Page 14 of His Christmas Gift

“I have to go back home for the holidays. My mom figured I was coming alone again. I got mad and wanted to prove her wrong, so I told her that I was bringing my fiancé home with me this year,” I told him.

“But you don’t have a fiancé,” Dean replied with a look of confusion on his face.

“Exactly,” I sighed before burying my face in my hands. I really messed up. I could tell I really messed up too because Dean was quiet. He didn’t have a joke or words of comfort. He was literally speechless, and I just wanted to curl up and wallow.

“So, you need a fake fiancé?” Dean asked me.

“I don’t think there’s a service for that,” I said, keeping my face buried in my hands.

“I’ll be your fake fiancé,” Dean told me.

My head shot straight up out of my hands, and I instantly regretted the motion as nausea struck me. I took a breath before meeting his amused gaze.

“What?” I asked him, wondering if I even heard him right.

“I’ll go with you and be your fake fiancé. I have to go down for the holidays too,” Dean replied.

I immediately shook my head. There was no way that would pan out well. I was surprised he even offered.

“That won’t work,” I said, immediately dismissing the idea.

“Why not?” Dean asked, seeming determined to prove me wrong.

“Because I can’t let you do all of that. It’s going to be tedious. My parents are going to ask questions and analyze you to see if you’re perfect for me or not,” I told him. I was basically putting him through hell during the holidays. Even if we weren’t buddies, I didn’t want to do that to him because of my own problem.

“It’ll be fun. Besides, you can come with me to my family’s place every once in a while too for a breather,” Dean told me.

I eyed him, hardly able to believe that he was actually serious about doing this with me. Just because he wanted to do it didn’t mean it would still work, though.

“I don’t know. How will I know you’ll even commit? We don’t exactly like each other. My parents are going to see right through our fake love,” I pointed out. I then frowned and sighed, realizing that I was still screwed. We couldn’t pull off that kind of performance.

“You want to know if I’ll commit? Okay,” Dean replied before taking my face in his hands and pressing his lips firmly against mine.

My eyes shot open wide in shock, but I didn't find myself pulling away. Instead, I leaned into the touch, my eyes fluttering shut as his lips slowly moved around mine. The intensity shot through me like adrenaline, and I swore my heart was about to burst out of my chest. His lips were warm against mine, flooding me with unexpected heat.

Dean pressed one more lingering kiss against my lips before drawing away. The moment was gone as quickly as it started. He had a cheeky grin on his face, seeming quite satisfied with himself.

“We’ll put on the performance of a lifetime, sweetheart,” he quipped. “I’ll book our flight back home.”

I couldn’t even part my lips to try to say anything. There were no words for this moment. All I could do was try to calm my racing heart as the memory of our kiss tingled on my lips.

What had I gotten myself into?

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