“Can’t sleep?” His voice is neutral, and his face in the shadows, so I can’t make out his expression.

“I came down for something to drink and wondered if you were all right, standing out here like this.” Dang, it’s chilly. Downright cold. My nipples are like rocks when I reach him and I’m suddenly very aware of the thin satin between my skin and the night air. And him. Crossing my arms over my chest helps.

“You’ll catch cold out here,” he warns softly.

“So will you.”

“I’m not half-naked.”

“Neither am I, the last time I checked. I’m fully covered. And thank you, by the way.”

“For?”

“For this, for everything. I didn’t need nightgowns, you know. I brought my own. And no one is going to see them.”

“It’ll be better for you to live in the role.”

“Rich girls dress like this for bed?”

“Some do.” He turns to me, leaning against the railing.

“Am I doing all right as your fiancée so far?”

He nods slowly. “If you carry on doing this good, you’ll end up convincing me that you are my fiancée.”

“Ha, ha,” I say, but my heart skips a beat.

“Is being my fiancée what you thought it would be?”

“I’ve never been engaged, so I don’t have anybody to compare you to…” I grin. “But you’re doing fine. Better than I could’ve expected.”

“Really? Even though I’ve never given you an engagement ring?”

“Oh, my gosh!” I gasp, forgetting about covering my chest as my hands fly to my mouth. “I forgot.”

“I guessed you had.” He chuckles. “But I didn’t. My fiancée deserves an audaciously, insanely expensive ring.”

“But I would never—”

“…Feel comfortable wearing something like that,” he finishes. “Yes, I know. But this coming weekend isn’t about you, is it? And it isn’t about your comfort.”

“I thought you said you’d never make me wear something that would make me feel uncomfortable?” I tease.

His eyes twinkle. “I think we agreed to no porn star fetish clothes. But I don’t remember any discussions about impressive rings.”

I shrug. “Okay. Why not? It’s all pretend, anyway. I don’t know what I’m thinking. You’re being so generous. Thank you.”

He slides a hand into the back pocket of his pants.

I gape at him. “Wait. Now? I didn’t think you were going to give it to me now!”

“Give it to you?” He arches an eyebrow. “I love it when you talk dirty.”

“Or maybe I’m not talking dirty, you just have a nasty mind.” Whoa. Did I just say that?

I guess I did, since his smile widens, and grows more wicked. “It’s all your fault. I feel downright filthy whenever you’re around.”

“Down, boy.” I giggle, flushing all over.

“You’re right, of course. This is a very serious event.” He clears his throat, wiping all traces of a smile off his face. “I’m asking my fake fiancée to marry me, after all.”

“This is the most romantic situation of my entire life,” I deadpan.

He bursts out laughing. “You’re ruining the moment I’ve been carefully practicing for a lifetime.”

I mime zipping my lips shut and throwing the key over the balcony.

“Dani Saber will you be my fake fiancée this weekend?”

“Yes. A million times, yes.” I clutch my hands together like a princess in a Disney movie, and flutter my eyelashes as if I’m about to swoon.

A wry smile lifts one corner of his mouth. “All right, smart ass. Here you are.” He pulls out the small, velvet box and flips it open to reveal a ring which makes my jaw drop.

It sparkles like a star from a dark surface. My heart stops for a second. I reach for it, then I pull my hand back.

“Why did you do that?” he asks, taking the ring from the box.

“Do what?”

“You pulled back at the last moment.”

“I—I, nothing.”

“You wanted it didn’t you?”

I cross my arms and shrug. “It’s a very beautiful ring. That would have been a normal reaction for any woman.”

He stares at me. “No it was more than that. It stirred something in you, didn’t it? You denied yourself what you want in the depths of your heart.” He smiles gently. “Rightly so, seeing as how it was one of the rings I liked best when I went to Tiffany’s today.”

“You said you had to work.”

“Buying a ring is work for me,” he says dryly. He takes my hand and holds it up, positioning the ring at my fingertip. “I must warn you; this ring isn’t one of the things you can keep. It’s on loan.”

“I understand.” I wouldn’t even know what to do with it once I got home, anyway. What would I do with a zillion carat emerald-cut diamond? The insurance alone would bankrupt me.

He pushes the band along my finger. Once the cool platinum band is in place, he pats the back of my hand, in an almost fatherly gesture.  

I look up at him and our eyes lock as all of a sudden—the mood changes. How freaking bizarre, but this doesn’t feel fake. I must be going mad. The wine. Of course, the wine. Obviously, this isn’t real. He clearly said, the ring has to go back.

He raises my hand to his lips. “You deserve a ring like this,” he whispers, his breath warm against my skin. “And you deserve to know what it feels like to not hold yourself back from what you want deep in your heart.”

I can’t breathe. I’ll never breathe again. God, why can’t this be real? Why can’t I really have something like this? Someone like him?

He lowers my hand and looks deep into my eyes, moving closer until the warmth of his body and the scent of his skin are the only things in the world. Not even the massive engagement ring matters right now. Nothing does except Brock and the web of breathless desire he’s weaving around me.

When he catches my lower lip between his own, I lean into the kiss and let him wash over me. I can’t believe this. It’s not just a kiss—oh, no. That would be like comparing the piece of meat he gave me at dinner to the steak I grew up eating. It’s on an entirely different level. An entirely different plane of existence. His mouth on mine, moving slowly. Drawing it out. Making me groan from a place deep down in my center, a place only he’s ever been able to touch. All through one simple, firm but gentle kiss.

It stays gentle for only so long.

When he knows how darn affected I am, his hands slide around my waist until they’re pressing into my back and pulling my body closer to his. I feel him so acutely through the satin, and he can feel me. My skin warms at his touch and I wind my arms around his neck to hold on as he slowly drives me crazy and my knees go too weak to keep me standing. His tongue slides along the opening of my mouth before probing inside, exploring me as fireworks go off in my head. He groans, his hands pressing harder, the need between us growing like a fire which threatens to consume us both.

I want it to.

Yes, I want it with every fiber of my being. I want his hands on me and his lips, oh, his lips, his tongue and all of it. All of him. All night long and into the morning, again and again. I want to touch him everywhere and taste his skin and listen as he whispers my name in the darkness. My entire body seems to sizzle, and my nerve endings feel like they dancing and singing. Every cell in my body is desperate for satisfaction. But no. There will be none tonight.

I can’t.

We can’t.

My eyes fly open.

It takes every ounce of strength in my body and soul to pull away. It has to be done. We can’t take this any further, because he loves somebody else. He still loves her. Whoever she is. And I won’t be the woman who gets used and hurt. Not like this. Not when I know his heart is pining for another woman and I’m just a body in the dark.

He’s breathing heavily, nearly panting, and his erection is so strong I fear it will break the zipper of his slacks. I’m already wet, was from the moment our lips met, but the sight of his hard on makes me crave him inside me.

“We can’t do this.” I gasp, shaking my head, stepping away, hoping the cool night air will take away some of the burning in my cheeks. Maybe it will cool me off, too.

“Dani, wait a second.”

“No. Please don’t. You’re in love with another woman. We have an arrangement and it doesn’t include sex. I’m sorry if I gave you the impression I was available. I don’t drink much and all that wine went straight to my head.” I manage a wobbly smile. “I did really have a good time tonight though. Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome, but—”

“I should go back inside now. To sleep.” I can’t look at him anymore. If I do, he’ll pull me under again and I might not be able to make my way up to the surface this time. I want him too badly.

He doesn’t try to stop me. He’s forceful, but he knows how to take no for an answer.

“One more thing.” I stop, turning my head to the side. “I would like for our agreement to be put in writing and signed by the two of us before we leave on Friday morning. I want to be sure the terms are set in stone before we go.”

“Of course.” He’s all business now. There’s none of that breathless lust in his voice anymore.

Good thing. Neither of us needs it.