Page 45 of The Fake Out

“It’s far,” she warned.

I rubbed my thumb across her cheek. “I don’t care. I just want to be with you right now.”

“Okay, sure. Let’s go.”

I spent the night doing exactly what I said I would, burying myself inside her. Making her scream while I gripped her hair and told her who was boss. I would have felt bad about using her to forget my issues if she hadn’t made it clear she did the same thing.

A part of me wanted to tell her what was going on, to share the issues digging deep inside. But that teetered on the relationship line, and we couldn’t cross it. We were only pretending and fucking until our expiration date. None of this shit was real. I had to remind myself of that.

Chapter Fourteen

VERONICA

When I woke the next morning to an empty bed, I wasn’t surprised, but a part of me was disappointed. The fucking last night had been wild, animalistic sex, just the way I liked it, but Blaise was like a robot. He was pissed about something, but instead of asking him about it, I let him take me until I couldn’t take it anymore. Until he had spent all his negative energy into me.

I didn’t hear him leave this morning, but maybe it was better this way. If I got used to waking up beside him, it might make my heart think big foolish ideas. I shoved the feeling down inside and got up.

And immediately got annoyed by a text message from my ex.

SETH: Can you take my shift today?

ME: Eat a dick.

SETH: Come on, Roni. Don’t be that way.

ME: FUCK NO!

I made breakfast and ignored his texts before meeting Olivia at the King of Prussia mall. Olivia was all smiles when I met her inside, and she gave me a big hug.

It surprised a lot of people when they found out Liv was my best friend. She had such a bubbly personality, whereas I was a cynical asshole. Liv truly believed there were good people in the world, and I loved her for that, but I knew better.

“Okay, so why are we shopping?” she asked as she dragged me into the nearest department store.

“For asshat’s wedding,” I said through gritted teeth.

Her big brown eyes went wide. “You’re really gonna go?”

“Yeah, to be petty about it and show him I’m better off without him.”

“You are better off without him,” she agreed. She rifled through the racks looking for something that would work for me. “So spill. What’s up with you and the hockey hunk?”

I bit my lip at that because Blaise Holmstrom totally was that and more. That man knew exactly what I wanted in the bedroom, and I loved this fuck buddy situation we had going on.

“We’re not really dating,” I explained. I took the navy blue dress she shoved at me, making a sour face that she was trying to get me to wear colors.

She handed me a few black dresses. “Can I put you in any happy colors?”

I shook my head. “Black’s my happy color.”

She groaned. “But it’s so boring!”

“Classic,” I argued.

She shoved a bright blue dress at me to spite me, then she shooed me away to the dressing room. She was nipping at my heels, though, because of course I was going to try these on and show her. We’d probably take pictures too and decide what was best. I already knew it was going to be whatever black dress looked hot on me.

She shoved me into a dressing room, and I put on the bright blue dress to appease her.

“What do you mean you aren’t dating?” she called through the closed door separating us.