Page 133 of The Bluffing Game

“The speed-dating event?” His stone demeanor may have a hairline crack.

“Yeah. Hopefully, I’ll meet a really nice guy, you know? Get me a boyfriend like Sage did.”

“Excuse me,” he says and walks away.

“What is that man’s problem?” Rosie asks me. “I do not understand his deal. Do you?”

“No,” I say. “But you know what? Let him go. Who even cares, right?”

She doesn’t respond. Instead, I can see that she’s thinking, and I hate that—because that means she’s thinking about Brett. It’s not that I hate the guy. I don’t. He’s too introspective and too introverted, and I don’t know if he’s the sort of guy who can ever give himself and his heart fully. He’s certainly no Dalton.

I look around the room, and my eyes catch Dalton’s. He blows me a kiss. I pretend to catch it and press it to my heart.

I love you, I mouth at him.

I love you too, he mouths back.

I can feel our love transcending the room. It’s wild how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time, but I know he’s my forever. I know he was made for me. And as I stand there, watching him, loving him, I realize that he’s right. We don’t have to wait to get married, especially when we love each other so much, and we have a son we want to raise with our love.

I smile to myself as I think about a surprise that I can create for us both. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll let him marry me in the next couple of weeks. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll let him be my husband sooner rather than later because maybe, just maybe, I love this man more than I love life itself.

Thank you for reading The Bluffing Game. If you wish to read a bonus chapter, click here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/yz6iivhcql

The next book in the series is The Boyfriend bet, starring Rosie and Brett. You can get it here: https://link.amazon/B03dFoHVu

Wanted: A gorgeous man who looks at me like I’m the last woman on earth.

Not Wanted: A grumpy ex-SEAL who answers every question with three words.

The first time I saw Brett Selleck I was struck by how handsome, formidable, and unapproachable he was. I have to admit that I flirted with him both because I was attracted to him and I wanted a reaction. Unfortunately for me, I got neither. So I very quickly decided to just become friends with him instead. Who doesn’t want a hot best friend who is willing to listen and offer dating advice?

I bet him he couldn't find me a boyfriend in three months. If he wins, I’ll stop trying to set him up. I’ll quit asking about his past and why he has so many secrets. And our late-night phone calls, with me wanting advice all the time, will end forever.

He agreed so fast that I was slightly insulted.

But funny how life works because Brett also needed my help. To inherit his significant family trust, he has to be married or engaged. Guess who commitment-phone Brett asks to do a little acting in exchange for him helping me practice for my dates. How were we to know that our fake kisses would feel so real? And all the tips he’s giving me to fend off men...well they don’t seem to be working on him.

I've spent my entire life being the person everyone else leans on. So when a man who doesn't do feelings starts walking me to my car every night, and checking up on me after all my dates, it starts to feel kinda nice. He thinks he’s doing the job he was trained for. I am starting to hope he’s bad at his job.

He bet he could find me the right man. Now he just has to realize he already did.

Tropes: Grumpy × Sunshine, Fake Dating, Dating Coach, He Falls First, Wounded Hero, Best Friend's Sister, Forced Proximity, Only One Bed, Found Family, Small Town.

Chapter 1

SAGE

“Do you think hot, rich, and good in bed is too much to ask for in a man?” my sister, Rosie, asks me, a teasing note in her voice as she dances in her seat. Her long, dark, wavy hair cascades past her shoulders and seems to move in time with the beat of the Gracie Abrams song playing in the car.

“I don’t think it’s too much to ask for, but I sure don’t know if it’s realistic to expect.”

“If you could only have two of those qualities in a man, which would you choose?”

“Asking all the hard questions today, huh, Rosie?”

I look over at her open, inquisitive face, and all she can do is grin at me, her brown eyes challenging me to make a decision like my life depends on it.

“Let me think.” I tap my fingers against the steering wheel and attempt to stifle a yawn.