Quick Note: Sorry for the sloppy posting schedule. There is a lot going on, and unfortunately, that means not a lot of writing is being done. I almost forgot how much work it is keeping up with the workflow, but it's always worth it! Happy Holidays to everyone!

The next morning, Gabriella yawned sleepily as she mixed the batter. Whenever she visited her grandparents she made her famous chocolate chip pancakes. This visit was no exception. Warm and relaxed, she hated the idea of getting out of bed this morning. She even tried to drift back to sleep, but before she could, she remembered she wasn't alone.

The muted glow of blue morning lights filtered through the cream-colored curtains, illuminating the bedroom. Troy was lying on his side, the sheets covering him from the waist down. She'd woken up lying against his chest.

A small smile spread across her lips as she held the bowl in her arm and whisked the batter. Memories fluttered to the surface. The insatiable man had taken her three more times last night, and each session had lasted longer than the previous one. Luckily, they had also been quieter. Clearly, however, the man was trying to kill her. Death by…desire? Was that a thing?

Her whisking stopped as she lifted three fingers to cover her lips. She couldn't help but giggle. Her eyes darted around the kitchen. She was alone. Her grandparents had woken up early and gone for a walk. She passed them on her way to the kitchen. If they had anything to say to her about last night, they didn't mention it. Thank God.

She placed the bowl on the countertop and made her way to the fridge, her sock covered feet quietly tiptoeing around the kitchen. She wasn't quite ready yet for confronting Troy. Sleeping with him had probably been a big mistake. What was she going to do when the lie had run its course? When he came to his senses and figured out she wasn't worth all the headache?

Friends with benefits.

She blew her bangs out of her face as she worked around the kitchen. What had she been thinking? How was she even supposed to face him after last night? What was she going to say to him? Good morning, great sex? Good morning, are you as sore as I am?

Her thighs ached in the most delicious way. An imprinted memory on her body of his presence. She could still feel him between her legs. Taste him on her lips and she knew her skin, if she smelled it, would smell like him. Like a wooded forest and salted ocean air. She still had his shirt on, with a pair of grey sweats.

"I wondered where you ran off too, can I help with anything?"

Gabriella's head shot up to see Troy standing in the kitchen doorway with his hands shoved into his pockets. His entire demeanor seemed relaxed and warm. As if the weight of a thousand problems had been lifted from his shoulders and he'd finally caught up on a good night's sleep. It was disturbingly unfair.

"I'm almost done."

Troy entered the kitchen, "Do you always wake up this early to cook?" The tips of hair were still wet. He must have showered.

Gabriella shrugged, "Mornings are always so busy at the bakery. I don't think I've slept past six am since it opened."

Troy nodded as he made his way over to the counter and leaned on it with his elbows. "Does anyone ever make you pancakes?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Why would they?" Gabriella let out a laugh, "I've been baking and cooking since I was eight years old."

The corner of his lips turned downward. "But it's your vacation too."

She waved him off, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "Don't be silly, Troy. It's still breakfast, no matter who makes the pancakes."

Troy caught her arm as she picked up the bowl of pancake batter. "If it really doesn't matter, why don't you sit, and I finish."

"It's fine, I don't mind."

Troy didn't take no for an answer, instead, he took the bowl from her arms and made his way over to the stove. "Why don't you have a cup of coffee?"

She was stunned for a moment. Unsure what to say. Wordlessly, she made her way over to the coffee maker made herself a cup. After a moment, she turned in his direction. "You make pancakes?"

"I have a seven-year-old brother," he said matter of fact. "I can make dinosaur pancakes."

That caught her off guard.

"Geez, I've been spilling my guts about me all weekend, I almost forgot you had a brother so young." Guilt swept through her as she realized just how little she knew about the man whose scent was all over her body.

"Christian likes dinosaurs," Troy shrugged. "He's smart. Way smarter than I was at his age. At his age, I think I only cared about comic books."

"I used to read Archie comics," Gabriella offered as she took a seat at the counter. "Taylor was Veronica and I was Betty."

"I always had the hots for Betty," Troy smiled.

She could feel another blush on her cheeks, grateful he was distracted. The sounds of the spatula scraped along the pan as he lifted, flipped and then patted a pancake. No one had ever made her pancakes before.

"Good morning," her mother's voice made her smile fade. She immediately wished she'd taken the time to shower and straighten up.

Her mother was wearing a red blouse with black trousers. Her hair blow dried with perfection and makeup flawlessly applied. Gabriella could never master the art of contour and blending. Her beauty routine consisted of some eyeliner and lip gloss.

"Morning mother," she said with a small smile.

"He cooks?" her mother eyed Troy who was pouring another pancake on to the pan.

"Apparently," Gabriella shrugged as she lifted her coffee to her lips.

Her mother nodded and her eyes came back to Gabriella, "Not to put too fine a point on it, but flawless skin should probably be one of your top priorities for your wedding day, right up there with securing a stunning venue."

Gabriella's smile faded. "Right."

"Most women don't realize that your skincare routine truly starts in the shower and that using a gentle cleanser is key," her mother said shifting so examine Gabriella's face. "We can head into town today and pick something up. We'll need to really clean out your pores."

"Okay."

"We should also do something about your hair."

"My hair?"

Her mother fingers plucked a strand of it from her ponytail. "Honestly Gabi, you really should take better care of your hair. Split ends are not attractive."

Her eyes shifted over to Troy. His jaw clenched, and a muscle ticked in his cheek, but he didn't say anything.

"Trust me, once you're engaged, the picture-taking never stops. You'll thank me later."

"I think she's picture perfect right now," Troy said quietly. "I imagine she's going to look even more radiant on the day of."

Gabriella's narrowed as she watched him turn to pick up another plate. What was he doing? He shouldn't be saying things like that. He should be working on making her mother hate him. That was the plan, wasn't it?

Before Gabriella could utter a word, the front door opened and her grandparents reappeared.

"My goodness, breakfast smells delightful," her grandmother clapped her hands together. "Good morning everyone."

"Good morning mom," Gabriella's mother greeted. "Gabriella and I were just discussing some ideas for the wedding. I think we should go into town today and maybe look at a few wedding dresses."

"Oh that sounds like fun," her grandmother said as she came over to the table.

Gabriella grimaced. "Mom, we don't have to do that right now. There's plenty of time to do that later." Like when I am engaged to a man who is actually going to marry me rather than one who just wants to sleep with me.

God. She still couldn't believe what was happening to her life. The memories of sleeping with him sent shivers up her spine.

"Sweetheart, we have to start talking about these things now. Do you know how much thought goes into a wedding?" It must have been a rhetorical question because her mother barely took a breath before the next question flew out of her mouth. "What do you think about having canapes served at the reception rather than a full course meal? It would be much more sophisticated, I think."

Troy cleared his throat and fiddled with the collar of his shirt, seemingly uncomfortable with the conversation. Served him right for his earlier encouragement.

"Mom, we haven't even set a date yet."

"Well, that's easy enough. I've been thinking about where we should have your wedding, and I had a great idea. It should be at the Water Gardens. It's a wonderful location, and the fountains would make a beautiful backdrop for the wedding photos."

Gabriella bit her lip as she stared down at her coffee. "Um, I don't know, Mom."

"Well, why not? It would be perfect. you always said you wanted to be married here, but it would be much more suitable location than what you had in mind."

Gabriella glanced over at Troy, and her right eye twitched, nervously. She thought for sure he would be slinking away from any talk of marriage or wedding plans, but his gaze was glued to her as if he were waiting to hear her response as well.

"Mom, let's not talk about this right now. There's plenty of time for that la-"

"What other location?" Troy asked, injecting himself into the conversation and effectively cutting Gabriella off. When she didn't answer him right away, he shifted his eyes to her mother. "What other place, Maria?"

Her mom waved her slim hand through the air dismissively, as if she couldn't even bother considering the idea. "Oh, she had this crazy plan about having a small wedding on the beach. But I told her it isn't a smart choice for formal wear."

"And I told you that I don't want a formal wedding," Gabriella corrected.

"Sure you do, dear. Every girl wants to look beautiful for her wedding. Besides, squeezing into a fancy gown on your special day would give you a good incentive to lose those few pounds you put on since the bakery."

Gabriella swallowed the gasp that tried to vacate her mouth and scowled at her mother. Jeez, did she have to say that right in front of Troy of all people? It's like the woman purposely tried to embarrass her at times.

"That's enough," Troy said placing a plate of pancakes on the table. His eyes settled firmly on Gabriella's mother. "I don't want to hear those kind of insulting remarks about my fiancée."

Gabriella cringed. Shit.

Her mother blinked back in apparent shock. "Insulting? I...I'm not insulting her." Then she pushed her hair away from her face as she regained her composure. "I'm just trying to give my daughter some good advice. Lord knows she never listens to it anyway. I'm just trying to be helpful."

"We know dear," her grandmother placed a hand on Maria's shoulder. "Why don't you go get Luis for breakfast."

"Yeah, because if he's not down here in five minutes. I'm eating his helping." her grandfather came around the counter island to a plate of pancakes. "Chocolate chip pancakes, my favorite."

Her Grandmother came to the kitchen island and wrapped her arms around Gabriella. "There is nothing more beautiful than a woman in love. You're glowing, absolutely glowing. Isn't she glowing Maria?"

"Of course, she is. And that's how it should be." Her mother said as she crossed her arms and smiled before leaving the kitchen.

"Thanks, grandma." Gabriella let out a sigh as she leaned back into her grandmothers embrace.

Gabriella let out a small sigh of relief and smiled as Troy set down a plate of pancakes in front of her. "Thanks."

"A beach wedding sounds perfect to me."

Her grandmother let out a sigh as she reached her hands out to grab the sides of Troy's face. "Such a good man for my granddaughter."

Troy let out a string of curse words and threw the hammer into the yard.

"Need a hand with that?" Luis asked, chuckling under his breath. Or maybe I should just offer you my thumbs. You seem to be running out of yours."

Her grandfather had asked him to put together a simple fire pit, and since Gabriella had gone into town with her mother and grandmother. He figured he would busy himself somehow. Troy looked down at his aching thumb and gritted his teeth. "I still got one good one left." But at this rate, he wouldn't have it for long.

Served him right though. He should have been paying more attention to what he was doing rather than thinking about spending last night with Gabriella.

Luis gestured to the patio chair across the table from him and set down two glasses of ice tea. "Why don't you sit down and take a break for a minute. You might work better if you cool off a little."

Aggravated with himself, Troy plopped down in the chair and wiped the sweat from his brow. The afternoon sun was still burning bright, and the heat was starting to get to him. Just like Gabriella had.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No. It's nothing. Just something I'm trying to work out in my head." Troy took a big gulp of sweet tea.

"I see. Well, if you need someone to talk to…"

Troy nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate it. I'm sure the problem will work itself out soon enough."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I know where to find you…and your thumbs." Troy grinned and then took another swallow of tea.

A moment of silence passed between them before her father spoke again. "I like you, Troy."

"Luis, if you don't stop flirting with me, I'm going to tell your daughter on you."

He chuckled and pointed at Troy. "Right there. That is exactly what I'm talking about. You're a fun guy, and Gabi hasn't always had that in her life. I see the way she is with you, the way she looks at you, and how happy she is having you around. The two of you fit together nicely."

Troy's blood ran cold. It was as if the man in front of him were a doctor who had just administered a heavy dose of guilt directly into his veins. Luis wouldn't be saying any of this if he'd known that Troy had been having sex with his daughter with no intention of turning it into a relationship. "Well, Gabriella's a great girl," he muttered quietly.

Her dad's eyes filled with pride. "Yes, she is. And she's also my favorite daughter."

Confused, Troy quirked a brow at him. "Isn't she your only daughter?"

"Well, yeah, but just because Gabriella didn't happen to have any competition in the daughter department doesn't mean she would automatically be considered my favorite. I've seen lots of parents who may love their children but can't stand the little shits."

"Touché," Troy said smiling.

"But Gabriella is a good girl. She's respectful and kind and hasn't got a mean bone in her body. She cares about the people around her, even when they don't deserve it. Like George. When that little prick broke things off with her, I was dancing on the rooftops. She deserves someone better, a guy who will always come to her defense and appreciate her for who she is. Someone like you."

Troy didn't know how to respond so he just nodded in agreement.

Thankfully, Luis continued without hesitation. "I have to tell you, Troy, when I first heard about her getting engaged, I wasn't the least bit surprised. I always knew Gabi would one day meet that special guy who would love her for who she is. One who would put a ring on her finger as quickly as possible to keep another man from snatching her away." he cleared his throat, and a glossy sheen fell over his eyes as his emotions got the better of him. "Look, we didn't know each other at the time, and you may not have asked for my blessing, but I'm telling you…It's yours. You have it. I'd be proud to call you my son-in-law."

Well, fuck. Now, what was he supposed to do? This whole thing was supposed to be a quick solution to help Gabriella out of an engagement that she was never really in, to begin with. Instead, they were screwing with these people's heads, and things were getting too far out of hand. And he had no one to blame but himself. If Troy hadn't opened his mouth at George's wedding, then none of this would have happened.

But then he never would have been able to get to know her. The thought made him frown, would she have given him a chance? Probably not. But the choice would be up to her, rather than him forcing her into a situation.

Under the circumstances, Troy did the only thing he could. He shook Luis's hand and muttered a quick, "Thanks. That means a lot." Then he stood, retrieved his hammer and continued working on the fire pit.

Last night everything seemed so simple.

But today, things were different. Things were snowballing. There were feelings to consider. Well, hers anyway. Troy had made it clear that the only things he was interested in were friendship and benefits. Anything beyond that hadn't been agreed upon between them.

Probably for the best anyway.

After this weekend, the whole charade would be over. Troy hadn't made her family hate him, so Gabriella had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

"He lied to me."

Gabriella's mother shifted through the rack of dresses. Gabriella had never seen so much white tulle or lace, she could hardly figure out where one dress ended and the next dress started.

"Men lie, darling." Maria pulled out another strapless dress. "Your shoulders would look fabulous in this, of course, that would mean you need to tan and moisturize more."

Gabriella held out her already outstretched arm piled with dresses. They were so heavy her arms began to dip a little. Was it the actual weight of the fabric, the lie, or the weight of something she'd never have but desperately wanted?

"When we first meet. He lied about who he was."

"Hardly relevant darling, you two are so close now. What does it matter how you met." her mother held up her hand to flag down a saleswoman. "Can we have a fitting room please?"

"Mom, no relationship can survive without trust, honesty, and communications, no matter how close you are."

"Honestly," her mother spun around. "Why do you always feel the need to self-sabotage. Why can't you just let things be."

"What?" Gabriella made a face. "I don't self-sabotage."

"Right this way ladies," the saleswoman led them to a back area where every wall had a mirror. Great, just what she needed. A 360 view of her worst nightmares.

Her grandmother came over with three different veils. "These are so gorgeous."

"Let me know if you need anything at all, I can pull sizes, styles, find accessories, whatever you need."

What about fetching an actual fiancé? Gabriella thought as she faked a smile.

"We're alright for the moment, thank you." Maria smiled as she looked through the veils in her mother's arms.

"Isn't this exciting, three generations of married women," her grandmother giggled.

"Not married yet," Gabriella reminded.

Her grandmother let out a laugh, "Oh, you know what I mean." She smiled at Gabriella and then let out a swoon. "I can't wait to see the grandbabies."

Gabriella's eyes widen. It's not that she didn't like babies. Some of them were quite cute in fact. It's just that everyone wants to know when she was having a baby. And, she meant everyone. Her extended family. Their family friends. Customers. The random employee at the bank helping her with a deposit. Everyone. The last week alone had been one big long list of questions about all these things she secretly wanted and now everyone thought she was on the cusp of having.

How much was life going to suck when all this was over.

Ever since the announcement she been immediately obligated to grab a beer or glass of wine so no one had a second to wonder if she might be pregnant. Hell, if she could sip a glass of wine while ringing people up at the register she would.

But then a soft warm feeling flooded her heart. Because, the truth is, she did have baby fantasies. Whenever she'd been caught in a quiet moment alone, she liked to imagine all the fun things she would do if she had a child. She would daydream about weekends in the park with Troy and their son, because yes, her fantasies are gender specific.

Troy would be a great dad. Their family of three would be snug and cozy and sweet and loving. They would sing silly songs and share lots of hugs and inside jokes. She wouldn't be a supermom, but she would love the heck out of her kid and do everything in her power to give him a happy childhood.

"Gabriella?" her mother raised a brow. She was asking for the dresses.

Her thoughts snapped back to the present. "Sorry," she smiled and handed her mother the dresses in her arms.

"She too busy daydreaming about the honeymoon," Grandma said with a knowing smile. "Where are you going to honeymoon?"

"I don't know," Gabriella said honestly. She never really thought about it. She was sure that if the situation was actually happening if she were actually a happy bride planning out the rest of her life…maybe she'd know.

"Plenty of time for that." Grandma reached over and started taking Gabriella's purse. "Today is all about the dress."

The dress. Gabriella looked where her mother had hung up the four dresses she'd picked out. This was cruel. If only they knew how cruel. They could. She could tell them. Just confess everything and then they could laugh about the whole thing and go get margaritas.

"Grandma, has Grandpa ever lied to you?"

"Of course," her grandmother laughed. "Pathetic really, he thinks he can get away with it. Like I can't smell the beer on his breath."

"I thought the doctor told him about that," Maria frowned. "He shouldn't be drinking while he takes medication."

"Oh please," Grandma waved it off. "Life's too short to live life so carefully. One beer, once in a great while won't kill you."

"Yes, it can." Maria exasperated.

Grandma shook her head and returned her attention to Gabriella. "Why are you asking about lies?"

"Troy lies. Sometimes."

"What kind of lies?" her grandmother brow furrowed in concern.

"Harmless lies," Maria said guiding her into the fitting room. "Why are you making this such a big deal? You know who he is. You love him. You're getting married. There's nothing to worry about."

Gabriella felt a pinch of guilt. She needed a new plan. Maybe she should wait until they returned home. Then she could avoid any contact with her family for a few days, then drop by to tell them that he had broken off their supposed engagement.

Undoubtedly, she would be a hot mess when she delivered the news that she and Troy were over. Even now, just the thought of never seeing him again had tears lodging in her tight throat. She wasn't even sure what excuse she would give them yet, but this was the only logical and more reasonable option she had. Never in a million years would anyone in her family believe that she'd actually broken up with him.

None of them were that stupid.

It was obvious that she cared about him. Probably too much really. It was ridiculous when she thought about it. She was dreading the loss of a fiancé that she never really had to begin with. But why?

Because she was a damn fool, that's why.

A stupid, sentimental fool who had made the biggest mistake of her life. She'd fallen for a guy who wanted to have sex with her but had no interest in being in a relationship. Smart move, Gabi.

There was always a chance that Troy would change his mind about having his cake and eating it too. Hell, who knew? Maybe he already had. Maybe that's what this morning was all about.

Stop it. Don't be irrational.

That night there was company over. Maria had invited family friends over for drinks and snacks. Everyone was friendly and excited. The congratulated Gabriella and Troy on their engagement. Troy felt the knot in his stomach get a little tighter.

After a moment of looking for her, he found her inside putting together another snack tray. "You know, I think they sell snack trays at the store."

"Shit," a grape fell out of her hand and rolled onto the floor. He watched as her lips formed a tight little line of frustration.

"Sorry," he said calmly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Gabriella shook her head and bent down to pick up the grape. "It's fine. I was just thinking."

"Million dollars for your thoughts?"

Her eyes narrowed, "It's supposed to be a penny."

Troy shrugged, "Haven't you heard?" he leaned forward a little and whispered. "I'm loaded."

She smiled. He liked it when she smiled.

Gabriella placed a hand on over her face. "My mother is embarrassing."

Troy shrugged. "It's alright, I'm use it." Ever since he could remember his financial status had always been rattled off as if it were a personality trait or something. This is Troy, he's rich and funny. What more did people need to know, right? Troy let out a sigh.

What people didn't understand about money was that after the novelty wore off it was meaningless. Of course, his money made his life easier in countless ways, there was no doubt about that, but it was just normal for him. It always had been. Anyone could sit and imagine being able to thoughtlessly spend thousands of dollars on a single bottle of champagne, and it would be a thrill. And maybe the first time, it would be. But for Troy? It was like buying another cup of coffee.

People thought about money too much. The truth was it didn't really make you anything. It was just money.

"You want to know something weird?" she said cleaning up the little area she was working in.

"Yeah," he said picking up the old tray and picking at the scraps. "I'm into weird."

Gabriella smiled at that. She seemed hesitant for a moment as if she wasn't sure she should say what was on her mind. He instantly hated that. He always wanted her to speak freely. He loved that about her. Loved. "You know, you want to tell me," he coaxed pushing the L word to the back of his mind.

She let out a sigh, "After watching so many of my friends get engaged, I've always wondered what it would feel like, you know, for everyone to just come up to you and congratulate you just for being in love."

"And?" he watched her intently. The L word resurfaced.

That hint of a smile reappeared until it was full blown. She never looked more beautiful. "It feels wonderful," a small laugh escaped and she bought a hand to her lips. "Oh God, does that make me horrible?"

"Gabriella," he said tenderly. "I don't think you could be horrible if you tired."

Something shifted in her smile and it slowly disappeared. "We should talk."

Immediately his entire body broke into a cold sweat. He hitched his breath, his fist clenching and unclenching by his side. "Look, about last night." He could've kicked himself for starting with something so lame.

"Actually," Gabriella said, snapping out of her trance. She quickly made sure they were alone. "We should really talk about today. You know, I thought the plan was to make them hate you."

"I don't want them to hate me." He tried to make eye contact with her, but she just stared down at the tray of snacks.

"Damn it, Troy." She whispered. "Don't tell me you're backing out on me. You promised to help me get out of this mess." When he didn't respond right away, she threw her hands in the air. "Oh, that's just great. So this is why you've been on your best behavior today? You changed your mind about helping me and didn't want to tell me?"

"Gabriella, just let me explain."

"What is there to explain? You want to change our agreement and come up with a new plan."

Troy motioned for her to keep her voice down as her father came inside.

Luis smiled as he came into the kitchen, "Hey lovebirds. Your mother sent me in, is the tray done, princess?"

"Yeah," she forced a smile and picked up the tray. "Sorry, um…we got distracted."

"No worries," her father took the tray from her hands and leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek. "I was young once. I know it's not exciting to hang out with your parent's friends."

He chuckled and made his way back outside leaving them both in silence again.

"We leave tomorrow. I can't keep lying to my family. The old plan was fine." She moved to leave, but he stopped her.

"Not if we were going to stay together, it wasn't." he paused for a moment to judge her reaction. But there was none. "I want a do-over."

"A do-over?" She glared at him, her lips set in a thin line. "This isn't a game. This is my family."

"I know that."

"Do you?" She countered. "You told them we were getting married. Married. Troy, I know your father probably didn't teach this part very well, but marriage is kind of permanent!"

"I know that too."

"God, I can't believe you're doing this to me. You're putting me in a position where I have no choice but to tell my family the truth."

He sighed. "Look, I know you're upset. I'm sorry. I don't really want your family to hate me, okay? They're good people, and…well, I like them."

Most of them anyway.

Gabriella closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She was pissed and couldn't blame her one bit.

"Look, I'm just saying that maybe we should do this so it's amicable and no one has to get thrown under the bus."

Her eyes shot open. "Are you nuts? That'll never work. Who the hell breaks up with their fiancé on good terms?"

"Anything is possible at this point." Troy let out a sigh as he tried desperately to figure out exactly what he wanted.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked her voice cracking a little.

When he didn't respond she let out a long sigh. "If you're not on board then I'll do it myself." She put her hands on her hips, and her face bent with rage. "You cheating asshole!"

"Huh?" His head snapped to her, the back door slide shut and he turned to see her father coming inside.

"Who is she?" Gabriella said, raising her voice even louder. "Who's the whore you've been sleeping with behind my back?"

Troy squinted at her and shook his head. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't play innocent with me. I knew you were a player when I met you, but I didn't think you would keep seeing other girls on the side. God, I'm such an idiot. I should've known better than to get mixed up with someone like you."

A throat cleared behind them. "Is everything okay, Gabi?"

Just fucking great.

"Oh, everything is perfect, Dad," Gabriella said with sarcastic flair "Only Troy is apparently cheating on me." She covered her face with her hands and fake-sobbed into them.

God damn it. She even looked believable.

Troy turned back to her father and held up both of his hands in surrender. "I'm not cheating on her, I swear," he said before spinning back to Gabriella. He lowered his voice to keep from being overheard. "Gabriella stop it. What the hell are you doing?"

She kept her hands over her face but whispered back in a clear determined voice, "I'm ending this…with or without your help." Then she fake-cried into her hands some more, jerking her shoulders up and down as if she were expelling brokenhearted tears.

He instantly wanted to shake her. Damn her. He was a lot of things, but a cheater wasn't one of them. Sheepishly Troy held up a finger to her dad, asking him to give them a moment alone. Then he steered Gabriella back towards their bedroom. Once he was sure they were out of earshot and sight he stopped and wheeled her around to face him. "Knock it off."

Her face straightened instantly, and she glared back at him. "No. if you don't want to help me anymore, then that's fine. But you aren't leaving me a choice. I'm tired of lying to them and I want this over with…today."

He shook his head. "Not like this."

"Why? What do you care if they hate you? I mean it's not like you're ever going to see them again. I'm the one who has to face them for years to come."

"I know, but…"

"But what? Jesus, Troy. Do you plan on becoming my dad's bowling partner or something?"

He shrugged lightly. He did like to bowl on occasion with the crew, but he didn't think now would have been a good time to bring that up.

"What? Now you have nothing to say?"

Unable to stop himself, Troy slid his hands up to her neck, threaded his fingers through her hair, and pressed his mouth to hers. Her breath hitched at the unexpected gesture, but she didn't protest or push him away. Good. He liked knowing that he affected her the same way she did him.

His lips continued to move against hers, seeking more of the response he so desperately needed until she tangled her fingers into the front of his shirt and leaned against him as if her legs were unable to hold her upright.

Desire flooded over him, attempting to wash away any senses he had left. But he didn't care. He angled her head, slid his tongue past her lips, and deepened the kiss. Every part of her mother tasted like warm sweet hot chocolate. Sweet. Decadent. Intoxicating. Enough to drive a man entirely out of his mind. And the vanilla scent of her perfuming her fevered skin only worsened his craving.

"God, do you have to suck face right outside my room?" Matt's voice whined behind them and Troy broke the kiss and tore himself away from her. They both sprung apart as her brother made teasing noises as he disappeared down the hallway.

Jesus.

Gabriella licked her plump, swollen, lip as if she was still trying to taste him there, but confusion filled her eyes. "What was that for?" she whispered.

"I want to date you."

The right side of his face exploded as she slapped him across the face. Followed by the sound of her footsteps making her way down the hall.

Shit.