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“I’m scared I’ll give us away. I had exactly one boyfriend back in high school who broke up with me after our first kiss. I guess I wasn’t worth the trouble of sticking around since I wasn’t willing to do what he wanted. After that, I was too focused on my goals to give dating much thought. I have no idea how to act or what’s expected,” she whispers.
Her cheeks blush a beautiful shade of pink, embarrassed by her innocence. If only she knew that it makes me cherish her even more.
“There’s not much more to it than what we already do. We spend most of our free time together, laughing, watching movies, going for coffee, and those kinds of things.”
“What does the ‘not much more’ entail?” she asks shyly.
I step a little closer and reach for her hand. “It might require some handholding,” I tell her, rubbing light circles with my thumb. “Is that okay?”
She dips her chin once and murmurs, “Yes.”
I pull her hand to my lips and kiss the top lightly. “We might have to show affection with small things like this,” I tell her in a husky tone. I proceed to kiss each knuckle slowly and tenderly. She doesn’t say anything in response, but her breathing accelerates.
I lower her hand, pull her body towards me so it’s flush with mine, and lean in and whisper, “I might have to do something like this…” I nibble on her ear, then nuzzle her neck, leaving a small trail of feather-light kisses. “Are you all right with that?”
“Uh-huh.” I try not to smirk when her legs start to wobble, and I have to hold her up. I can only imagine what her response will be when I kiss her the way she deserves to be kissed. But I plan to do that when I know her feelings for me mirror my own for her. Until then, quick pecks will have to do.
I slowly let go, ensuring she’s steady on her feet before I finally step back. I take great pleasure in seeing her slight smile and closed eyes, knowing she enjoyed the moment as much as I did.
“If you can handle us doing that until we catch the culprit, then I think we can make this fake relationship work,” I tell her. I notice her tiny smile disappears when I use the word “fake,” and it gives me a glimmer of hope that things aren’t as one-sided as I thought.
“I’m thoroughly drained and running on fumes at this point. I haven’t been to sleep in nearly 36 hours. Are you okay with talking more on the drive tomorrow? I know you still have to pack, but you need to try and get some sleep, too.” She waits for me to nod before she trudges up the stairs. I can practically feel the weight of her exhaustion from where I’m standing.
When Leanna reaches the top landing, she calls my name. “Carter?”
“Yeah?”
“Just so you know, I missed you too.”
After Leanna went to bed, I combed through the footage from our security camera. Callum was right. The person in question not only wore all black and a ski mask to hide their features but somehow managed to avoid tripping the motion-sensing light on the front porch. Whoever it is, I have to give them some credit; they knew what they were doing.
That done, I move on to my next objective—laundry. It was close to midnight by the time I repacked my bags with the proper winter gear for the slopes and pulled out my snowboard from the garage. Leanna and Daphne’s equipment was set against the wall, ready to be loaded as well. At least they made it easy for me, and I had everything in the truck and tied down before going to sleep.
With our scheduled departure time set for six in the morning, I had set my alarm for five. When it goes off, I rush down the stairs and push the start button to the coffee pot while also popping in a pod for a quick cup to drink now. Half an hour later, Leanna comes downstairs freshly showered and looking beautiful. I pour her a cup and slide it over to where she’s sitting on a barstool at the breakfast bar.
“You’re my hero,” she says, inhaling the scent of coffee. “Nothing beats waking up to this smell.”
“I know we are having breakfast at Sebastian’s house with the whole family before we travel up North, but I thought you might want a bagel to tide you over until we arrive. I know how you can get if you don’t get carbs first thing in the morning,” I tease.
She looks around the room and notices her bags missing. “What happened to my luggage?”
“I put it in the truck last night along with all our gear. But we should do a last-minute walkthrough to make sure nothing got missed.”
After eating our morning snack, Leanna goes through the house to check and see if we need any last-minute items. By the time she’s finished, the dishes are done, and I’m standing by the door holding her coat out for her.
“Such a gentleman. But you know you don’t have to do that kind of thing when no one’s looking, Carter.”
“We have to stay in character the entire time, Leanna. Think of it as undercover work. You said you thought it would be fun to be a spy. Now’s your chance!”
I can tell by her laugh that she doesn’t believe me.
“Seriously, Lee, this is your life at stake. Right now, it’s only been slashed tires and dead flowers, but a stalker’s behavior often escalates when they aren’t getting their desired outcome. We must stick with the plan until we know what that outcome is. That means you’ll have to be comfortable with not only me showing affection toward you but the other way around as well.”
“I’ll try.”
She opens the door and marches toward the truck like a woman on a mission. I set the security system and lock up behind us, following close behind. Once we’re buckled in and I’ve pulled out of the driveway, I ask, “Is it really going to be that hard for you to pretend to love me? Because you get to sample all of this for an entire week,” I joke, gesturing from my head to my toes.
Leanna shoves me playfully but doesn’t answer my question. With her silence, my doubts and fears reemerge. Maybe I truly am unlovable.No! I can’t think like that again!
