Page 56 of Keep Me Close

“Like I said, I’m just helping out a friend. That’s it.”

Mom tips her head. “Since when are the two of you friends?”

And there it is. The hole in my story. I open my mouth and realize I don’t have an answer. Cheyenne has always been on the periphery of my life because of Britt. Familiar but not mine. Someone I noticed and then told myself not to think about too much. Somewhere along the line, she stopped being Britt’s younger sister and became Cheyenne.

A woman I can’t stop watching.

A woman I kissed once and then again in front of the world.

A woman who no longer fits neatly under the category of friend. But then again, did she ever?

Colby nods before pointing at our mother. “Excellent question.”

Mom studies me carefully. “Are you sure feelings aren’t involved?”

My hesitation stretches a beat too long as the kiss on the red-carpet flashes through my mind along with how good her body felt against mine under a storm of camera flashes. The way I wanted her to stay pinned to my side for safe keeping.

With a forced shrug, I shove the thoughts deep down where they belong.

“Nope,” I lie. “Feelings aren’t involved at all.”

Mom doesn’t look convinced.

Across the ballroom, the sisters reappear. My attention zeroes in on Cheyenne as she throws her head back, laughing at something Britt says. The sound doesn’t reach me over the music and conversation, but I don’t need to hear it to feel it.

Everything in me settles at the sight of her.

The smile is wiped from my face when one of my teammates steps up to her, looking like he’s going to strike up a conversation. When he grins, she smiles back politely. My entire body goes taut as a wave of jealousy crashes over me with so much force, it nearly knocks the air from my lungs.

I might have tried to convince my family this relationship is fake. But the way my jaw tightens as I watch another man edge a little too close to her?

That, unfortunately, is all too real.

19

Cheyenne

My sister’s fingers lock around my wrist as she pulls me toward the ladies’ room.

“Well, this is certainly an interesting turn of events,” she says, weaving through clusters of guests in glittering gowns and tailored tuxes.

A helpless laugh slips from me. “I knew you’d think so.”

The bathroom door swings shut behind us, muting the noise from the ballroom to a distant thrum. Inside, everything is marble counters, gold fixtures, and lighting designed to make everyone look airbrushed and flawless.

The second we’re alone, Britt turns toward me. “You and Knox are everywhere.”

My stomach dips. “What do you mean?”

She’s already digging into her clutch for her phone. A second later, she shoves the screen in my face.

And there it is.

The kiss from outside.

My pulse stutters. For one second, a traitorous thrill runs through me before embarrassment follows quickly on its heels. The whole world is speculating about a moment I’m no longer sure was entirely fake.

“That kiss on the red carpet is already going viral, and Mom has been blowing up my phone for the past ten minutes.”