Page 85 of Reputation (Tempt)

I let out a shaky breath, everything and everyone else fading to the background. Nate’s attention was wholly on me, and he looked at me as if I was the only person in the world. He smiled, and it put me at ease despite everything that had happened this morning. In this moment, we were united. We were a team.

“That’s it!” the photographer shouted. “Yes.” And then took a few more for good measure.

After light refreshments and a quick touch-up to our makeup, we moved to a cluster of chairs where Bridget would conduct the interview. Nate waited for Bridget and me to sit, and then he joined us. He took my hand in his, playing the devoted fiancé to perfection.

“So…” Bridget smiled at me, the lights so hot I was starting to sweat. Or maybe it was the idea of lying about my relationship with Nate while being filmed, even if it wasn’t live. “I know we’re all dying to hear about the proposal.”

I froze. Everything about this was so surreal. And there was so much pressure. But then Nate jumped in, saving me. “It was Christmas Eve?—”

“And it was so romantic,” I added, placing my left hand on his thigh. He turned to me and smiled, and even I could’ve believed his feelings for me were genuine.

His desire this morning certainly had been.

The feeling of his body pressed against mine. Waking up to his hard length and his gravelly morning voice.

Oh god.I swallowed hard, and it felt as if all eyes were on me as Nate finished telling the story of our proposal. Brooklyn had gone to bed. He’d knelt beside the Christmas tree, the lights twinkling. Blah, blah.

He was flawless in the role of fake fiancé. I only hoped I was half as convincing.

I peered down at my engagement ring, admiring the facets in the red diamond. It was beautiful, and it wassome.

“When did you firstknowit was love?” she asked Nate.

His smile was soft as he turned to me. “Honestly, the night of my daughter’s school play.”

Bridget leaned in like a vulture looking for a tasty morsel. “Why then?”

Yeah, I wanted to ask. What was special about that night?

“Emerson has always been supportive and encouraging of my daughter. But that night, I realized that she was just as invested in Brooklyn’s success as I am. I spent most of the play watching Emerson watch the performance. Silently mouthing the lines. Poised on the edge of her seat.”

Bridget’s smile was one of delight. “So you were together, even then?” Nate nodded. “How long have you been in a relationship? Because to all of us, your engagement comes as quite the surprise. But it sounds as if you’ve been together forever.”

“Sometimes it certainly feels that way,” I muttered.

“What was that?” Bridget asked.

He pinched my side. “Oh—” I jumped, fighting the urge to glare at Nate.He better watch it.“I just was saying that I can’t imagine my life without Nate.” I smiled up at him with what I hoped looked like adoration. When in reality, I wanted to kill him.

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. Another reminder to behave.Oh, I’d behave all right.

“What about you, Emerson? When did you know it was love?”

“Oh gosh. Probably…” I smirked, deciding to make him sweat a little. “Probably the night we had our first family dance party, and he sang Taylor Swift.”

He narrowed his eyes at me in a playful manner, though he couldn’t disguise the flash of concern that accompanied it. “Emerson. You weren’t supposed to tell anyone about that.”

“Are you a Swiftie?” Bridget asked, latching on.

“Oh yeah,” I said, eager to make him squirm. Payback was a bitch, and her name was Emerson. “He knows all the words to all her songs.”

“Only because you and Brooklyn listen to her on repeat.” He shook his head with a rueful grin. “Taylor is a talented artist, but I only sang the song to impress Emerson.”

I wondered if that was true or not. I wondered if anything he said was true. It was becoming too difficult to tell. Which was exactly why having sex with Nate was a terrible idea.

Terribly tempting.

“When did you first realize you were attracted to your daughter’s nanny?” Bridget asked, and I tried not to let my surprise at her wording show. That was what she’d wanted after all.

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