She only has one rule...
[WATTYS SHORTLIST 2022]
A buttoned up bookworm agrees to a fake relationship with a surprisingly literate male model in order to save his career. She only has one condition: No kissing allowed.
***
At age 27, Cora Glass ha...
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"We'd best stay put for now," Jamie murmured.
The fog would burn off once the sun had risen. But the coldest hours of the night were always the wee hours before dawn. The early morning chill pierced through the fabric of the oversized hoodie he had thrown on before he left the bungalow with nothing underneath.
Jamie let go of Cora long enough to unzip it and shrug it off his shoulders. "Here. Put this on."
"No." She put her hands up to refuse it. "Don't."
"Go on," he insisted.
"You'll freeze to death."
"You're halfway there already."
"No."
No, she wouldn't let him be a gentleman, try as he might to act the part. Jamie gritted his teeth, but he held his temper. He thrust his arms back through the arm holes, and then gathered her close against his chest again. The fabric strained to the point of ripping, but he managed to get the zipper up with the both of them bound together inside it.
"There. Is that too tight?"
Inside the garment's confines, he felt her hands slide around his waist.
"Yes," she said, "but in a good way. Deep pressure is..." She let her voice trail off, the last word swallowed by a sigh.
Jamie smiled into her hair, thinking of her weighted blanket and the impersonation he'd provided. "Don't tell me, you have some medieval torture device at home for this, too?"
"I used to when I was a kid. It's good for vertigo."
"Are you dizzy?"
"Better now."
Jamie swiveled his head, taking in the landmarks in their immediate vicinity. A low rock beckoned, but he could see no way to sit down with Cora pressed against him. He settled for leaning, resting his weight against a mossy ledge behind him, with his legs splayed wide so she could stand in between. The hoodie pulled her with him as he moved. In this position, their heights were nearly equal, and their eyes level with one another.
Jamie liked deep pressure too, although he hadn't known it until now. He could feel her heart beat against his chest, and the thought occurred to him that he might live out his whole life and never get this close to another beating heart again.
Jamie felt a wave of some emotion that didn't have a name. It took all his self-control to keep it off his face. His knees weakened for a moment, and he was glad for the boulder's support.
"What were you doing out here?" he asked, making conversation to distract himself.
"I went looking for you!"
"I was walking on the beach. All the way in the other direction." He gestured with an arm. "Why would I come up here? In the dark no less! Don't you know how dangerous that was?"
