Page 52 of Charming Deception

My jaw clenches as I bite back my response to that.

The corner of her mouth twitches. “I’m kidding. Actually…” She takes another sip. “We probably drink them to make it easier to talk to the really cute ones.”

My molars grind. The thought of her flirting with random guys at the bar…

Fuck, no.

I can’t have that.

Cole won’t have it either. Not right now, when she’s so vulnerable.

And besides that, Megan Hudson is clearly not a woman who needs some “cute boy” in her life.

What she needs is a man.

Doesn’t she realize that?

I inform her, “I have a question for you, Megan.”

“Okay…”

“What if we got engaged?”

Chapter 12

Jameson

Megan’s wineglass is halfway to her lips when she freezes. “Engaged? We?”

I’m not sure which word confuses her more.

“Yes. You and me.”

“What…? What are you talking about?”

“I realize this might be a shock?—”

“Might be?”

“—but I need a fiancée. You also need something. Right?”

She sets her wineglass down, and nervously licks her lip. I take a sip of my wine while she struggles to digest what’s happening. Then she drags her teeth over her lip, tugging on it. Heat floods my chest like I just pounded my whole glass.

Our stare-down doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon, so I prompt, “You need a fresh start to your life. Am I wrong?”

“You need a fiancée?” she says, clearly confused.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s a family obligation,” I summarize. “An expectation.”

I don’t particularly want to tell her that this obligation materialized during an argument with my oldest brother today, because he believes my sex life is such a public blight on our family’s reputation that he needs to aggressively intervene. And obviously, I can’t tell her about the game.

The game I’m afraid of losing.

But since the horn locking with Graysen this afternoon, it’s really sunk in that he has no way of knowing if I fail the challenge or not.

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