Page 30 of Siren's Game

"You better not meet him at all." He points at me with his index finger—how rude—and his voice is strained like he's talking without moving his jaw. “It wouldn’t look good on either of us.”

"I just want to remind you about the 'fake' in 'fake boyfriend.'" I chuckle and get up to move to my couch.

It’s much more comfortable for a conversation like this. He changes his pacing route to the front of the couch as looks at me with angry wrinkles between his eyebrows.

Oh, how I like seeing him riled up. Payback’s a bitch. "Josh is my friend and we sometimes scratch each other's itches. I'm afraid you'll have to get used to him, because I’m not about to stop being friends with him for this little game."

"Yeah, I don't like that."

"Sucks to be you then." I shrug and reach for a pillow to hug to my chest and hide my lower face behind.

Oh, he doesnotlike that. And I'm starting to realize why he's this insufferable; it's really fun to make him this angry. I should do that more often. Maybe that’s going to make the next three months more bearable.

"Anything else we need to settle on?" His shoulders sag and he exhales a deep breath.

"I think that's it for now," he admits and sits down next to me with a sigh. The couch moves under me as he folds his giant frame onto it. "We still need a story to tell everyone. How did we become a couple, Sweetheart?"

"I'd say let's keep it as close to the truth as possible," I propose, ignoring the nickname and rub my hand over my face, exhaustion suddenly washing over me. "We met by chance in the stadium, you apologized and groveled and as we talked it out, we fell madly in love."

"Like Luca and Millie," he says slowly, and I nod, hiding a yawn behind the pillow.

"Exactly like Luca and Millie." I sigh softly and close my eyes for a moment. "You saw me and immediately fell in love. But I was still angry and made you work for it."

"Not very long, though," he interjects, making me chuckle. “We have to keep the timeline somewhat realistic.”

"Alright, alright." I bite my lip to stop another yawn. "So, no one will know except us?" I glance at him from the corner of my eye.

It feels like such a big secret. Way too big for two people. But who else would I tell apart from Millie who can never learn of it?

"No one except us," he confirms, and I nod solemnly, flexing my fingers into the soft fabric of my pillow.

Why am I already starting to regret this?

Well, no time for hesitation. We have to confirm our relationship somehow, so I walk over to the pretty bouquet he brought me.

"Come over here and give me your hand," I demand and hold out my own, wiggling my fingers to signal him to get his ass over here.

Tilting his head, he eyes me for a second, then does as I ask, groaning as he gets up from his admittedly not very comfortable looking position on my couch.

Once he’s next to me, I take his hand and lacing our fingers together, then put them in front of the flowers and open the camera app on my phone.

"What are you doing?"

"We need to release our own, official statement and need a proper picture," I tell him and roll my eyes. "Duh."

"Sorry for not knowing the proper social media etiquette," he teases and nudges me with his shoulder, relaxing his hand.

Suddenly, I'm acutely aware of how close he's standing. And even more acutely aware of how hot I find men who are a good bit taller than me.

Oh no.

Down, girl. This whole thing is fake. Nothing is happening, nothing at all. This is not one of my romance novels.

I take a deep breath, but that’s a mistake because now I know that he smells like a forest by the ocean. All fresh and woody.

I quickly take the photo, trying out a few different angles, then drop his hand like it's a hot potato.

"Guess it's time to let you guys know that I'm taken," Asher reads aloud over my shoulder as I prepare the social media post. "What's that sign?"

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