Felicity covered her cheeks with both hands. “That was . . . a lot. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. You?”
She nodded. “You think they bought everything? I feel like your parents were convinced, but sometimes your sister would look at us like she wasn’t sure.”
“Allie is pretty shrewd, but mostly I think she was just amazed I’d kept a secret from her. I usually tell her everything.”
“I love that you’re close to your sister. I think that’s cool.” Dropping her arms, she sighed. “Okay, come on. Let’s get the kitchen cleaned up and figure out how we’re going to handle my family.”
The thought of having to do this all again in front of the MacAllisters was almost enough to make me pull the plug on this insane scheme, but then I remembered how good it felt when I kissed her. How badly I wanted to do it again.
I followed her to the sink.
“I’ll wash, you dry?” she suggested.
“Sure. But—hang on.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “That kiss.”
She glanced up at me. “What about it?”
“I didn’t see a way out of it.”
“No. Of course not.” She looked down at the island and traced a long vein in the marble with a fingertip. It was a minute before she spoke. “Isn’t it amazing that this was formed millions of years ago because of heat and intense pressure?”
But I couldn’t answer, because I was too busy wondering what it would feel like if she traced a vein on my skin that way—slowly, deliberately, with awe. I had a particular vein in mind.
Eventually she looked up at me. “I didn’t mind when you kissed me, Hutton.”
“You didn’t?”
She shook her head. “At least now we know what it’s like, right?”
“Right.”
She went back to tracing the vein. “In fact, we’ll probably have to do that kind of thing again.”
My heart stumbled over its next beat. “Kiss?”
“Yeah. I mean, people are going to expect it if we’re engaged.” She peeked at me. “Won’t they?”
I nodded, feeling like the universe had rewarded me for being bold.
“So I was thinking, maybe we should practice.”
Blood rushed straight to my cock. “Right now?”
“Maybe not right this second, but you know . . . soon.” Her shoulders rose. “Don’t you think it would be a good idea?”
“Yeah. Soon. Practice. Good.” Like a fucking caveman.
“Great.” She smiled and picked up a plate to rinse it.
“You should move in,” I blurted.
The plate slipped from her hands and clattered back into the sink. “Huh?”
“You should move in with me.” I raked a hand through my hair. “It would make things more real, more believable. Don’t you think?”
“Um. Yes. Definitely, it would make it more real.” Her cheeks had grown pink. “It’s just—I don’t—I didn’t know if you . . .”
“Didn’t know if I what?”
“If you, you know, wanted to make it more real.”
My heart was beating way too fast. “I do.”
Her lips hung open for a minute, then she closed them. Offered me a smile. “Okay. I’ll go home this afternoon and get my stuff. It will be nice to get out of my parents’ house, even if it’s just for a few weeks.”
“Great.”
We continued doing the dishes in silence, but inside, I was freaking out.
She was moving in—today. She wanted to practice kissing. What else might be allowable inside the parameters of this act?
My skin prickled with heat as my eyes wandered from her head to her heels.
This could get complicated.
SEVEN
FELICITY
“It’s true?” Winnie’s voice rose to a fever pitch.
“Yes.” I sat on the edge of the bed I’d slept in and tested out the words. “It’s true. Hutton and I are engaged. I’m moving in with him.”
“I can’t believe it! Why didn’t you say something yesterday? I’m freaking out!”
“Sorry. I wanted to, but Hutton and I had agreed to keep it quiet for a while. You know how he is.” I bit my lip, feeling guilty for lying to my sister. But Hutton had come to my rescue last night, and he’d asked me for this favor—I could come through for him.
“I remember him being quiet and shy, yes, but I didn’t realize you two were a thing. You always swore there was nothing there! The words ‘just friends’ have come out of your mouth a million times! You were like a broken record.”