Page 25 of The Truth of Us

I huffed a laugh. “That sounded oddly personal.”

“Did it?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

“See? That thing. You do that thing.”

“What thing?” She asked, stealing another sip.

“The mysterious rich blonde girl thing,” I said, snatching my glass back.

Her lips curved slightly. “Maybe I enjoy confusing you.”

“That is becoming increasingly obvious.”

“And you all need to figure out what Theo is up to.” She added.

“We’ve been trying for years,” I replied, moving closer.

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

Her eyes widened slightly before she laughed again.

Fuck me. I was becoming addicted to that sound.

“And you,” she said finally.

I straightened slightly. “What about me?”

She turned fully toward me then, cool blue eyes steady on mine.

“You need a relationship that lasts longer than thirty minutes.”

There it was.

My opening.

I smiled slowly. “What about thirty days?”

Her expression didn’t change immediately. But I saw it. Curiosity, a brief flicker beneath all that polished composure.

“What?” she asked carefully.

I stepped closer.

“A public relationship,” I said. “For thirty days.”

She stared at me, and I kept going before she could shut it down.

“You’re already working with Northwell. We already have chemistry.” I gestured between us. “People noticed us tonight. We looked believable.”

“We looked believable?” she questioned.

“You know we did.” I said, moving a step closer.