Page 38 of Can’t Say No

“Delaney?” Connor asks. “Did you need something?”

“Oh, yeah. Uhhh, babe, I did.”

Connor shakes his head at me, no doubt amused by how clunky affection sounds coming out of my mouth. But another round of giggles behind the door spurs me on.

Giving it my all, I croon out, “You snuck out of bed so fast this morning, I didn’t get a kiss.” I toss him a wink, really laying it on thick.

His smile widens, and if he’s embarrassed, he hides it well. Three quick strides and he’s towering over me, one braced against the doorframe above my head, the other snaking gently around my neck. His touch is firm and warm, sending a shiver down my spine.

He leans in close, lips hovering right by my ear. “How much of a show are we putting on here? Are we a modest couple, or going full on PDA? ‘Cause I’m down for anything, Delaney.”

He gives my neck a little squeeze for emphasis and my mind races at the possibilities of anything.

Stretching onto my tiptoes, I whisper back, “Just a photo op, Prince Charming,” before pulling out my phone and wiggling a little in his grasp. I land a hint of a kiss on his cheek and snap the picture.

“Come on, babe, are you trying to sell this thing or not?” he grinds out, voice deep and low.

Before I can process how good babe sounds coming from him, Connor snatches the phone away with one hand and tips my face up towards him with the other.

“This is how I kiss good morning.”

And then his mouth is on mine.

His kiss is gentle, but far from lacking. Instinctively, I grip the collar of his shirt, and pull him closer, giving way under the pressure of his mouth. His thumb softly strokes my cheek, and my knees go weak.

Then, as abruptly as it started, he pulls away, leaving me reeling from the best damn kiss of my life.

“Ahem.”

Mrs. Crane eyes us from the hallway, arms full of grocery bags. “If you two are done canoodling like teenagers, I’d appreciate some help loading these snacks onto the bus.”

“Sure thing, Mrs. Crane.” Connor slips effortlessly back into work mode, taking the bags from Mrs. Crane before turning to the front door without so much as a backwards glance.

I, however, stay frozen in place.

That was fake, Delaney, I remind myself. Everything about this is fake.

But my racing heart? My wobbly legs? The ghost of Connor’s lips still on mine?

Those feel anything but fake.

14

CONNOR

Idon’t know what possessed me. I really fucking don’t. Something about the casual way she said it’s only a photo op and the flicker of embarrassment across her face. Sure, this fake dating thing is ridiculous, but the last thing I want is for her to feel shame because of it, because of me.

So I fucking kissed her. Hard. In front of Mrs. Crane and the whole choir. And took a damn picture for her social media.

I’m officially in over my head.

The students all pile onto the bus after I loaded grocery bags of trail mix and juice boxes. I’m still buzzing from that kiss as I plod along with them, Delaney sliding in the seat after me.

“Thank you,” she says, voice low. “Matty already posted it and the numbers on it after just fifteen minutes are insane.” She presses her unlocked phone into my palm and I take a look.

Her assistant captioned it old love best love, which feels like a bit of a reach in every way. The comments keep popping up as I refresh the screen.

“OMG she gave us a kissing pic!”