Page 36 of Yours Temporarily

“I wanted to show you something,” he murmurs against my hair.

“Yeah?” I draw back, my arms still loose around his waist.

“Got a minute?” He tucks my curls back from my cheeks, holding my gaze.

With a wink, I indulge in our charade. “I always have time for my fiancé.” The title still tastes sweet, though it’s coated in sorrow whenever I think of how soon this will be over.

He takes my hand, laces our fingers, then lifts our hands, and kisses the back of mine. It sends shivers down my spine.

“Where to?” I inquire as we head toward the elevator.

“It’s a surprise.”

The elevator ascends in silence. The numbers rise higher, and soon we pass the fifty-eighth floor. “I’ve never been past your floor.”

“We’re going up another, to the boss’s office.”

The elevator doors part.

Emma, familiar from company gatherings, greets us before Jeremy leads me on. We navigate through corridors to a door marked Rooftop Access. He pushes it open, and the city unfolds before us, its buildings glisten like jewels under the rain.

We step onto the rooftop, the rain envelops us, and its caress adds shimmery magic to the moment. Jeremy faces me, both hands holding mine and his gaze intense beneath the cloudy sky.

“You know it’s raining.” I taste the raindrops trickling onto my lips. Jeremy’s eyes, alight with an unspoken fervor, hold my gaze, and my pulse accelerates.

“This might all seem fake, unrealistic.” He squeezes my hand, the rain softening his words to a whisper. “But you are real to me, and every moment I spend with you highlights my day. So, let’s imagine, just for now, that this moment is real.”

His statement hangs between us as his words sink in. Just what is he trying to say?

He reaches into a pocket and retrieves a small velvet box—revealing a ring that gleams even under the storm’s shadow. My breath halts.

“Zuri.” A quiver in his voice underplays my name. “These last two months spent with you have been some of the happiest moments in my life. What began as pretense has turned into something very real for me. I find myself thinking about you at random moments, looking at my door anticipating your arrival at any given time of day. I care about you, more than I ever expected.”

The rain’s patter fades into the background. Unshed tears blur my vision as the world shrinks until it’s only us, two hearts in the midst of a rain.

“Would you consider us? Take this leap with me?” He holds up the ring, sincerity brimming his blue eyes. “Will you marry me?”

I study his face, and while I need a ring for his brother’s wedding, he’s looking at me like I’m everything to him. Even if his proposal is a charade, it stirs something genuine within me, and my tears stream to join the rain. Jeremy and I could be something real, and maybe this is our turning point.

“You should say something,” he prompts. Is that fear in his eyes, the same fear lacing his tone?

“Yes!” I say, my heart beating, and somehow, I have no hesitation whatsoever. “Yes, Jeremy.” Laughter and tears choke my voice. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He lets out a long breath, clearly relieved from whatever fears as he slips the ring onto my finger, its presence anchors the pretend moment in reality. My pulse hiccups when he lowers his face toward mine, and determined for something to happen this time, I step on tiptoes and grip his shirt collar.

Our lips touch, and my knees mush like jelly. Jeremy Kress is kissing me! A slight abrasion from his beard rubs against my skin, but who says I intend to complain? He’s kissing me without hesitation or any indication he’s playing a game. He’s kissing me as if this engagement means something to him, as if he’s fallen in love with me and he’s been thinking about this day and this proposal. When his fingers move through my wet hair, shivers course down my neck and through my spine, igniting every nerve with a startling intensity. I kiss him fervently, with such longing that the world beyond us fades. This kiss, unlike the timid experiments of my past, feels like the real thing. My first three kisses? They all pale in comparison.

Raindrops fall on our lips, and that’s when I realize we’re catching a breath. Embarrassed by how eager I acted, I try to hide by ducking my head.

“Not bad,” he says, his breathlessness mirroring my ragged breathing. He then tips my head to face him. His gaze searches mine for confirmation of this shared dream. I nod, too overwhelmed for words. This surprise engagement is a wish fulfilled beyond my wildest dreams.

He smiles, a shy, uncertain smile that sends my heart soaring. Then he leans close, and his arm offers support as my legs threaten to give way. “Lexi would love a photo of this.”

Before I can protest the lack of a camera, he produces his phone. Our cheeks brush as he captures the moment—two figures, joyously drenched in rain, but both happy and sincere.

When we return indoors and step into the elevator, my mind is in a whirl. The proposal, that kiss—it transcends the realm of pretense, plunging me into a sea of raw emotion. My heart races, excitement coursing through me so strong I scarcely notice our arrival on his floor until Jill’s greeting snaps me back to reality.

“Hello, sugar.” She beams, her smile infectious as she eyes our drenched clothes. “Why are you all soaked?”

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