He chuckled softly, regripping me with one arm while treading with the other. “I wouldn’t dare, Darling.”
His lips found mine again—making it difficult to breathe for entirely different reasons—and I sank into the kiss without giving another thought to staying afloat.
a certificate
. . .
Ellie’s Guide toProfessional CuddlingBeing a Fake FiancéeNOT Falling for Your Fake FiancéHiding Any Trace that You’ve Fallen for Your Fake FiancéKeeping It TogetherSurviving as a Fake FiancéeReaping the Benefits of a Fake Engagement, Tip #30: First thing to add to your fake wedding registry? A laminator.
Maybe Cade was onto something, because winning felt good.
Really good.
Dr. Lovejoy put together a whole medal ceremony after we reboarded the yacht. There was a podium and everything. Cade and I sported heart-shaped gold medals around our necks, Harrison and Madison won the silver, and Vlad sulked with his bronze medal while Piper proudly wore hers. Fletcher and Candace didn’t even bother finishing the race, and they quickly trashed their participation ribbons.
Dr. Lovejoy didn’t stop at just the ceremony. She threw a deck party in my and Cade’s honor that evening, filled withmusic and drinks and laughter. We even got a certificate that declared us the Love Champions—signed by Bliss herself.
“I’m getting this baby laminated,” I declared, beaming proudly at our winner’s certificate. My whole body vibrated with excitement.
Cade glanced between his scotch glass and the paper in my hands. “How many things have you laminated?”
“Not enough.” I looked around at the other couples drinking and laughing. “Do you think it’s okay if I disappear for a minute? I need to put this in our room for safekeeping.”
“I’ll take it.” Cade reached for the certificate and nodded behind me. “Go get a dessert. You’ve been making heart eyes at that cake for the last half hour.”
He walked off without waiting for a response, and I blinked after him. He’d noticed how I looked at the cake?
Since he insisted, I enjoyed a big slice of chocolate cake and chatted with the other women. Cade’s mother and grandfather had turned in early after congratulating us on our win—which I was incredibly grateful for after all the thrusting they’d witnessed. Mac left to watch a movie with Whiskey while Dr. Lovejoy wandered off for her nightly meditation, leaving just us couples on deck.
Once I was full of cake, I found a glass of champagne and a spot to myself on a couch to think. Tonight was the last night of our trip—and my and Cade’s deal—and it was…weird. There were unfinished questions, like what would happen when we got back into bed together? And tomorrow?
Not long after I cozied up against the plush cushions, Fletcher wandered over with a drink in his hand. I pressedmy lips together to stop from scowling at his stupid face. The swelling in his eye had gone down a touch, but it’d turned a shade of dark purple that made me grimace.
He dropped onto the couch beside me.
“Congrats on the big win.” He grinned—wincing from the simple expression—and held out his glass to cheers. “We should celebrate.”
I didnotclink my glass against his. Did Fletcher have the memory of a goldfish? What the heck was he doing even smiling at me after he’d thrown Whiskey off the boat?
I frowned but also tried to stay polite because it wouldn’t help my deal with Cade if I clawed this guy’s face off on our last night here. “We’ve been celebrating all evening.”
“I meantus.” He smirked, eyeing me before taking a swig of his drink. “You and me.”
My frown deepened. “Excuse me?”
He winked with his nonswollen eye. “Westbrook and I can swap cabins tonight. It’ll be fun.”
I blinked, still not comprehending this was actually happening.
“Why would you swap cabins?” I asked slowly.
His knowing look made me scoot an inch away. “So you and I can get to know each other better.”
My jaw dropped to the deck floor.
“I would’ve offered earlier, but I thought you were a prude,” he continued while I could only gape at him. “You proved me wrong with those moves during the balloon game. So, you down to swap?”
The shock strumming through my chest quickly morphed into rage. He thought I wanted to sleep with him? “Why do you think I’d ever be interested in you? You tried to kill my cat!”
