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I can feel his rapid breathing against my lips. He doesn't move and his hold doesn't change, but those eyes sure do. Pure golden fire. His nostrils flare in sync with his heaving chest as he continues to search my face.
"C'est un jeu dangereux," he whispers hoarsely.
"What did you say?" I demand, narrowing my eyes.
His brow lifts in answer, not speaking.
"I see I'm going to need to learn French so you can't keep things from me while you're in my life."
I ignore the twinge in my gut at the reminder that his time in my life is temporary, but by some miracle, I keep from showing him.
"I said this is a dangerous game."
"Dangerous is my middle name," I joke, winking at him and
still not releasing my hold. "I like dangerous."
His hands flex, my wrists smarting for a moment until his hold relaxes some. "No more ignoring me. We do this; we do this all the way. No way anyone will believe we're together if you're disappearing for weeks."
"You make it sound like it was months, Shane. I had a few busy weeks at work. I didn't disappear."
"And from now on, those busy weeks will always find a little time for me. Always."
A hiccup of air gets caught in my throat. I clear my throat and nod. "Are you going to be able to make everyone--including our exes--believe we're madly obsessed with each other?"
"That, Nikki, won't be a fucking problem."
"Yeah," I murmur, looking at his full lips. "I think you're right."
"NO ONE CAN KNOW ABOUT this being fake," Shane says, his voice muffled by the T-shirt he's pulling over his head.
"Excuse me?"
He finishes dressing instead of answering.
"Shane?"
He sits down on my bed with a huff, pulling his boots on before looking up and leaning back on his hands.
"You're right. I need you just as much as you need me to get someone out of my life. We need to keep this agreement between us. That way, there isn't a chance those someones find out we're playing them."
"I'm assuming you mean I can't tell Ember either?"
He nods, watching me with his stoic expression.
"She wouldn't tell anyone."
"I don't think she would, but if we want to be believable, that means the people who know us the best should buy it too. Otherwise, we're not doing it right."
I weigh his words, pulling my arms across my body. "I don't like keeping things from my best friend, Shane."
"I can respect that, but it's a deal breaker for me, Nikki."
"Son of a biscuit." His face goes soft, and I know he thinks my weirdness is funny. You try working around kids all day and not cussing, and you'll learn all sorts of tricks around it. Weird or not, it's my thing. "If she finds out, she won't be happy."
"Then don't tell her. It's no one's business but ours."
"And when we succeed in getting our exes out of the picture and this thing between us ends?"
He stands, towering over me, and lightly takes my elbows in his hands, not trying to get me to unfold my arms but making sure I see just how serious he is. "Then we'll break up like any other couple but go on as friends."
"Unless you fall in love with me and we end up hating each other."
"Don't worry about me, cherie." I hear his unspoken words. It's written all over his face that he thinks I'll be the one to fall for him. "Are we agreed?"
"Yeah, boyfriend of mine, we're agreed. Don't worry; I won't fall in love with you either."
"Fuck," he says under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. Walk me out?"
I nod, missing his touch when he releases me. I follow behind him, allowing myself a second to wish this wasn't fake and I could ask him to spend his Saturday with me. Instead, I smile as he opens the door and looks back at me.
"I'll be at Dirty until we open, but Dent should be back so if you can wait to eat dinner until around eight, we can go to the new hibachi place in town."
"Like a date?"
"You want people to believe you're mine, mon colibri, and it's kind of hard to show that off without going on a few."
"I can wait," I breathe.
"See you then," he says, his smirk telling me he's enjoying the fact he can gain the upper hand anytime he wants. He leaves the door open, walks back toward me, and lifts one hand to the nape of my neck. Curling it behind my neck with a strong hold, he pulls me into his body at the same time his lips crash against mine. His kiss bruising, deep, all-consuming, and ... branding.
I'm still standing there with my eyes closed and my lips burning long after the sound of my front door shutting stops echoing through my apartment.
Yeah, this is a dangerous game, for sure.
"You're what!"
I hold the phone away from my face but not before Ember's screech hits my ear, making me wince. I should have put her on speakerphone and saved my hearing, but in my defense, I'm a little rattled knowing I have a date--fake or not--with Shane Kingston tonight.
"You heard me."
"Shane, Shane? As in, the same Shane who is my husband's business partner? That Shane?"
"Know a lot of Shanes, Em?" I laugh, placing the phone on my bathroom counter so I can finish my makeup and save my ears from any more outbursts by my overly excited best friend.
"Well, no, but he's Shane."
"Yes, he is," I reply, my voice deeper than normal. I look at my reflection, seeing my lust-filled expression looking back at me.
"When the hell did this happen?"
"A few weekends-ish ago," I hedge.
"Well, that's as clear as mud. Hold on, baby's crying." I hear her phone clatter against something hard and picture her moving around her house in my head. Quinnie's angry cries follow a second later, mingling with Ember's calming sounds. "Sorry about that; she's been fussy with these teeth coming in."
"It's okay. Do you want to let me go?"
She snorts. "Yeah, right. She'll calm down, but this gossip about you and Shane can't wait. I can't believe this is the first I'm hearing of this."
