Page 17 of Their Diamond Ring Ruse

‘Yes, I would.’

She didn’t add the with you that was on the tip of her tongue. She had never been kissed properly before, never wanted it, so this desire was a little alien, slightly worrying and incredibly thrilling.

‘What about you? Is there anything I shouldn’t do?’ Her cheeks heated. She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with him.

His lips quirked up slightly at one corner. ‘No, I’ll be fine.’

Of course he would. Unlike her, he wasn’t inexperienced. Could he tell that she was?

‘Okay, good... Yes. We will hold hands and touch and occasionally kiss. For people to see. Perfect.’

She could tell he was trying not to laugh.

‘What?’

‘It’s going to be fine, Lily.’

She hoped so.

They drove the rest of the way in comfortable silence. Getting engaged publicly was a bold move, and she knew she should be feeling more apprehensive about it, but she wasn’t. All she felt was this constant current between her and Julian.

The car came to a stop outside a brick building in the city. One of the many warehouses that had been converted into modern masterpieces. Julian pressed a warm hand between her shoulder blades, guiding her inside. She had to fight the tremor his touch unleashed.

‘I can’t believe you got a table here,’ Lily said as they stepped through the glass doors.

‘There’s nothing I can’t do.’

‘Don’t look now, but I think your humility is showing,’ she teased.

The corner of his eyes crinkled, but still he didn’t smile.

The waiting list for this Michelin star restaurant was months long, so she couldn’t really blame him for being cocky. And, as amazing as the food was, it was also a place to be seen. No doubt there would already be pictures of the two of them entering together. And the fact that Lily could feel the heat from Julian’s body as they moved told her exactly what those pictures would look like.

‘Mr Ford,’ a hostess in black greeted him. ‘Your table is right this way.’

A small gasp left her when Julian took her hand in his, and a pleasurable tingle travelled all the way up her arm. She plastered a smile in place and walked alongside him as they were led up a flight of floating stairs and past a sea of tables. There wasn’t an empty seat on either floor, and she could feel the burn of all the eyes on them.

‘Your table,’ the hostess announced, standing next to a table for two out on the small balcony.

They would be in perfect view of everyone inside, yet their conversation would remain private.

Julian pulled out a chair and kissed her cheek once she was settled, then rounded the table to his own seat. His eyes were intense.

There was a small soft smile on the hostess’s face as she handed them their menus, then left.

The pull he had on her was so strong Lily had to repeat fake engagement in her mind until she could smile and speak without her words sounding like a plea for him to kiss her.

She picked up her menu for a distraction, but the words made very little sense. Thankfully Julian didn’t force her to make conversation. At least not yet. But when his leg brushed against hers under the table her body stiffened. Finally, a waiter appeared and she heard Julian order, saying words she was grateful for because they would take her mind off all the ways her body was reacting.

‘I’ll have the poached lobster and a club soda with lime.’

‘The same for me, please,’ she said.

Julian could have ordered cardboard and she would have said that she’d have the same. She forced her scattered thoughts into some semblance of order, because if she was going to spend any amount of time with this man she couldn’t let their chemistry derail her.

‘Can I ask you a question?’ she said.

‘Of course.’

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