I’m in the kitchen eating some chips when I hear heels click along the stairs. I fold up the bag, wash my hands and dry them, moving to grab my coat off the chair.

After tonight, half my obligation to this agreement is over. Of course, I haven’t broken the news to Lauren yet about my mom. Since she hasn’t mentioned it, I’m guessing the girls haven’t talked about it either.

Then again, I was on shift and since another fucking arson fire hit a warehouse, I ended up working late. We missed each other for two days in a row due to our schedules. I started following her on Instagram because I missed her snarkiness. What is this world coming to?

“Luca?” she calls out from the foyer.

“I’m here.” I walk out of the kitchen and my coat falls from my fingertips when I cast my eyes on my fake fiancée.

Lauren’s in a green dress that molds to every curve. The neck is high, giving no glimpse at her cleavage, but her curves are still visible. The length is short enough that her legs look longer than they do in her usual yoga pants. She’s gorgeous, stunning really, and I bite my tongue because I’m pretty sure it’s about to flop out of my mouth like a damn Bulldog in front of a steak.

“Nice dress,” I mumble, picking up my coat and placing it on the chair.

“Thank you. You look nice. I know you don’t usually dress up so…thank you.”

I take her coat from her arm and hold it out for her.

“I’m not a caveman.”

Her arms slide into the sleeves and in this moment I wish she was mine to kiss or to hold. The usual scent of her perfume is stronger and more intense when I’m this close to her.

“Thank you,” she says softly.

Step back, Luca.

You’re making this weird.

For the life of me though, I can’t move back. If anything I want to wrap my arms around her and pull her toward me so she can feel my response to her.

Tomboy my ass. I’ve kicked myself for not correcting her earlier this week. I should’ve said there’s nothing tomboy about her, but my damn fears kept me quiet.

“Sorry.” I back up and she circles around, a smile on her lips.

Can she hear my inner thoughts?

“Can we call a truce for tonight?” she asks.

The girl who hid my chair wants a truce. Interesting.

“Did you think I was going to call you out on the dance floor?”

Lauren would do it. She’d be the one to call me up for a dance-off.

“No. I just…work has been difficult this week and Peter is going to be watching everything between us. We have to be believable, you know?” She tucks her purse under her arm.

“Hey, you’ve been a great fiancée when it comes to my mom. I promise to be the same.”

She looks up through her long, thick eyelashes. “Thank you.”

I quickly get into my own coat and find my keys because we need to get out of this quiet house where no one would be the wiser if we ripped each other’s clothes off.

“You’re welcome. After you, Ms. Hunt.” I hold out my arm and she walks toward the front door.

Damn, I thought this would be some boring Christmas party with crappy buffet food and cheap booze. That Lauren would want to leave early and I’d happily agree, then head to the club, but I’m kind of hoping she wants to stay until the waitstaff is watching us dance to the last song.

What the hell has happened to me?

For a small company, they sure know how to put a party together. There’s a photo booth, a DJ plus a live orchestra during dinner. It’s held in what used to be an old theater down on State, so, we’re essentially having dinner among thousands of open seats all around us, colosseum style, like we’re on the fifty-yard line of a football field. There are trees with white lights and the chandeliers are dimmed to a warm yellow glow.

Lauren’s gasp when we walked in suggests they don’t usually do things this elaborate.

“It’s a great place.” I take her coat off, handing it to the coat check attendant.

My eyes fall to the back of her dress. Primarily the amount of skin revealed. One dip of my hand and I’d be squeezing her ass.

Is she doing this to me on purpose? Could she tell the other day outside the house, how fast my heart was beating while I held her?

The coat check attendant hands me a number and I stuff it into my pocket, my hand moving to Lauren’s lower back and almost touching her skin to let her know we’re ready. Thankfully, my mind is still working, but pretty soon my dick is going to steal the wheel away.

“Want a drink?”

She smiles. “Sure. Just a white wine.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Again my hand moves toward her and I’d normally lean in and kiss her on the cheek. If she was mine, which she’s not. But she wants people to believe she is. I should clarify with her what her expectations are for tonight.

The bar area is surrounded by small clusters of people who obviously know each other. A few faces do a double take, probably to try and figure out who I belong to. Most significant others would know small tidbits about the people their girlfriend, or in my case fiancée, work with. I’ve got the receptionist I met last week as well as a guy I saw in the doorway. That’s about it.

The bartender puts out a napkin in front of me.

“White wine and a soda and lime.”

He fills my order and since it’s open bar, I tip him a generous amount. I’m sure I’ll be back and this will ensure I get prompt service every time.

No one approaches me on the way back to Lauren. Thank God. When I find her, she’s laughing with another couple. She looks good happy and it’s rare to see her like this when I’m in the room.

“Here you go.” I hand her the drink and stay close to her but not on top of her like I want to make sure everyone within a fifty-foot radius knows she’s mine.

Since she doesn’t step away, I figure she’s happy with where I am.

“Luca, this is Katie and her husband, Craig.”

I shake each of their hands.

“And you’re the fiancé we’ve heard so little about.” Katie glances to Lauren with a raised brow.

“That I am.”

“Lauren has been keeping us in the dark,” Katie says.

Craig shoots me a small smile.

“You know Hun…Lauren.”

The fact is I don’t know Lauren that well so I leave it open-ended with the hopes that Katie will fill me in. Does Lauren talk about the guys she dates? Does she share if she slept with him or not with her co-workers?

“Yeah, we know. She’s a bore come Monday morning.” Katie pretends to yawn with her hand over her mouth.

“Are you suggesting that Lauren knows too much about me?” Craig asks his wife with his eyebrows raised.

“No.” She swats him, but even though I just met her a minute ago, I would say yes. Lauren probably knows Craig’s dick size.

“How about those Blackhawks?” Craig ignores his wife and concentrates on me.

Obviously, he doesn’t know Lauren too well.

“Luca’s got season tickets. We went recently,” Lauren says. “Kane is so impressive.”

I smile down at Lauren and wrap my arm around her waist because she’s fucking fantastic. Who wouldn’t want a knock-out who can talk sports?

“Damn and it was a close one.” Craig sips his beer. “Do you ever sell?”

I shrug. “Sometimes. My buddies and I work weird shifts so if none of us can go, we sell.”

He digs into the inside of his suit jacket, handing me a card. “Call me.” He looks at his wife. “Wouldn’t you love to go?”

She shrugs and tries to talk to Lauren about her shopping trip to find a dress for tonight.

Using my awesome male multitasking skills, I nod while Craig goes on and on about his paper business while eavesdropping on Lauren and Katie’s conversation. Does Lauren like to talk about girl things like clothes and makeup? I would’ve said no back in high school.

“Mine is from Nordstrom Rack. My friends and I do a Cheapster Challenge and I found it for forty dollars at the end of last year. I’ve eaten more carrots than Bugs Bunny to fit into it, but I really like it.”

“Me, too,” I lean in and whisper, but I must be too loud.

“You’re a keeper.” Katie points her long manicured nail at me.

Lauren’s conflicted gaze takes me in. I’m pretty sure there’s a whole world peace problem behind those eyes that I’d never solve. I can read body language and the flush quickly rising up her chest and face means she liked the compliment. Though knowing her, she hates that she liked it.

“I wouldn’t win that challenge because I paid too much for this thing.” Katie raises her hand to block her mouth and moves into Lauren, whispering the price I assume.

However much it cost, Lauren’s eyes widen and she shakes her head. “The benefit of being married to a CEO,” Lauren smiles. “That’s my housing budget.”

Since I pay the same rent Lauren does, I figure out the cost of the dress and I can’t believe women spend that much on something they might only wear once.

“Are you guys hiding out?” The guy I saw behind the door at Lauren’s office walks up. Alone.

“Peter,” Katie says, giving him a quick wave.

So, this is that shit stain Peter who doesn’t know that you shouldn’t hit on your employee.

He and Craig ask how the other has been and shake hands.

“Hey, Peter,” Lauren says in the quietest voice I’ve ever heard come out of her mouth.

“You both look spectacular.” His words are for both women, but his gaze remains on Lauren.

Both women mumble their thanks.

“Hi. I’m Luca. Lauren’s fiancé.” I put my hand out in between us and then tighten my hand on Lauren’s hip, making sure there’s no distance between us.

If we’re going to play the part, we’re not going to act like we’re ashamed because Peter has a crush. Something he shouldn’t have made known to Lauren given the fact that he’s her boss.

Lauren’s body kind of stumbles into me which is good because it enables me to show my strength by steading her with one hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’d say I knew something about you, but Lauren never mentioned you until that delivery last week.”

“Are you ashamed of me?” I look down at Lauren with a smile on my face. Like it’s a joke.

She might very well be embarrassed if we were a thing.

“No.” She shakes her head but keeps it down.

“The candy is a running joke. We went to high school together and every day after school, Lauren would put a few quarters in the Brach mix thing. Remember those?”

“I do! I was a Neapolitan girl.” Katie high fives Lauren.

“Lauren loved the Royals and she’d always buy them, put them in her pocket and eat them the entire time we all hung out. I think she used to sweat them out because I can’t smell vanilla and caramel without thinking of her.”

I look down like a loving fiancé would, but I’m caught off guard by the emotion in Lauren’s eyes. They question if I’m telling the truth or not, but she can’t ask in front of everyone right now.

I lean down and kiss her cheek, but my lips linger. “Yes,” I whisper in her ear.

Her body dips, but I keep her up using my arm as leverage.

Maybe I should’ve kept that to myself.

“So you’ve been dating since high school?” Katie asks.

“No. Lauren never gave me the time of day in high school. She was in love with my best friend.”

“No, I wasn’t.” She bumps me with her hip.

As an outsider, it seemed that he was her first love. “We kind of ran into each other more recently and she finally agreed to go on a date with me.”

“Aw. So you’ve liked her since high school?”

I shrug. Lauren glances up at me, more question marks popping out of her eyes.

I didn’t intend on her ever finding out. I figured it’d be good to convince people if I stuck close to the truth. Now I’m starting to regret heading down this path. But there’s no U-turn to be had so I speak the truth again.

“Yeah. Ever since the first time I saw her.”

I feel Lauren tense under my arm.

“And when was that?” Katie leans in thinking this is The Notebook and I’m about to tell her some epic love story. If she only knew the truth. That I made sure Lauren Hunt hated my guts because it was the only way to be sure I wouldn’t betray my best friend.

“On a soccer field. She had just scored a goal and all of the guys looked over to see what the commotion was. Lauren was jumping around into her teammates’ arms.”

“Wasn’t she sweaty and…”

“Katie!” Lauren sighs.

“That’s what I loved about her. She didn’t care to be prissy and look put together like most of the other high school girls. She was herself, screw anyone who didn’t like it. We’ve been competing with one another ever since.” I smile down at her and Lauren’s lips turn soft, tipping just a little bit at the corners.

I don’t blame her, I’d be just as confused if she just laid her hand out in front of me.

I’m not even sure what made me do it.

Peter clears his throat. “What do you do for a living?” he asks, interrupting my appreciation of an embarrassed Lauren. Her flushed cheeks make my insides thump with a reason to go all dragon slayer on her.

“Paramedic,” I answer, but my attention stays on Lauren.

“Excuse us.” She takes my hand in hers, dragging us away.

“Oh someone is getting some coatroom head,” Craig says as we depart.

Man, I should have gone into acting.