Page 24 of Pretend for Me

I nod. “Yeah, maybe.”

I’m putting the cats in the back room for the night, five minutes after Joshua leaves, when I hear the familiar sound ofthe salon door opening. I saunter down the hall to greet my fiancé, only to find it’s not him standing there.

My brows rise at the sight of Oscar and Mayer at the door holding a bouquet of flowers. “Hey!” I manage, offering them a hesitant smile. “What are you guys doing here?”

I’d shot the brothers a text a couple of days ago, mentioning I had some news to share and agreeing to meet over the weekend. So, it’s a little surprising that they’re here today instead.

It’s not that they’ve never shown up at the salon before, but we usually have an understanding to meet at their place. There’s never been anything serious between us, which has suited me perfectly fine. No strings means no expectations, and no expectations means no risk of hearts getting involved and inevitably broken. But suddenly I’m feeling a little awkward with their presence here, given I’m expecting my fiancé any minute.

“We were in the area, so we decided to swing by,” Oscar says. “Glad you’re still here; otherwise, these would have gone to waste.” He indicates the flowers in his hand, sauntering over to hand them to me.

I take the bouquet, the lilies filling my senses, before setting it down on the reception desk. “Thank you. That was really thoughtful of you.”

“Any chance you’d be up for an impromptu date?” Mayer asks. “Have you eaten?”

“I know I’m starving,” Oscar adds, his eyes scrolling down my body before he winks at me. “But more for dessert, if you know what I mean.”

I tense.

The banter isn’t uncommon between us. Hell, I participated in it the last time the three of us were together weeks ago, but now it feels . . . wrong. Undesirable and off-color.

“No. Actually, we need to talk about that—us, I mean.”

Oscar’s fingers graze my jaw. “We can talk at dinner or back at our place, if you want?”

“She doesn’t.”

All three of our heads jerk in the direction of the voice, devoid of all humor.

“Dev?” I gasp, staring in bewilderment as the most handsome man I’ve ever seen closes the distance between us, his hands casually tucked inside his pockets, betraying the murderous glint in his eyes. Eyes that are currently locked onto Oscar’s fingers still hovering in the space between him and I. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

He stays silent. And whether it’s the look of irritation on his face or the set of his jaw, something in me pulls me to his side. Wordlessly, I find myself sliding my hand in his, as if instinctively knowing he needs it.

Our fingers intertwine and electricity crackles through me, sending a shiver down my spine. His skin is warm and gentle against mine, kindling something I hadn’t acknowledged was there before, deep in my core.

Surprise flashes across Dev’s face before he swallows, making his Adam’s apple bob. But when I give his hand an encouraging squeeze, some of the tension releases, and he finally takes a real breath.

“Dev,” I say, looking back at the bewildered identical blond twins in front of me. “This is Oscar and Mayer?—”

“Victor and Mason,” Mayer interjects, but his correction evaporates from my mind as if he hasn’t even spoken.

“Guys, this is my fiancé, Dev Menon,” I carry on, looking at Dev’s profile. He’s still clenching his jaw, his dark eyes smoldering.

“Dev Menon?” Oscar asks, his gaze flicking from mine to Dev’s face bewilderedly. “TheDev Menon? As in, the CEO ofMenon Inc.?”

“Fiancé?” Mayer adds, his face contorting with disbelief. “What do you mean, yourfiancé?”

“She means the guy she’s going to marry,” Dev drawls, like he’s dealing with morons when he could be doing so much more with his time. His thumb caresses the back of my hand and I wonder if it’s intentional. Probably not. “Me.”

“But—”

“Listen, fellas,” I jump in, wanting to get this explanation over with before my fake fiancé has a not-so-fake coronary. “I wanted to have this chat later, but honestly, I’m glad you’re here now. I know this is surprising for you, but let’s face it, we were never exclusive.”

I clear my throat. “And then . . . well, Dev happened. So, while it was fun between us, I decided it was time for me to settle down.”

A grin finds my lips, knowing I’m going to annoy my husband-to-be with the rest of my response, but also knowing it’s becoming my most favorite thing to do so.

“Dev has been crazy about me for some time, hell-bent on marrying me, begging every chance he had. It was becoming quite cumbersome to keep saying no, and given the man’s prospects areclearlylimited, I took pity on him.”

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