Unsure what to make of her appearance at his house, like they were old friends who’d made a plan to hang out in the wee hours of the night, Gabe lowered himself next to her, careful their bodies didn’t touch.

He’d learned plenty about self-discipline during his years in the military, but even he had his limits.

They watched the movie in silence for several minutes, but Gabe wasn’t paying a bit of attention. He was hyperaware of Angi next to him...her heat, the scent of citrus, and the soft rhythm of her breathing. Without trying, he matched his breath to hers. Slowly his heart stopped feeling as though it was attempting to fling itself out of his body.

Maybe this was what normal people did.

“I’m supposed to be here tonight,” Angi said during a lull in the action.

He kept his gaze on the TV. “Yeah?”

“When we finished downtown, I had to go to the inn and prep food for a bridal shower tomorrow,” she explained. “My mom thinks I leave at night to come over here.”

“How often does that happen?” It wasn’t exactly a surprise. She’d told him that part of the benefit of a fake relationship for her was to have an excuse to work on the Wildflower Inn events without drawing suspicion.

“Three nights this week.” She shifted, tapping a finger on the top of her thigh.

He commanded himself not to look at her shapely leg. Not to think about having her wrapped around him, heat and desire. No desire. Desire was bad.

“No wonder you’re exhausted,” he said, and now he did look at her. “Wait. Did you come over here for another foot massage?”

Out of the corner of her eye, he saw her shake her head. And he waited. There was something more. The air around them crackled with anticipation, like a tree in the early-morning hours of Christmas before even the most dedicated of children had woken from their fitful dreams.

“The kiss in the shop tonight...”

His breath hitched. She was going to tell him to keep his grubby paws to himself or at the very least to limit their public displays to a few perfunctory kisses that would make people believe the ruse. He’d had no right to—

“I liked it,” she continued. “Probably more than I should have.”

“Is there a limit on how much a person can like a kiss?”

She turned to him with a soft laugh. “It felt like you liked it, too.”

“Yep.” He kept his eyes glued to the television.

Anticipation infused his veins with a heat he couldn’t deny. He thought that if he allowed himself to look at Angi in this moment he might actually burst into flames of need.

“I guess I’m here because I was wondering if you’d like to do it again, more even.”

Now he couldn’t resist shifting to face her. “More?”

“You know,” she insisted. “Doing more, only with fewer clothes.”

“Does this have anything to do with proving something to your mother?”