It’s impossible to suppress my smile on the way to the bar until I feel a hand wrap around my wrist.
There’s no point in fighting it since I’m getting pulled to a full table of coworkers, and it only takes a second to realize that it’s Rebecca digging her talons into my arm. I’m kind of impressed by her grip strength, but I already know that I don’t want to be a part of whatever is happening.
“Who is that?” Rebecca states stubbornly, her eyes bouncing over to Ellie and Wes. “Are you seeing someone? You never said you were seeing anyone.”
Around the table, the other ladies from the office look a bit uncomfortable but share kind expressions when we make eye contact. “Hi, Katie. It’s good to see you.” I smile and look across the table. “Hi, Janette. I hope you’ve been doing well.” Finally, I get to Rebecca, who is still attached to my arm for some reason. “Oh, hello, Rebecca... See. This is how you talk to somebody when greeting them instead of manhandling them and berating them with questions.”
Rebecca rolls her eyes, waiting for a response to her original question, as I jerk myself out of her grasp. A look over my shoulder shows Elllie and Wes are wrapped up in their own conversation, and I consider making a joke about dating Wes. It’s a bummer that this isn’t the right crowd for that because it would be hilarious when I tell him about it later. If I want to use the fake girlfriend cards to my advantage, there needs to beno miscommunication in what I say next. “That would be Ellie,my girlfriend.”
I wish I could say that I wasn’t amused by Rebecca’s reaction, but the gasp that comes out of her mouth makes me want to chuckle.
“How long have you been dating her? How did you meet? What does she do?” She rattles off question after question, and I wish my blank stare was answer enough. In a perfect world, I would walk away. Unfortunately, it’s important to remain amicable, even if Rebecca is being borderline intrusive.
“Listen, Rebecca, I would love to stay here and chat, but I was in the middle of getting my girlfriend a drink. If you want to know more, maybe youshould come over and talk to her. Isn’t that the whole point of these community events?”
Without giving her a chance to respond, I make my way over to the bar and place my order, hoping that Rebecca does not take me up on my offer to get to know Ellie more.
My palms are moist as I rub them on my slacks, and I am shaken with nerves at the thought of wanting to kiss Ellie.
We agreed that PDA is okay, but I can’t get myself to make a move—at least not one of this magnitude. My arm has moved from behind her chair to around her shoulders, and she said that she was okay with the contact. But, if I’m going to try to kiss her, I need a sign from her. It feels uncalled for to spring it on her without talking first since that is the opposite of what I promised.
If we’re being honest, this kiss wouldn’t be completely selfish; I’m hoping that showing a little affection will help solidify our ‘relationship’.Not that I think that anyone suspects the truth, but this would be an easy way to convince everyone, especially Rebecca, that Ellie is the real deal. It also might be odd to be at a bar with my girlfriend and not kiss her at least once.
My best opportunity comes when Natalie stops by our table again to talk to Wes.
As I glance down at Ellie, she can sense my stare and looks up at me basically glowing. I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or the close proximity, but her cheeks are the same pretty shade of pink that I love so much. I want to kiss her so bad.
The wave of nervousness hits me again, but this time I don’t let it stop me. Leaning down so close that no one else can hear, I ask in a low whisper, “Would it be okay if I kissed you, Ellie?”
The pink flush darkens, and she stares at me with eyes wide before nodding.
That is all I need. No reason to overthink it.
It’s been a while since I’ve kissed someone, and I don’t want this to be bad for her. I mean, I’m a good kisser. I just want to make this convincing, but I want Ellie to like it too. Ugh, I don’t actually know what I am thinking. All that I do know is that I want to kiss Ellie, and I want to do it right now.
Reaching out to hold her face with one hand, I tilt her chin up with my thumb. She moves with me—so pliant under my touch, giving me the final go ahead. Leaning back down, I meet her the rest of the way. Her lips part ever so slightly as my mouthtouches hers, and there is an intensity that I’ve never felt with anyone else.
It was supposed to be a quick kiss, just enough to make it look real, but the way she feels—lips molded perfectly to mine—is making it impossible for me to pull away. The heat building between us quickly turns into an inferno, and every cell in my body craves more. I angle her face up to kiss her a little deeper, and the tiniest moan slips from her lips. Fuck, that is the sweetest sound.
It’s almost impossible, but I pull away when I remember where we are.
When I look down at her, she is more flushed than before—now a delicious shade of red. She looks away from me with heavy eyelids and bites her lip, and I would kill to know what is going on in her head right now.
As I’m watching her intently, Wes’ slurred voice cuts in.“Damn, guys. Get a room.”
It doesn’t matter if he is drunk or not, Wes loves to embarrass me whenever he can, but the idea of him embarrassing Ellie hits like an anger I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m not putting up with his bullshit tonight, so I shove him with my elbow and give him a stern look.
Chapter 10
Ellie
IsitlamethatI'm actually having fun?
My nerves were wrong once again, and I’ve done my best to shove all of my apprehensions to the back of my mind. Although, there was a brief moment of concern that set my radar off.
Right after I got here, Patrick went to grab me a drink and ended up chatting with a ridiculously beautiful woman at another table. She looked tall and sophisticated—and everything that I’m not. I have no right to be jealous of who my fake boyfriend talks to, but I am. While I tried my best not to watch, I couldn’t help myself. The only thing that made me feel relief was when I noticed that he had a slightly annoyed expression on his face and was almost scowling.
I’ve never seen him look like that before, but then again, I’m just reminded that I don’t really know him at all. When Patrick came back to the table with my drink, he seemed fine, so I decided not to question it because, frankly, it’s none of my business.
