Free Vivian's List (Vol. 1) by Haleigh Lovell Page A

hands, then met her gaze full on. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?”
    “I don’t have a clue.” A corner of her mouth lifted in amusement. “But that’s the whole point of this list, isn’t it?”
    Unable to answer, I nodded.
    Her eyes were fixed on my face, seemingly awaiting reaction. “So you’ll do it?”
    Instead of the No my mind had been telling me to say, my mouth said, “Yes.”
    A careful yes .
    A hesitant yes .
    But still a yes .
    Ev en with all the doubts I had gnawing inside me, I couldn’t refuse her.
    Vivian bit down on her lower lip and treated me to an adorable grin. “You did just say yes , didn’t you?”
    “Yep,” I said, popping the p sound. “But this will just be purely about sex. No emotions, okay?” I extended my hand.
    She took my outstretched hand, closing her soft fingers over mine without breaking my gaze. “Deal.”
    After we shook on it, there was a moment of awkward silence. “Can we,” she began tentatively. “Can we …” Her words petered out.
    “Can we what?” I asked.
    “Never mind.” She waved a dismissive hand in the air. “It was nothing.”
    I sensed more behind the gesture than a casual dismissal. “No really,” I pressed. “Tell me.”
    When I raised my eyebrows in question, s he kneaded her hands together. “When we … um, do this …” she hesitated, twisting her fingers. “Can we pretend that we’re really into each other?”
    “Yes.” My throat swelled. “Of course.”
    “So when do we start?” The words came from her in a rus h, too earnest, too eager, and I found myself smiling in spite of myself.
    “Tonight. ” I edged closer and ran my knuckle along her cheek. “I’ll need to set the mood.”
    “Mood.” She looked at me with wide, inquiring eyes. “What mood?”
    “You’ll see, ” I said, being deliberately evasive. “And while I get to work, I’ll need you out of the house for a few hours.”
    She wrinkled her nose. “Where should I go?”
    “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Go see your friends, go do some shopping.”
    “Shopping …” she mused aloud. “But I can’t think of anything I really need at the moment.”
    Even so, she stood and I followed her down to the foyer. “How about Victoria’s Secret?” I placed a lingering hand on the small of her back. “Buy yourself something sexy.”
    “Okay, ” she said mostly to herself. “I can do that.” When we neared the front door, she grabbed her purse and hoisted it over her shoulder. “By the way, what’s your favorite color?”
    “Red,” I said without missing a beat.

 
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
     
    Vivian
     
     
     
     
    As I wrestled with the lock, I let out a heavy sigh. My brain hummed with nervous energy. I wanted to lose myself in Liam and forget all about Brody but a small semblance of rational thought remained. And for the briefest of seconds I considered putting an end to the absurdity of it all.
    No. A small voice in my head said. “No,” I said aloud to reinforce the notion. I needed to do this for me. I needed to get lost in the physical and forget the emotional.
    When the lock finally connected, I turned the knob and stepped inside. 
    The hardwood floor gave their familiar creak, and the old house embraced me, still smelling faintly of Mom and Dad.
    Suddenly I froze as I took in my surroundings. Did I just walk into the wrong house?
    The open floor plan allowed me to see into the living room and dining area, and m y eyes widened as they swept across the open space, taking in the blood red roses on the dining table, the crystal wineglasses, the lighted candles that glimmered and glowed, sending a score of reflections across the room.
    Jack Johnson’s “Sexy Plexi” was playing softly in the background, set in perfect harmony to the romantic and whimsical ambiance.
    I moved through the room and set my keys and purse on the coffee table, noting the overstuffed leather armchair sitting by the