Too Close to Pretend

Emma

I stand in front of the mirror, trying to imagine what I would look like as Luca Hayes’s girlfriend.

“Ridiculous.” I mutter, shaking my head.

People already believe we’re together because of those photographs outside the club. How am I supposed to act around him?

“And then he smashed the bottle over his head!” Mia’s excited voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I step out of my room and find her stuffing a chocolate éclair into her mouth while talking on the phone.

“Mia, come on. We have to go.”

She quickly ends the call and looks at me with a mischievous smile. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave Luca alone?”

I purse my lips. “Are you sure you want to make it to your checkup today? Because you’re going to be late.”

She gasps, grabs her bag, and rushes toward the door. I follow her, laughing, but barely make it through the doorway before I walk straight into someone.

Luca’s tall frame blocks the doorway, and for some reason, my gaze drops to his lips. I immediately wonder what they would taste like before forcing myself to look away.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“Out with Mia.”

“So you’ll cook when you come back?”

I stare at him. “Why would I cook for you?”

“Girlfriends are supposed to cook for their boyfriends.”

I step closer and lower my voice. “In case you forgot, we don’t have to pretend inside the apartment.”

His lips curve into an amused smile. “Maybe I like having a girlfriend who cooks for me.”

“Maybe I’d rather give you poison.”

He laughs as I roll my eyes and walk away.

“I was being serious!”

I ignore him, but his laughter follows me down the stairs.

Something tells me pretending to be Luca Hayes’s girlfriend is going to be far more difficult than I thought.

An hour later, I find myself in Coach Reynolds’ office to discuss the fake relationship, and somehow, it makes me feel worse.

Luca walks in beside me like he has done this a hundred times. I take the chair beside him, leaving enough space between us to make my discomfort obvious.

Coach notices.

“So,” he says, looking between us, “how comfortable are you two with this arrangement?”

“Not comfortable at all,” I answer immediately.

Luca lets out a quiet laugh.

I shoot him a look. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Coach walks around his desk and folds his arms. “If this relationship is going to look believable, you need to act like a couple when people are watching.”

I frown.

“You sit together, walk together, hold hands. An arm around the shoulder, a hand on the waist. Little things that come naturally to couples.”

“Touch each other?” I repeat, my face warming.

“I’m expecting you to make it believable.”

I sink back into my chair.

Coach studies me. “You don’t have to enjoy it, Emma. Just stop looking like you want to run every time Luca gets near you.”

Luca laughs again.

“Is this funny to you?” I ask. 

“A little.” His lips twitch. “You’re acting like I’m going to attack you.”

“You’re enjoying this far too much.”

“Maybe because you’re cute when you’re nervous.”

My mouth falls open, and heat rushes up my neck.

Coach clears his throat. “Luca, put your arm around her.”

My eyes widen. “Right now?”

“Yes.”

Luca shifts closer, and I instinctively move away.

“I’m trying,” I say defensively when both Luca and Coach give me a look.

He reaches for me again, this time slowly, before settling his arm around my shoulders.

The warmth of his body immediately distracts me. I catch the faint scent of his cologne and force my eyes straight ahead.

“This is supposed to look natural,” Coach reminds us.

I swallow.

There is absolutely nothing natural about sitting this close to Luca Hayes.

Coach watches us for a few seconds, his expression shifting between amusement and frustration before he finally lets out a long sigh.

“Alright, now, Luca. Kiss her.” His words catch me completely off guard.

I turn toward Luca, and the grin spreading across his face immediately makes me nervous.

“Don’t,” I warn him under my breath.

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he closes the space between us, his gaze dropping to my lips as he slowly leans in.

The moment his lips touch mine, something sparks inside me, sending a strange shiver through my body.

My heart stumbles into an uneven rhythm, beating so hard that I can feel it against my ribs.

I immediately pull away and press a hand to my chest, taking a few deep breaths as I try to calm myself.

What the hell was that?

Luca stares at me, and for once, there is no teasing smile on his face. He looks just as surprised as I feel.

Coach drags a hand down his face, clearly disappointed.

With a deep sigh, he looks between us. “Go home and practice kissing. Make it look convincing.”

Luca has practice that afternoon, and despite everything that happened in Coach’s office, he insists I come to the rink with him.

Luca spots me almost immediately.

His expression changes the second our eyes meet, and before I can decide whether to wave or pretend I didn’t see him, he skates toward the boards.

“Come here.”

I hesitate before walking over.

He reaches for my hand the moment I’m close enough, his fingers slipping between mine as though it’s the most natural thing in the world.

I glance around.

A few of his teammates are watching us.

“They’re staring,” I whisper.

“They’re supposed to.”

I swallow and try to relax my hand in his.

Luca steps closer, pulling me toward him until there’s barely any space between us. His free hand settles against my waist, and I immediately tense.

“Relax,” he murmurs.

“I am.”

He gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe me.

His thumb moves gently against my side, and despite myself, I stop holding my breath.

“This is ridiculous,” I whisper.

“What is?”

“You enjoying making me nervous.”

A small smile touches his lips. “Maybe I just like having you close.”

Before I can answer, he leans down.

His lips meet mine without warning.

My first instinct is to pull away. My fingers tighten around his, and for a heartbeat, I freeze.

Then I remember where we are.

People are watching us…so I force myself to relax and kiss him back.

The reaction from his teammates is immediate. Someone whistles from the ice, followed by a few loud laughs.

But Luca doesn’t pull away right away.

When we finally separate, his eyes remain fixed on mine, and the teasing confidence I’m used to seeing on his face is nowhere to be found.

“You kissed me back,” he says quietly.

I feel my cheeks burn. “Wasn’t I supposed to?” 

His lips curve into a slow smile, but something in his eyes has changed.

“That’s right, pretty girl,” he says, his hand still resting at my waist. 

Luca and I leave campus hand in hand, and surprisingly, I’m starting to relax.

At first, I was painfully aware of everyone watching us. Every glance made me want to pull my hand away, but after a while, I stop worrying about it. I even find myself smiling at people as we walk past them.

When I turn to look at Luca, my smile refuses to disappear.

He catches me staring and raises an eyebrow, but he doesn’t say anything. His thumb brushes lightly over the back of my hand, and that tiny gesture sends an unexpected warmth through me.

I don’t know when pretending started feeling this easy.

Later that night, I lie in bed and stare at the ceiling for what feels like the hundredth time.

No matter how hard I try to think about something else, my mind keeps dragging me back to the kiss.

I touch my lips, remembering the way Luca pulled me closer, his arms almost squeezing me against him.

It was supposed to be an act.

So why does remembering it make my heart beat faster?

It was sudden, but it was convincing. A faint smile touches my lips before I turn onto my side with a tired sigh, hoping sleep will finally come.

It doesn’t.

I keep staring at the window, watching the darkness outside. Just when I’m beginning to accept that I might be awake all night, I feel the mattress dip behind me.

My body immediately goes still.

Someone is on my bed.

I turn around, startled, but I barely get a chance to see who it is before Luca leans toward me.

His arm slides around my waist, and the warmth of his bare chest against my back makes my eyes fly open.

“What are you doing here?” I whisper, though the shock in my voice makes it sound almost like a shout.

He doesn’t seem bothered by my reaction. His hold remains relaxed as he settles behind me.

“We’re sleeping together,” he says softly, as though he’s stating the most obvious thing in the world.

I stare at him in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

He finally looks at me, his expression calm while my heart is doing anything but.

“You heard me.”

I try to shift toward the edge of the bed, hoping to put some distance between us and get a proper look at him, but his arm stays firmly wrapped around my waist.

“Luca, let go of me.”

“No.”

When I finally manage to pull myself free from his grip, I quickly scramble to the other side of the bed and turn to face him.

Luca doesn’t even look bothered.

He lies comfortably against my pillows, one hand tucked behind his head for support, while a smug grin spreads across his face as he casually swaying one foot over the other as his legs rest crossed at the ankles.

I stare at him, completely baffled by how comfortable he looks in my bed.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

His grin only widens.

“Maybe a little.”

The sight of him lying there so comfortably makes me even more flustered. 

“Come to bed, pretty girl,” he says, patting the mattress beside him. “Tonight, I’m sleeping with you.”

“And tomorrow,” he adds with that infuriating grin, “you’ll be confident as a pro.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “You really think sleeping in my bed is going to make me confident?”

“It can do so much more, pretty girl.”

The words make my cheeks heat all over again. He has been calling me pretty girl since this morning, and I still haven’t figured out whether he has actually chosen the nickname for me or if he’s simply found another way to tease me.

Knowing Luca, it could easily be both.