Page 76 of Be My Bride

“You’re scary.” Hansley shakes his head. “Way too good at this.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

There’s a knock on the door.

“Hansley?” His mom yells. “Asia?”

My body floods with nerves. “What do we do?” I whisper.

“Just play it cool.”

I panic and charge him. Hansley lets out a muffled grunt as I collide with his chest and we both go flying into the bed. Our bodies flop on the soft mattress.

A moment later, his mom pokes her head through the door and sees us. “I was wondering if—oh, my.”

“Mom?” Hansley twists his neck to speak to her.

“The door was open…” She blushes.

“We were just—” I scramble off him, “testing the bed.” I bounce on it a couple times. “It’s springy.”

“That’s… good.”

“Did you need something?” Hansley asks, trying not to laugh.

“Have you guys eaten lunch yet?”

“We ate on the flight,” I say politely.

Hansley shakes his head. “We could eat, mom.”

“Are you kidding?” I fling him a dark look. “You ate everything on your plate.”

“And you hardly ate anything.”

“Your mom doesn’t have to worry about me,” I mumble.

Mrs. Nicholas slants me a concerned look. “Was the food not good?”

“It was great. Asia was too nervous to do anything but pick at it.” Hansley laughs when I pretend to punch him. “It’s true.”

“I’ll throw something together then.” A pleased smile tilts his mom’s lips.

“Let me at least help you.” I try to roll off the bed.

Hansley snatches my wrist and hauls me back on top of him. “In a minute.”

I cast a horrified look at his mother.

He holds on tight. “She’ll be down in fifteen, ma.”

His mother quietly closes the door.

“Hansley!” I screech.

He tightens his arms around my waist. “Let’s get back to what we were doing before my mom walked in.”

“We do that only when your parents are looking.”

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