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My arms cross over my chest, determined to win this—to win her.
“If I figure out something I want in return, I’ll let you know.”
“I don’t know about this…”
“What are you so unsure about?”
Wanting to ensure her comfort, I put all my cards on the table to help make her decision that much easier.
“Oh, I don’t know, being your girlfriend, doing couple shit with you, being around you all the time.” Her lips twist like she’s disgusted, and I hate how it makes me feel.
Being around me can’t be that bad.
“There would have to be strict rules.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I counter.
“No touching,” she demands.
“And what if we need to make it look real?”
“Cheek kisses and hand-holding only.”
She’s firm and unmoving, but it stems from a deeper place. A place I wonder if she still thinks about, because I can’t go a day without the memory.
“All of that is fine with me.”
“This ends the night of our last performance in Nashville.”
Three more stops.
“Deal.” I stick my hand out for her to seal with a shake.
Hesitantly, her slender fingers interlock with mine, the two of us sucking in a breath at the contact, but I move so that our connected palms are touching both of our bodies, needed to feel her just a little closer. We’re a whisper away, so close that if I wanted to lean in and taste her, I could.
I fucking want to.
We give in to the tension. A few beats of something familiar pass between us. Just like the first night we met.
Dropping back slightly, she squares her shoulders, the vibration around us shocking the silence.
“Deal.”
CHAPTER 16
FIA
What the hell did I just agree to?
Goosebumps cover my skin as I leave Jett in the quiet room. The commotion of the club feels like a stark contrast to the tension coiled around me. In the hallway, I regroup before going back to the table.
Is this really what my life has come to?
“Where have you been?” Taylor asks the moment I return to our section.
The kindness I know her for seeps in just slightly when it’s just the two of us.
“I saw someone I knew.”
