Out of Line (Out of Line #1)(9)
Author: Jen McLaughlin

And, f**k me, I did. “Really.”

“Why are you being so nice to me? It doesn’t make any sense.” She tucked her hair behind her ears and flushed. “I can’t help but think there’s a motive behind all this that you’re not telling me. Are you…did someone…send you here?”

My heart twisted at the look she was giving me. All puppy-dog eyes, begging me for the truth. I wished I could give it to her. Wished I hadn’t signed a contract stating I would keep my cover, no matter what.

Wished I wasn’t a liar.

I hadn’t expected it to be this hard. I hadn’t expected her.

The girl was too smart for her own good. She was onto me. The only way to blow her off course was to confuse her. I couldn’t blow my cover. Couldn’t be exposed. No matter what. I grabbed her hand and yanked her sideways onto my lap. I liked the way she felt there. “You want motive? I’ll give you motive.”

She looked up at me, her mouth in a perfect O. Her hands fell to my shoulders, and she clung to me. “What are you—”

I slammed my mouth down on hers, telling myself the whole time that I was only kissing her because I had to keep my cover. That this wasn’t real. Didn’t mean anything. But the second her soft lips gave in to mine, I knew I was full of shit. I might be doing this to keep my cover, but I was also doing it because I wanted to see what she tasted like. To hear her little sounds of pleasure.

Her lips parted to let out a little moan, and I swooped in, entwining my tongue with hers. She gasped, almost as if she’d never been kissed before, and then melted against me. She wrapped her arms around me, urging me even closer, and my hands fell to her hips. Unable to help myself, I pressed my c**k against the soft curve of the side of her ass, reveling in the feel of her softness pressed against my hardness.

Fuck, I wanted her.

Tearing my mouth free, I took a ragged breath and held her still. She kept trying to wiggle in my lap. If she kept that up, this would be more than a cover kiss. It would be a cover f**k. I tightened my fists on her and opened my eyes. She did the same, looking back at me with smoldering blue eyes.

Well, that answered my question from earlier.

Her swollen red lips begged to be kissed some more, but I tamped down the urge. I had to remember the game. Stay on course. “Shit. I shouldn’t have done that. Pretend it never happened.”

She blinked at me, the heat fading from her eyes and being replaced by confusion. “Why?”

“Speaking of favorite words…” I mumbled under my breath. I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. “Was that motive enough for you?”

“Y-Yeah, I guess so.” She licked her lips, her gaze on my mouth. “I didn’t know…didn’t realize you were thinking about kissing me. I wasn’t expecting…that.”

She sounded so innocent right now. Had she ever been with a man? I couldn’t imagine a girl that looked like her still being a virgin…but then again, with her father, it was definitely a possibility. “Well, I’m a guy. We’re always thinking about—” I broke off, swallowing the word sex. “Kissing. Surely you’ve been kissed before.”

“Of course,” she quickly said, her cheeks red. “Tons of times.”

Tons? Why didn’t I like the sound of that? “Oh really?”

“Really. You’re hardly the first guy to show an interest. I’m not some meek little virgin girl.”

She had to go and tell me that, didn’t she? “Good to know.”

I set her on her feet and stood, my heart pounding in my ears. That kiss had been a huge mistake. An even bigger mistake than accepting this assignment in the first place.

She pressed her fingers to her lips and looked at me. “So that’s why you’re being nice to me? Because you want to kiss me?”

“Occasionally.” I forced a nonchalant shrug. She had to think I wanted her, but I couldn’t actually have her. What a fine line I walked. One step too far to the left and I would be a goner. “I’m a guy. I’m always in the mood to kiss someone.”

“Anyone will do?”

“Pretty much.”

“Oh. I see.” She cocked her head. “So that’s your motive.”

I dragged a hand through my hair and started for my door. “Sometimes there isn’t a reason or a motive. Sometimes it just happens.”

“Not in my life.”

“Well, maybe you need a new life.”

“Maybe.” She bit her lower lip. “It’s not that easy to just trust someone, especially when you don’t even know them.”

I swallowed the guilt choking me back. I knew she was suspicious, and she had every reason to be wary of me. I was a fraud. A phony. A fake. And most of all? An ass**le for kissing her under false pretenses. “Why are you so damn suspicious of everyone and everything?”

She didn’t follow me, but put her hands on her perfect hips. “I don’t know.”

“Why are you glowering at me like I drowned your kitten in front of you?”

“Because I thought we were friends.”

“We are.”

She lifted her chin up. “Friends don’t kiss friends then say shit. You obviously don’t like me very much, so I’m going to make this easy for you. I’m leaving—and you’re staying.”

“No, you’re not.” I rubbed my eyes. Unbelievable. Instead of fixing this screw up, I’d managed to make it worse. “I’m your ride.”

She pulled out her phone and put it to her ear. “Yes. I’d like a cab, please. It’s an apartment building. Brick with patios and balconies. I’ll be outside.” She rattled off my address, an address I didn’t even know she’d be able to figure out, and then slid the phone back in her purse. “Problem solved. Now go away.”

She sat down on the curb, her back to me, and promptly ignored me. I hesitated. Should I do what she wanted and go inside to come up with a plan? Or should I try to fix this now? The urge to bang my head against the wall was almost as strong as the urge to pull her into my arms was. She looked so alone sitting there and staring out in the road. I approached her slowly, uncertain how to tackle this.

“Look, I’m sorry.” I sat beside her, my leg touching hers. She shot me a dirty look, but didn’t move away. “I didn’t mean to kiss you. Not because I don’t want to, but because I just want to be friends.”