Page 26 of Fool Me

“Or until he does.” Her lips pull down at the corners and I want to chase that frown away.

“You’ll get it.”

“We don’t know that.”

No, I guess we don’t, but I want to believe that Canyon won’t win this time. That, at some point, his past has to catch up with him. “What about you? Need a handsome, boyfriend-esque escort to any events?”

“Actually, I do. My best friend is getting married in a few weeks, but I know that’s kind of a big ask. It’s in California where I grew up.”

Her smile bursts across her face, too bright to ignore.

“You must be excited to go home and see her,” I say.

“Always. Plus, she had a baby two weeks ago.” She sighs. “I can’t wait to meet him . . . to see her as a mom.” She’s wistful and soft as she talks about them.

Getting away from the clinic isn’t easy, but I’ll make it work because I want more of this version of her.

“Could we make it a long weekend?” I ask. “I just need a little time to rearrange the schedule.”

“Really?” she asks with real excitement over the fact that I’m considering it.

“Really,” I confirm.

“It’s Friday through Sunday—they’re keeping it short and simple. Her fiancé, Xavier, just retired, but a few of his friends still play for the Denver Bandits, so they planned it for when there’s a break between West Coast games to make it easier for them to get there.”

All the pieces click into place and my mouth falls open. “Wait, your friend is marrying Xavier Kingsley?!”

She tilts her back, looking at the sky, before meeting my gaze again. “You’re not going to be weird about this, are you?” Her husky voice holds the same flirty tone as earlier, having moved on from talking about our pasts.

I clear my throat unconvincingly. “No, of course not.” I’m totally going to be a little weird. The man is a damn legend, and the Bandits are currently stacked with future Hall of Famers.

“Because I might reconsider taking you?” She arches one perfect eyebrow.

“Not even a little weird . . . but is Dom Duran going to be there?”

She laughs. “Jesus. You’re going to be such a fanboy, aren’t you?”

“Probably.” I nod. “Just a little. But in an endearing way. Doesn’t matter, you have to take me or people will think there’s trouble in paradise.”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine, you can come.”

So fucking sassy.

“And when this is all over, how do we split amicably? Because if this is going to work in our favor, we can’t have a messy breakup.”

“That would negate everything,” she agrees. “We could say we’re better off friends.”

“But the sex was great.”

“Was it?” Her eyes drag down my body, and it feels like she can see right through the unaffected mask I try to put on. It’s like being under a microscope, and if she looks any closer she’s going to notice all the blood rushes toward my crotch at just the idea of sex with her.

I clear my throat. “Of course. You were there for that kiss. There’s no way the sex wouldn’t be great . . . hypothetically.”

She stares at me, and I have to bite my tongue to stop the word vomit.

Harlowe hides behind her coffee cup. “Maybe. I guess we’ll never know, since this is fake.”

I swallow, my throat dry. “Yeah, guess not.”

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