The Billionaire's Fake Fiancee - Lauren Wood Page 0,7

to Cherry Falls, after all. And it paid off. Most risks I took for my job paid off, and I found myself empathizing with Kate’s desperate drive and determination. Anything to get to where she wanted to go. More than understanding it, I liked it. I liked her.

“Sure,” I said finally. “I can show up to this thing as your fake fiancé.”

“Really!?” Her eyes grew so wide, I thought she might cry. “Oh my god, Ben! Thank you so much!” She leaped from her seat and threw her arms around my neck. “You have no idea how much this means to me! Thank you! Thank you!”

The scent of her hair and the glorious feeling of having her body and big perfect breasts pressed against me was almost enough to keep me from saying what I was about to say next. But I knew I had to.

“So that problem’s solved,” I sighed. “But the bigger problem is …”

“What is it?”

“I’m not actually a single dad,” I confessed. “Olivia is my friend’s kid. I don’t have any children and I’ve never been married.”

3

Kate

My nostrils flared as I stared up at Ben with wide, crazy eyes. “You what!?!?”

“I’m sorry. It’s our thing. Olivia comes with me to the park sometimes and you know, the whole widowed dad thing really makes women go crazy for you,” he smirked, as if it was no big deal. Which only infuriated me more.

“And what about three or four dates in!?” I shrieked in disbelief. “Would you have kept lying about Olivia being yours then!?”

He cut his eyes to the side, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Uh … Kate. I don’t know if you noticed but I wasn’t exactly returning your calls and texts. There wasn’t going to be three or four dates.”

My heart dropped from embarrassment, but it quickly turned to boiling rage again. I hadn’t been crazy for assuming we would see each other again. I knew I hadn’t.

“What!? Why!? Then why did you give me your number!? And act like you wanted to see me again!” I fumed.

“Look, you seem like a great girl,” he offered cautiously. “Or at least you did before you stalked me down and started yelling at me. Doesn’t mean you’re not great! But right now … you are hardcore giving off the crazy vibe. All of that aside, you’re super hot and I had fun at coffee and all. But … I think we’re looking for different things.”

I wrinkled my face up, feeling even more flabbergasted than before. “Sure, I can see how I seem a little crazy right at this moment. But how the hell do you know what I’m looking for? What is it exactly that you’re looking for!?”

“Something that doesn’t last long enough for a lie about being a single dad to matter,” he said matter of factly.

My face turned hot and it felt like the blood coursing through my veins was lava. I was about to explode, and I knew it wouldn’t be pretty. I glared at him and quickly tried to accept the facts.

First, he was an asshole player who would lie and pretend to be somebody he wasn’t just to get laid. Second, I’d have to figure out what the hell to tell my boss about my non-existent fiancé and figure out how to cling onto my chances of having a shot at this new client and the promotion. I couldn’t do that while wasting time bickering with Ben over mixed signals in dating.

I let out a vicious, exasperated growl and spun on my heels to storm out of there as fast as I could. On my way out I ranted and raved about the whole thing.

“Unbelievable. To think you’d lie about having a dead wife and … wait.” I stopped dead in my tracks and whipped back around to Ben. “If Olivia isn’t your kid … where did she come from!?”

He waved his hands in the air and came running over, desperate to address the look of fear growing on my face. It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that I could have been dealing with a kidnapper and who knows what else.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. It’s nothing like that!” he insisted. “She’s my buddy’s kid. He knew she was with me.”

“Does he know you’re lying to people and saying that she’s yours!?”

“Yes, actually.” He crossed his arms and looked down at me with a smug smile.

“Ugh. You’re disgusting,” I hissed.

“Hey, you’re the one lying to your boss about being engaged to some guy you just met just because you thought I had