Truth or Dare: A Sweet Romantic Comedy Collection by Laura Burton (free ebook reader for ipad txt) 📗

close to mine, with her hand squeezing my arm, sends my brain into a spin. I shake myself out of my head.

Like a pair of thieves in the night, Katia and I tiptoe to the front doors with our bags. We stop by the front and I peer round to look through the doors. I hold my breath, watching the last of the family walk toward the elevators, then clear my throat. “Come on.”

I pick up the key from the front desk as Katia ambles over. Then we take the stairs to avoid bumping into anyone. We make it to the room without getting caught. Sneaking around like this with Katia's hand in mine reminds me of prom night.

I take a bottle of water and gulp down several mouthfuls in a vain attempt to make my throat less dry. But my efforts are fruitless. Katia is pacing the room and mumbling to herself, paying no mind to the large bed with scattered rose petals on it.

“How are we going to pull this off?”

She stops and looks at me brazenly, her hazel eyes boring deep into my soul. I stagger back as if putting more distance between us will give me back my ability to breathe.

It would be so easy to stride across the room, lift her in my arms and reclaim those pretty rosebud lips. Maybe our act won’t be so hard to do if I could just tell Katia how I really feel about her.

How I never dated anyone through college. Never even looked at a girl. Because there’s only ever been one. Her.

The words pile together in my mouth like a ball of cotton, but all I do is pick up another bottle of water from the table.

In absence of a response, Katia huffs, shakes her head, and finally releases me from her stare. Then she opens her bag. A phone pings and she pulls it out from her jeans to stare at it.

“Great. Just great,” she mutters to herself.

I'm still just standing in the corner, wondering what to do with my hands. “Something wrong?”

Katia pulls out a dress and sparkly pair of shoes. “Storm update. She’s coming in faster now.”

I launch into action at the news, happy for a distraction. Watching Katia’s temper grow hotter was making my body tense up. I set up my laptop on the desk.

“Huh. I should have known you’d bring that,” Katia says, with a roll of the eyes. “What are you gonna do? Write Storm Sally a complaint? Maybe ask her to hold off for another twenty-four hours?”

She chuckles to herself, tickled by her own wit, and I force my expression to stay neutral, fighting back a smirk.

“I’m tracking the storm,” I explain. Then I glance up at her. “You go ahead and get ready. Debbie needs us.”

Katia crosses the room in a beeline for the bathroom but halts behind me. The heat of her body sets my back on fire. She plants a warm hand on my shoulder. I hold my breath, staring at the login screen, completely unable to recall my password. I can sense through her fingertips that Katia’s hot temper has fizzled away as nothing, but warmth still radiates from her. She's a mystery. How anyone can be furious one minute, then calm within a split second is beyond my comprehension.

I hold still, waiting for one of us to break the silence. But then Katia gives me a final squeeze before she lets go, as if she's just changed her mind about something. I steal a glance just as she reaches the bathroom, and she looks back. Our eyes lock.

“See you in a minute,” she says softly. I raise my hand, and she closes the door. Then I turn back to the laptop, but my stomach is still a jumbled mess of nerves. Even after all this time, she holds a power over me that I cannot understand. Pretending to be her fiancé is going to be nothing short of torture.

But I made a promise. And I may be many things, but I am always a man of my word.

Katia

Getting Ryder to talk to me is like trying to draw blood from a stone. I re-enter the room, dressed up and ready for dinner. All I get from him is an intense stare, then he looks down and straightens his tie.

I smirk. Our relationship didn’t involve much talking. Not from him anyway. He's always been a deep thinker. The tall, sexy, brooding male that was my whole world.

“Let me help you,” I say, closing the space between us. I straighten the red tie and pat it. “Look. We’re matching.” I point to my rogue red dress. Ryder’s eyes don’t meet mine, they settle somewhere near my cleavage instead. Then he brushes his fingertips over my collarbone and I suck in a sharp breath.

“I got you this,” he says in a whisper. I glance at our reflection in the mirror next to us to look at the silver heart necklace around my neck. “I thought it would be a nice touch. It’ll be easier to lie if we use the truth.”

My words strike a chord. Ryder’s eyes flash and he jolts back. “I almost forgot,” he says.

He buries a hand inside his jacket and retrieves a little black velvet box. “This is for you.”

Before I can reach for the box though, he goes down on one knee and opens it up.

At the same moment, a gust of air slams against the windows, and I jump. My heart picks up speed when I see the sparkling ring staring back at me.

Conflicting emotions bubble up inside my chest and I bite my lip so hard it hurts. But nothing hurts more than the image of Ryder on bended knee, offering me an engagement ring. Like some cruel joke. He’s right here, yet totally off-limits.

“You came prepared,” I say in a measured tone, trying to sound aloof. The seventeen-year-old me would have screeched “Yes!” and smothered his face in kisses.

A twinge of