“Are you two going to kiss? When Jo and I pretended to fake date, I made it very clear kissing was off the table,” Jack says. “I knew if and when I finally got to touch her, it was game over.”

“Was it difficult not to?”

“I’ve never jerked off so many times in my life,” he mumbles and we all chuckle. “In the end, it was worth it.”

“Kissing wasn’t something I planned to do,” I admit.

There’s a heaviness in my statement, because despite the accuracy of it, it doesn’t eliminate the temptation. The longing, pulsing need to have her mouth on mine. To feel her shiver beneath me as I claimed her again and again and again, not bothering to come up for air. I have the strangest suspicion I’ll only need her to survive.

The no physical contact is one of her steadfast rules; the same ones I agreed to with a signature I sent to a goddamn private investigator. The same ones she reiterated when we started talking. The same ones that are becoming more blurred by the second, every seemingly polite message laced with a deep-rooted lust and push for more.

If—and when—any physical contact beyond the pretend boundary of fake partners happens, she’s going to have to be the one to initiate it. If she wants me to touch her, she’s going to have to say it. If she wants me to touch her, she’s going to have to touch me first.

And fuck, I hope she does.

“How are you going to convince your family you’re dating someone if you don’t even kiss them?” Neil interjects.

“We can do things other than kissing. Hand holding. Stop laughing, you assholes!”

“You’re going to spend four days with the woman you’re calling your girlfriend, not kiss her, and expect your family to go along with it? They’re going to see straight through your bullshit.”

“Enough,” I say firmly, my voice signifying the finality of the incessant teasing and jokes. My friends blink at me in surprise, caught off-guard by the sharp tone. It’s out of character for me, but I’m done with the sarcasm. “I’ve weighed all the pros and cons. Numerous times. For the first time in my life, I’m excited to get to know a woman, and not just because I want to sleep with her. No matter how fake this might be, it’s a big step for me.”

“You’re right, H. This is important, and we’re not discrediting that at all. We want to make sure you’ve thought about all the potential outcomes here. And that you don’t get hurt,” Jack says kindly, lacking any judgment.

“This is what I’m doing.”

“You really don’t know anything about her? No physical features? What she does for work?” Patrick asks.