I want this to be real.I shouldn’t, but I do.In this moment, I don’t care how much it’ll hurt when he learns the truth about the past and leaves.
I clasp my hands to my chest to hide my trembling and bite my bottom lip to remind myself to act for our audience.
“Be my wife.Be Mrs.Diamond.I only want you, baby doll.”
The gruffness in his voice and the softness in his clear blue eyes is too perfect.It feels too real.
“Yes.I’ll marry you,” I whisper.
I’ll pretend later.Right now, I can’t ignore how every fiber of my being insists this is the right decision.
His smile melts my insides and turns my bones to mush.I struggle to stay upright as he slips the engagement ring onto my finger and rises.Warmth and relief spear through me as he wraps me in his arms and pulls me close.
When he cups the back of my head and leans down, I rise onto tiptoes and meet him halfway.The slow, gentle brush of our lips morphs into a deeper, more intimate kiss, and I forget the world exists until he lifts his head and gives me a rueful smile as the shop cheers and congratulates us.Unable to look away from his piercing eyes, I cling to his lapels and hold onto the blissful moment for as long as possible.
Reality crashes down on my head, and I fight a wave of regret as we break eye contact.
The woman’s hate-filled glare reminds me of why we started this charade.
She stomps her foot and gives a wordless shout of fury before twirling and stomping away.Her high heels click on the marble flooring.
I smile and stay tucked against Brennan’s side as we finish at the counter and walk through the gauntlet of people congratulating us.When we finally step out onto the sidewalk, I blow out a breath and drop my arm from around Brennan.
He pulls me tighter against his side and waves at the valet.The ring grows heavier on my finger with every heartbeat.
My strength wavers as my adrenaline drops, and I sink into a dark pit of despair as metaphorical clouds build over my thoughts.After the sleepless night watching over my drugged boss following a horrible face-to-face with my nightmare in the flesh, exhaustion closes in on me as soon as the excitement ebbs.The base of my skull throbs and queasiness rolls up from my toes, but I pull my resolution tight around me and accept Brennan’s help into the passenger seat.
He settles behind the wheel, but I slip the ring off my finger and offer it to him before he pulls out into traffic.
“Here, take it back,” I demand.
“No.It’s yours.”
His unwavering stare reaches past all my defenses and closes an iron grip around my heart.
“But that wasn’t real.I was just helping you get rid of that woman,” I say through clenched teeth.
“That woman is the heiress to a multi-billion-dollar legacy.You can’t back out now or she’ll come back with a vengeance,” he says.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my dry mouth as I process his words.He puts the car in drive and pulls into traffic.
I sigh and rub the back of my neck, but the ache in my head grows.
“Brennan—”
“Call me your fiancé,” he demands.
I growl and bop the back of my head against the headrest a few times.
“Stop.We can’t do this.We were siblings,” I hiss.
“But we aren’t anymore.There’s nothing wrong or taboo about us getting married.We aren’t related by blood,” he says.
“That doesn’t matter.We—”
He slams on the brakes and swerves.I gasp even as I realize he swung the car into a parallel parking spot.
He closes his fist around my hand and the ring pinched between my fingers before leaning over the console and grabbing me by the nape.
