Page 20 of The Stand-In Boyfriend

“About what?”

“About the rules.”

Rules. That’s what I should be concentrating on. Not the way the sunlight strikes his hair and makes his eyes seem lighter. And definitely not the way his smile is so sweet it could give me cavities.

Noah puts his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. “If you need to think about the rules, why are we even setting them up?”

He’s so close I can see faint freckles covering the bridge of his nose.

I swallow, trying to move back, to put some distance between us, but there is nowhere to go. “So that we know the boundaries. Something you’re clearly unfamiliar with.”

“Oh,boundaries.I didn’t take you for a kinky one, but I guess it’s true what they say. Lady in the streets, beast between the sheets.”

“What is wrong with you? Are you insane?” I shove him away, my cheeks heating in embarrassment.

“Oh look, she’s blushing,” he laughs, that deep, almost raspy sound getting under my skin and making me shiver. “Cute, Sunshine. Really cute.”

For some reason, my cheeks grow even redder. “Stop it.”

Noah shakes his head, laughing even harder. “Oh no, this is too much fun.”

“I mean it, Noah. Get serious.”

“Fine.” He tries to—unsuccessfully, I might add—school his features. “I can do serious. So, rules…”

I give him a warning glare. “Yes, rules. No telling anybody about our little…” I search for the right word, and settle for, “Arrangement.”

That has him stopping mid-bite. “You’re going to tell me you won’t tell anybody, not even Evie?” He lifts his brows in challenge.

“I’ll tell Evie, after she swears to me she won’t tell anybody. Liam included. I can’t lie to her, not after everything that happened earlier.”

He stops to think it through, then finally nods. “Fair enough. What else?”

“No messing with other people while we’re doing this.” My heart squeezes, but I force the words out. “I mean it, Noah, I won’t be made…”

His free hand covers mine, stopping my fingers from fidgeting and effectively shushing me. I look away, embarrassed that what happened with Jack still has such an effect on me, but unable to control it. Noah must understand it because his tone is gentle. “No messing around with anybody.”

I nod, but my need to give him some kind of logical explanation prevails. “Want it or not, people will question it, so we’ll have to act like a real couple to sell it.”

“And what does that include?”

Is he for real? Wasn’t he the one to suggest this sham?

“Dates, parties, the occasional drive to school,” I say, ticking them off on the tips of my fingers. “They have to believe it’s true.”

“What about kissing?” His eyes zero in on my lips. “Couples kiss, hell, they do far more than that.” He raises his hand, sliding a strand of my hair behind my ear. Suddenly, I can’t breathe. I’m sitting still as the tips of his fingers brush against the side of my face. “How far do you think we should go to convince them it’s true?”

Is it suddenly hot in here? Because it sure as hell seems so to me.

“I—”

My tongue darts out to wet my suddenly dry lips.

“Or was it so bad the first time you wouldn’t be willing to risk it?”

He’s so close I can feel the scent of his shampoo. He seems like a guy who would wear some kind of overly expensive and obnoxiously strong cologne, but nope. Plain shampoo, fresh and woodsy.

“What would happen if I kissed you right now, Sunshine?” His lips are hovering over my earlobe, practically touching me as he speaks, his voice low and husky. His warm breath touches my skin, making me shiver.

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