Page 14 of The Cupcake Standard

I ignored the pang in my chest at the proof that Derek’s heart belonged to another. That’s a good thing, right? All the more reason this fake relationship is perfect. We can both keep our hearts safely out of it.

“Dammit, Kevin.” Another rumbly voice scolded the first. “Not only is his girlfriend in the next room, you know how Derek gets when she’s brought up. What the hell? He invites you over to watch football, and you run your mouth? Asshole.”

It must have been Derek storming down the hall, slamming the door. I wanted to know more about this mysterious Princess. What did she do to make him react like that? We hadn’t discussed our pasts yet, and I wondered what other secrets he had. I reminded myself he’d never made me any promises. This was all for show.

“I’m just worried about him, man. Us men of means gotta stick together, watch out for each other.” That was definitely Kevin.

I bristled. Worried about him, my foot. More like worried I’m some gold-digging tramp wanting to rob him blind. I stalked back over to the bed. An en suite bathroom caught my eye, as did my full closet. A wicked idea slipped into my mind, so I set about putting it into action.

Half an hour later, I stepped out of the bathroom, happy that everyone still seemed to be hanging out. When I heard Derek’s voice join theirs, relief pulsed through me. Good, he’s back in time for my show.

In a slinky gold wrap dress I’d bought for a Halloween costume last year, I really played up the part by teasing my hair high on my head. Since my hair reached my waist, I was able to attain an impressive height. I completed the look with evening makeup and my best costume jewelry. I’d even found a pair of rarely worn heels that had me teetering down the hallway.

Before I rounded the corner, I bit my lower lip to plump it out, squared my shoulders, then I made myself known. There were five guys total in the spacious living room, all jaws dropping as I strutted across the floor to plaster myself against Derek. To his credit, my fake boyfriend recovered quickly, catching my wink and schooling his face to not give anything away.

I pitched my voice to an annoying whine. “Derek, darling, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”

“Of course, Avery. I hadn’t realized you were up yet.” He went around the circle, ending with Kevin.

The triumphant gleam in Kevin’s eye was hard to miss. “Ah, the infamous Avery. We’ve heard so much about you.”

I set about exacting my revenge. “All good things, I hope.” I batted my fake eyelashes, running a hand down Derek’s chest before pushing off him to go after his friend. “I’ve heard you’re sitting on a pretty penny, too.” I lowered my voice to a stage whisper, leaning in, “Maybe if you’re lucky, you can find a gold digger of your very own.”

Kevin’s face blanched.

“But don’t worry, I’m not after Derek’s fortune. My mother is Mabel Milbourne, author of How to Land a Guy and…Keep Him!, YouTube trendsetter, fashion guru.” I paused, a cold smile curving my lips as I stared into his pale face. “You might have heard of her. I’m doing well enough on my own that I don’t need to be drooling after Derek’s money.”

I spun on my heel, pausing to give my fake boyfriend a very pointed, slow scan from head to toe. “Besides, he has plenty of other parts to drool over, thank you very much.” I moved to press a kiss to Derek’s cheek.

Instead, he turned to meet my lips, crushing his mouth against mine. Too surprised to pull away, I gave in as he claimed me, deepening the kiss for several long moments before he broke it off. Wild-eyed, I stared up at him, unsettled at the pride in his gaze and the butterflies in my stomach. It took a minute to regain my confident persona. I swallowed, stepping back. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go change into something…normal.” And I made my exit.

As soon as I was out of sight, the guys erupted into laughter. They hooted and hollered, with one noticeable exception-–I didn’t hear Kevin’s obnoxious voice once in all the commotion. I’d just made it to my room when there was a tap on my door.

Derek’s voice was tentative. “It’s just me. Can I come in?”

I cracked it open, coming face to face with him. Uncertain, I stepped back, then shut the door behind him.

“Sorry we woke you. I hope you were able to get some rest.” He leaned against the wall near the door. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks. It felt good to get some sleep.” I gave him a small smile. “Hope I wasn’t too much out there, but I had to do something.”

The grin on his face showed his appreciation. “You were great. Sorry you overheard Kevin being a jerk.”

I shrugged. “Gina interrogated you. Your friends think I’m a gold digger. We all have our crosses to bear.”

Derek’s face darkened. “Kevin is…not exactly a friend.”

Confusion hit me, my brow furrowing. “Then what’s he doing here?”

“He’s Rhonda’s fiancé. I guess she heard about you moving in, and she thought she’d get the scoop when I invited the guys over to watch the football game.”

My head snapped toward him. “Wait, who’s playing?”

With a confused look, he slowly answered, “Detroit Lions versus Green Bay Packers.”

“So it’s still Thursday?” I did a happy dance. “Help me out of this thing before I miss kickoff.” It was hard enough to squeeze myself into the stupid dress, but it was definitely a two-person job getting it off.

“Um, excuse me?” His eyes were wide, gaping as if I’d spoken another language, and his cheeks grew redder by the second. “How do you propose I do that?”

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