Page 19 of Fake Engagement with my Brother's Best Friend

I squeeze her hand gently, letting the moment linger before we both pull back, a mutual understanding hanging in the air between us. The dinner begins, and the resort staff quietly serves the first course—a light, fresh salad with a citrus vinaigrette that pairs perfectly with the ocean breeze. The atmosphere is intimate, the sound of the waves a soothing backdrop to the conversation that’s still waiting to happen.

As we eat, I try to push down the tension that’s been simmering inside me since everything started to unravel. Grace is here, with me, and that’s more than I dared hope for. I know I need to open up, to let her in, if there’s any chance of repairing what’s been damaged.

“I’m glad you came tonight,” I start, my voice soft but steady. “I know things have been rough lately, and that’s mostly on me. I’ve been holding back, and I owe you an explanation.”

Grace looks up at me, her eyes searching mine, and I know she’s waiting for me to continue, to finally give her the answers she’s been needing.

I take a deep breath, pushing through the nerves that threaten to hold me back. “The thing with Samantha… it’s complicated, but I want to be honest with you about it. We were together for a while, but it wasn’t what people think. We looked good on paper, you know? For a while, things were really good, She’s beautiful,successful, everything a guy like me is supposed to want. It never felt… right. Not the way it should.”

Grace doesn’t interrupt, just listens, her gaze steady and patient. It’s that patience, that understanding in her eyes, that makes it easier to keep going.

“We were good at pretending,” I continue, my voice lowering as I focus on the memories, “but underneath it all, there was a lot of pressure, a lot of expectation. Being the CEO of Titan Tech comes with its own set of challenges, and I guess I let that get in the way of seeing things clearly. I was more focused on how things looked from the outside than on how I actually felt. Samantha and I—we weren’t happy. We were just… convenient.”

Grace’s eyes soften, and I can see the empathy there, the way she’s trying to understand what I’m saying, what I’m not saying.

“When I found out she was cheating on me,” I say, my voice tightening with the memory. “I t wasn’t even about the betrayal itself. It was like a wake-up call, a slap in the face that made me realize how far off track I’d gotten. We weren’t in love—we were just going through the motions. Ending it was the best thing that could have happened, even if it hurt like hell at the time.”

Grace reaches out again, this time taking my hand in hers, and the warmth of her touch soothes some of the lingering bitterness. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Logan,” she says softly, her voice full of genuine compassion. “No one deserves that.”

I nod, appreciating her kindness, but knowing there’s more I need to say. “That’s why I’ve been so cautious with us. I don’t want to make the same mistakes again, to get caught up in something that isn’t real. This… what we have, it’s different. Iknow that much. I don’t want to pretend anymore, Grace. I don’t want to play games or keep things on the surface.”

She swallows, her eyes locking onto mine, and I can see the questions, the doubts, flickering there. “You still won’t admit your feelings,” she says, almost as if she’s stating a fact rather than asking a question.

I wince slightly, knowing she’s right. “I’m trying,” I say, my voice rough with the weight of the truth. “It’s hard. I’ve spent so long holding back, trying to protect myself, that I don’t know how to just… let go. I need you to know that what I feel for you—it’s real, Grace. It’s more real than anything I’ve felt in a long time.”

The air between us crackles with tension, but it’s not the kind of tension that pulls us apart. It’s the kind that draws us closer, the kind that makes every word, every touch, feel electric.

Without thinking, I reach out and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, my fingers brushing the soft skin of her neck. The touch is light, almost hesitant, but the way her breath catches, the way her eyes darken, tells me she feels it too.

The next course is served—something light, delicate, but I barely notice. My focus is entirely on Grace, on the way her lips part slightly as she looks up at me, her gaze full of something I can’t quite name but desperately want to explore.

I lean in, closing the distance between us, and she doesn’t pull away. The warmth of her breath mingles with mine, and for a moment, everything else fades away—the worries, the doubts, the past. It’s just her and me, and the undeniable pull between us.

Our lips meet in a slow, lingering kiss, one that’s full of everything we’re not saying but feeling all the same. It’s not justabout the physical—though that’s there, too, an undercurrent of desire that simmers just beneath the surface.

I deepen the kiss, my hand sliding to the back of her neck, pulling her closer. She responds immediately, her body leaning into mine, her fingers gripping my arm as if anchoring herself to me. The heat between us flares, a slow burn that promises so much more, and I know—this isn’t just about the act. It’s about us, about what’s been building between us since the beginning.

When we finally pull back, both of us are breathing heavily, our foreheads resting against each other’s. The tension hasn’t dissipated; if anything, it’s intensified, but now it feels like something we’re both willing to explore, to see where it takes us.

“Back to the suite?” she asks, breathless.

I grin. “Hell yes.”

Chapter Eleven

Grace

Something shifts inside me, like a dam breaking, releasing everything I’ve been holding back. The tension, the frustration, the confusion—it all melts away, leaving just the raw, undeniable pull I feel toward him.

The second we get to the suite, he slams the door behind us.

Without thinking, I reach for him, my fingers brushing against his jaw, tracing the stubble that’s grown in over the day. His eyes lock onto mine, dark and intense, and I see everything we haven’t said reflected there. The heat, the longing, the need.

I can’t hold back anymore. I don’t want to.

I lean in, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat, and press my lips to his. This kiss is different from the last—this time, I’m the one taking the lead, desperate and eager, pouring everything I’m feeling into it. The need to be close to him, to feel him, to know that this is real.

Logan responds immediately, his hands finding my waist, pulling me closer as our lips move together with an intensity that makes my head spin. It’s like we’re both trying to make up for lost time, for all the moments we held back, too afraid to admit what was really between us.

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