Page 21 of As Long As You Kiss Me

“Wipe that smirk off your face.” Sully stood up. “I know what you’re thinking.”

Kenzie grinned even bigger. “I knew you guys were going to get together.”

Sully almost corrected her, but then she realized she was going to pretend to be in a relationship with Jackson. She went out to the front of the store where Jackson was ordering some ice cream.

“Hey,” Sully greeted him. “After you get your ice cream, do you want to come back to my office and talk?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Ella finished ringing him up, and he rounded the corner. Sully twisted around and took a step, but her foot slipped on the wet floor and she went flying.

Strong, steady arms reached out and caught her. The ice cream cone in his hand smashed against her, smearing rocky road across her abdomen.

Despite the cold dessert seeping through her clothes, his arms felt amazing around her. It would be hard to pretend with this guy and not allow her feelings to get involved.

“Sorry about that.” He grabbed some napkins and helped her wipe her midsection down.

“I have a clean rag in the back. I can use it to get the rest off.”

He slid his hand down to hers and interlaced his fingers with hers. “Just in case you slip again.”

She nodded, and they walked back to the supply shelf where she kept the cleaning rags with Ella and Kenzie gawking at them. She let go of his hand and wet the rag at the sink, then dabbing at the chocolate stain on her belly.

“Do you want another ice cream?” Ella asked.

“No. That’s okay. I just had a burger, so I’m pretty full. I don’t actually need the ice cream. It was just in front of me, and I thought I’d indulge.”

Sully got the rest of the ice cream off her shirt and then dried it off with a fresh rag that hadn’t gotten wet. “Okay. That’s good enough. Now let’s go talk in my office.” He joined her in there, and she closed the door.

“So we’re doing this,” Jackson said.

“We are.”

“We’re going to need some ground rules, though.” Sully crossed her arms and sat on her desk.

“What did you have in mind?”

“No kissing.”

“What kind of rule is that? You’ve already kissed me, so I don’t see why it should matter.”

“That was a one-time thing. No repeats,” Sully insisted.

“Okay. What else?”

“This thing stays fake. I can’t get involved in a real relationship right now.”

“Fair enough. I’m not looking for anything real, either.”

Why did that statement make her chest tighten in an uncomfortable way? She’d just told him she didn’t want anything, so it shouldn’t matter that he didn’t either.

“What if this isn’t enough?” Sully asked.

“What do you mean?” He sat on the edge of her desk next to her.

“Well, I’ve already told him that we’re together, and it hasn’t scared him off yet.”

“Are you saying you don’t want to go through with the fake relationship?”

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