Page 35 of Matched with Her Fake Fiance

His words hit me and I say, “Is it really that hard to figure out who your real friends are?”

“Yeah,” he says, his voice more tender than I’m used to. He gives me a sad smile. “Let’s just say friends who want to listen to your problems and help you out with nothing in return are hard to come by when your last name is Clark.”

On instinct, I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him into a hug. Probably not the best spot for this in a clothing store, but the poor guy needs it. And we’re fake dating, so a little PDA in this situation isn’t all bad. That’s the story I’m sticking to because he smells that dang good.

“So how did you meet your other friends? The ones who told you about the fake dating thing?” I keep my cheek pressed against the nice suit coat he’s wearing, wondering if this is the one I spilled Dr Pepper on or not. The details from that night aren’t all crisp and clear.

It takes a moment to realize he’s rubbing circles on my back as he thinks about my question. I’m here for it.

“Some of them run in the same social circle, or their parents have with my mom, and others we just met at random things. But it’s taken a long time to get to where we are and I’m grateful for them.”

I smile feeling an ache in my chest. I hadn’t had a lot of good friends since Clay and I started dating. He was kind of a time suck and most of my friends had moved on after spending months trying to get me to come out with them. But ever since I’ve moved into the Spice House, I’ve been able to find common ground and a lot of fun with each roommate.

Sonia waves for us to follow to a set of dressing rooms and pulls out her tape measure. I thought we’d go inside one of the rooms and I’d have to shed my clothing, but she starts taking measurements of my chest, calling them out to a woman behind us poised with a tablet.

As she works to adjust the tape measure around my chest area, I have to avoid looking at Miles. I am not overly well endowed, but neither am I an A-cup. I’d rather the focus not be there at the moment.

My best weapon of defense at this point is thinking of Miles as my brother Landon. Obviously there’s no worries about falling in love with a brother, but Miles is still too hot to completely wipe the attraction from my brain.

“Will you be requiring new underthings?” Sonia asks, looking up at me.

I blurt out, “No,” at the same time Miles says, “Yes.”

I turn to glare at him, trying to channel the fact that he does not need to buy me underwear. But he’s not paying attention to me at all.

“I recommend it,” Sonia says, folding up her tape measure. “The bra you’re wearing right now is too small in the cup area. See how it squeezes right here and spills over—”

“Okay, let’s do it,” I say, cutting her off. I’m pretty sure I look like I’ve got a sunburn from the heat scorching my face. Nothing like a woman to point directly at the area I don’t want to emphasize to make the embarrassment surge.

Sonia nods. “Okay, we’ll start over here with the bras and underwear and move onto the casual attire. From there we can try on some formal gowns and shoes to finish it off. Is there a budget?”

I freeze as the woman looks at me. I’m pretty sure the only thing I could afford is her tape measure.

“No budget. Make her feel comfortable.” Miles takes a few steps to follow as we head to the lingerie section before I whirl around and give him my most serious glare.

“I’m sorry to do this to you, since you’ve been most gracious with this whole adventure, but this is one part of the tour you’re not allowed to see,” I say.

I hear a light laugh behind me and turn to see Sonia grinning. “Miles, I’ve got that selection of new clothing ready for you to check over. Why don’t you head to the men’s section and I’ll have Carl start tailoring the suits? You can rejoin us when you’re done.”

Miles smiles, raising his hands in the air. “Point taken. I’ll give you some privacy, babe.” He takes a step forward and leans down. What is with this guy’s superpower to make me an immovable statue? I stand there as the suspense rises, his lips inching closer to mine. But instead of connecting, he turns, kissing me on the cheek.

I suck in a deep breath, surprised by the wildfire spreading across my cheek from the contact. And why am I disappointed there was no lip action?

“OK.” I watch him walk away, as if seeing him for the first time. So much for all the vault walls I’ve tried to set up. The man is breaking those down like Thor with his hammer, Mjolnir.

I turn over the tags on the lacy bra and do my best not to choke at the price tag.

“Well done, dear,” Sonia says giving me a warm smile.

I point in the direction where Miles disappeared and say, “For pushing him away?”

“So it’s good to have some surprises for later. It keeps a relationship rolling.” She winks at me and suddenly I can’t breathe.

“Um, no, that’s not why I didn’t want him following me over here,” I say, my face hot with embarrassment. “It’s just that… this is a lot all at once.”

“He’s definitely a catch, but it seems you’re good for him,” Sonia says with a smile as she thumbs through the racks of brassieres.

I laugh and say, “I don’t know about that.” The confusion on her face reminds me that this relationship is supposed to be believable for the world and I hurry to amend it. “I mean, he’s always been a gentleman to me. I’m still trying to figure out what he sees in me.”

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