Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
No one would see us here, yet our fingers stayed entwined.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done anything like this. For years and years, I’d been focused on working my ass off at the diner, night and day. The dates I did go on felt more like interviews than anything romantic. And the regrettable hookups I’d had were brief, quick things that certainly never involved long walks holding hands.
Chill out, I told myself silently. No matter how romantic this seems, it’s all temporary. This is a short-lived dream world that only exists for this week.
I knew all of this would be shattered the moment we went home after the wedding. But for now, I let myself indulge, just a little.
“This was exactly what I needed,” Landry said a few minutes later, pausing in a little cluster of trees. “Parker doesn’t matter.”
“He really doesn’t,” I assured him.
Landry’s warm brown eyes landed on me. Every time he looked at me my body lit up inside. He was the most handsome guy I’d ever seen, but when he really looked at me, it made me feel like we were in something together. He had a way of making me feel like I was important, somehow.
“I’m really glad I sent you that drink last night, Jamie.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because if I didn’t, you never would have come skiing,” he said, turning to face me. “And then we might not have shared lunch together, or drinks tonight. And you totally saved my ass back there, too.”
I nodded once. “I do what I can. Jamie here, at your service, fake boyfriend and hilariously bad skier.”
Landry’s gaze moved from my eyes to my lips and back again. “Trust me,” he said. “You’re making this whole wedding a lot more fun. And I hate weddings.”
“How could you hate weddings?” I asked.
“Because they’re the worst.”
I shook my head. “They’re so fun. People share their love. You get to eat and drink and dance.”
Landry shook his head. “I’ve been to so many weddings over the years. And they’re fun, but…”
“But?” I prodded gently.
“After a while,” he said, “you start to question why all of these people are capable of love, but you aren’t. You know?”
I furrowed my brow.
Christ, that was sad.
Landry was slick, rich, intelligent, and charming, but it seemed like there was a whole ocean of loneliness beneath that.
“I’m sure you’re capable of love, Landry.”
He bit his lower lip, looking down at the snow for a moment, lost in thought. “Who knows? And it doesn’t matter now. I’m not in the market for love anymore, anyway.”
I reached out to grab his other hand. “Well, I sure as hell never thought anyone would want to hang out with me in a place like this. Especially, well… a guy like you. It’s all pretty surreal.”
He looked back at me, his eyes so full of warmth.
“Of course I like hanging out with you,” he said softly. “Can’t imagine why I wouldn’t.”
He tugged me in close to him. My heart started beating like a jackhammer in my chest, and I realized I was holding my breath as Landry leaned down, his face hovering so close to mine.
Holy God.
He leaned in, his lips close enough to just brush against mine for a moment, the hint of a kiss.
And then my heart, my brain, and my whole body couldn’t take it anymore. It was like Landry was hesitating, just a little, trying to silently ask me if I wanted more.
And damn it, I did want it.
I closed the distance between us, pressing my lips against his. He let out a little sigh as I kissed him, his lips so plush and warm in the chilled night air.
It’s just a kiss, I told myself in my head.
But my body was making me feel like it was exactly what I needed, and that I needed a lot more of it. Landry opened to me slowly, letting his tongue slide against mine as he wrapped his arms around my body tightly. He smelled faintly of his gentle cologne that I was already wishing I could get closer to.
He hummed deeply. “Definitely like hanging out with you,” he breathed as he slowly broke off the kiss and let his forehead rest against mine.
“I like it, too,” I said, but his expression had changed. “What’s that look on your face, though?”
“I… don’t want you to get hurt, Jamie. I know you don’t like no-strings-attached hookups. If you don’t want to do any of this with me, then don’t.”
“No,” I said. “I know the deal.”
“The deal?”
I swallowed. “I know I shouldn’t expect more, and I don’t. But I want to have a little meaningless fun, too. I’m starting to think I’m okay with that.”
Even as I spoke the words out loud, my brain was sending off every alarm bell it had.
Play with fire, and you’ll get burned.