Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“Kind of.” I pair my vague answer with a sweet-as-pie smile.
“Fine. The twins here yet?” He strides toward the kitchen, leaving Chloe and me alone in the entryway.
“No,” I call after my brother.
“So, what’s really up?” Chloe asks. She’s a detective by trade, so I’m sure she’s eager to unravel the mystery of my big announcement. Now, I’m not so sure I want to tell everyone. It feels like they’ll all know I’ve been fantasizing about Roman since childhood. I should have just kept my mouth shut.
Luckily, I’m saved by the doorbell. I weave around Chloe and fling the door open to find Roman standing there, looking effortlessly casual in a crisp white shirt and dark denim jeans. At first glance, he looks at ease with his smug smile and perfectly tousled dark hair. But something is off. Normally, he just waltzes in, so he must be feeling a little weird to ring the bell.
Chloe must be in my brain, because she says, “Why’d you ring the bell?” She gives him a thoughtful look as he moves into the entryway. Like she’s detecting something going on between the two of us.
I cut through the awkwardness with more awkwardness. “He broke into my house the other day and I was in a compromising situation, so he rings the bell now.”
Chloe rolls her lips inward, gaze darting between us. “There’s a lot to unpack in that statement.” Her hand moves to the side of her belly. “But it will have to wait. I need to sit down. Baby Huxley is playing soccer with my bladder, and I’m already worn out.” She glances at Roman once more. “Something weird is going on here.” She waves her finger between me and Roman.
I laugh. At least I try to, but it comes out all garbled and strangled.
“Is there a party going on in the foyer?” Ledger says as he enters the fray. His dark eyes focus on Roman, and I swear there’s some sort of telepathic twin convo happening between them.
And that’s my cue to morph into the perfect hostess and lead everyone to the kitchen. While they spend a few minutes catching up, gathered around the island, I check on the biscuits in the oven and take a few deep breaths. Now that everyone is here, I don’t know if I can do this.
I catch Roman’s gaze as he steals a slice of bacon and send him a frantic telepathic message, informing him we should wait and reconsider my options. And to stop stealing the bacon. He has the audacity to take another slice and look totally clueless about what I’m trying to tell him. Which is a sign this fake boyfriend thing won’t work if he can’t even read my mind like he can Ledger’s.
“I made you a virgin mimosa,” I say, handing Chloe a flute of orange juice.
“There’s nothing virgin about this.” She gestures to her stomach. “You did this to me,” she says to Devereaux.
He cracks a grin. “I vaguely remember you liking what I did to you.”
“Ew,” I say. “I’ve gone hearing blind. Please don’t reference your sex life in front of me.” I make a gagging face as they give each other a loving peck on the lips.
Roman laughs—still too busy stealing bacon to read my mind—and Ledger gives me a knowing once over. Shit. Roman probably already told him what’s going on. Or maybe it’s some telepathic twin phenomenon. Must be nice to connect with Roman telepathically. Either way, the subtle shift in Ledger’s demeanor, the way he’s now studying Roman, makes me more nervous.
I send another telepathic message to Roman with a hard gaze, alerting him that my plan won’t work and it’s time to abort the mission. He stares back at me for a beat, but once again fails at reading my mind.
“You ready for your announcement?” is what he says. “You seem like you’re ready.”
“Yeah,” Dev says, “stop making us wait.”
This is too stressful, and we’re not actually dating, so I decide to just spill the tea. “Roman and I are going to pretend to date so I can get the Delgado case.”
Chloe’s brows shoot to her hairline and Dev looks like he’s having a painful contraction.
“The firm doesn’t want any speculation rising between Bane Delgado and Greer,” Roman adds. “Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the press is they love making up rumors. Bane’s engaged, but it doesn’t even matter. They’ll stop at nothing to make Bane and Greer out to something they’re not. Just to make Bane look worse than he already is.”
“Makes sense,” Ledger says, his piercing brown eyes focusing on his brother.
I’ve kind of always suspected Ledger knows about my crush on his brother, but he’s never led onto it. I’d probably die if he ever said something.
“It does make sense.” I take control of the conversation. “The firm monitors social media for things relevant to cases and two podcasters won’t stop gossiping about me. The partners think someone less single would draw less attention. So, I need to show them I’m in love.”