Free Romance for Cynics by Nicola Marsh

that kiss?’
    To Lucy’s dismay, they couldn’t back out of this no matter how much she wanted to postpone. They had to make this look as authentic as possible for Cash’s sake and appearing recalcitrant at their first event would raise suspicion.
    By Cash’s sudden frown, he’d come to the same conclusion, so she conveyed her agreement with a slight nod.
    Cash raised an eyebrow, clarifying she was sure, and she once again appreciated his thoughtfulness for her feelings.
    Buoyed by being so cared for, she squared her shoulders and nodded. ‘Let’s do this.’
    ‘Brilliant,’ Raoul said, beckoning to one of the lurking camera crew. ‘Trust me, this’ll be fun.’
    With his gel-slicked hair, beady eyes and over-effusiveness, Raoul would be the last person Lucy would trust. On the upside, she’d been dreading this stupid one-on-one interview and the faster she got it out of the way, the better.
    Cash grimaced behind Raoul’s back and she stifled a giggle.
    While Raoul fussed around a purple suede sofa, rearranging cushions and ordering the camera crew around, Cash slid his arm around her waist and ducked down to murmur in her ear, ‘You sure you want to do this now?’
    His concern unnerved her as much as his proximity. ‘Yeah. Faster we finish, faster we can get out of here.’
    ‘I like the way you think,’ he said, his fingers skating across her hip and making her bite her bottom lip to stop a moan escaping. ‘I also like the way you kissed me back there.’
    ‘Stop it.’ She elbowed him, chuckling when he exhaled in an oomph. ‘Aren’t you the slightest bit concerned we may stuff up our answers here?’
    ‘Nope. When in doubt, fake it.’
    ‘We’re doing a good job of that,’ she said, glancing over her shoulder to ensure no one could listen in.
    ‘Not all of it’s fake,’ he said, staring at her lips so she couldn’t mistake his insinuation. ‘That kiss? Memorably real.’
    ‘Stop talking about it.’ She tried to elbow him again but he laughed and dodged. ‘You’re rattling me.’
    ‘Rattling is good.’ He smirked. ‘Means you care.’
    ‘Do not.’ She tilted her nose in the air, instantly regretting her defiance when he kissed the tip.
    ‘Yeah, you do.’ His wicked grin snatched her breath. ‘It’s okay, you know, to admit you find me irresistible.’
    Lucy had no intention of admitting anything of the sort, however true it was. Falling for a guy too fast was the fatal flaw that had led her down the disastrous relationship path before; no way in hell would she make the same mistake again.
    ‘Okay, I’ll go first.’ Without breaking eye contact, he said, ‘I like you.’
    Some of her resistance to Cash melted in the face of his abject honesty. Yet the longer he stared at her with that beguiling mix of charm and confidence, the more her doubts grew.
    The guy had coerced her into posing as his girlfriend for a week. He schmoozed for a living. Could this be a deliberate ploy to soften her up so she gave a great interview to further his cause?
    ‘I like me too,’ she said, deliberately flippant as she eased away from him and sat on the sofa.
    A small frown creased his brow, as if she’d confused or annoyed him in some way. But when Raoul returned to fussing over them rather than the props, Cash sat next to her and assumed a laid-back slouch as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
    Yeah, he must’ve been playing her. Because a guy like him didn’t ‘like’ a girl like her in a few days. Life didn’t work that way. She should know.
    ‘Ready to roll?’ Raoul drew up a footstool out of camera range and perched on it like a hyper parrot, all fluffing feathers and flapping wings. ‘I’ll ask you each a set of random questions regarding romance and you answer with the first thing that pops into your head.’
    Uh-oh. The first words popping into Lucy’s head right now weren’t fit to be said let alone broadcast on YouTube.
    ‘Keep it simple, folks. Short responses.