“Fourteen points,” I said automatically.
While his lips twitched, he didn’t follow through with a smile. “We have, what, just over four months till media week? What better way to make our relationship look real than by it being real?”
I prided myself on being an intelligent guy, but I had to wonder if I’d lost a brain cell or fifty, as he couldn’t possibly mean a real relationship. How would that even work? It didn’t matter that my heart was dancing to the “Macarena,” not when what he was suggesting would end up destroying me in four months.
“Spell this out for me.” I sighed in defeat.
“We date and do all things people dating usually do.”
My eyes shot high at that.
“Well, uhm…” A flicker of unease appeared on his face. “I mean like middle-school dating.”
And there it was, the truth of it all and what I had to remind myself of every single day over the next four months if we were doing this.
“And with super strict parents, so no second base.” The pink in his cheeks deepened to red. “Listen, based on what Pearce said, this wasn’t a surprise to anyone. But we need to find a way of living the lie. That means technically, there’d be no more secrets, making us feel less like assholes.”
I didn’t correct him. Pretty sure that being in love with him was a significant secret I was keeping.
“So we date, which pretty much means we behave exactly like before, uhm, last season.”
I struggled to maintain eye contact at his reference.
“Just no dating anyone else. Maybe a bit more PDA.” The shrug he followed up with was light.
“Apparently all I do is show you PDA,” I deadpanned.
He grinned. “You see, so it’s easy and super simple. We just need to get in the mindset and convince ourselves it’s real by making it real.”
Hurt splintered through me. It wasn’t like I could even blame Jayden for the agony each word he said created. The whole thing was ludicrous, but I had to admit that while the thought of us “calling things off” hurt and was a slap of reality, having him as all mine for the next few months was something I couldn’t pass up.
The thought was selfish and creepy as fuck. No doubt I should have said no. The fine line between what was fake and pretend and how we could make that “real” blurred in my mind.
My energy spent, I bobbed my head. “Fine. Let’s get some sleep, and we’ll figure it out as we go.” I lay back down and reached for the lamp.
Once settled, I risked a glance at Jayden, who was still sitting up, watching me carefully.
“What is it?”
Remaining silent, he shook his head, an expression I didn’t recognize on his face. I frowned, wondering what he was thinking. And then he moved.
The action was slow, deliberate as he leaned down toward me. My breath caught, not quite believing and too terrified to believe he was doing what I desperately hoped he was. A couple of inches from my face, he paused, his breath washing over my skin.
Goose bumps broke out on my arms, and I swallowed hard, trying to control my breaths. His gaze searched mine, and then his lips were on me. Closed-lipped, the pressure was light and lasted but a couple of seconds. He pulled away, eyes opening with the movement. A slight tilt of his head followed before he whispered, “Night, Gale.”
As he switched off his lamp and settled under the covers, I finally expelled a breath. The sound was shuddery and loud in the quiet room, with nothing but the sound of the wind drifting through the cracked-open window.
In the freedom of the darkness, I gingerly lifted my hand to my mouth and pressed my fingers to my lips. They tingled at the memory of the all-too-brief connection of Jayden’s mouth to mine. I sighed and turned away from Jayden. It would be all too easy to snuggle up to the man. My morning wood, let alone the semi I now sported, was not in the realms of what would be acceptable for middle-school dating.
CHAPTER9
JAYDEN
There weretimes I marveled at the ideas that popped into my head. I also wondered how I managed to get away with the things I actually shared. Last night was a moment just like that.
As my brain had worked overtime, all I’d known was that spending time with Sutton was my favorite thing to do. Definitely on par with playing professional basketball. And the thought of sharing a few kisses with the guy was something I was okay with. More than okay with, the more I considered it.
But this was Sutton, so I refused to get spooked or freaked. What was the point? He was the only person in the world with whom I’d happily share everything and anything.
