Page 59 of Pretend for Me

With a scream she barely contains, she bucks over me. Her eyes roll to the back of her head and her thighs quake over mine.

“Dev! I’m . . .” Piper tosses her head back, a heated moan falling from her lips as she grinds her hips, exploding like a bottle cap under pressure. “Oh, God, I’m coming!”

Her eyelids flutter and her skin is flushedand slick as her fevered eyes meet mine again. A moment later, that same up-to-no-good smile graces her lips as she releases a shaky breath.

“I knew you could show me the pearly gates of heaven, Dev Menon,” she whispers breathily, her body falling limp against mine. “And you did it without even having touched me.”

twenty-two

piper

A White Flag

“Space Mountain!” Deena shrieks, grabbing Dev’s forearm and bouncing on her toes. Her Princess Elsa crown catches a glint of sunlight. We’re wearing matching Elsa tiaras and gowns, actually. “Can we go to that one next?”

Her brother grimaces, his throat bobbing, before he shifts uncomfortably on his feet.

Wait, is that . . . fear I see in the unflappable and fearless Dev Menon? Surely he couldn’t be afraid of a little roller coaster?

Is that why we’ve only been on some of the tamer rides so far? He’s been clutching that park map with all his might while he skillfully steers us toward attractions like Indiana Jones’ Adventure and Gadget’s Go Coaster. The latter is only a roller coaster in name; it barely qualifies as a toddler ride! Hell, I think he would have taken us to an actual toddler ride if it didn’t cost him his reputation.

And then, when we were just about to board Big Thunder Mountain—a rocking chair might be scarier, by the way—I looked over to see that my fiancé had conspicuously gone missing. He’d later chalked it up to needing to go to the restroom.

“Of course!” Dev responds, though I notice his voicesounds a little higher, like he’s competing with Mickey Mouse. “There’s nothing I’d like to do more.” He turns to me with a hopeful expression, though I’m pretty sure I know what he’s hoping for. “I mean, if that’s what the birthday girl wants?”

I narrow my eyes, a smirk dancing on my lips.Nothing he’d like to do more? Really?

Oh, this is going to be fun.

The warm California sun is finally making its way out of the clouds as we stroll down Disneyland’s Main Street, USA. Though it’s been overcast and chilly all morning, I’m just happy that rain is not in the forecast. At least we can enjoy the park without any weather-related interruptions.

Or any interruptions, for that matter, because even though the park is bustling with its usual magic, there’s a bubble of privacy around us. Dev’s security team, dressed like everyday visitors, have created a perimeter around us while giving us the room to enjoy the experience without feeling like we’re being watched.

The four of us also have VIP access to all the rides, entered through private entrances, and have even taken some rides alone without the rest of the public.

I sayfourof us because Rome came with me. Sarina was supposed to have him for the whole weekend, but I begged her—manipulating her with my curled bottom lip and clasped hands, telling her it’s what I wanted for my birthday—to let him come with me. Plus, I reminded her that she’s been wanting him to get his nose out from reading books all day.

Thankfully, she caved. It’s not that she’s an overprotective mom, like my sister-in-law Shayla, but she’s never allowed Rome to go to another city with someone.

And fortunately, Deena and Rome made an instant connection, despite their age difference. I was a little worried when we first boarded the jet this morning, given they’d never met. But a one-hour flight, several flavors of boba tea,and a thousand space facts later, and they’d become the best of friends.

“Yeah! Let’s do Space Mountain next! Please, Aunt Piper!” Rome begs, his NASA-themed hat so low on his forehead, the bill hits his glasses. “Will it really feel like being in space?”

“I don’t know, Rome,” I say, lifting his hat and tucking his hair into it. “But I’m sure Uncle Dev can tell you all about it. He looks like a real roller coaster expert, wouldn’t you say?”

Dev shoots me a look, and if looks could kill, the ghost of Piper Parker would be hovering over the streets of Disneyland right now. She’d also probably be stuck in a loop inside Gadget’s Go Coaster in some form of hell on earth, too.

But I am glad to see my husband-to-be is finally looking at me again. If getting under his gorgeous skin is what it takes to break some of the tension that’s been lingering between us ever since our “encounter” in the salon a few days ago, then so be it.

He’s been attentive all day, having silenced all his work calls and making sure every detail is perfect for my birthday. It’s been nice seeing him let go, even if it doesn’t come in the form of raising his hands up in the air and screaming until his face is blue while plummeting a hundred feet at fifty miles-per-hour.

I’m just glad to see that rare dimple grace his beautiful face and those chestnut eyes crinkle at the corners.

I know he’s been increasingly worried about his mom, still struggling to accept her situation. It’s clear with the number of times he calls and visits her how terrified he is. But I also suspect he needed today, if not only to get his mind off of everything temporarily.

Still, things have been tense between us, like he’s scared to get too close for fear of a repeat of what happened at the salon.

“Uncle Dev, what will Space Mountain be like?” Rome asks excitedly, and I hold back a giggle.

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