I couldn’t remember the last time I was so relaxed. The whole weekend seemed over-the-top to me. I’d only glanced at the list of activities without reading it through. The first was archery. Damn, wasn’t being here good enough? I had no idea why they wouldn’t just accept a check for this. Why it was necessary for us to participate?
The best thing about this weekend was spending some time with Reese. I couldn’t explain the connection I felt to her. It was a combination of kinship and attraction.
I grabbed my keycard and left my room, intending to knock on Reese’s door. We’d been given adjacent rooms. The receptionist thought we were together, which suited me fine.
I chuckled at my own story. I wasn’t usually a humorous guy. If you believed my ex-wife, I was the exact opposite. But being around Reese had an interesting effect on me.
I knocked at her door and got no answer. Maybe she was already outside. We hadn’t talked in detail about how we would handle this. We had to make enough appearances to give the impression that we were a couple, but we were going to play the what and where by ear.
On my way out, I took stock of the hotel. It was one of the most recommended for a getaway near Chicago. It got on my nerves that the charity was wasting money housing us all here, but I appreciated the lodgings.
I went outside, following the signs for archery, remembering from the listed activities that it was going to start soon. I crossed the open field, looking around. In the distance, there were already a few people gathered. One of them was Reese, and my body instantly reacted to her.
Pull yourself together. You’re here to take a few people off her back—and yours. That’s it. Don’t complicate matters… even though she is the most interesting woman you’ve ever met.
As I approached, I realized her ex was there. The guy wouldn’t give her a break. What is his deal?
‘Reese, you have to wait for me, babe,’ I said, deciding to lay it on thick. I didn’t know this bozo from Adam, but I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.
Reese glanced over her shoulder. Was it my imagination, or did she seem happy to see me? Not just relieved but happy?
‘You could have just joined me in the shower instead of coming here early,’ I continued.
She laughed nervously, but I noticed a light blush on her neck. ‘I thought I’d check out the premises. I texted you. Didn’t you see it?’
‘No.’ That was the truth. ‘I’ve put my phone on Airplane Mode. I don’t want anyone disturbing our weekend together.’
I looked at Malcolm with fake interest, putting an arm around Reese’s waist. ‘You’re alone?’
I could practically hear my words stirring in his head. He first looked at my hand on her hip and then between the two of us as if trying to put two and two together.
“No. My wife is going to catch up with us later.”
Reese stiffened under my touch at the word wife.
‘How long has this been going on?’ the douche asked.
I kissed the side of Reese’s head. She was a genius for preparing a game plan before we arrived.
‘Three weeks,’ I said.
Malcolm frowned and then looked incredulous. ‘That’s not long at all.’
‘Feels like we’ve known each other forever.’ I took Reese’s hand, kissing the back of it. I turned it around and planted a kiss there too. Then I held her palm against my cheek, tilting so I could make eye contact with her. The smile on her face wasn’t fake. Not even one bit.
I looked back at Malcolm. He seemed stricken.
Tough luck, pal. You let a good woman go, and now you can suck it.
‘And how exactly did you meet?’ The guy was unbelievable.
‘Reese, you tell the story. You always tell it better. I was too preoccupied thinking how to ask you to go out with me to pay attention to what was happening.”
That wasn’t even a stretch. If she had indeed walked into my store, and I hadn’t been idiotic enough to think she might want to fish me, I would have definitely asked her out.
‘I went into his store because I needed a dress for an event. It wasn’t for this one… I don’t think. I can’t actually remember. Anyway, we started off on the wrong foot. He thought I was a gold digger. Then one thing led to another, and he asked me out.’ She was good at this—the pretend pauses, the frown.
A weight pressed on my chest. My ex was good at telling stories, too, and that didn’t sit well with me. But Reese wasn’t my ex. And even if she turned out to be like her, it wouldn’t matter. We’d get through this weekend, and that would get us what we both wanted.
‘I see,’ Malcolm said after Reese finished talking. ‘Dominic, are you good at archery?”
‘No, but I’ll cheer Reese on.’ I needed to get rid of this guy.
We were putting on a good show, but it was taking a toll on Reese. I knew exactly how to get him out of the way. ‘Isn’t that right?’
I turned her slightly to me. She pushed her tongue out, licking her lower lip. I followed my instinct, tilting over her and capturing her mouth. She was soft against my body, and it just fueled me on. She gave me access, molding herself against my chest.
I didn’t need any further invitation. I cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss, exploring her. I’d fantasized about this exact moment, and it was even better than I’d dreamed up. She tasted delicious, like cinnamon and an underlying sweetness I liked too much. Her body was soft and on edge at the same time.
A light buzz filled me. It was electrifying. Could she feel it too?
I wanted to touch every part of her. I wanted to make her mine.
***
Reese
How was this kiss so amazing? It wasn’t fair. I was putty in his hands, my body more alive than it had been in years. I felt the thrum of his heart in his chest. All I wanted was to sink my hands into his hair.
Oh, why not? We might be pretending, but this kiss is so good that it can’t be anything other than real.
I rose onto my toes, needing to get rid of some of the vibrant energy filling me. I wrapped both hands in his hair, threading my fingers through it. He groaned, a deep, guttural sound, and lowered his hand from the middle of my back down to the small of it, pressing me against him.
‘Now, I think everybody is here,’ a voice cut through the air.
Noooo! I didn’t want this to stop.
Reluctantly, I pulled away. Dom and I made eye contact for a split second, and then I quickly looked away.
It was only a few seconds later that I remembered Malcolm was next to us. His face was a few shades paler than before. Hell yes! We’d managed to stun him. Good. He’d always said I was a stick-in-the-mud because I wasn’t into big public displays of affection. Truthfully, I usually wasn’t, but that kiss had given me life.
‘Reese, I was hoping you’d be here already,’ Monika said.
She looked from me to Dom and sighed. My God, he hadn’t been joking. He was truly a magnet for women, and they didn’t even know he was a fantastic kisser. And a good person. Maybe he wasn’t as grumpy as I initially thought? He certainly was playing his part as the devoted boyfriend well.
‘Reese is a very good archer,’ she said, speaking to the group at large.
I didn’t even dare look up at Dom. Could he tell how much I enjoyed our kiss? Had he?
I took in a deep breath and finally risked a glance at him. Holy shit! I all but melted. His gaze was fixed on me as if he wanted to read my every thought. I fidgeted in my spot, taking a deep breath and flashing a smile at the host.
‘I can show everyone how to use the equipment,’ I said. “For those who need instructions, I mean.”
Dom walked right behind me as we headed to retrieve our bows and arrows. There were several targets laid out, each at a different distance. I’d learned this useless skill at a camp years ago and aced it.
‘I invoke boyfriend privilege,’ I heard Dom say from a distance. ‘I’ll get closer to take a look and maybe get some pointers.’
I looked over my shoulder. A lot of people had joined us. Dom seemed even sexier to me than before as he strutted down the field with all the confidence in the world, coming over next to me.
‘Come on, Reese, show me what you’ve got,’ he said.
I double-checked that there was no one around, then leaned into him. ‘That was surprising. Very unexpected. And we didn’t get to discuss…’ My voice faded. What could I say? Kissing, touching, tearing each other’s clothes off?
No, Reese, that’s completely out of the question.
‘Did it bother you?’ he asked. His voice sounded different, though I couldn’t tell why. When I glanced up at him, his expression was unreadable.
‘No, not at all. I wasn’t expecting it, but that was a nice touch.’
His expression turned from unreadable to smug. ‘Since we’re doing this, we should do it well.”
I was tempted to ask exactly what he meant by that. More kissing? Could I jump him in public and pretend I just wanted a kiss? Could I insist we practice behind closed doors?
Get a grip on yourself. He isn’t doing this because he’s attracted to you. He’s benefiting from this too. And he pities you.
There was no mistaking that. I’d seen it in his eyes when I told him my life story in the coatroom.
‘Now, pay attention,’ I instructed. I picked up the bow and held my hand over the arrows. They were all identical, but I wanted to get a feel for them. Plucking one that took my fancy, I positioned it and pulled at the bow, putting the forefinger of my left hand on the flexible part of the arch and setting the arrow on top of my finger. ‘Your finger, the arrow, and the target must be in line.’
‘I heard you’re the top scorer,’ he said.
I grinned without moving from my position. He stepped up behind me. If he touched me, I wasn’t going to be able to focus.
‘He’s watching,’ Dom whispered. His hand went to my waist and slid around to my belly. He splayed it wide, and I felt every finger press against my muscles.
I swallowed hard, trying to focus.
This was the easiest target, and I was a pro. I never missed.
Positioning my fingers, I blinked a few times and then opened my eyes wide. I let the arrow go. It went spectacularly off course. There were cheers behind me. I blushed furiously. Dom started laughing.
‘Well, that was shit,’ he exclaimed, and I started laughing too.
‘My God, it really was. My focus is shot.’ I wasn’t sure if it was from the kiss or the way Dom held me. Either way, I wanted more—of Dom, not archery.
