They carried on with their shopping, though they didn’t have to get that much. It was fun just browsing with Catie—she wasn’t fussed if he spent time deciding between three different types of vanilla, and she happily hunted the shelves for his favorite ingredients. She did refuse to agree with his choice of “best baked beans,” instead championing an utter abomination of a brand, but then, she was his number one nemesis.

“You said you’re flying out tomorrow midafternoon, right?” he said after they’d paid and he was carrying the bags to the car.

“Yep. Which flight are you on?” When he told her, she shook her head. “I’m an hour later. I guess I’ll see you back in Auckland.”

An odd little skip in his heart. “Yeah.”

The apartment was still redolent with the smell of baking when Catie began to get ready for the night. She’d cursed Danny for making such delicious goodies when she was about to put on an outfit that was not designed for carrying a food baby.

“It’s dessert for us, for after,” he’d said with zero repentance on his far too handsome face. “We’ll veg out in front of the TV and eat and discuss our nefarious fake-relationship plans.”

That actually sounded amazing. Too amazing.

“Rein it in, Catie,” she muttered to the mirror as she finished doing her eyeliner. “This is a result of the situation. Temporary blip.”

Only, the thing was… it didn’t look to be fading. Rather, it seemed to be careening fast in the opposite direction. For crying out loud, she’d had the best time just grocery shopping with him! Their ridiculous argument about baked beans had made her pulse race.

It freaked her out.

And it wasn’t because she was afraid of parental disapproval. Alison and Joseph liked Catie. The same with Jacqueline when it came to Danny—the Dragon was not in any way a fan of sports, but she’d been known to give Danny a compliment or two.

“Determination and skill are determination and skill regardless of the field chosen,” she’d said. “That young man has drive.”

So yeah, approval wasn’t the issue.

What worried Catie lay at the opposite end of the family spectrum: one hint of an actual relationship and everyone would start planning their wedding. The two of them could never have a casual fling—their lives and families were too entwined.

Sexy shenanigans meant serious complications.

Not that she was thinking about anything of the kind. God, it’d be embarrassing if Danny read her mind and caught her thoughts. He’d probably end up on the floor, laughing his head off at the idea of the two of them in a clinch.

The image should’ve made her angry, but it had her smiling instead. The idiot had a great laugh.