Page 54 of Reluctantly Married

She smirked at him. “You weren’t thinking that, and you know it. Come on, spill.”

“All right. My biggest fear is probably having Leon make a mockery of my father on national television.” A smile formed on his lips, and he put his arm on her back, sending warmth and tingles through her. “But don’t sell yourself short. You’ve grown on me. I mean, I’m going to propose soon, you know.”

She froze, the warmth she’d felt a moment ago turning cold. Of course, she knew he was only doing it for the show. And it wasn’t real. But the thought of him proposing sent shivers through her anyway. “When?” she asked, her voice breathy.

A devilish look gleamed in his eye. “Now, I can’t tell you that. It has to be a surprise.” He moved closer to her, bending low. She couldn’t take her eyes off his lips. Why did she have this sudden urge to kiss him? The pull was almost overwhelming.

She glanced away to break the spell. “Well, I guess I’d better head to bed. I’ve got a date with Luc in the morning.”

“Ah, poor man,” Adam said in a bad French accent. “He will lose at this game of love.”

She tried not to laugh, but a giggle escaped anyway. “You shouldn’t try to speak in an accent. You might hurt yourself.”

His grin widened. “Or maybe it’s just too sexy.”

She poked him in the side. “You better get to bed. You’re delusional from lack of sleep.” As she left the room, she heard him chuckle.

20

The next three days werespent going on outings with Luc, Anthony and Adam. Every interview with Doctor Lemon grew tenser, with the fake doctor pushing Megan to admit she was in love with Adam. No matter how many times she told herself it was only a television show and she’d signed a contract and she needed to say the words, she still couldn’t force them through her lips.

While she readied for another date with Adam, she blew out a frustrated breath. It wasn’t like she didn’t feel anything for him. She did. Too much, really. He didn’t love her. He was acting, so why did she get butterflies every time she saw him? And why couldn’t she just do some acting of her own? Tell Doctor Lemon she loved him?

The answer hit her like a sucker punch. She couldn’t say it because she was afraid it was true. Saying it would only re-affirm what she feared. She had fallen in love with Adam. Would Doctor Lemon be able to see it?

She shook her head, not believing what was going through her mind. Doctor Lemon was a fake! She wouldn’t know a relationship from a monkey’s rear end. Of all the things she should be worrying about, Doctor Lemon finding out she was really in love with Adam was not one of them.

She slipped into her sun dress and sandals, and finished applying her makeup. The stupid fake doctor was going to get what she wanted in this after-date interview. She’d confess her love for Adam. They were paying her a hundred thousand dollars. She had to go along with it, right? No one needed to know her true feelings.

Having made the decision, her nerves grew into a tangled mess. Maybe she could put that out of her mind for her date. Ignore the uneasiness making her stomach clench. She stared at herself in the mirror. Who was she kidding? She was going to be a nervous wreck.

On the way out of her room, she grabbed her clutch purse. She expected to see Adam waiting in the entryway, but it was empty. The camera man followed her as she wandered around the main floor, growing more confused as she went. When she couldn’t find anyone, she stepped out onto the back deck.

Doctor Lemon sat on the wooden bench. A smile quirked her lips before she smoothed it out. “A car is coming for you and Adam. Please go pack your bags.”

Panic closed Megan’s throat, and she forgot all about having to confess her love. “What? Are we being kicked off the show?”

Megan got the distinct impression Doctor Lemon was trying not to laugh. “No. You are going on a date. You’ll be spending the weekend on a romantic beach in Florida. We’ve booked two rooms for you at a five-star resort.”

Relief flooded through her a second before the realization hit. This was it. This was when Adam would propose. Of course they’d do something extravagant like this. She tried to smile and show a little enthusiasm for the surprise getaway. “Wow. That’s…great.”

Why had she agreed to do this? Her acting skills obviously stunk. And now the nerves inside her had grown big enough to have little baby nerves to terrorize her. She flashed one last pathetic smile toward Doctor Lemon and fled to her room.

She tossed some things in her suitcase. In all honesty, she wasn’t paying much attention. Hopefully she wouldn’t get there and realize she’d only packed shirts. She threw in her makeup kit and zipped her rolling case, then proceeded to drag it down the stairs. This was going to be a nightmare.

Adam stood by the front doors, his travel bag by his feet. Seeing him made her nerves run rampant. He looked up at her, and a hint of a smile played across his features. “Hey.”

Why was he so good looking? Why did her heart have to pound like she’d never seen a handsome man before? She gripped her case and took the remaining steps toward him. Oh, dear. He smelled good. “Hi.”

“I guess they’re sending us to a resort.” He turned away. She’d have thought he was acting shy if she didn’t know him better.

“Yep.” Had she packed her swimsuit? She wasn’t sure. Didn’t matter. No way was she going swimming with Adam. Better to stay away from wearing skin-tight barely-there things around him.

He stared out the tiny window. “Have you ever been to Florida?”

“Hmm?” His words took a second to register. “Oh, no.” Her fingers tingled and felt numb. Was it possible to lose the feeling in your extremities because of stress? Could nerves do that? She stared down at her hands, twisted into a tight knot. Oh. Maybe she was just strangling the blood right out of them. She shook her hands and let out a breath.

“They’re here.” Adam picked up both their bags and still managed to open the door for her. “After you.”

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