“First off, no more mentioning your profile,” Cade said. “Second, we’re taking this tender out to the yacht. No helicopter. Let’s go.”
Relief made my footing unsteady, but I followed Cade onto the boat.
We’d barely pulled away from the dock when he held out a hand. “Before I forget, you’ll need this.”
He dropped something small and shiny into my palm. When I realized what it was, I almost dropped it out of shock.
Anengagementring.
The diamond was so big and sparkly, I couldn’t stop staring at it.
“Put it on,” Cade suggested, though with his low voice, it sounded more like an order.
Still gaping, I carefully slid the smooth gold band onto my left ring finger.
“Wow.” I shifted my hand, admiring the ring from different angles. I had no clue about things like what cut it was or how many carats, but it was definitely the most elegant and beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life. “That’s a really convincing fake diamond. Nate did good.”
I looked up just as bemusement flashed across Cade’s face. “It’s not fake.”
It took a moment for his words to sink in, then my jaw dropped. “…You bought a real ring? Why would you do that?”
“This needs to be convincing.” He nodded toward the boat. “The people on that yacht can spot a fake from a mile away.”
“But—I—” Panic made speaking difficult, and I swallowed, staring back down at the diamond with wide eyes. “What if it falls off my finger? Or I misplace it? It looks really expensive, and I don’t have a great track record with jewelry.”
He shrugged, completely unconcerned. “It’s insured. Does it fit?”
The ring felt like it weighed a million more pounds than it had a second ago, and I wanted to take it off before I did something stupid like accidentally fling it across the boat when I waved my hand, but I couldn’t lie. It fit…
“Perfectly,” I whispered, fiddling with the band.
A little too perfectly.
I swallowed, unable to stop staring at it.
Before I knew it, we were slowing as we reached the yacht, and Cade’s shoulders straightened.
“Showtime,” he murmured, and I watched in fascination as any hint of his earlier bemusement left him, replaced by something harder. Untouchable. His gaze flicked down to me. “You ready?”
If he’d asked me that same question five minutes ago, I would’ve answered with an enthusiastic and resoundingyes.
Instead, I swallowed and nodded mutely as butterflies took flight in my stomach. The ring pulled my attention back, and it hit me all at once how serious our deal was. Cade might’ve called it roleplay, but I was about to spend a week pretending to be in love with him.
And the weight of the veryrealdiamond on my finger suddenly made this feel a lot less like pretend.
blue
. . .
Ellie
Ellie’s Guide toProfessional CuddlingBeing a Fake Fiancée, Tip #8: Maybe try not to go off script the first chance you get?
That short boat ride was our last moment of peace. As soon as Cade and I stepped aboardThe Valencia, we got caught up in a whirlwind.
Yacht workers took our bags—though I insisted on keeping Whiskey’s backpack—and we barely made it two steps onto the deck before a guy flew down the stairs and pulled Cade into a hug. “Bro!”
Cade stiffened at first, before some of the tension eased and he gave the guy a brotherly pat on the back.