AllFreeNovel
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Luke reaches into his pocket, pulls out a small box, and tosses it to me.
I catch it on reflex. It feels like the right size for...
No. This can’t be what I think it is.
“Open it up,” Luke instructs.
I open the small jewelry box and gasp. I don’t know much about diamond rings, but I know this one is flawless. It catches the early afternoon sunlight and refracts it so that slivers of brilliant light dance around the room.
“I need a fake wife,” Luke says. “For six months. That’s long enough to fool my dad and the board. After that, we quietly part ways.”
“We?” I echo. I must have heard him wrong.
Luke’s smile has a dangerous edge to it. He looks like a man who’s willing to risk his whole world to win what he wants. “Say yes, Hazel. Be my fake wife.”
And just like that,myworld tilts on its axis. “You can’t...you can’t be serious.”
He frowns. “I bought a ring Hazel.” As if that alone proves he’s serious.
When all it proves is that he has, quite possibly, gone stark raving mad.
I close the ring box and shove it back at him with shaking hands. “I can’t. This is too much. Find someone else to play your rich person games with.”
Luke doesn’t take the ring back. I physically wrap his hand around the box and make him take it back.
Luke’s lips thin in displeasure. “Be practical, Hazel. Marrying me for six months benefits us both.”
“How?” I say. “How can that possibly be true?”
“For one, it will be easier for us to find time to work on the book, if you’re living with me,” Luke says “Plus, I can take care of you. Give you the time and resources you need to focus on writing your next novel. The book youactuallycare about.”
I hesitate. The idea of having the time, space, and financial security I need to work on my next novel is more tempting than I want to admit...
No. This is crazy. I can’t believe I’m even considering it.
I put my hands on my hips and glare at him. “Do I look like I need to be taken care of?”
He pointedly looks around my shoebox apartment, his eyes lingering on my corner of makeshift kitchen appliances.
“Let’s put it this way. Your self-care could use an upgrade. And I’m the one who can give it to you.”
He holds my gaze, daring me to deny the truth of what he’s saying.
I can’t. Of course, I can’t. I’m at the end of my rope here. Anyone who steps into my apartment can tell that.
But if he thinks the solution is faking a marriage...
I twist my hands.
This is madness. Crazier than any plot I could come up with for my novel. But Luke’s acting like his words are completely sensible. Ordinary, even.
Luke must sense my nervousness because his body language changes. He takes a step back and sits down on the foot of my bed, like he’s trying to give me space.
Billionaire bad boy Luke Dewinter is sitting on my bed. The thought runs circles through my head like a broken record.
“What’s your hesitation?” Luke asks calmly. “Are you seeing someone?”
I bark out a laugh. “No.”
