Page 17 of Love in Bloom

She nodded. “But you have to do it proper, down on one knee.”

Tristan sank down onto the sand, with one knee making a divot. “Camille Slade, will you fake-marry me so we can go on the French Royal Château and Garden Tour together? Will you make me the happiest man alive for the next eight days?” He cracked a conspiratorial smile.

She grinned. “Will you promise to make me the happiest fake wife for the next eight days?”

“Definitely.”

“Then, I accept.”

He pulled her to the edge of the chair and rested his forehead on hers. “How was that for a proposal?”

“Pretty good. Except you forgot the ring.” She giggled.

“No, I didn’t.” He reached into his pocket and slipped a band on her finger.

Camille looked down at her hand. There sat the blue stone in a silver band she’d admired two days ago. “When did you have time to go back and get it? How did you remember?”

“I bought it when you were looking at the handbags. I thought it would make a nice parting present, but then there was this whole situation, and it seemed you were meant to have it early.”

Camille splayed her hand against Tristan’s chest to admire the ring better and felt his lungs moving in and out in a tantalizing rhythm.

“Do you think we should kiss?” he asked.

His question caught her off guard, and she put physical distance between them. “Kiss?”

“Well, it is customary for fake-married people to kiss when a proposal has been accepted.”

“Oh my. We’ll have to kiss in front of other people to prove we’re married and in love, won’t we?” Not that the prospect of kissing Tristan was unwelcome, but everything was happening so fast. She didn’t have time to wrap her head around any of the details. Where was her logic when she needed it? How had it all gone out the window?

“I understand if it’s too soon.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to kiss you, I don’t even know what to think or feel at this point. I’ve never done this before.”

“Kissed a bloke?”

“No. I’ve kissed blokes.”

He raised his brows.

“Oh for goodness’ sake, we were at university together. Of course I snogged once in a while, just not recently and certainly not under circumstances like this.” Everything she didn’t mean to share tumbled from her lips. Curse her brain that moved too fast and her lips that couldn’t filter faster than she could speak!

“How about we worry about kissing later?”

“Agreed. Right now, I think we’d better pack.”

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