Page 25 of Pretend for Me

Dev’s lips twitch, and I internally high-five myself.

“This is all just happening so fast,” Mayer mumbles disheartedly, his hand brushing my bicep again. “You sure you don’t want to think about it some more? Maybe we can change your mind?—”

“You can’t,” Dev interjects sharply, his voice laced with ice, his nostrils flaring. “And if you have any intention of using that hand for the rest of your useless existence, I suggest you remove it from my fiancée.”

Mayer’s eyes widen before he drops his hand, but not before the three of us stare at Dev with a mirrored look of shock.

I’ve seen annoyance and exasperation cross his features before, but rage? That is new.

Given that the media is always regaling him as the most composed and level-headed tech genius of our time, I’m positive they haven’t seen this side of him. A side that says he doesn’t make empty threats.

He looks outright lethal, despite not having lifted a finger. And given Oscar and Mayer’s swift departure from my salon without so much as a goodbye, I gather my fiancé isn’t the type who ever needs to.

I turn to face him with a smirk, squeezing his bicep. “You know, if this whole ‘broody billionaire’ thing ever fizzles out, you’d have a solid career as a bouncer. What, with all that intense jaw clenching, nostril flaring, and bicep flexing, you’d be a shoo-in.”

And what do I get in response?

That’s right. Another one of his drawn-out blinks.

ten

dev

The Yin To My Yang

We’re still facing each other, her citrus scent swirling in the air between us, despite the scent of those damn lilies trying to overpower it.

An urge to grab them and shove them into the nearest bin nags at me, but I rein in the impulse, knowing I’ve already acted like enough of a caveman for one night.

I’ve never been one to resort to threats or barely held displays of . . . what would you call this? Possessiveness? A claim on something—someone—that’s mine? But she’s not mine.

Sure, I’ve had my fair share of battles with Dad to prove that I’m every bit the CEO he was forMenon Inc. But fighting for a person, for her attention? That’s uncharted territory.

But then I saw one of the blond idiots reach for her face—touch her fucking skin—and molten lava coursed through my veins.

Honestly, I’m baffled by it all—this overwhelming protectiveness and uncontained fury. This entire arrangement is a farce, destined to dissolve with my mother’s passing. So how is this blind and barely controlled rage rearing its head atthe mere sight of someone touching her when she’s not even mine to touch?

Her amber-flecked green gaze assesses me before my own dips to the luscious petal-colored curve of her lips. As those tantalizing lips lift upward, so do my eyes, and I clear my throat, taking a step backward.

“We should?—”

A distant scratching and muffled meows halt my words, and both Piper and I turn to the sound.

Piper smiles. “Someone knows her man is here and she’s anxious to see him.” She turns to me, eyes hopeful. “Would you give my girl some love? I promise, she’s not like this with anyone else.”

I nod, following Piper down the hall. “I was actually wondering where she and the other cats stayed when the salon was closed.”

She glances at me over her shoulder, that mischief I’m getting familiar with dancing in her eyes. “You were thinking about me and my pussy, were you?”

My eyes hood. “Never said anything about you. Your pussy, however . . .?”

Piper turns to face forward again, but not before I catch the pink in her cheeks.Yeah, sweetheart, two can play this game.

She clears her throat. “The salon is open seven days a week, so someone is always here to take care of them, but we put them in this room at night before we leave so they don’t get into trouble or get hurt.” With a turn of a key, she unlocks the door to the cats’ room. “They have their beds, litter box, and water in there.”

Sure enough, Vajayjay slips through the crack in the door as it swings open, heading straight to me. Her large jade-colored eyes take me in before her tiny mouth pulls back for a soft meow, showing me her canines.

I’ve never been a cat guy, never even had an inclinationtoward them. But did I maybe, possibly, perhaps watch an hour of cat videos on YouTube while I was on my way to Germany? Maybe, possibly, perhaps.

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