Page 24 of Seduced in Ink

How would she explain to them that this was fake?

Or should she?

How had she let this get so complicated?

“What do you say?” Aaron asked. “I mean, I’ve already asked you before, but…” he whispered.

The lie.

The deception.

None of this was real.

What she felt blossoming in her heart for this man on one knee wasn’t real either.

Was it?

“Yes, of course. Of course, I’ll marry you.”

He grinned and then stood up, pulling the ring out of the box. That’s when she realized that it was indeed on a chain. He smiled and slid it over her head so the ring landed against her chest, nestled between her breasts.

Aaron gave her a grin that told her he knew exactly where the ring had landed, and she could’ve pinched him just then. Instead, she just looked up at him and wondered what the hell was happening.

She was shell-shocked, couldn’t even focus, but people were cheering and laughing and crying. Her mother was silent, staring at the two of them as if she were seeing them for the first time.

Madison felt like shewasseeing Aaron for the first time.

No, no, no, no.

This couldn’t be happening. She could not be falling for her fiancé. That was against the rules. It had to be.

“Well, then. You’ll come to dinner. Tomorrow. No excuses.” And on that pronouncement, her mother made her way out of the room, people giving her a wide berth. Madison stood there, turning her head to stare at Aaron, who just grinned.

Aaron.

Her fiancé.

Her lie.

And the man she couldn’t let herself fall for.

Chapter 6

Aaron hoped he wasn’t supposed to wear a tie for this. He wasn’t sure there was a dress code for an uppity, most likely horrendous family dinner for your fake fiancée.

There was no manual for this, even if Aaron had read a few books where the idea had been introduced. In those, no one cared what you wore because you were too busy being stressed out about what to say and where to sit. You were too worried about the feelings you had for the person at your side, rather than whether you should have tied a piece of fabric around your neck.

Somehow, Aaron was able to worry about it all.

Even if it made him feel a bit like he was losing his mind.

He looked at himself in the mirror, smoothed his shirt, and slid his jacket over his shoulders.

Why was he doing this again?

Oh, yes. To make sure that Madison knew that she was cared for, and to give her time to breathe after an insanely horrible interaction with her mother.

So why then did he feel like he was making a horrible mistake?

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