Page 36 of Fool Me

“Of course he did.” His jaw ticks with annoyance before his eyes close, like he’s trying to rein it in and keep his younger brother from ruining our night.

“And then seeing Aspen . . . I don’t like deceiving either of them. This is harder than I thought it would be,” I continue.

“If you don’t want to keep it from them, don’t,” he offers.

“That easy, huh?” I laugh a little bitterly.

“We don’t have to do this. With time, I’ll be able to show everyone that I’m here for the right reasons. People will give me a chance. They’ll forget the way I left Timberline Peak, and I’ll get a fair chance here. It’s not worth hurting you.”

The genuine concern in his voice for my well-being, and just the simple act of putting my needs first, is enough to have me shaking my head.

“I can’t tell my dad—knowing would put him in an impossible position. Besides, we did this for a reason, and that hasn’t changed.”

He rubs his jaw, stepping closer, watching me, lines carved in his forehead. “I don’t like that you’re putting yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable.”

I hook my finger in the belt loop of his jeans. His gaze drops and then slowly lifts back to my face. “This isn’t about regret; I stand by everything—the conversation with Aspen was proof ofthat. Look how fast word spread. If they weren’t gossiping about us being together, they’d be talking about me and Canyon going after the same job, or how they miss the way Dr. McMullins did things.”

His hand grips the beam next to my head. Hovering just out of reach. “What do we do then? How do we make this easier on you?”

“I think I need to tell Aspen the truth. Maybe the other girls too. They won’t say anything.”

He doesn’t hesitate. “Tell them.”

“Just like that?”

The door behind us opens, and he steps closer, making room for the group that spills out and lingers on the patio, probably needing some air after dancing. His gaze drops to my mouth and my tongue darts out to wet my bottom lip.

Slowly he repeats, “Just like that.” The heat in his eyes takes me back to the dance floor. I don’t mean to, but my finger tightens on his belt loop, tugging him forward an inch.

A deep hum resonates in his throat, and his eyes lift to mine. There’s so much adrenaline coursing through me, it feels like my heart has grown wings and is about to flutter right out of my chest.

He leans in so close I could turn my head and meet his lips. I’m frozen, waiting to see what he’ll do. His nose skims along my jaw. It’s torturously slow and soft. So damn tender, yet it’s not what I want. Not really. I want his mouth covering mine. I wanthimto kissme. Even if it’s not entirely necessary. The embrace we’re locked in looks intimate enough to be convincing. But I want him as affected as I am by all this.

I’m pinned against the wooden beam with him pressed to me just like on the dance floor. But he doesn’t kiss me, not like I need him to. His lips press to my temple and I’m immediatelydisappointed because it seems maybe this attraction is one-sided.

Salvaging what I can of my dignity, I bury my face in his shirt. I can’t bear to look at him and let him see the feelings I know I can’t hide.

He clears his throat but the words still come out rough and devastating. “Let’s get you home.”

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

ATLAS

I gotta say, I never thought moving home would mean ending up in a fake relationship designed to win the trust of Timberline Peak residents, but here we are. And the funny part is, when we agreed to it, there was a part of me that thought it would be more of a pain in the ass than it is.

Instead, I have to remind myself that this isn’t real because it’s just so damn easy.

Like now, I’ve got a break between patients and I’m fighting the urge to text Harlowe, because I can’t think of a good reason to do it other than I just want to. After nearly kissing her outside of Tips Up following our date last weekend, the boundaries are blurring. I want to steal more time with her and it’s got nothing to do with our plans to convince people we’re together. We already have plans to go rock climbing this weekend, so I can’t even use the guise of setting up a date.

Unless . . .

Atlas

So, I was thinking . . .

Harlowe

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