The Girl Next Door - Emma Hart Page 0,38
club and this time, hit the ball. “And careful, or I’ll hit you.”
“You keep promising to hit me but I don’t see it happened. I’m a little disappointed.”
“Welcome to marriage,” I said, tapping the ball into the hole. “It’s full of disappointments.”
“Hmm. I want a divorce.”
“Me, too.”
Our eyes met, and we both smiled.
Maybe this wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world, to try and make this fake relationship real. He made me laugh, and I liked spending time with him—mostly—and yeah, he was too attractive for his own good.
Which was why I knew there was something more than just a little crush I was feeling for him.
Because all the women around us were staring at him unabashedly, and I wanted to gauge out their eyeballs.
Women were weird.
“How many hits did it take you?” I asked, looking at the sheet. “A hole in one? You did it in one?”
“I did,” he replied smugly. “And you’d know it if you were paying attention instead of staring daggers at all the other women around here.”
I shoved the sheet and mini pencil back at him. “Oh, shut up.”
“It’s fine. You’re my wife. You’re allowed to glare at other women if they eye me up. I don’t mind.” His eyes sparkled. “In fact, I’m rather enjoying it.”
“Enjoying what? The endless ogling from strangers?”
“No. Your obvious jealousy.”
“I am not jealous.” I put the ball down way too hard and swung my club even harder. “I have nothing to be jealous about. I just happen to think it’s incredibly rude to stare at someone when he’s obviously here with another woman.”
“You’re jealous.”
“I am not jealous,” I repeated, making a connection with the ball. Unfortunately for me, the connection was far too strong, and the ball went flying into the next hole, almost knocking someone’s ball out of the way. I winced. “Sorry.”
Smirking, Kai went to retrieve my ball from the laughing couple and handed it back to me. “Maybe you don’t try to take someone’s eye out with it this time.”
“I’ll take your eye out with it.”
“Or just aim for the women you’re glaring at.”
“Shut. Up.” I retook my shot and needed three tries to get it in the hole.
“Four,” Kai said, taking my score.
“Four? That was three!”
“No. The first one counts, too.”
“Ugh.” I picked my ball out of the hole and, after taking the paper and pencil from him, said in a low voice, “If we were really married, you so would not be getting laid tonight.”
“Then there’s no need to worry about sex on the first date, is there?” He chucked me under the chin with a wink and moved to take his turn.
Ugh.
I knew mini golf was a bad idea. I should have guessed it would be super busy here, and I knew all too well it was one of the local hangout places for first dates and groups of single friends.
Sigh.
Not that I had any right to really be this annoyed about all the women who were now not trying to be so obvious in their staring.
Did I?
Huh. Maybe I did have a right. This was a date. All the people in town did think we were married.
I wasn’t against using those two things to my advantage.
All right, maybe I was jealous.
Whatever.
“Three,” Kai said, joining me at the start of the next hole.
“Three what?”
“Hits,” he said slowly. “My God, you’re really not paying attention, are you?”
“No, I’m not, and it’s making me play badly.”
“You told me in the car that you almost hit yourself in the head with a club, Ivy. I don’t think you being distracted has anything to do with it.”
“Yes, it does, so ignore what I’m about to do so I can kick your ass at this game.” I cupped the side of his neck with my left hand and rose up onto my tiptoes so my lips touched his.
No, I hadn’t thought this through.
Yes, I might regret this later.
The kiss only served to draw us both deeper into our lie, but it was hard to care about that when Kai wrapped one arm around my waist, holding me against him, and kissed me back like he didn’t give a damn who saw.
He probably didn’t care.
And for a moment, neither did I.
Because all that mattered was his warm, soft lips that were pressed against mine, and that my heart dared skip a beat at the touch.
I pulled back. “Now move so I can take my shot.”
He laughed under his breath, stepping away so I had the room I needed