LOGINMy gaze lingered on him—those words, how they sounded almost desperate falling from his lips. I reached behind me, fumbling for the zipper he’d so carefully pulled up. His eyes followed my hands, my fingers trembled as he watched with his breathing ragged. I couldn’t find the tab. I shook my head, a frustrated sound escaping me. Zane moved quickly, replacing mine with his. He found the tiny metal tag, pulling it down. The dress loosened, the tight pressure on my ribs and breast easing. He slid it off my shoulders, peeling the netted fabric down my body until it pooled around my waist on the counter. I sat before him in just my black lace bra and soaked silk panties he’d felt earlier. His eyes raked over me, travelling from my face down to my chest, my stomach, my thighs wrapped around him. He leaned in again, his lips brushing mine, staying there. “Is this okay?” His words were a breath against my mouth. I nodded, my forehead bumping against his. “Yes.”Then his mouth enclose
My eyes widened. Zane’s hands slid off my thigh instantly like I’d burned him. He stepped back, putting space between us—and I felt the heat leave.I couldn’t breathe—or think.My hands fumbled with the dress, smoothing down the satin that was still bunched around my hips. He ran his hands through his hair, giving me a glance before turning sharply and pushing through the curtain. I stood there for half a second—my pulse hadn’t stopped hammering, thighs still trembled—but I followed.Priya stood a few feet away, her clipboard in hand and her lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes locked on Zane the second he appeared.Then I stepped out quietly beside him. Her gaze flickered between us slowly. She took a step closer, head tilting as she studied our face. Zane’s gaze locked hers head-on. I couldn’t stop looking at him.”What were you two doing?” Priya asked, stopping directly in front of us. One eyebrow arched perfectly.”Reeve needed help with her dress,” Zane blurted quickly—to
Heat flooded my face instantly.“Zane, move your hand to her back!” Laurent called. “Reeve, turn into him more.” Zane’s hand slid from my waist to the small of my back, pulling me sharply against him. I could feel every inch of him—his chest and the hard line of his hips. “Put your lips on her neck, Zane! Like you’re about to make her melt into you.” His mouth hovered over my pulse, breath, hot and unsteady. “You’re shaking.” He whispered.”So are you.”The camera clicked. “Gorgeous! Take five! I want more spray on Zane’s hair. Make it wetter!” He yelled and an assistant rushed towards us.I watched a droplet slide down the center of his chest.”You’re really good at this,” I whispered.”At what?” His gaze held mine.”Pretending.”His hands still held my waist. “Who says I’m pretending?”God! He was good at making this fake thing look real. And I wasn’t even trying.”Reeve,” Laurent called. I tore my eyes off Zane. “We need to change looks. Zane, let’s touch up.”Then, his hands
The car didn’t waste time picking us up. Another thing I had learned about Priya—she did not play about her time. Zane sat across from me, one leg crossed over the other, scrolling through his phone. For once, he looked…. almost decent. Like the kiss had meant something even though it didn’t. The car slowed to a stop outside a converted warehouse in the arts district. It had this industrial chic look-exposed brick and floor-to-ceiling windows. We stepped out of the car. A thin woman with red hair approached us with a clipboard in hand. She ushered us inside. The space opened up into a massive studio—seamless backdrops, umbrella lights at every angle, a small army of stylists and assistants buzzing around. And in the center was a man. Mid-forties, wearing all black, thin-framed glasses perched on his nose, silver rings on every finger and slicked back hair. “There they are!” He clapped his hands together, approaching us with long strides. “Zane Ashford, Reeve Callahan. Gorgeou
REEVE’S POV ‘Should we seal it?’His words rang in my head all night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him—felt him. His hands roaming my back, those lips crashing on mine like he’d been holding back for weeks.And it made no sense. He hated me. I threw the covers off and swung my legs out of bed, my bare feet hitting the cold marble. My reflection gazed back at me in the mirror across the room—hair a mess and my oversized shirt hanging off one shoulder. Then what I did hit me—The arrangement.When he said it last night, I'd searched his eyes for a bluff. For that crack that would tell me he was just messing with me.But there wasn’t. He was dead serious.The most serious I’d seen him since the rink—apart from his unfiltered hatred he usually reserved for me. I shook off the thought, pulling on sweatpants and tying my hair into a messy bun. After last night, I needed something hot to drink.The apartment was quiet as I padded down the hallway. I rounded the corner into the kitch
”What? Having a bad day?” She chuckled again. “Cause you seemed to be having a blast. You don’t get to berate me one minute and then ask me to be your girlfriend, Zane.””I know.” The words came out roughly. “I know, okay?””Do you?””Yeah.” I ran a hand through my hair. Fuck. “What I said on the red carpet—“ I stopped again. Gosh—since when did English get so hard?She waited—arms still crossed, waiting. “What? It was tasteless?” She said, throwing my own words back at me.”Jesus, Callahan. I get it.” I exhaled sharply, looking away. Then I forced myself to look back. “I was wrong. On the red carpet—what I said, all of it. I shouldn’t have said any of it.”She remained silent—her expression unchanging. “But I need this to work,” I continued. My chest tightened again. Like something was squeezing my chest. “And right now, it’s not. It’s either we commit—really commit, or we lose everything.” She stared at me, searching my eyes to see if I was really serious.I was.I needed her to







