Pretend I'm Yours (Pretend 1)

But every brush of his lips against mine, every grin, every kind word, every touch of his hand will make me fall for him a little more until I’m completely in love with him. And then, I’ll want this to be real.

Kade King is a gentleman. In fact, he’s incredible. Other than the first night when he was trying to convince me to leave. That night, he was an ass. He wanted to fuck me, and we both knew it. And instead of admitting it, he treated me like dirt.

“You hungry?” Kade asks, as the car stops.

My eyes widen as I stare out the window. We’re in the valet line of one of the most expensive steakhouses in town. I’ve never eaten here since it’s not in my price range, but I’m drooling thinking about the food I’ve seen from Sebastian and his friends’ Instagram posts of this place.

My stomach growls.

Kade laughs. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

I wince and nod.

He releases my hand, runs his hand through his hair, and jumps out to beat the valet to my door.

I stare at him wide-eyed, still not speaking, as he smirks. He picks my hand up off my lap, helping me stand. My ankle throbs as I stand, but I’m not going to let it ruin whatever is happening.

Kade is pretending to be my date and wants to fake marry me. That is all my brain can process at the moment.

I take a step, and my heel catches in the cobblestone.

Kade’s prepared and tightens his grip on my arm.

“Sorry, I should have taken you home first so you could at least change shoes, but I couldn’t resist bringing you here when you look this gorgeous in the dress.”

I blush. He’s making it harder for me to speak instead of easier.

We make it into the restaurant, only because Kade is holding me up.

“Mr. King!” the surprised hostess exclaims. “I’m so sorry if you made a reservation, it must have gotten lost. Give me one minute, and I’ll make sure we have a table for you.” She winks at Kade.

I grip his arm until I’m sure my nails are digging into his flesh and give her my best glare.

Kade chuckles and leans down to kiss me on the cheek.

“I think my arrangement is going to work out fantastically, but if you keep gripping my arm this hard, I won’t be able to marry you because people will think you abuse me,” he says.

I release my claws, but I still hold onto him, leaning harder into his chest. I can’t believe this woman has the balls to flirt with Kade. She’s the hostess. What happened to professionalism?

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“We have a private table near the window overlooking the lake. I know it’s not your usual table, but I think you will enjoy the new view,” the hostess says.

I tense.

Kade nods and then leans into my ear again, causing shivers to roll through me. “Don’t worry. I’ve never brought a date here.”

I raise my eyebrow, not believing him as we follow the hostess.

“I haven’t. I only bring business associates here. I can impress a date without bringing her here.”

“Then, why am I here?”

He smiles. “I’m glad you haven’t completely lost your voice. Because this is a mix of business and pleasure. And besides, you aren’t like most woman. I need more than a fancy restaurant, fast car, and charm to convince you. You’re too smart to fall for one of them alone. I need a mix of everything to win you over.”

I blush again, liking his answer.

We keep walking, and every time we pass a table, the entire table stops their conversation to look up at us. For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong. These people don’t know who I am, and they aren’t judging me because Kade King is on my arm. My dress would win in any fight against any of the dresses in here on those who-wore-it-best shows. And I have a flashy ring, double the size of most in here, on my finger.