I gave hers a quick squeeze. “What is it?”
She finally looked up, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. “You held my hand. Voluntarily.”
I pressed my lips together to hide a grimace. She didn’t need to say it like it was a big deal.
“Your feedback about my acting earlier may have had some merit,” I admitted.
Her smile widened. “And you stood up for me against your mom, which was really hot, by the way.”
She had my complete, undivided attention. “Yeah?”
Ellie made a show of fanning herself with her free hand. “I almost jumped you right there. I bet she would’velovedthat.”
I grinned, easing closer and backing her up until she pressed against the wall. “What’s stopping you now, then?”
Her gaze dropped to my lips before her tongue peeked out to wet her own. “Well, I have a surprise I want to change into first.”
My mind jumped to all sorts of interesting things she could change into—including her strange unicorn onesie—and I leaned in enough to press a kiss to her ear. Another to her cheek. More to her jaw.
“I love surprises,” I whispered against her satin skin.
Ellie snorted right in my face. “Oh, really? Because the last time I surprised you, you elbowed me in the face and accused me of trying to kill you!”
… She wasn’t wrong.
“I’ll make it up to you right now,” I promised, tugging her toward our room.
the cuddle code
. . .
Ellie
Ellie’s Guide toProfessional CuddlingBeing a Fake FiancéeNOT Falling for Your Fake FiancéHiding Any Trace that You’ve Fallen for Your Fake FiancéKeeping It TogetherSurviving as a Fake Fiancée, Tip #25: The Cuddle Code is there to help you. Ignore it at your own peril.
I stood in front of the closet mirror, fidgeting in a tiny black chemise Dr. Lovejoy had snuck to me this morning.
I hadn’t expected to get sex clothes from our retreat leader, but at least she had good taste.
A delicate lace hem landedveryhigh on my thigh, while the thin silk hugged my curves and had me feeling extra playful. I wiggled a bit, then stopped, suddenly very aware I was braless.
“It’s too much, isn’t it?” I whispered to Whiskey. His big blue eyes blinked back at me from his spot on the closet’s built-in vanity, no idea of what I was saying penetrating his little kitty brain. “I mean, it’s cute. Really cute. And I feel hot in it. That’s good. But it’s also like…something you’d wear for ananniversary? Or a nonvirgin sacrifice. Maybe a demon sacrifice. Or one of those underground?—”
A soft knock on the closet door made me jump, and I snapped my mouth shut.
“Ellie?” Amusement laced Cade’s voice. “You’ve been quiet for a while. It’s not like you. Everything good?”
I huffed, but his teasing eased some of the butterflies in my stomach. “All good in here! I’m just…stretching.”
“… Stretching?”
A familiar prickle crept up my neck, and I did a quick lunge so it wouldn’t be a complete lie—immediately regretting the move when my calf twinged sharply.
“Yeah, stretching,” I said brightly, stretching my arms while Whiskey flicked his tail. “You know, just warming up the body and getting everything limber. Don’t want to pull a muscle.”
Cringing, I wished I could stuff the words back in my mouth as soon as they escaped, but it was too late.
Before Cade could respond and make things even worse, I cleared my throat. “Go get comfortable on the bed, please! And close your eyes. Remember, this is a surprise.”
