Page 22 of My Fake Lover

»You are absolutely annoying.«

»I know,« she replied with a satisfied grin as I finally bit off a piece of the croissant. It wasn’t like I had never eaten something like this before, but I saw no benefit in stuffing myself with empty carbs and sugar. It only made me sluggish and prevented me from working performance-oriented. But... Oh. It was really good. And I hated that she was right.

»Say nothing, just enjoy,« she replied softly. I washed the rest down with a sip of coffee. »Do you want more?«

»Absolutely not,« I grumbled. Ivy’s laughter that followed completely captivated me. For that, I would have even devoured a whole one of those butter-soaked pieces from hell.

She placed her hand on mine, and for a moment, we simply looked at each other. I couldn’t say whether Ivy brought out my worst or my best sides, but I definitely felt good about it.

»Oh, Maxwell!« A shrill squeal made me turn around. Damn it. Chloe Henderson stood before me. She wore a tight wine-red dress that accentuated her breasts and curves, and her blonde hair cascaded in waves over her bare shoulders. She was hot, no question, after all, she worked as a top model and made money by taking care of her body. But she was also utterly replaceable.

»Hello, Chloe,« I said politely, extending my hand to her.

»Oh, why so formal?« She wrapped her arms around me, and I tensed up at her touch but reciprocated nonetheless, not wanting to embarrass her in front of everyone. She was one of the reasons Ivy was present. Matchmaking attempt number eight.

18

Ivy

My heart raced, and I felt as if I were a spectator of a fascinating movie. A breathtaking blonde embraced Max, who looked at her as if they were old acquaintances. Perhaps an ex? Had he been involved with her? Good Lord, they looked absolutely fantastic together. Perfect.

»This is Lizzy’s cousin, Chloe,« Max introduced her and stepped closer to me. I extended my hand to her, and she gave me a beautiful smile. With her high heels and those legs, she was at least a head taller than me and reached up to Max’s chin. The perfect height for kissing without him having to bend down. I had to hate her. I just had to.

»Chloe Henderson,« she said, as if her name should mean something to me, and damn, it really did.

»Yes, of course! You model for many big brands, right?«

»That’s right, but that’s not what today is about,« she said as if I’d brought up something forbidden to draw attention to myself. Now I felt even more inadequate. She turned her attention back to Max as if I were no longer worth noticing. Wow. It wasn’t that hard not to like her.

»Tell me, how have you been? I haven’t heard from you at all since Lizzy’s birthday party.« She lowered her voice and gave him a flutter of her eyelashes that even confused me. She clearly knew how to handle her charms.

»I’ve been very busy,« he evaded her, and I sensed that the attraction might not be mutual after all. He wrapped an arm around me and looked at me tenderly. That gaze. He would have made a fantastic actor.

»Oh, you two...« Chloe stammered, gesturing between us. »That’s quite a surprise,« she said, as if she couldn’t imagine what Max saw in me.

I wrapped my arm around his waist and grinned broadly at her. »Isn’t it? Sometimes the truth lies hidden before you, but when you see it, it knocks you off your feet. That’s how it was with Max and me. He really put in the effort and courted me until I went out with him for the first time ever. And Chloe...« I gave her a superior smile. »He can definitely woo, I can tell you that.« Hit and... sunk! The way she clung to his neck, even though she had to realize he wasn’t interested, she definitely deserved that.

She nervously ran her fingers through her hair, and her smile looked more like a grimace. »How lovely for you two,« she squeaked. »I really need to say hello to someone else. Have fun at the wedding. Quite a crazy concept, right? Bye!«

She couldn’t get away from us fast enough. Max lowered his head and pressed his lips to my temple. I felt his grin. »So I can woo, can I?« He laughed softly and pulled me closer to him. »You’ll have to tell me how I managed to win you over sometime, darling.«

I turned around in his embrace and cheekily grinned at him. He wrapped his other arm around me, and I did the same. No matter what game we were playing here, we were great together.

»So you really turned down Chloe Henderson after Lizzy’s party? Or was it more of a one-night stand, and she got clingy?«

»A rejection. Besides her being pushy, I have no interest in marrying into Lizzy’s crazy family like my brother.«

»But Chloe Henderson! Have you seen her legs?« We were still grinning, and Max brought his lips to my ear. My pulse instantly accelerated manifold.

»No, I only have eyes for another pair of legs in short shorts or in this truly fantastic summer dress.« He pressed a kiss on my neck just below my earlobe, and goosebumps spread across my nape. This felt so real, so good.

When he looked at me again, I saw the hesitation in his eyes. Did he want to kiss me? Would I allow it? There was no question about it. Of course, I would.

But before we could get that far, he detached himself from me and put some distance between us. Did he not trust himself? I wouldn’t place a bet on either of us.

***

Ian had called Max over to discuss something. I had no idea what it was about, but it wasn’t my place to ask. So, I wandered around the venue, chatting with some people and meeting Lizzy’s mom, who was preparing for a yoga class. It was surreal, like a whole festival full of people and bliss. If Ian and Lizzy could call all these people friends or family, they were truly fortunate.

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