Page 88 of The Write Track
“I see you’ve given this some thought.”
“That’s all I’ve been thinking about,” I admitted, swooping in for another kiss. I was so lost in her, so happy, I didn’t hear the door behind me swing open until it was far too late.
“Bree,” Brody hissed.
She hadn’t knocked—I would have heard it—and Brody was a stickler for manners.
I pulled back from Bella long enough to study Bree. Her smile was what evil clowns were made of.
“I knew it!” She pumped her fist and raised her hand for a high-five that was not coming her way.
Brody looked like he was going to melt down into a pile of goo on the floor. “I am so sorry.” His cheeks were red. “She was convinced something was going on between the two of you.”
“And who was right?” Bree demanded. She was not taking a knee here or apologizing.
“That would be you,” Brody said stiffly. He didn’t look happy, yet despite his embarrassment, the naked love on his face when he regarded his trouble-prone fiancée made me smile.
“I knew you were really together,” Bree said, eyeing me with annoyance. “You guys aren’t fooling anybody.”
“Hayley?” I challenged.
“No, she knows.” Bree looked momentarily unhappy. “She guessed it was already on before me. I mean, I knew it was going to happen. You guys had ‘imminent sex’ written all over your faces from the start.”
Bella made a sputtering noise. “What?”
I couldn’t help but be amused by Bree’s blunt ways. “Imminent sex, huh?”
“Dude, I’ve known you for a while now. I’ve seen you go through women like tissue paper.”
I frowned at her analogy and sent a worried look toward Bella.
She graced me with an “it’s okay” smile in return.
“That all stopped the second you met Bella,” Bree continued, either not noticing the looks I kept shooting my fake fiancée or not caring about them. “You don’t even look at other women to confirm they have breasts any longer.”
I had to think about what she was saying. She was right, I realized. It wasn’t that other women had become invisible to me. However, they were no longer interesting to me in anything other than a professional manner.
More than one flirty reader had tried to draw my attention her way during the events. I’d been polite, but that was it. No, my gaze was always seeking—and finding—Bella whenever the opportunity arose. She was the only one I cared about.
“Don’t turn this into a big deal,” I chided, determined to keep her from embarrassing my Bella.My Bella. That had a nice ring to it. “We’re together. We have plans to figure things out once the retreat is over. We’re happy.”
“Very happy,” Bella agreed with a little purr as she cuddled in at my side.
Seriously, I wanted to drag her right back to bed, but the ruthless growl of her stomach told me that wasn’t wise.
“You can’t make a big deal out of this.” I was determined as I eyed Bree. “As far as Preston knows, we’ve been together for real this entire time. If he finds out that we were faking it at any point, he’ll assume he still has a chance.”
Bree’s smile disappeared. “Oh, so I really can’t torture you guys.”
“No. Sorry.” I wasn’t sorry, but all that mattered was that Bree thought I was sorry. “We have eight days to get Preston out of our lives. I don’t want that little idiot hiding in my bushes and spying on us.” Worse, I didn’t want him lying in wait to ambush Bella when she walked to the coffee shop in the morning. She loved this city, and that meant she needed to feel safe in it.
“I’m all for getting rid of him,” Bree said. “You two are going to have to stop making goo-goo eyes at one another for a full hour if you expect us to come up with a plan, though.”
“We don’t make goo-goo eyes at each other.” Bella’s cheeks were so red I wanted to kiss them just to feel the warmth.
“Wemightmake goo-goo eyes at each other,” I countered. “I happen to like making goo-goo eyes at you.” I kissed the top of her head to prove it. “I am determined to get rid of this jerk, though.”
“He’s been quiet,” Bree said, turning thoughtful. “I don’t trust him.”
