And I can still feel her sensuous curves molding to my body.

She may as well be in this room. Fuck.

Max sits up, his expression blank. “Okay, and . . . ? You’re pretending to be a couple. You both knew a peck on the lips would be a possibility, right?”

I fall back onto a kitchen stool and sigh. “It wasn’t a peck, and it had nothing to do with fake dating. Some guy was hitting on her at the bar, so we played it off like we were together.” I rake a hand through my hair. “Honestly, the kiss wasn’t necessary. It’s just . . . I wanted to, and so did she. But I’m worried that I overstepped. Or misread what was happening and now it’s going to be awkward between us.”

Max crosses his arms over his chest and studies me for a long moment. “You’re being too hard on yourself, D. She’s human, and so are you. You’re doing couple shit. Being cozy. Touching each other here and there. Stuff like that can mess with your brain.” He tilts his head and peers at me. Hard. “Wait. You’re not catching feelings for her, are you?”

“Of course not.”

But I can’t say I’m totally unaffected.

“Good,” he says, nodding. “Then pretend it never happened and make sure you limit your interactions with her for these next two dates. Don’t be an asshole, of course, but don’t go out of your way to be overly affectionate either. That should be easy enough, right?”

I lick my lips. Which immediately makes me think of hers. “Right.”

Wrong.

He brings his hands together in a single clap and jumps up from the sofa. “Excellent. My work here is done, then. And since you don’t have any good munchies, I’m gone.”

“You bastard,” I say, clutching the front of my shirt. “I always knew you were just using me.”

“Glad we could finally get that out in the open,” he says, wearing a smirk as he puts on his sneaks.

I stride to the door and point to the hall. “Out.”

He stops in front of me, grabs my chin, and squeezes it. “When am I going to see this gorgeous face again? I miss it.”

I roll my eyes and push him past the threshold. “Basketball. Thursday. Now go.”

“Remember, it’s fake dating. Be sure to keep it that way.” Then he saunters down the hall and pushes open the stairwell door.

It’s in my nature to give Max a hard time, but I appreciate the reminder. Because as much as I hate to admit it, I needed one.

Chapter Fourteen

Dean

The party Saturday night kicks off with a dud. On the drive over, I get three texts in quick succession: