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“I want to make sure of one thing,” he says softly as he reaches over and grabs my hand.

I pull my hand away from him quickly. “What are you doing?”

“If we’re going to be in front of my grandparents and my parents and convince them we’re together, you’re going to have to be okay with me grabbing your hand and kissing you in front of them.”

“Oh. I guess.”

“So, I think we should practice.”

“What do you mean, practice? You mean like the kiss you gave me earlier?”

He pauses for a second and nods slowly. “Yeah, sure. Well, it looks like we’ve practiced already. But I want you to spend the next few days at my place, so we can be around each other in more intimate and personal settings and naturally build that bond as quickly as possible.”

“Are you joking, Brett? That doesn’t sound like a⁠—”

“I think it sounds like a really good idea,” he whispers in my ear and blows softly. “Because when my lips are touching your neck and my hands are sliding down your back and we’re sneaking in cheeky kisses and touches, I can’t have you recoiling from me. I’m going to need you looking like you want it and you need it.”

I stare at him. “I don’t know if I’m that good of an actress, Brett.”

Instead of looking annoyed, he starts laughing. “Oh, honey, I don’t think you’re going to have to act at all.”

Chapter Ten

BRETT

“Do you want a glass of wine or a beer or anything before we get started?” I ask Rosie, who’s sitting on my couch with her feet tucked up under her.

She’s wearing a baggy T-shirt and a pair of leggings, and she still looks as sexy as ever. All I want to do is kiss her. All I want to do is touch her, but I know if I start the evening practicing kissing, we’re going to go nowhere fast. Plus, she might not even believe we’re doing it as homework. I don’t even know if I’d believe I’m doing it as homework.

“I’ll have a glass of red wine, please. And do you have any cookies left?”

“You mean the cookies you made and took with you the other day?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot I didn’t leave any.”

“What are we going to do for dinner, by the way? Are we going out, or are we getting takeout? I was thinking maybe sushi or Chinese food, whatever you want.”

“Sounds good.” A smile tugs at her lips, and once again, I’m reminded of how pretty she is and how much I like looking at her. “This is so weird. I told Sage and Izzy and Lucia what we’re doing, and they all looked at me like they thought I was crazy.”

“And why would they look at you like you were crazy?”

“Because they know we …” Her eyes widen. “Well, you know.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I grab two wineglasses from the cupboard and place them on the countertop. “I have a nice bottle of 2016 Merlot from Napa Valley, if you’d like that.”

“Yeah, let’s start with that. Just so we’re clear, Brett, are you sleeping on the couch? I do notice you only have one bedroom.”

“I am a perfect gentleman. I’ll sleep on the couch, and you shall have my bed.” I grab the bottle opener and open the wine bottle that cost me two hundred dollars. I sure hope she appreciates it.

“So, are you ready to begin?” she calls out.

“Sure,” I say. “I have a list of questions on the table if we want to go back and forth.”

“Sounds good.”

I watch as she picks up the paper.

“Okay, Brett, what are your favorite foods?”