All Chapters of PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Even with her in those ridiculous heels, they were in time, and before he was remotely prepared, they were standing outside the restaurant. Liam drew in a quick breath.“It’s now or never… Ready?”“As ready as I’ll ever be, Liam.”“Okay.” Liam reached for her hand… her soft, perfect hand, with long, delicate fingers.“I hope you don’t mind. We should act like… Well, you know… Like…”“Lovers,” she closed the sentence, wrapping her fingers around his. The clasp was perfect. Her hand felt surprisingly reassuring in his. Even if the word “lovers”, and the way she’d said it, had him conjuring up a vision of the two of them in bed… Hot, sweaty, and orgasmic. Which was not what Liam wanted to be thinking about when he saw his bosses. They walked into the upscale restaurant and were directed to the upper floor, where a private space had been reserved. There weren’t many people there yet. Only the key ones: Howard and his wife, Amanda; Howard’s brother, Gregory

That was it? ‘Okay’? Maxima had no idea why, but she kinda felt let down. He hadn’t tried very hard to argue her out of her position. And not that she’d have caved, but it would have felt good to know she was so desirable he’d make an issue out of wanting to sleep with her. She supposed he’d find another willing partner to play his games easily enough that not getting into her bed wasn’t going to bother him very much. How depressing… She hadn’t even been entirely honest. She’d slept with men she knew she didn’t love, but she’d always felt more than mere friendship, she supposed. And more than simply lust. And Maxima hadn’t been sharing living quarters with them at the time. Fortunately, since she couldn’t think of anything to talk about and her companion didn’t seem interested in starting a new subject of conversation, the cab pulled up in front of a wonderful building on the Upper East Side. The area was quite nice, and full of up

“Honey, I’m home!” Liam felt like an idiot announcing his presence in his own house, but he didn’t want to startle his temporary roommate. He stepped inside and felt his nostrils quiver. What was that amazing smell?“Hi, Liam!” a cheerful voice answered him. “You’re home early.” He put down his briefcase. He’d never thought of his home as cold before, but walking into it now, Liam noticed a huge difference. The space felt warm, lived-in, and whatever that woman was cooking, his stomach wanted some. Dragging his tie off, Liam moved closer to his kitchen. He had never thought a woman could look so sexy in an apron. The image reminded him of moms and old ladies at Christmas dressed as Mrs. Claus. But on Maxima? The red-and-white striped apron was about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Liam stared in amazement. Never had there been so much activity in his kitchen so long as he’d lived here. He’d grilled the odd steak, and a woman or

‘Yes, Liam, it is. Tougher than you can possibly imagine.’ Maxima couldn’t believe she said those words out loud. Liam looked so hurt at her words that she wanted to take them back. Say something else… a white lie, maybe. But Maxima was essentially an honest person, and tough didn’t even begin to describe what it was going to be like to spend an entire weekend with Liam when everyone thought they were an engaged couple. It was bad enough to share an apartment that he was rarely in. What would it be like if they had to share a room? Or the same bed? The kiss was still tingling on her lips, and in truth, she’d barely tasted the food she’d worked so hard preparing. All Maxima could taste was Liam. If she could turn the experience of kissing him into a flavor, she’d be the most successful caterer in history. Who could resist the taste of passion? Why hadn’t she said ‘no’ when this ridiculous charade was first suggested

‘Do you even know she fell in love with you from the first moment she saw you? All those years ago, up until she went away, that amazing woman had been in love with you!’ Billie’s words spun round and round in his head like the lyrics of a song. And they kept tormenting his brain endlessly, bringing to the surface all kinds of emotions he’d thought long-lost and forgotten. ‘In love with you…’ Liam wasn’t so damn clueless like his sister thought he was. He’d always suspected that Maxima felt something for him. He thought she had a huge crush. Because… who didn’t have a crush on him at that time? Whenever he was home from college, Billie’s high school friends would come around their house with crazy excuses just to see him. It was an injection of self-esteem. Maxima was a normal presence, so he never saw that as a sign of something more than it was: Billie’s best friend and their neighbor. She used to eat with them or organize study sessions with Bi