Page 12 of Their Diamond Ring Ruse

‘You don’t ever have to be. I need you to know that. I’ll take care of you, Lily. I’m promising you your freedom and I never go back on my word.’

She didn’t know... This seemed dangerous. Changing an arranged marriage for a fake engagement. Also, Lincoln was vindictive. He wouldn’t take kindly to Julian stealing her away.

‘The idea is insanity,’ she said softly.

Glancing back at Julian, she suddenly felt she could trust that he would protect her. He would be able to handle Lincoln. She was fairly sure of that. This was just such an extreme solution.

She turned around again, closing her eyes. Then she felt his presence at her back. A feeling she wanted to sigh into and a current that made her alert of every little thing around her. The weight of his hands on her shoulders turning her around. The touch searing her right to her depths. There was a flare in his eyes too. The colour darkening, his grip tightening just as her core did. Her breath becoming rapid and shallow. Her body moving closer to his without her realising it....

‘You need to get away from him. I can help you.’

Julian’s voice had grown hoarse. His head dipped infinitesimally towards her.

‘Why do you want to?’ she asked.

‘Because I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I’ve seen it before, and I know that you know what I’m talking about. Is that the life you want for yourself?’

She was right. He did notice more than anyone else ever had. She wasn’t sure if Devan hadn’t seen it, or if he just didn’t care enough to protect her from it, but that look on Lincoln’s face gave her a horrible feeling about the future.

‘I need to get away from him. I just want to live my life...but I’m scared to get stuck in another trap.’

‘I know you have no reason to trust me yet, but give me a chance to show you that you can. This will work for both of us. We have the chemistry to make it believable. I know you feel it.’

Lily did. Her body pulsed with the need to close the tiny gap between them. To run her lips up the strong column of his throat.

‘We’ll need terms before I consider this any further,’ she said, forcing herself to think beyond the lust. ‘A definite end point.’

‘Agreed. Here’s what I propose...’

Julian removed his hands and she wished he hadn’t.

Sitting down once more, he gestured for her to do the same, then continued. ‘Arum is looking to switch to green energy. I want that deal. A deal with them will open a lot of doors that have been closed to me in San Francisco and the country at large. Once I have it we’ll no longer have to see each other, but you’ll keep wearing your ring for a while longer. After an appropriate amount of time, you can take it off and move on with your life. You never have to see me again if you don’t want to.’

‘Ring...?’

‘Of course. We’ll be engaged.’ His lips twitched, as if a smile had fought to be freed but lost the battle. ‘We will go on three dates. I will propose to you on the first one. After the third, you will move in with me.’

‘Move in? I don’t even know where you live!’

Lily panicked. How could she live in the same house as him, as attracted to him as she was, while knowing their every interaction would be fake?

‘I live in Sea Cliff. Now you know,’ he deadpanned. ‘My fiancée can’t be living at home with her brother when she should be planning a wedding with me.’

‘Valid point...’ Lily choked.

‘Once this is over you can live anywhere you wish. I will assist you if you require it.’

She had already been looking at apartments, but had held off on making a decision. She didn’t really want to leave Devan alone in that big house when it had been intended to be a home for their family as it grew. Except she also didn’t want to stay in a place that reminded her of how badly her family had let her down.

‘Lincoln might come after me after we break up.’

‘I know men like him, Lily. All we need is time and plenty of public appearances to sell the idea that we’re madly in love. Harrison won’t want it to seem like he’s waited for you. He wouldn’t give anyone that kind of power over himself, would he?’

Lily didn’t have to think about it. ‘No, he wouldn’t.’

‘I guarantee, before we call it off Lincoln will have someone else on his arm.’

‘He would want to seem like he’s winning. Probably make some big public announcement,’ Lily said, following Julian’s thought.

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