Page 52 of Perfectly Faked

Another song comes on, and the guys bolt from their chairs to hit the dance floor.

Leo shakes his head and doesn’t move. “Do you know who I actually kissed last time?”

“Yes,” I answer as jealous fire races through my body.

“You obviously don’t.” Leo stands and rounds the table slowly, keeping his eyes on me the whole time. I feel like he knows something he’s not telling me. Or maybe I’m just paranoid because I’m a lousy loser who clearly should’ve never agreed to this game.

I cross my arms, leaning back. “It’s totally okay with me if you kissed that waitress.”

“You think I kissedher?” he asks, nodding toward Blondie.

“Didn’t you?” I fire back.

“No, I kissed Sherrie, on the cheek, like my grandma.”

Shoot.That was totally not what I was expecting him to say.

I blink, then take a sip of water, trying to pretend it doesn’t matter. “You can kiss any girl you want.”

“Any girl?” He stops next to my chair.

“Yes, any girl,” I say, not looking at him. Because I don’t want to see him kiss anyone else.

“If that’s true, then stand up.”

“Why?” I ask, finally meeting his eyes.

“I’m kissing any girl I want, right?” he asks, his voice a raw scrape.

“What?” I ask, astonished. I slowly rise, even though everything tells me not to.

He puts a hand on my face, and holds my gaze for a few breaths, his eyes darkening into midnight blue. Everything slows in my vision as Leo moves closer, heightening my senses, like I’m about to plummet down the first hill on a roller coaster. His thumb teases my jaw, his lips drop to mine, and it finally hits me what’s about to happen. I’m the girl he’s chosen.

“You want...” I stop, my voice cutting out. I just want to know that it’s not a joke. He’s not dangling something in front of me, only to pull it away at the last second.

“Yes, you,” he answers in a whisper, erasing my doubts. The man is meticulous and in control even when he’s off the ice, while I feel like a spool of thread unraveling with every breath.

“Is this for revenge... or for real?” I ask, even though right now I’d gladly take a revenge kiss in order to get my grubby hands on him. “You’re making me pay for volunteering for this game, aren’t you? Teaching me a lesson in front of your buddies.”

It’s total crap because right now, half the team is on the dance floor while the rest are playing pool in the back room.None of them give a flying fig if we’re making out on a table top in the middle of Boots and Buckles.

“If that were the case—which it’s not—then what lesson would I be teaching you?” he asks, his voice smooth as silk.

“Not to play games with you,” I answer breathlessly. “Because you like to win.”

His lips hitch up on one side. “You’re right about that. I like to win.” He inches closer and his free hand slides right above my hip. “Especially when it comes to you.”

“A defensive tactic?” I lift an eyebrow, knowing how much he wanted to keep Rourke from playing against me.

“More like a power play,” he whispers, dropping his head closer to my ear. His breath grazes my skin, and I shiver. If there was one thing he was good at back when we dated, it was this part—the warm-up before the kiss. No man should be this excellent at wooing a woman, but Leo was a master charmer in the best of ways. He could stake a claim on me with just the right words, and I responded by toppling like a stack of blocks.

He traces the hollow of my cheekbone with his thumb, then the curve of my ear. “Tonight there was no way I was going to risk anyone else kissing you.”

I should find this infuriating, but I don’t. I’m suddenly glowing with pockets of heat through my body, his touch lighting me up in the best of ways.

He leans closer, his grip on my hip tightening as he whispers, “I can’t stand the thought of anyone else touching you.”

So this is what I get for losing? Kissing Leo?Sign me up.

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