Page 34 of Make-Believe Match

Another chill swept over my skin, even though the door was shut. “That doesn’t mean I’d marry you to keep it.” Brushing past him, I grabbed the pint of ice cream from the table and went into the kitchen. “Marriage might just be another kind of business deal to you, but it means something to me. I want to marry the love of my life. I want tobethe love of someone’s life.”

Devlin followed me. “We wouldn’t have to stay married forever. Just long enough for Gran to deed the property to you and get the renovations underway.”

Dropping my spoon in the sink, I opened the freezer and stuck the carton of ice cream inside. “That’s another thing. Even if we convince Gran to let me inherit early, that doesn’t solve the money problem. I need millions of dollars to renovate.”

“Leave that to me. I can get the money.”

“How?”

“I know people.”

I shut the freezer and looked at him leaning casually back against the stove. His confidence was reassuring and yet irksome. “It’s that easy for you? You can just snap your fingers and get millions of dollars?”

“Maybe notthateasy,” he allowed. “But I think it can be done. I’m up for the challenge.”

“Of course you are,” I said, recalling the wordsgive me fifteen minutes. “Nothing you love more than a challenge.”

He shrugged. “I can’t help it, I’m competitive. I grew up with three brothers always trying to outdo one another. And I wasn’t the oldest or the strongest, so I got my ass kicked regularly—until I realized I was the fastest and learned to outrun them.”

“Speaking of family, what’s yours going to say about this, huh? Are they going to believe you’re suddenly head over heels for a local ski instructor you met one night at The Broken Spoke?”

“If I tell them I’m happy, they’ll be happy for me. That’s how my family is.”

I shook my head. “Won’t it make you feel bad? Lying to them?”

For the first time, he hesitated, appearing slightly less sure of himself. “Yes. It will make me feel bad to lie to them. Honesty is important to me. But in this case, the lie isn’t hurting anyone, and I believe the ends will justify the means.”

“Speaking of the ends, what do you get out of this?” I rested my tailbone on the edge of the counter across from him. “There’s no way you’re doing this for me.”

“I’m doing this so that the sale to Black Diamond doesn’t go through.”

“I thought Black Diamond was your client.”

“Not anymore. I quit my job.”

I blinked. “You did what?”

“I quit my job.”

“Why?”

“My asshole boss gave the Black Diamond account to his dickhead soon-to-be son-in-law, whom I cannot stand for various reasons, and who does not deserve to get the win.”

I studied him. He was a slick talker, but I could tell he was leaving something out. “What are the reasons?”

“Never mind the reasons.” He crossed his arms over his chest, the sleeves of his T-shirt tightening around his biceps.

“Oh, you want me tomarry you, and you won’t tell me why you’d go to such lengths to piss off some business rival?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Are they business reasons? Or personal reasons?”

“Both.”

“So this is aboutrevengefor you?”

“Maybe.”