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“Dang it,” I say, turning to snap my fingers. I catch Preston leaning in the doorway, smiling at me. “What?”

He shrugs. “I like bickering with you. Is that weird?”

His candor stuns me, and it’s clear he knows what he’s doing, because his grin only grows.

I should try to get the last word, but all I can think of is, “Yeah, sadly, me too.”

He chuckles. “Sadly?”

“Mm-hmm,” is my only reply as I disappear into the master bathroom.

Holy shit. A claw-foot tub.

I might be in here awhile.

One because of the bath, and two, because of the man on the other side of the door.

The one, it turns out, I like being around.

And as I said before, that’s a problem.

Chapter

Fifteen

PRESTON

I’m showered and back in my room before Grace has emerged from the master bath. I guarantee she found the claw-foot tub.

I’ve never used it, so the idea that she is? Not good for my imagination.

I grab my laptop and settle into bed to wait for her. Working to keep my mind off her being naked in my bathroom seems like a smart idea.

This entire situation is not normal.

Our relationship has pivoted so many times in a matter of days. She hates me, then we establish a truce; we get tipsy and think we can pull off being fake-engaged, then she hates me again because we are now fake-engaged. Next, she pulls back because she regrets our plan, but we are sort of fucked and can’t back out. Then she becomes aware that she needs to try harder, but is still hesitant. We are sort of friends, maybe? I leave, and she shows up here. I can see her M.O. is to be snarky with me, probably because she’s uncomfortable and is reverting to what she’s used to. Still, she keeps smiling at me, and her snarkiness is becoming flirtier, and fuck, I can’t keep up. But somewhere in there, my crush has come back, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I think she’s not as immune to me as she likes to think.

That’s a lot to process in less than a week.

Maybe I need to check on her.

I set my laptop off to the side and get out of bed. I tread slowly to the bathroom door and knock once.

“Grace. Are you okay in there?”

“Yes.”

There. She’s good to go. I can go back to bed now.

I don’t move.

“Are you sure?” I ask and roll my eyes at myself. She said she was fine. Just leave her alone.

“Yes,” she says, and this time I hear the laugh behind it. “Anything else, Preston?”

“No. Just, you’ve been in there a while.”

“I know. Is that okay?”