stills so I can focus on his touch. I can’t be bothered with breathing right now. I’m fixated on each sweet sensation from his grazes. I feel the brush of his lips and beard against the soft shell, and now all I can think about is how much I wish he’d press a gentle kiss to my ear, or my cheek, or anywhere in that vicinity. I’ve reached an all-time low by having a mid-morning fantasy in a cafe in public, but I’m not even embarrassed. Carry on, my friend. Carry on.

“There’d be no stopping me from kissing you,” Cody whispers, “if this were real.”

My eyes pop open—I didn’t even register that they were closed—and drift to Cody.

“But it’s not real,” I say more to myself than to him.

“No, it’s not real.”

Our stares hold strong until the waiter comes back with his credit card.

“Thank you for coming.” He places it on the table, and we both use the interruption as a way to casually break apart from each other without it looking bad for the cameras.

But the damage has already been done.

I mixed fiction with reality.

Well done, Jenna.

Well done.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CODY

“These photographs from your brunch yesterday are pretty convincing.” Dallas sits beside me in a director’s chair, scrolling through his phone. “And I’m not even talking about the ones where you and Jenna were touching. Those were flamin’, by the way.” I look at Mr. L.L. Bean and shake my head, wishing he would never use the word flamin’ in the same sentence as me. It’s just weird. “I’m talking about the ones where you two were photographed conversing. I mean, even those are scorchin’.”

Heat synonyms must be a thing with him today.

“Let me see the pictures.” I lean over, looking at Dallas’s phone.

It’s odd seeing a snapshot of the moment. Playing it back in my mind, I told myself Jenna was just enduring her time with me until brunch was over, but the photographs tell a different story. She looks happy, like she was enjoying herself. It’s hard to believe a woman as incredible as Jenna could enjoy herself with me, but pictures don’t lie.

Unless she was acting. Then pictures could lie.

“And look at the headline.” Dallas points to his screen, reading aloud as if I’m four. “Has Jenna Lewis finally tamed the bad boy? Sources say yes.” His eyes swing to me excitedly. “Didn’t I say this whole charade would be perfect for your image?”

“Yeah.” My gaze drifts to Jenna across the field. She steals the show in a maroon dress, pleated in the front, nipping everything together at her waist in a flattering way. Her golden hair weaves in and out in an intricate braid, falling over one shoulder—she has to be the makeup and costume teams’ dream come true.

I wish we filmed together today, but instead, we’ve been doing other scenes, and it sucks.

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