Page 70 of Hoax and Kisses
The world narrows to her.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I whisper. The words shouldn’t be loud enough for her to hear, and yet she does.
“Don’t think. Do it.”
I lean in, so close her breath blends with mine. I can almost taste the pillowy softness of her lips on mine, but just before they meet mine, I’m yanked back.
A loud squeal in my ear makes me wince. “Matt! Finally. I’ve been trying to find you all night. Look at the two of you, all cozied up at the bar.”
The bubble bursts, and with a record scratch, the whole room resumes its normal pace.
I drop the hand still cupping Zoey’s face, and when I tear my gaze away from her, I’m met with a mass of frizzy blond curls.
“Patty, hi,” I say flatly. “How’s it going?”
She squeezes my arm too tightly, her long, sharp nails poking uncomfortably against my shirt. “Better now that you’re here,” she purrs. Her eyes flick from me to Zoey. “Hi, I’m Patty.”
“Zoey. Nice to meet you,” she replies in a polite tone.
“Ah, right.” Patty snaps her fingers. “The hotel girl, right?”
“She’s the head of development for her company,” I say, pulling her to my side and looking into her eyes. “And my date for tonight.”
“Oh.” Patty’s face falls for a second, but she quickly breaks into a phony smile, her pupils gleaming in a way that makes my insides twist. “Are you still participating in the bachelor auction?”
I dip my chin. “I am.”
“I’ll see you later for my reward, then, Matty.” She drawls my name and winks, whirling around as she leaves.
“That’s… Patty?” Zoey asks, following the woman as she sashays through the crowd.
Hand at the back of my neck, I blow out a breath. “Yeah.”
She hums. “She’s younger than I expected. You didn’t mention she has a huge crush on you.”
I quirk a brow, my lips stretching into a smirk. “Jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
“I’m not,” she retorts quickly, this time avoiding my gaze.
Hands lifted in surrender, I give her my most winning smile. “Okay, then. But if you were, know that you’d have no reason to be. Patty literally crushes on anything that moves and breathes. I’m not that special.”
On the stage, Cooper taps the mic a few times. “Hello, hello, folks. Grab your paddles and take a seat. The auction will start in a few minutes.”
I turn to Zoey. “I should get going. You’ll be okay on your own?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine.” She pushes onto her tiptoes and laces her arms around my neck. “I’ll see you when I come to claim my prize,” she says, then drops a quick kiss on my cheek.
The truth is, I don’t want anyone but Zoey to bid on me tonight. And that thought scares the shit out of me.
Chapter Seventeen
ZOEY
Isit in the front row, paddle in my grasp, and wait for the show to start. The night has taken a turn I didn’t expect.
