A Marriage of Benefits by Makenna Lee

Author:Makenna Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-11-15T22:04:58+00:00

* * *

If you’d asked her yesterday, Jessica would’ve said she did not like country music. But tonight, she loved it. Maybe it was the beat or the deep smooth cadence of the singer’s voice. Maybe it was the man holding her in his arms, enticing her body to move in perfect harmony with his.

I could dance like this all night long.

When she raised her head and their cheeks brushed, his was smooth from a fresh shave, and his fingers flexed low on her back. A delicious spark shot along her spine, and her senses awoke from a deep sleep.

He’s making me feel...everything.

The brush of his thigh against hers. The beat of their hearts. The rise and fall of her breast against his muscled chest. And with the slightest shift of her head, the corner of her lips against his. It was as close as you could get to a kiss without actually kissing. With her eyes closed, she let him take her into a magical moment where it was only the two of them. Their surroundings faded and the fact that they were supposed to be acting was forgotten. They moved straight into song after song.

Finally the band announced a short break, and she wanted to beg them to keep playing.

Jessica didn’t want to let go of him or this new sparkly feeling. Didn’t want to meet his eyes and not see her feelings reflected in his gaze. Hand in hand, and without a word or glance, they walked off the dance floor. Maybe their relationship wouldn’t have to be as fake as they’d thought? He was still holding her hand in a way that felt like more than pretend. She’d never tried the friends with benefits thing, but it was suddenly tempting.

Back at their table, their seats had been taken, so they stood at the railing. Jake lightly squeezed her fingers before letting go. “You’re a good dancer. And that was a very convincing performance.”

Her stomach clenched, and she opened her mouth to admit she wasn’t pretending but swallowed back the statement. “Thanks. You, too.”

“We’re not so bad at this, after all.”

She didn’t mention that it would be difficult for her to fake attraction like this. Impossible, really. But what about him? Was he just a better actor than he’d let on? “I guess my rules for...relationships help guide me.”

“What are your rules?”

“Number one is never fall for a guy with a dangerous job.” He was standing close enough that she felt him flinch. Saying that to a police officer was probably in poor taste, but he needed to know where she was coming from.

“Why is that number one?”

“My father was a bodyguard and was killed in the line of duty.”

“I’m sorry,” he said and gave her a quick side hug. “That must have been really hard.”

“Yes, it was.” The back of her throat tightened as she held back tears. “I don’t ever want to repeat that kind of pain or have to worry about someone every single day.

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