Page 24 of The Publicity Stunt

His hands leave her, and he steps back. "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate."

"Did you mean it?"

"Bri, you're beautiful. I thought my favorite look was seeing you in my jersey, but this dress is something else. But I shouldn't have said what I was thinking, especially when you're already nervous. I'm sorry."

Bold. Somehow, this man she barely knows makes her feel bold, and she takes her hand in his. "If you meant what you said, I'd rather you didn't apologize."

"This situation between us is supposed to be fake, and I'm pushing us into uncharted territory."

"It's not just you," she whispers.

"It's not?"

She smiles and shakes her head. "I never thought I could be this attracted to someone. I just don't know what it means or how to feel about it because it's not supposed to be real. It's unfamiliar, but I like how you make me feel strong. Does that sound stupid? It probably does."

"It doesn't sound stupid," he says.

"Are you over Sasha, Kace?"

"I'm not sure."

The words make her instantly cold, and she doesn't think a bucket of ice poured on her could make her feel any colder. "Then we should maybe take a step back before this becomes dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"I don't have to get over Easton. I have to get over the humiliation he caused me, but I don't miss him. But I think you might still miss Sasha."

"I planned to propose to her the night I went to your concert," Kace admits. "That's why not playing her favorite song mattered."

Another wave of cold dampening her desire hits. "I don't want to be a rebound for you. Even though being your rebound would probably be the most exhilarating experience of my life, it also has the potential to hurt both of us. I'd rather have you as a friend than potentially hate each other."

"I don't think I could ever hate you."

"You say that now, but once we cross the line, we can't go backwards. And there's no telling how we'll react if that happens."

"Do you want to call this off?"

Bri's stomach flips at the thought. "I like being with you. You're unlike anyone I've ever met in my life, and I love it. So many things about you are things I wish I could be. Even as friends, I think you're a good influence on me, and it might be selfish, but I don't want to give you up. And I don't think that if we called this off, we'd spend any time together."

"You'd be a friend I'd fight to keep, but I think you're probably right. We wouldn't have as much of a reason to show up for each other with our schedules otherwise."

"Do you want to call it off? We should only do this if we're both comfortable."

Stepping back another step, Kace lets out a deep breath. "No, I don't want to call this off."

"Then, let's do this. Just make sure to keep it in your pants," she jokes.

The joke makes him laugh, but all she wants is to see him out of his clothes. Ever since his comment in Moose Jaw, she really, really wants to see what it's like to be with a man who rocks her world. And part of her would love to see if it could really make them fall in love with each other. Until he's over Sasha, she can't find out.

Chapter Nine

Kace

In the back of the car, Kace can't stop glancing down at Bri. Her words replay in his mind, and he can't get over how completely honest she always seems. She said he made her feel strong after saying going to bed with him would be exhilarating. The fact she said that to him shows just how strong she really is, and she strikes him as the type to not give herself enough credit. Especially with all this media shit her ex created for her, she hasn't stepped away from anything. She went on tour, stopped performing love songs for a couple of weeks, showed up to his hockey games, and she's killing it.

Attraction has been there since the moment he met her, but seeing her in this dress mixed with her raw honesty makes him wish she wasn't so rational. That she didn't seem to genuinely like him because all he wants to do is tear this dress off her and take her right here in the backseat. Show her what a real man can make her feel, but she's right. Until he figures out whether or not he's over Sasha, he can't do that to her.

Kace almost wants to ask for her stylist's address to send a thank you basket for the dress they picked out. Everything pops in all the right areas, and he’s finding it extremely difficult not to pop out himself. For such a small woman, she has incredible curves. His type typically tends to lean towards the taller variety of women, but he's quickly learning he may not actually know what he wants. Everything he thought he wanted matches Sasha more than Bri, but he finds himself drawn to Bri more than anyone else he's ever known.

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