Page 5 of Dare to Love

“Play along,” I whispered into the crook of her ear before she had a chance to overthink it as I turned my body slightly and pressed my lips to hers. I’d originally intended it to be brief—apeck for show—but the moment our lips connected, something unexpected happened. A jolt of electricity seemed to pass between us and what should have been a quick kiss lingered. Her lips were soft, tasting faintly of vanilla and I found myself forgetting that we had an audience and that this was all pretend. When we finally broke apart, Lilian’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes wide with surprise and I felt oddly breathless myself, thrown off balance by the intensity of my reaction.

“Well,” The Mayor’s voice broke through my daze, “isn’t this a pleasant surprise! Good morning, Reid, Lilian!”

“Good morning, Mayor Wilkins,” I managed, my arm still firmly tucked around Lilian’s waist. “Mrs. Wilkins.”

“I had no idea you two were…” Mrs. Wilkins began, her eyes gleaming with the delight of fresh gossip.I bet she and Mrs. Henderson were the best of friends.

“Together?” Lilian finished her sentence for her managing to pull her composure together remarkably quickly. “Yes, we’ve been keeping it quiet, but…” She looked up at me with such convincing affection that for a moment I almost believed it myself.

“Well, it’s wonderful to see,” the mayor said warmly. “Isn’t it, dear?”

“Absolutely,” Mrs. Wilkins agreed. “You must come around and join us for dinner soon. Next week, perhaps? If we can all make our schedules align.”

Before I could think of an excuse, Lilian was nodding. “We’d love to. Wouldn’t we, darling?”

I swallowed harshly as the endearment caught me off guard but I recovered quickly. “Of course. Just let us know when and we’ll sort it out.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries between us, we continued on our way back up Main Street and towards the familiar square, maintaining our couple’s facade until we wereout of sight and view. Only then did Lilian step away from me, breaking our physical connection.

“That was... convincing,” she said, not quite meeting my eyes.

“Yes,” I agreed, trying to ignore the lingering sensation of her lips on mine. “I think we’ve officially launched our relationship into the Starlight Bay gossip circuit.”

“I’d say it’s mission accomplished, then,” she said with a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I should get back to the shop.”

“And I should head to the office. Grant will probably be wondering where I’ve got to,” I replied, suddenly feeling awkward in a way I hadn’t since my teenage years. “So... dinner at the mayor’s next week.”

“Apparently, so…” she sighed. “The things we do for a dare, hey.”

“Indeed,” I murmured under my breath as I watched her walk away. My gaze glued to the way her hips swayed as I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to this arrangement than either of us had bargained for. The kiss—meant to be performative, strategic—had stirred something in me that I’d thought I had long ago buried. As I turned toward my office, I tried to convince myself it was nothing. A momentary lapse. A physical reaction that meant nothing beyond the obvious but with the way my hard length pressed against the zipper of my trousers I knew that was all just in my head. She had ignited a fire and I wasn’t sure I wanted to put it out. I could do one of two things: continue lying to myself about what she meant to me or accept that there was something so much more happening behind the scenes. The thing was for a man who prided himself on honesty, that was perhaps the most troubling realization of all.

CHAPTER 3

Lilian

As Reid heldthe door open of The Big Chowder for me, his hand finding the small of my back with practiced ease now I couldn’t help but feel a flutter of nerves in my stomach. This was just part of the dare, I reminded myself. Just another act in our little charade but in reality, this was a known hot spot for people to meet up in Starlight Bay. It may just be one guest or a group but even if they didn’t speak to you the gossip would spread like wildfire.

Reid and I had been dating for a couple days now and already the town was abuzz with gossip about the two of us. Everywhere I went I caught whispers and knowing glances. My chocolate shop had seen a suspicious uptick in customers—mostly women who suddenly had an intense interest in artisanal chocolates and an even more intense interest in my relationship with Starlight Bay’s most eligible bachelor.

“Reservation for Belgrave,” Reid told the hostess, in a confident tone that always seemed to make people melt whenever they cast their eyes upon him. No wonder all the women wanted a piece of him. The hostess, a young woman whoI recognized as a regular at my shop, glanced at the two of us barely being able to conceal her curiosity.

“Of course, Mr. Belgrave. We have your table ready.” She declared as she gathered a selection of menus in her hand and led us through the dimly lit restaurant and past the tables of diners who were already enjoying their meals or waiting for them to arrive. “Our best table, with a view of the bay, as requested.” I shot Reid a look and raised my eyebrow at him.Best table? As requested.He merely shrugged as if reading my thoughts as his lip curled up and a rare glimpse of a smile appeared on his lips as he pulled out my chair for me.

“You didn’t have to go all out,” I whispered leaning in as he pushed my seat in before taking his own seat opposite. “It’s just dinner.”

“If we’re going to do this, we might as well be convincing,” he replied, winking at me before he leaned back and began unfolding his napkin with precise movements. “Besides, I can’t resist such a stunning view.”

His gaze cast over me for a second too long, making my breath hitch before the golden glow of the sun setting across the bay in the distance made me still. I had to admit it was mesmerising and a moment in which I’d commit to memory knowing he’d taken the time to share it with me.

“Fine. But I’m paying my half,” I insisted, as I turned my attention back to him, making him chuckle. I couldn’t help but feel a warmth inside knowing I’d caused him to react that especially as he was always so unusually grumpy around everyone normally.

“A gentleman never lets his date pay. You should have expected that.” He countered back to me.

“Good thing you’re not actually a gentleman, then,” I quipped, earning another small laugh from him.

“Touché, Ms. Raeflower. You got me there.” Reid stated holding his chest as if he had been wounded deeply as a huge smile spread across my face. I couldn’t help but love challenging and fighting with the guy—pushing his buttons and seeing who the true Reid Belgrave was behind the mysterious, deep and serious lawyer he had portrayed to everyone around him.

It didn’t take long for our server to appear with our water and wine menus, her eyes darting between us as if she was trying to solve a puzzle. After she left to give us time to decide, I leaned forward slightly.

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