Page 44 of How He Got the Girl
“Are you okay?” I ask through rasped breaths.
“Yeah, are you?”
She blows out a puff of air. Our breaths meld together into a small cloud between us in the cold. I’m jealous of the air leaving my lungs that gets to mingle with hers when all I get is forced touches.
“You hit the ice pretty hard.” Mallory looks more amused than concerned, but at least it’s something.
I wrap my arms tighter around her as she lies on top of me, and I become extremely aware of everywhere her body is pressed to mine. It’s like something out of a dream, except if this were really a dream, we’d be kissing right now.
She can probably smell my cinnamon gum—the flavor I’ve chewed since I learned the snickerdoodle hot chocolate was her favorite, so my breath could smell like her favorite flavor if I ever found her again. I wonder if the scent makes her think about kissing me, too.
I gaze into her brown eyes and suddenly feel breathless for an entirely different reason. “I’ve never been better.”
Even though my tailbone—and my ego—might be a little bruised, I’ll never pass up a single second of holding Mallory Porter in my arms.
Istareatmyphone screen, my thumb hovering over the share button. If the post were just about me, I wouldn’t second-guess pressing it, but this involves someone else. A woman I want to protect at all costs.
After Karina sent over the photos she received from Antonio, I wanted Mallory to make the final call on which photos were seen publicly, so I texted all of them to her.
Well,almostall of them.
There was one photo in particular I saved on my phone just for me. The picture where I’m hugging her from behind and looking at her with the kind of adoration and chemistry you can’t write into a movie script—therealkind. Mallory is laughing in it, and she seems truly happy.
The world doesn’t deserve to see that photo. And, quite honestly, if Mallory saw it, the depth of my feelings for her would be obvious, and I’m not ready for that yet. She might believe I’m only a good actor. But I’m sure if she knew how I truly feel, she’d back out of our agreement and never look back. Mallory made it abundantly clear that she had no interest in dating me when we discussed the terms of our contract. I need to give her time to believe my intentions are pure before I lay everything on the table.
After Mallory selected her five favorite photos, I sent those to Karina this morning to send to the tabloids, along with the story we came up with.
Now, I’m staring at the picture of us that Mallory and I agreed to post as our couple announcement on social media. It’s one of the first ones we took where we’re holding hands, and her free hand is wrapped around my arm. While she’s looking at the camera, I’m looking at her with a tilted grin and a warm look in my eyes that translates even through the photo.
The caption I wrote is simple.
My leading lady [red heart emoji].
Hopefully, it won’t leave any room for speculation about who I’m dating. Once the story of how we met and fate brought us together, not once buttwice, is shared in the media, the narrative will be abundantly clear: Mallory is my girl.
With a shaky breath, knowing Mallory’s life is about to change, I press share and text Mallory.
ME
Hey, just wanted to let you know the post is live. You’ll need to accept the collaborator position in your direct messages.
MALLORY
I accepted it.
I pause and bite my lip. The need to check on her is there, but I’m not sure if she’ll appreciate it.
I shake my head. She should know that I care enough to make sure she’s okay.
ME
How are you feeling about this?
MALLORY
I’m a little terrified, but seeing as I have an entire security team out front, I think I’ll be okay.
ME
