Page 44 of Our Broken Pieces
“We need to practice touching each other.”
“I’ve touched you before.”
I huff out a breath. “You’ve touched me in friendly ways before. We have to portray a couple in the early stages of dating. You know, when you sort of can’t keep your hands off each other.”
“I’ve never been in a relationship like that,” he says flatly.
“Well, I have. It’s one of the best parts of dating.”
He lays his phone down. “I don’t know if that’s really me, though.”
“So, are we going to just walk in there and not touch each other at all?”
Marcus runs his hand through his hair. “I don’t know, G. I never really thought about this.”
“Well, you better start thinking, we need to make this believable, prince.”
He looks at me. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“I’m more worried about you being uncomfortable.”
“You’re one of the only people I’m comfortable with touching me.”
Pride and warmth rise up in my chest. Shit, does he know what those words do to me?
“So let’s practice a couple ‘more-than-friendly touches.” I jump up to sit on the island, feet swinging. “Come here.”
He looks up at the ceiling, pausing. I’m afraid he’s about to bolt out of the room. He hesitates slightly before walking to me. He stops about a foot away from my knees, so I shuffle my ass closer to the edge of the countertop.
He scratches the back of his neck. “G, this isn’t a good idea.”
“Yes, it is. We need to get through this awkwardness. Put your hands on my knees.”
I sit waiting until he finally moves his hands to basically hover over my legs.
“Okayyyy. Good. But you’re barely touching me.”
“You’re sure you’re comfortable with this?” I nod, and he allows his hands to firmly rest on my skin.
“Better.” I watch his chest rise with a deep inhale. “Can you look at me?”
His eyes slowly move from his hands to meet mine. “Looking.”
His dark brown eyes pierce through me. It’s as if his eyes are saying one thing, but his hands and the line between his brows are telling me something completely different. He’s uncomfortable, conflicted, if I’m reading him right. “Maybe this would work better where we’re side by side and not facing each other.” I look around, grabbing his wrists and removing his hands from me. “Let’s go to the living room.”
“Do we really need to do this?”
“Yes, prince. We need to get comfortable with each other.”
He backs away, and I jump off the counter, walking to the living room, him following. We both take our usual places and he huffs out a breath. “Okay, we’re on the couch.”
“Now close your eyes.” I tip my chin up, closing my eyes. “Imagine we’re at the restaurant. Smell the food, hear the dishes and the clink of glasses.” I peek out of the side of one eye to see Marcus staring at me like I’m from another planet. “You don’t have your eyes closed!”
“This is ridiculous.”
Marcus sits rigidly on the couch, his back pressed against the cushions as if he wishes he could disappear into them.
“Alright, Mr. Grumpy,” I tease, nudging his knee with mine. “We need to look like a real couple, and that means getting comfortable touching each other.”
