Page 8 of Summer Kisses

"You want to watch a show?" Hazel asked.

"Sure." It was the one thing we did together a lot. We'd end up at each other's place and watch a movie or TV show on the couch. It was comfortable, and I'd begun to rely on spending time with her. She was the one I wanted to share my day with. My hopes and dreams. My desires. But I hadn't been honest with her about everything.

I'd always wanted her as more than a friend. I just wasn't willing to cross that line. This was the only way to see if she could feel something more for me, and so far, it wasn't looking good.

She opened the slider and went inside, curling up on my couch and pulling the throw I kept for her onto her lap.

She patted the cushion next to her. "Come sit. I want to watch the next episode."

We were in the middle of binge-watching an old comedy series. One that we'd seen a million times before, but it never got old.

I sat next to her, wishing that we were dating, that she was my girl and not my fake fiancée. I wondered if I'd made a huge miscalculation. What if I ruined things between us for good? What if she found out how much she affected me, and she was turned off by it?

What if this arrangement ruined our friendship forever?

My heart raced, and I flexed my fingers, wondering how I was going to survive this new development in our relationship. I thought I was so clever, solving both of our problems, but now I wasn't so sure.

Best case scenario: I got the kids' programming title I wanted and Hazel in my arms forever.

Hazel frowned at me. "Are you okay?"

I shifted on the cushion. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She waved a hand in my direction. "You're all tense."

Could I sit the way we normally did and pretend that everything was okay. "You want to cuddle?"

"Of course."

I shifted so that she could slide between my legs, resting against my chest. The first time I held her like this, I knew it was dangerous. Now it was playing with fire, because I knew how her lips felt under mine. The grip of her fingers in my shirt. The softness of her skin under my touch.

We'd crossed a line tonight, and I wasn't sure I could go back to a purely platonic relationship. I couldn't hold her between my legs without thinking of kissing her.

Hazel shifted in my lap, turning so she could see my face. "I don't want things to be awkward between us. Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"It's not awkward. Nothing's changed. You're still my best friend," I said stiffly.

She smiled, her shoulders lowering. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Same." Hazel was the sunshine, the person I came home to at the end of a long day. The one with whom I'd shared my biggest secret.

My family would never understand what I was doing in the gaming world. They would think it was stupid and immature.

But Hazel had been supportive. I didn't want to do anything to mess up our relationship. I had to keep my wits about me for a few weeks while I figured out how she really felt for me. I'd been ignoring this attraction to her for years. What was a few more weeks?

The difference was, I was going to be tested in ways I hadn't even anticipated. I had to pretend that we were in love while at the same time covering my true feelings for her.

What if she didn't feel the same? What if it ruined our friendship forever?

Chapter Three

HAZEL

Icouldn't get that dance or that kiss out of my head. My body was tingling just remembering it. How he'd held me tight. It felt possessive. He knew how to make a girl feel like the center of the universe.

Every time it came to mind, my heart raced, and my skin heated. I wanted more, but Brady was my friend. That kiss changed everything for me, but I was determined to pretend that it hadn't affected me at all.

I couldn't bear to see the pity in his eyes if he found out how much I was attracted to him when he didn't feel the same way.

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