Scandalous Engagement

“Where’s her ring?” Melissa asked. “We can’t do photo shoot about the engagement without the ring.”

Josie froze. The ring? Damn it, she hadn’t thought that far ahead. Reese had joked about it, but that had just been him trying to annoy her in that playful way of his. They weren’t actually going ring shopping. Good grief, that would be absurd, but she couldn’t think of a lie right off the top of her head.

Her eyes darted back to Reese’s, who was reaching into his pocket.

“Right here,” he stated, producing a ruby set in a diamond band. “I cleaned it for her this morning and we were in a rush to get here, so I slipped it into my pocket.”

Josie’s attention volleyed between Reese’s sexy grin and that ring she’d never seen before in her life. Was he serious? How in the hell did he just procure a ring—a rather impressive, expensive-looking ring—out of his pants pocket? Even Reese wasn’t that powerful...was he? How had he made this happen and why hadn’t he clued her in on it?

“Here you go, babe.”

Reese lifted her left hand and slid the ring into place and the damn thing actually fit like it was made for her. Had he known her ring size, too?

“Let me see,” exclaimed her editor.

Josie was busy examining the rock herself because this was seriously a piece of art. When her editor grabbed her hand and squealed, Josie couldn’t help but laugh. She glanced back to Reese, who merely winked, as if he’d had everything under control from the start.

Again, the man took care of all the details and never acted like he was put out or tired. How did he do all of that without a planner, a spreadsheet, a personal assistant?

Okay, he had assistants, but Reese was also very hands-on. There was no way he’d send an assistant to get an engagement ring, not even a fake one.

“You two are so lucky,” Melissa stated, glancing between Josie and Reese. “Okay, get back to the shoot. I just had to see what he chose and it’s absolutely perfect.”

Josie glanced around at the crew staring and waiting on them to continue. “Um, could Reese and I have two minutes?”

Everyone nodded and Josie grabbed Reese’s hand and pulled him toward the back of the open room. There wasn’t much privacy to be had, but she had to use what she could.

She turned so that Reese’s broad frame blocked her from the rest of the audience.

“Where did you get this?” she whispered between gritted teeth.

Reese smiled. “I couldn’t let my fiancée be without a ring. That wouldn’t say much about our love,

now would it?”

She narrowed her eyes at his sarcasm.

Of course he only smiled and replied, “I bought it.”

He bought it. Like he’d just gone out and gotten a pair of shoes or a new cell phone. She didn’t even want to know what this ring cost.

“Can you return it?”

Reese’s brows drew in. “Return it? Why?”

She couldn’t say much with their current lack of privacy, so she merely widened her eyes and tipped her head, knowing he could practically read her mind most times.

“It’s yours, Jo. Think of it as a birthday present if that makes you feel better.”

That soft tone of his had her heart melting and she firmly told her heart not to get involved. Whatever this was going on with them had to be structured or the entire faux engagement would explode in her face, taking her heart in the process.

“I’m sorry, but we still have to get to the interview,” Melissa chimed in. “We do have deadlines, you know.”

Yeah, Josie was well aware of deadlines—when it came to work and Reese.

Less than two weeks now.

Josie glanced down to the ring on her finger, the symbol of so much more than what was actually going on. There was another layer of guilt because each day that went by, she found herself deeper into this lie.