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I press my lips together to stifle the celebratory glee that rises in my throat.
"Sorry, the place is a mess," I say, once inside, mentally berating myself for carelessly leaving things around as I quickly snatch an upturned shirt from the arm of my couch. Ever since my roommate moved out, I’ve returned to my haphazard ways. By the time I drag myself home in the early hours of the morning, I can barely clean myself up before falling into bed, much less worry about laundry. "I'm not at home much, so…" I let my voice trail off as an embarrassed blush crawls up my cheeks.
“I like your place. It's cozy.”
I glance up at him in surprise, even more shocked when I see his mouth curling into a genuinely fascinated smile as he glances around. He runs his fingers over the crocheted afghan hanging over the back of my secondhand couch.
"Coffee?" I ask, unsure of what to do with myself.
He takes a hesitant step closer and my heart starts to beat wildly in my chest. My living room suddenly feels too small as a strange heat crawls up my entire body.
What if he kisses me again?
“I'm sorry, Dana, for the way I acted earlier,” he finally says, his tone contrite. He clears his throat lightly, shifting uncomfortably on his feet.He seems like a man who doesn't apologize often.“I shouldn't have sprung all that on you.”
“No, you shouldn't have,” I reply, arching my brows at him. “So, why did you?”
“You see, the drug scandal with Billy Coleman badly affected the brand's reputation, causing investors to pull out on affiliated projects. Now, my father can help put things back on track, and as much as I hate to ask for his assistance, he's my last resort. He has agreed to help me on the condition that I get married within the next month.”
“What?”
“Ridiculous, I know. Now, I have a plan, and that's where you come in. You pretend to be my fiancée from New York and convince my dad that what we share is genuine love. Whenyou’re done, I cut you a very handsome check and send you on your merry way. We both get what we want, and after the dust has settled, things go back to the way they were.”
He makes it all seem so simple, yet there's no denying the complexity of such a treacherous endeavor. Still, I find my ears perking up at the mention of a handsome check.Maybe I can finally get the hell out of this place.
But it’s a risk. A big, big risk.
“Why didn't you tell me all of these before introducing me to your dad?” I can hear the panic in my voice, but I don’t care at this point.Everything could go wrong!
"I didn't have much time to explain to you," he replies calmly. "In the heat of the moment, I kind of fibbed that I had a fiancée back in New York. I thought that would get him to back down, but he demanded to meet her the very next day or the deal was off the table. I didn't have much time to explain myself; I desperately needed a fiancée and you made it clear you needed a job. It was a win-win."
I close my eyes, letting out a deep, resigned sigh. “I'll help you.”
“Really?”
“I don't have much of a choice at this point. Besides, I work at The Eclipse, and I have a responsibility to do whatever I can to help. I don’t want a bunch of good people to lose their jobs because of one guy’s mistake.”
An indecipherable emotion crosses his eyes at that moment, and then his expression softens. "Thank you, Dana."
I nod, holding his gaze for a split second. “But we have to do this on my terms.”
“Your terms?”
“Yes. I’m not doing something cheesy like moving into your house, and I’m not going to be your sugar baby. This is an acting gig, nothing more. Our fake relationship will remain a secret, and I'll continue to work my shifts at The Eclipse.”
“Is that all, ma'am?” he asks, his tone laced with amusement.
“And no more surprise kisses!”
“I promise,” he replies, his lips curling in a mischievous smirk. “Not unless you ask for it.”
My heart skips at the thought of a next time and what it'd feel like to have his lips on mine again. I push the thought away and roll my eyes at him.
“Oh, please,” I mutter.
Damon reaches into his breast pocket to take out a simple yet gorgeously elegant ring with a gem that looks suspiciously like a diamond.
"Here, you should have this," he says, holding it out to me.
