Page 74 of Rebellious Hearts

But that would be stupid. I wasn’t supposed to care about what he thought. It didn’t matter—he was my boss, and we’d only pretended to be married so that the Blackwood factory and rejuvenating Harborview project could get underway.

Before coming here, Ben had asked if we would still keep pretending, since we were in Savannah and the rich circles were small. If someone saw us and reported back to Richie, the gossip had to be that we were madly in love.

I was just struggling to draw the line between pretending and really feeling that way.

You’re being silly. It’s just a game. Remember who the real player is.

After all, Ben and I had met as one-night stands. That was who he really was. Everything he’d shown me during this business trip had been for the sake of getting the project.

But that couldn’t be true, could it? That couldn’t be possible, to keep up the act for so long, especially when we were together… last night had been incredible and it had felt real between us. It had felt like we were a real couple, and even though Ben hadn’t told me he was in love with me, he’d shown me in so many ways.

The way he was acting now, though—

Before I could finish my thought, he took my hand and squeezed it, then slid his hand onto my leg. He shifted a little closer to me, and when he dropped a kiss on my shoulder, despite it being through a patent leather jacket, it made me feel warm, and his touch sparked electricity between us.

“I need to go to the ladies’ room,” Amy announced. “Sofia, do you want to come with me?”

I hesitated. I wasn’t very comfortable around new people, but Amy was so open and warm, wearing her feelings in herexpression, and I liked her. Besides, saying no would make it seem like I had something against her, so I nodded and stood.

“I’ll be right back,” I said.

Ben caught my hand and tugged me back. When I leaned down, he planted a kiss on my lips and smiled at me.

Heat rushed through my body, and I turned to follow Amy to the restroom.

When we washed our hands at the sinks, Amy glanced at me in the mirror. I checked my hair and makeup. My hair was in a braid down my back with strands in my face, and my wooden earrings complemented my brown jacket and boots.

“I love your jeans,” Amy said.

“Oh, thanks,” I said and looked down at my dark blue skinny jeans.

“Where did you get them?”

I blushed. “A thrift store.”

“Yeah?” Amy asked with a frown. “Why would someone want to get rid of something that great?”

“I wondered the same thing,” I said with a relieved sigh when there was no judgement. “But they have a good home now.”

Amy giggled. “Very kind of you.”

“We have to help where we can,” I joked.

Amy laughed, and she turned to face me, leaning her hip against the marble sink, arms crossed over her chest. She wore light blue jeans, heels, and a flowing white strappy top that made her look elegant and eclectic.

“Speaking of helping, I heard you got the project.”

“Oh, yeah,” I said and smiled. “Ben is ecstatic. It will look really good for him when he reports back, and it will help so many people, I can’t help but feel pleased.”

“Even if you based it on a lie?”

My stomach twisted, and I swallowed, feeling guilty.

“It wasn’t my idea,” I said defensively. “And throwing Ben under the bus wasn’t going to help anyone.”

“I’m not trying to scold you,” Amy said. “I would have done the same thing, honestly.”

I blinked. “Really?”