Billionaires Dollar Series

I re-cross my legs. “Not fiancé, I think. Boyfriend.”

His eyebrows rise. “You dislike the rock that much?”

My fingers curl around the beautiful diamond, as if it has ears of its own. Don’t listen to him. “Not at all. I just don’t think fiancé would be all that believable.”

“The Walkers bought it.”

“The Walkers don’t know either of us as well as my co-workers do,” I say.

“Good point,” Liam says, a smile lurking in the corner of his mouth. “I’ll be your boyfriend, then. Origin story?”

“Same one. Or do you object?”

“Not at all. And your ex?” His mouth curls around the word, like it’s distasteful. “Will he bring a new woman there?”

My fingers tighten around the glass I’m holding. Sally will probably be there. If they’re together or not is a different story-judging by the looks she shoots me, I don’t think she got what she wanted when she slept with him.

She might have broken us up, but Jason isn’t declaring his intentions to her.

“I don’t know,” I say.

Liam’s smile grows crooked. “The aim is to make him jealous, then.”

I nod once, because it’s petty and because Jason might not care at all. If he does, it’s only because he’s arrogant as hell.

“All right,” Liam says. “I know how to make a man jealous-but I need your permission first.”

“My permission?”

“To kiss you.”

“To kiss me?”

“Yes,” he says, smile growing wider. “I won’t be able to fulfill my purpose if I can’t do that.”

It’s the answer that launches a thousand replies in my mind. None of them reach shore, though, because I can’t formulate a response. I take a gulp of wine and focus on stringing words together.

“If we have to, then… sure.”

Liam’s eyebrows rise. “If we have to? Your words are knives, Maddie.”

“And your ego is bulletproof.” Warmth creeps up my chest, my neck, and I’m not sure if it’s from the alcohol alone. “So we’re going to engage in PDA?”

“If the moment calls for it,” he says, voice lowering. “As long as I know you won’t ruin my performance by pushing me away halfway through.”

My lips feel dry. “Kiss me well enough and I won’t have to.”

Liam’s smile widens. “You know better than to challenge me, Maddie.”

“Do I?” I take a sip of my drink, my eyes never leaving his. Something sparks in them as he registers the meaning of my words, a flash of heat.

What are we doing?

“I see,” he murmurs. “And what does-”

“Liam Carter?” A dark-haired woman puts her hand on the back of his chair, a smile curving her lips. Her blow-dried hair has artfully placed highlights.

I slide back in my seat.

“It’s been months,” she says, only addressing him. “We’ve missed you around here.”

He leans back in his chair, like nothing has happened, like we weren’t just interrupted. “I’ve been busy,” he says, and the drawl of his voice makes my brow furrow. It’s similar to the voice he’d used when we first met the Walkers, and it’s best described in one word.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

Uninterested.

“If you ever get unbusy,” the woman says, giving me a polite glance, “you know where to find me.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” Liam says.

She gives him a final smile before sauntering off, letting me admire the way she walks in sky-high heels. It’s a skill I’ll never have cause to master.

Liam knocks back his glass of whiskey, his eyes not meeting mine.

Right.

“There’s one thing we haven’t discussed,” I say.

Liam inclines his head. “Lay it on me.”

“While we’re doing this, we can’t be involved with other people. Not that we’re involved with each other, but…” My treacherous eyes find the woman across the bar, sitting with her friends. Whatever her and Liam’s relationship is like, it had clearly been intimate. “When it’s over, our so-called split is friendly. No drama.”

There’s no way I’ll have a boyfriend who cheats on me again, not even a fake one.

Liam raises an eyebrow. “You thought I’d sleep around while you wear my ring on your finger?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “We just met again.”

He shakes his head. “I’m doing this to prove to Walker that my values are in the right place, and fidelity is certainly one of them.”

“The best way to not seem like a playboy is to stop acting like one?”

He snorts. “Something like that, I suppose.”

A suspicion takes hold. “Why did the ladies in the jewelry store know you?”

“Because,” he says, smiling crookedly, “I am a very good customer.”

I meet his gaze with my own. If nothing else, this little exchange has cleared me of any foolish notions. The absolute last thing I need in my life is another man who sleeps around.