I stood with my hands on my hips, getting a little lost in the paletteof blues and greens that painted the view before me.When people thought of Spain, they thought of jammed beachesunder the merciless summer sun. They thought of tables loaded withjars of sangría, pans stuffed with paella, and a payload of tapas.They most likely thought of some dark-haired dude serenading theevening with impossibly masterful fingers stringing a guitar too. Andin a way, they were not completely wrong. One could find that inSpain. But it was only a small part of what represented my homecountry. One that sadly didn't even cover ten percent of what itoffered.The small city where I had come from stood on the most northerncoast of the peninsula, wedged between the often fierce and ivoryCantabrian Sea and a range of emerald mountains.Contrary to general belief, the country wasn't bathed in sunthroughout the whole year either. Particularly not the northernregions. Nope. The north of Spain was known for granting itsinhabitants the chance to experience all four seasons in the span ofa few hours, any day of the year. Which made possible for thevegetation to grow wild and lush, engulfing pastures and hills andcreating an image very few thought of when it came to Spain.So, yeah, summer wasn't all that great in the north. Butsurprisingly, today the sky was clear, and the breeze from the seawas gentle. It brought me back to a time when, in days like these, wewould try to make the most of it, as if our life depended on it. Fromdawn till dusk. Isabel and me. Las hermanas Martín. The Martínsisters.Taking a peek at the group of people who had gathered today forthe Wedding Cup, a little part of me wondered what was going oninside of Aaron's head. What had been his first impression of theplace that had seen me grow up? Of my people?Introductions had gone better than good. If Spaniards wereknown for something, it was their openness and hospitality. Nobodyhad seemed to bat an eyelash at my fake boyfriend. Not more thanthe awkwardness of having a guiri—what we called tourists—andtherefore having to use their rusty English.Only the youngest generation of both the bride and groom'sfamilies, their partners, and some of our closest friends were here.Except for our barbaric and free-spirited cousin Lucas, who no oneknew where he had disappeared to this time. And the best man—otherwise known as Daniel, my ex, my first and only relationship, orthe man my family believed I had never gotten over. He had notarrived yet."Aquí está mi hermana favorita." My sister's voice reached me aheartbeat before I was tackled from behind."I'm your only sister, idiot. Of course I'm your favorite." I wrappedmy hands around her forearms, which were resting on mycollarbone."Forget about technicalities. You are still my fave."Sticking my tongue out, I looked at her over my shoulder. If notfor our heart-shaped faces, we wouldn't look anything alike. Isabelhad always been taller and leaner than me. Her eyes had little greenspeckles to the brown we shared—something I had always beenenvious of—and her hair was curlier and darker, just like Mamá's.But the differences didn't stop there. Where my sis was this puzzlepiece that fit anywhere at the first try, I had always seemed tostruggle with finding my place. Somehow, I always managed to bemissing a little corner or have an extra edge that pushed me to keeptrying somewhere I might fit better. That pushed me to keep lookingfor that place to call home. Because that was no longer Spain forme. But neither was New York as much as I had Rosie and a career Iwas proud of. It had always felt … a little lonely. Incomplete."Hello? Earth calling Lina," she said, coming to my side andtugging at my arm. "What's up with you today? Why are you hidinghere?"I had been doing that, hadn't I? Even if only for a few minutes.My big sister knew me far too well, so I made a note of beingextra watchful around her with Aaron. If there was someone whowould see through the deception, it would be Isabel."Not hiding." I shrugged my shoulders. "I was just trying to have amoment of peace away from the bridezilla. I heard she almost rippedthe groom's head off because he'd bought the wrong shoes."I stepped away and turned, so I could face her."You heard that right." My sister and bride-to-be brought a handto her chest, feigning dismay. "I let him pick one thing, Lina. One.And he came home, all proud and happy, with a pair of shoes thatmade me question my taste in men, really." She shook her head. "Iwas this close to uninviting him to my wedding.""Our wedding, you mean." I laughed."Yeah. Didn't I say that?" The corner of her lips tugged up withmischief. "Anyway, I think we still have about an hour or so untillunch break. Are you ready?"A look passed between us."For my death? Always.""Come on, drama queen," Isabel said, linking our arms andpulling me in the direction of the group. "Time to go back. Gabi sentme to fetch you. There's a schedule, you know."I pouted."Oh, stop that. It'll be fun.""It hasn't been, and it won't be," I said, dragging my feet butfollowing her because what choice did I have? "Gabi has turned intothis cute but terrifying sports mogul, and everyone is scared of her."Isa snorted. "It's not that bad. Plus, we might still win. We areonly three points behind those stupid suckers.""Did you just call your fiancé a stupid sucker?""Fine, we are only three points behind Team Groom. Better?""Better. But"—I shot her a humorless glance over my shoulder—"they are still going to smash us like cockroaches."Shaking my head, I thought of how unathletic Team Bride wascompared to our male counterpart. The points we had collected werelame pity points Gabi had given us to keep the team motivated. Well,everybody else on the team but me. Motivation had left me long ago.I was ready to call it a day and go stuff my mouth with food. My jetlagged body had flipped the hungry switch, even before we startedrunning around with this nonsense."You can blame yourself for that." My sister's pointer finger joinedher accusation. "You brought Clark Kent's doppelgänger to theparty.""He does look like him, doesn't he?"Isabel nodded. "And by the way …" She paused, and before Icould dodge it or be prepared for it, she tugged at my ponytail. A littletoo hard."Hey!" I grabbed my hair and moved out of the trajectory of otherpossible attacks. "What the hell was that for, bridezilla?!""Don't be a baby; you deserved it. How dare you keep that"—Isabel pointed at Aaron, making me smack her hand down—"hiddenfrom me!""Isabel," I warned.She went on, ignoring me and waving her index finger in my fakeboyfriend's direction, "When my sister starts dating someone, Iexpect a full report. Vivid descriptions, photos, videos, oil paintings—I don't care. Even those dick pics I mentioned, which you neversent.""Isabel." I lowered my voice. "Shut up. He will hear you."We were only a few feet away from the group.She cocked an eyebrow and then tilted her head slowly.Dammit."He is dating you. What's the big deal with him hearing you talkabout it with your sister? You've seen his penis. We are allowed todiscuss it." She rolled her eyes. "Actually, I think we are expected todo that. I'm sure he's talked to his friends about your bubbies."I cursed under my breath.She stared at me, inspecting my reaction.I looked nervously in Aaron's direction. Our gazes met. Thoseblue eyes, which always seemed to find me, held mine for a longmoment.Jesus, did he hear that?Shaking my head very lightly, I returned my gaze back to mysister."You know," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "you onlymentioned him a couple of times, so I was convinced it wasn't thatserious. But I'm not so sure of that anymore.""What do you mean?" My heart sped up as I feared what shemight say.We had barely had any time to act all snuggly and lovey-dovey orhowever a boyfriend and girlfriend were supposed to behave. All theWedding Cup shenanigans had consumed all our time and energy."Well, for one, he's here," Isabel pointed out. "You bringing himhome—to meet Mamá and Papá and basically the entire town—tellsme that he's not just anyone. There must be something specialabout him. You wouldn't bring someone you were casually seeing ordating. Not even if they looked like him. You don't trust people easilyanymore."Stumbling over my own thoughts, I came to a stop.Her words had smacked me right in the face. Emptying me ofanything I could say.Impostor. The accusation took shape in my head. How could itnot when I was a big, fat liar?Isabel took my silence as a sign to keep talking. "Then, there'sthe way his eyes have been on you the whole time we've beenhere."Whoa, what?"It's been only, what? A couple of hours? And he's still absorbedby you, watching and following every single move you make, as ifyou were pooping rainbows and leaving behind a trail of glitter. Itwould be disgusting if I wasn't in love myself." She patted my hand."And trust me, sis, you all red and blotchy? Not that cute."My head whirled in Aaron's direction again. He was chuggingwater from a bottle, not looking half as physically exerted aseverybody else. Even after carrying Team Groom on his back alongwith Gonzalo. As I got lost in the way his arm stretched and histhroat worked down the water, I wondered if my sister had imaginedall that or if Aaron's acting was that amazing. Maybe I hadn't givenhim enough credit."Anyway," she added as we finally reached the group, "you'llhave to catch me up on this and tell me all the dirty details. Don'tthink that just because I haven't drilled you for them, I don't wantthem." Isabel warned me with a look that told me she'd bug me until Ibroke under the pressure. "But until then, just keep doing whateveryou are doing." She winked. "Because, hermanita, he has it bad."A snort involuntarily escaped my lips. "Yeah, sure."Isabel quirked an eyebrow.Oh shit. "Of course he has it bad, Isa." I waved my hand. "He'smy boyfriend," I tried to assure her, not sounding anywhere close toconvincing.So, I quickened my pace and left my big sister behind before I ledher to uncover the whole farce. Thankfully, as soon as I reached thegroup, Gabi was already wielding her printed schedule and trying togather everyone closer. In a perfect circle.Rolling my eyes at that, I watched my cousin and Wedding Cupmastermind start shouting out orders in Spanish while we all tried toignore how Gonzalo snagged my sister from behind and engulfedher in an embrace that included more than a fair inappropriate groping and fondling."Yikes," I muttered under my breath. "That's my sister."share ofBut at the same time, something squeezed in my chest. I realizedthat a small part of me observed the public display of affection withsomething that felt a lot like longing. And that compressing sensationbothered me; it awoke a very particular set of questions I had noanswers to. All of them revolving around the same thing.Would I ever find what Gonzalo and Isabel had? Would I everallow myself to?Would I ever be so head over heels, crazy in love that everythingelse would fade to black noise?My gaze searched for Aaron, not because I wanted him toemulate Gonzalo, but because maybe everyone else expected himto. Not spotting him anywhere in the less than perfect circle ofpeople around Gabi, I grew a little concerned as she shot more andmore instructions to the group. His head would roll if he didn't gethere ASAP.A light touch on my arm grabbed my attention. Turning my head, Iwas welcomed by a pair of blue eyes that regarded me withsomething strange."Here you are," I whispered loudly while Gabi kept going at it inthe background. "I was scared for your well-being. Where did yougo?""I've been right here the whole time."That strange quality was still there. But I brushed it away. I hadno time to inspect whatever I'd thought I saw in Aaron's eyes.Instead, I focused on how good he looked in his nylon shorts andshort-sleeved henley."Are you having fun?" He offered me a bottle of water, pushing itgently in my direction."Oh, thank you." I reached for it with both hands, managing tobrush my palms along his fingers somehow. Sparks traveled all theway up my arms, making me retrieve my hands quickly and hold thebottle to my chest. "That was … sweet. Very boyfriend-like of you." Ilooked up at him, finding him frowning. I didn't give him the chanceto complain. "And not too much fun, to be completely honest," Iadmitted with a small pout. I had been serious when I told my sisterthat I was ready to call it a day. "Thank God we are about to be donehere. Otherwise, I'd have to fake breaking a leg or a wrist." I loweredmy voice. "Or knocking off Gabi with something.""I hope we don't get to that point." The right side of his mouthtipped up. "What's left then?""Well, Gabi saved the best for last." I sighed. "Now comes thereal competition." I gestured with my hands, as if I were unveiling ahuge surprise. "The star of the Wedding Cup: the soccer match."Aaron hummed, lost in thought for a short moment. "I don't thinkI've ever played soccer."I perked up. "Never, ever?" I watched his head nod. A chance towin. "Like, not even once?""Not even once," he answered. His mouth opened and thenclamped down when Gabi hushed us in the distance.Jesus, that woman needed to cool down. We straightened andfaced away from each other.Aaron lowered his voice, speaking from the side of his mouth,"You think that will be a problem? She seems … a little strict.""Oh, I wouldn't worry about her." I waved my hand, keeping myeyes up front. "You, on the other hand? I'd worry about getting thehang of it in time."Out of the corner of my eye, I sensed Aaron glancing over at mequickly."And what happens if I don't?"My smile turned lopsided. "Then, Team Groom will lose.Miserably."I didn't think that would happen, but Aaron had admitted tosomething he wasn't amazing at. And that was new. I stole a quickglance in his direction; he had tilted his head and crossed his armsover his chest."If you end up sucking at soccer and messing up, everybody willblame you. But it's okay; you can't be good at everything."He didn't move or say anything."And you couldn't be scared of dancing with the rest of the guys,right?" Another quick look allowed me to see the word challengewritten all over his face. I snickered. "Oh, maybe you are. I didn't pegyou for a chicken, but it kinda looks good on you. Maybe I should callyou pollito instead of osito."His head turned very slowly. My gaze remained on him as Ihelplessly forgot about Gabi."Did you just call me a chicken?" he said, the blue in his eyesflaring. "In two different languages?""Oh, you bet I did. I would be scared too. Our team is strong." Itwasn't. "And just so you know, I make for a wonderful centraldefender." I didn't. "But maybe you don't know what that means. It'sokay. Just know that some used to call me Ruthless Lina." Notexactly true either.Of all sports involving balls, soccer was probably the one Isucked at the least. Although if I had ever been called ruthless, itwasn't because I excelled at playing the game, but because Iruthlessly ate the floor."Central defender, huh?"I nodded. He didn't need to know the truth.Aaron dipped his head, his voice dropping too. "Are you trying toimpress me with sports lingo, Catalina?"The way he had said my name was new. I couldn't explain how,but it had been different from any other time he had voiced thosefour syllables. And it sent a shiver dancing down my arms."It's sexy, but don't ever feel like you need to impress me. Ialready am."My lips parted. I thought my breath had hitched too. Sexy. Hadhe really said that out loud? My eyes searched his face for any traceof sarcasm or evidence that it had been a joke. But before I couldfind anything, a commotion broke behind us.Turning, I discovered the newcomer responsible for it. Themoment I got a glimpse of the head of dark blond hair I knew—orhad known—so well, a heavy weight dropped to the pit of mystomach.My ex was here. Daniel. Or at least, an older version of the man Iremembered. Back when we had dated, he could have beenmistaken for a guy my age. But that had changed. In the time we hadnot seen each other, the way he looked had caught up with his age.And he had aged well. Time had treated him kindly. The Daniel whowas striding in my direction was an attractive forty-year-old man, onewho moved with the confidence only someone who walked in front ofa class filled with college students every day would have.Although he had always had that confidence, hadn't he? Wasn'tthat exactly what had led me to crush on my professor in the firstplace? It was during that very first lecture I attended. He walked in,cleared his throat, and flashed that dimple. It didn't take more thanthat. I had been a goner.A lame, pathetic goner, crushing on her Physics professor. Or soI had thought, but then, by some magical turn of events, he hadreciprocated my attention. He did more than that. And I had believedwe had something real. Something lasting, just how Gonzalo andIsabel did.And then everything had blown up in my face. Not in our faces,no. Daniel had been spared the nightmare."Is that Daniel?" Aaron's low and hushed question returned meback to the present.I turned to him briefly, not finding my words so I just nodded.My attention jumped back to where my ex—and the best man—was, and as I watched how he hugged and clapped his brother'sback, I felt Aaron stepping closer to me. I didn't move. I was rootedto the floor.Aaron closed some more of the distance between us, positioninghimself to my side, right behind me. And I was shocked at thewarmth that his body radiated on my back and how his side quashedsome of the uneasiness. It reassured me. He did. And I didn'tunderstand how or why, but I didn't have the time to pick that apart.Not with Daniel and everybody else there. So, I just held on to it.I inhaled deeply and watched how the best man started the roundof greeting everyone with kisses and hugs. Around the group hewent, and I swore there was something suspended in the air as hedid. As if every single person around me was holding their breathuntil the moment Daniel reached me.Hating how the atmosphere seemed to thicken with every pair ofeyes that turned to me, I reminded myself that I had already beenexpecting that kind of reaction. Everybody knew what had happenedbetween Daniel and me. How ugly it got and how hard it was for me.And most had pitied me back then. I knew most of them did in thismoment, and some always would.Daniel took that one last step in my direction, causing a churningsensation to twist my stomach in knots."Lina."It had been ages since I had heard my name from Daniel'smouth. It brought everything right back, the good moments we hadshared—and there had been really amazing moments—all that joythat came hand in hand with a first love you foolishly thought wasgoing to last forever, but also all the pain at having that turned intoan ocean of hurt. Because, sure, Daniel had been the one to breakmy heart, but the real damage had been done by everybody else. Byeveryone who had learned of our relationship and tarnished it withstupid and poisonous rumors that—No. Not the time to think of that.Daniel placed a hand on my upper arm and planted a kiss on mycheek. If it hadn't been for Aaron's warm palm, which had somehowlanded on the small of my back, I would have stumbled backward.That was how off guard that friendly kiss had caught me.My gaze roamed around the group, confirming that every personpresent had their eyeballs turned on us.Daniel seemed oblivious to all the gawking, smiling at me like wewere old friends being reunited after years of not seeing each other.Which was the exact opposite of how I felt.He looked me up and down. "Dios, Lina. Cuánto tiempo. Mírate.Estás—""Daniel," I cut him off. "This is Aaron," I blurted out, pulling awayfrom him and nestling myself a step further into my fake boyfriendand personal human-sized shield.Daniel's furrowed eyebrows signaled his confusion. Probablybecause I had switched to English more than because I wasintroducing him to someone I was supposedly dating."Hi. I'm her boyfriend," Aaron said politely, stretching his hand infront of him. "Su novio," he clarified in Spanish for Daniel's sake.Which was completely unnecessary and kind of cocky, and in someparallel reality, it would have pulled a snicker out of me. But my lipsremained pressed into a tense line. "It's nice to meet you, Daniel."My ex and sister's fiancé's best friend stared at Aaron for a briefmoment and then broke into a wary but amiable smile. "Sí, claro.Nice to meet you, Aaron." Daniel finally took Aaron's hand and shookit. "I'm an old friend of Lina."Something pulled tight in my stomach at Daniel's definition ofwhat we had once been.As soon as both men retrieved their arms, Daniel returned hisattention to me, and Aaron's palm returned to my back."How have you been, Lina? You look so … different." Daniel'ssmile widened. "Different, but good. You look amazing actually."His eyes kept assessing me, as if he couldn't believe that it wasme. And I wasn't really sure how I felt about that, so I forced my lipsto curl up."Thanks, Daniel. I have been fine, busy with work and … life.""That's right." My ex nodded his head. "You are living the life inNew York City. I always knew you had the potential to do greatthings, to get very far in your career."He had been my professor for a whole year before we startedproperly dating, and during that time, I had been a highly motivatedstudent. An overachiever. Things had changed after that."And you did.""Thanks," I muttered. My mind filing away all kinds of complaints."It's not that big of a deal."Aaron cleared his throat lightly. "It is," he said softly. So much thatI thought he had said it just for me. But then he kept going, "Linaleads a considerably large team of people in one of the mostsuccessful engineering consulting companies in New York. That is,by all standards, a big deal.""Wow." Daniel smiled tightly. "That's amazing, Lina. It is." His lipsturned somewhat more relaxed. "Congratulations."I muttered my thanks, still feeling flushed over Aaron's words.There was a long and awkward moment of silence, and thenDaniel's eyes bounced quickly between Aaron and me. "So, this ishim, huh? The American boyfriend."My head reared back, shocked by Daniel's word choice. With myshoulders tensing, my mouth opened with the intention of askingwhat that had been, but I felt Aaron's hand trailing up my back,stopping at the nook between my shoulder and my neck. His thumbbrushed the skin there very gently. That touch—that thumb caressingthe side of my neck—almost made me forget about who was in frontof me and what he had said or if he had talked at all. His fingerswiped right and left one more time, making a shiver run down myspine.Closing my eyes briefly, I pulled myself back into theconversation and decided to ignore Daniel's last comment."Congratulations on the engagement." I made my lips tug up. "I'mvery happy for you, Daniel."Daniel's eyes, which had been somewhere where Aaron's palmwas, met mine. He nodded and flashed that dimple I had been sofamiliar with in the past. "Thank you, Lina. I'm extremely grateful shesaid yes. It's not that easy to deal with me sometimes. I get lost inmy head a lot when I'm working," he said, slipping his hands in hispockets. "Well, no need to explain that to you. You know thatalready."Yes, I did. Everybody here knew I did too. He hadn't needed topoint that out. Not after downgrading our past to old friends.My fake boyfriend's palm spread and shifted down my shoulder,his fingers trailing down my arm and reaching my hand. It was sovery distracting, the way he touched me. And yet, he managed tokeep me grounded, all at once. Every time my head had threatenedto roam away, Aaron had pulled me right back before my feet couldlift off the floor. Those gentle brushes against my skin had thatpower, I realized. And judging by the way my voice came out when Ispoke next—breathy, weak—they also came at a price."Well, I wish you two the best." And despite myself, I meant that."Will she be joining us today?"Aaron's fingers wrapped around mine, awakening in mesomething that urged me to turn around to look at him. I suppressedit, keeping my gaze on Daniel."Unfortunately, Marta won't be able to make it. A last-minute workthing. She's also a professor, and she was called to a conference tocover for a colleague." Daniel shrugged his shoulders.And I made a note to talk to my sister later. I was under theimpression the bride would know if someone had canceled."It's all good though." Daniel's eyes jumped to Aaron's hand onemore time, his expression distracted. "Attending a wedding alone isnot all that dramatic. Plus, I wouldn't want to make it about me." Myex pinned me with a look.And was that … accusation that I saw in his eyes?"I …" I trailed off, second-guessing myself. My cheeks burned,and I couldn't do much else but gape."Then, why waste more time talking about it?" Aaron managed toflatten his voice, about enough to sound bored. But I knew better."I'm excited to see what comes next," he surprised me by saying.Then, his fingers squeezed mine. "Lina was telling me that Gabisaved the best for last. Right, baby?"He leaned and brushed his lips over my shoulder. Very softly.Impossibly lightly. But it made my body come alive."Right," I breathed out. Urging the shock out of my expression.God, I could still feel the imprint of his lips on my shoulder. Thetouch somehow spreading out across my skin."Oh, and what's that?" Daniel asked. Or at least, I guessed hehad because my mind was somewhere else.Aaron kissed me. On my shoulder.The temperature of my whole body had probably risen a couple—or ten—degrees.It's good. This is what couples do. They kiss each other. Onmultiple body parts. Like shoulders."The soccer match. We'll be starting in a few minutes, I think," Iheard Aaron explain. "Lina has promised me to show me all hermoves. I won't lie; I'm equal parts intrigued and terrified."Trying to look the part, I leaned my head on Aaron's chest. And Ialmost slipped to the floor when I felt him brush another kiss on myhair."Yeah." I said, my breath getting stuck somewhere in my throat."Ruthless Lina is about to make an appearance."Aaron chuckled, and I felt his chest vibrating under my temple.The hand that wasn't holding mine came to rest on my hip, sendingelectrical shocks through all nerve endings in my body.Breathe, Lina. He's supposed to act like this.I forced myself to remain still when, in reality, I wanted to doeverything else but that. Like forgetting about Daniel and askingAaron what in the world he was doing. Why had he kissed myshoulder? Or the top of my head? Could he please do that again justso I could check if my reaction had been a one-time occurrence or ifthat was the way my body reacted to his touch?Daniel's mouth opened and closed, as he was probably feelinguncomfortable at our display of affection.Of fake affection, I reminded myself.My ex and former professor looked up, someplace where Aaron'shead towered over mine. Something flashed across his face, tooquickly for me to grasp its meaning. Then, he nodded and directed asmall smile at me.Not really understanding what had just gone down before the twomen, I finally allowed myself to look up at Aaron.And … nothing. Just one of his blank expressions in place.Someone called Daniel's name in the distance. My head fell justin time to watch my ex walk away, all the way to where Gonzalo wasstanding. He took his place beside his brother.Still feeling the weird tension in the air, I drew a shallow breath.Ugh, that had been really awkward. I felt like I wanted to shakemyself, so I could get rid of the yucky sensation that stuck to myskin. But that would have ridden me of all the tingles I was stillfeeling too. That would also mean that I had to disentangle myselffrom Aaron's arm and chest and body, and … I didn't know if Iwanted to do that.You do, dumbass. This is not real.And I needed to remember that before I did something reallystupid.I around me was anything to go by, I'd say we had alittle situation in our hands."No me lo puedo creer," my cousin cried in the middle of a lessthan perfect circle of people, throwing her arms in the air like theworld was coming to an end. "No podemos jugar así. Se cancelatodo. Esto un desastre. No, no, no, no."She grabbed a few of the T-shirts from the open box at her feetand hurled them at the floor.Whoa."Esos malnacidos—""Cálmate, prima," Isabel interrupted, telling her to calm down."Qué importa. Son solo unas camisetas."Our cousin gasped and then hissed something really nasty at mysister, who barked right back at her.Aaron leaned to his side and then lowered his voice. "What isgoing on? Should we run?"I stifled a snicker. I didn't want to anger Gabi any more. She waseither about to cry or turn full-on She-Hulk, and no matter what, we'dhave to deal with the fallout."There's been a mix-up with the T-shirts for the soccer match." Isighed. "Apparently, they sent the ones for the Team Groom in thesmallest size instead of the largest.""Can't we play with what we are wearing?" the poor soul that wasmy fake boyfriend asked.Gabi's head spun toward us. "Qué ha dicho?" she screeched."Nada." I held my hands in the air. Then, I turned to Aaron. "Keepyour voice down. Didn't you see how she got when my cousin Matíasasked why she hadn't thought of handing out the shirts earlier today?Or when Adrián said it would have been smart to double check thesizes before today?"Aaron's lips pursed."Exactly. Good thing my sister intercepted her before she got tothem. They are tough guys but it would have been a carnage eitherway." I shook my head. "You are tough too, but I need you in onepiece, okay?" I stopped myself, realizing what I had said. "We areexpected to dance at the wedding.""I'm not going anywhere," Aaron said from my side. "I can surviveyour cousin. I could put us both into safety too. Just say the word."I averted my eyes and glanced in Gabi's direction. A red-facedIsabel was trying to jerk the box out of Gabi's grip. And my cousinwas tugging at it quite … violently, if I had to pick a word.My sister yelped, and then she stepped back and brought bothhands to her head. "No, no, no, no." She walked to the center of thecircle, waving her hands in the air. "We will play the soccer match.That's it," she announced and then turned to Gabi. "I am the bride,and you guys are obligated to do as I say."I snorted at that, which earned me an extremely threateningglance from my sister. I stiffened.Jesus, this wedding would be the end of all of us.My sister turned to our cousin. "Gabi, no es el fin del mundo." It'snot the end of the world, she told our cousin. "You"—she turned tome again—"for my next wedding, we are sipping margaritas."I bit back a laugh, but yep, I wholeheartedly agreed."All right. It's summer, the sun is shining, and I just had the bestidea." She paused dramatically, looking around the circle of people."Team Groom will play … shirtless!" Her arms rose in the air.Nobody spoke."Come on, gentlemen." Isabel's tone hardened. "It's always theladies undressing and showing some skin. This time is up to you toshow off those wedding bodies."More silence.Isabel glanced at her groom, who, just like everybody else, wasstill chewing on her suggestion.She widened her eyes and swirled her finger in the air, instructingGonzalo to snap out of it. "Do something!"My future brother-in-law perked up. "Ah!" The groom shed hisshirt, revealing his chest in all his dark-haired glory. He threw hisarms up. "Well said, cariño!" he roared. "Come on, gentlemen. Shirtsoff."My sister rewarded his fiancé with a holler and some enthusiasticclapping.Daniel, as the best man, took off his shirt next. Almost reluctantly,from the way he shook his head. My gaze involuntarily took him in. Itwasn't a shock, seeing how, despite not being anywhere close tobeing buff—which he had never been—he was still in really goodshape. And yet … I felt nothing. No stirring anywhere in my body.The group's amusement grew as more of Team Groom'smembers followed Gonzalo's and Daniel's lead. Well, nobodypresent was really complaining, probably fearing my sister's reaction,who, at this point, was cheering at every newfound shirtless male.Even Gabi's frustration at losing her grip of the group's controldecreased as the atmosphere turned lighter.That was, until Daniel opened his mouth and brought down thefun atmosphere."What about you, American boy?" Daniel pointed at the still fullyclothed man standing beside me. "Are you sitting this one out?"American boy.My eyes widened. He had just called my boyfriend—fakeboyfriend, I corrected myself.Had my ex just called my fake boyfriend a boy?Sure, Daniel was about eight or nine years older than Aaron. Butcalling him a boy?My head swiveled in Aaron's direction.Just in time to see his reaction. His jaw relaxed, the start of a …smile playing on his lips.Then, he didn't hesitate. Calmly—scarily so—my fake boyfriendleveled Daniel with a look that would make anybody run for the hills.The look that had earned him his reputation back at work. It was theone he brandished as a warning sign. And it meant trouble. Seriousbusiness.Holding my breath, I watched Aaron's fingers reach for the hemof his shirt.Oh my God, he's gonna do it. My fake boyfriend and future bossis undressing before my eyes.He pulled it up, and in one swift motion—worthy of one of thoseperfume ads where everything, except the compelling andotherworldly model in the frame, blurred into the background—Aaronpeeled off his shirt.I blinked.Madre de Dios.Aaron was … he was …Fuck.He was … gorgeous—no, he was more than just that.Aaron was a freaking sight to behold.And his unbelievable, out-of-this-world, ad-worthy upper bodywas so flawless that it made me want to weep.I was a shallow, shallow woman. But I couldn't care.As my gaze gobbled Aaron in all his shirtlessness, I felt the airbeing punched out of my lungs. I'd thought I had always beenimpressed—almost fascinated, if I was being completely honest—byhis height and size. But if there was something more impressive,more fascinating than that, it was his height and size decked withhard muscles of all sorts and types.Jesus Christ. Were his abs sculpted in stone?My stupid, hungry eyes traveled from his broad shoulders to hischiseled chest and then kept going down, taking in slabs of abs thatmy imagination would never have been able to fabricate in suchperfection. And how his strong arms looked bare, corded withpowerful muscles? I would never have been able to imagine thateither. Frankly, I almost wanted to poke the man to check if it was allreal.Those boring dress shirts did him no justice. That casual outfit hehad worn to the flight hadn't either. Not even the tux he had worn tothe fundraiser did his body any justice.He was … too … beautiful.Yeah, I was ogling at that point, and I didn't really give a damn.Not this time. This was a historical moment. I had a flawless,shirtless Aaron standing in front of me, probably for the first and onlytime ever. And I wanted to commit this image to memory. Even if ithaunted me for the rest of my life, I'd live with it.Loud cheering and clapping broke through the vacuum I hadbeen sucked in. Blinking, I realized Aaron's eyes were on me. Ourgazes met. There was something intent and hungry behind that deepocean blue. Something barely controlled. That, or I was seeing myown emotions reflected and looking back at me.Cheeks flushed, I was completely and utterly unprepared for whatthe half-naked man in front of me did next. Aaron's eyes twinkledunder the Spanish sun, one corner of his lips curled, gifting me witha full-fledged smirk, and then he winked.A single, quick, playful wink.That was all it took for my insides to melt into a puddle. Brain,chest, lower belly, and everything in between liquefied and gatheredat my feet.Nope. I hadn't been unprepared for that. I had been completelydefenseless.Aaron crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking somewhatsatisfied, and returned his gaze ahead, to where Team Groom wasgathering to start the soccer match, as if he hadn't just made parts ofmy body dissolve into a goo I didn't know what to do with.That flawless, shirtless, blue-eyed bastard. Throwing me offbalance like that.I had been so caught up in all that, that I hadn't noticed Daniel'sapprehensive gaze. It bounced a couple of times between Aaron andme before finally settling on the man he thought I was dating. Not forlong though. A moment after that, Daniel turned, clapped Gonzalo'sback, and started toward the improvised soccer field.Before joining the rest of the guys, Aaron stepped into me,stopping only when the point of our sneakers touched. He leaned in,his mouth dangerously close to my ear, as if he were about to tell mea secret just meant for me.My throat bobbed."What do you think?" he asked, his words tickling the shell of myear."You are … okay," I mumbled like a total idiot.I heard his chuckle. "Thank you, I think. But I wasn't asking aboutthat."Oh."I'll take the compliment though. For now.""What-what did you mean then?""I think that so far, we are doing a good job. What do you think?"Oh, so he meant that. The charade, of course. Yes, that mademore sense.I nodded my head."We make a good team, Catalina." And there it was, my nameagain. Voiced in that way that was all … new.I cleared my throat, trying to ignore the fact that my face wasabout a palm from his flawless and bare pectoral. "We do," Imurmured.Aaron lowered his voice. "I had no idea we would walk into that."He cocked his head. "Caught me off guard, but it's okay. I'm startingto understand."Confusion swirled in me. There was nothing to understand.Granted, there was a part I hadn't told Aaron—which wasn't thesmartest way to go about it—but that remained in the past. It didn'taffect our goal here."Just keep doing what you are doing," I told him, swallowing thelump stuck in my throat. "Focus on pretending you are crazy aboutme, all right?"I heard him hum; it was a low and short-lived sound, but it wasenough to make me step back, so I could look at his face. His eyesheld that determined edge I knew so well."Trust me, I am focusing on only that."Before I could say anything else, Aaron started jogging back."And remember," he called in the distance, "all is fair in love and war,bollito."Almost everybody around turned their eyes on me. My gaze metmy sister's, and she was grinning so widely that I was scared hermouth would inevitably hurt on her wedding day.Reluctantly, I smiled back at all the onlookers, pretending I was cool and chill and not trying to gather my wits. "Oh, he's so silly", I told them. "No need to remind me, cosita mía!" I called back toAaron.But Aaron had already shot up, running after the rest of his team.Leaving me standing there, watching how all the polished muscleson his back danced with each of his strides and wondering what thehell that was supposed to mean.My eyes narrowed."All is fair in love and war."It was in a way, I guessed. What I had trouble making sense ofwas, how did that apply when love was fake, and adversaries wereleft no choice but to join forces?