His Desire (Billionaire Blind Date Book 5) Read Online Free Page A

noticed that, right away. I can’t have single men thinking you’re available, when you’re not.”
    I pulled the velvet ring box from my pocket and cracked it open. My throw had chipped my dresser mirror, but it hadn’t hurt the ring at all.
    “Grant . . . what are you doing?”
    “Finally giving you a ring.” I held it up, took Sophie’s left hand, and slipped it on her finger. “Perfect fit.”
    Out of the corner of my eye I could see Hollis leaning back, beaming at us. But Sophie didn’t smile. She stared down at the ring.
    “What are you doing ?” she breathed.
    “Let’s set the date. No point in waiting, is there?”
    Sophie looked from me to Hollis, whose smile was slipping. “I . . . Excuse me. I have . . . excuse me . . .”
    She stood and ran from the table. Hollis stood, as if he might try to follow. “Is she all r—”
    “She’s just overwhelmed. I should have done it in private, but . . . Good night, Aten. I have . . .”
    He was waving me off saying go, go, but I was already running after her. I knocked a plate of something with a red sauce out of a server’s hand, splashing both of us, but I’d have to take care of that later.
    She wasn’t outside the restaurant. She was on the next block, hurrying away, jumping toward the street and trying to hail every cab that passed. I ran.
    “Sophie!”
    She frantically waved at a cab that turned its light off just before I reached her.
    “Sophie, wait.”
    She put her hand up so I couldn’t grab her arms. “How could you spring something like that on me?”
    “I’m sorry. I thought—”
    “I’m not going to play this game with you anymore.”
    “What game?”
    “ What game? Grant, you put a ring on my finger in front of Hollis and said we should set the date now. That game.”
    “Damn it, it’s not a game, Sophie.” Should I have expected this reaction? My uncle’s voice told me I should have. I don’t know what I expected. I just wanted her without the pitfalls that could come with wanting someone so much.
    She sniffed and wiped at her cheek. “If it’s not a game, then what is it?” Her eyes widened. “Are you trying to say that you meant it? You were actually asking me to marry you?”
    Both yes and no were right, and both were wrong. And the longer it took me to answer, the more something came over her face. Hope?
    “No, of course not.”
    She sobbed and turned to wave down another cab.
    “I mean, yes, I really want you to marry me . . . to keep up appearances. I’m so close to sealing the deal with Hollis, and if he becomes suspicious now—”
    “I’d already told him we broke up. I don’t think he suspects a thing.”
    I had no idea she’d done that. “I don’t want to risk it.”
    Sophie shook her head. “ I don’t care .”
    And a cab pulled up to the curb. She was going, and she was furious and hurt. I couldn’t let her walk out of my life.
    “The dresses and jewelry?” I said.
    She stopped with one leg in the cab. “They’re boxed up, I just haven’t gotten around to sending them back to you.”
    “I don’t want them back. But you should consider the money I spent on them. I know you’ve helped me, but I’ve helped you in return, as you pointed out yourself.  It would help me now immensely to keep Hollis thinking everything’s fine until the final paperwork is done. If we have a ceremony that he’s invited to, he’ll never have reason to doubt, and you can divorce me whenever it suits you. Win-win.”
    “Win-win,” Sophie said.
    “Yes.”
    “So it would just be to convince Hollis we’re really together, and married?”
    “Of course. Why else would—”
    “Stop. Just stop right there, Grant. No, I’m not going to pretend to marry you.”
    I knew I’d bet everything and lost with my stupid knee-jerk response. My unwillingness to let this woman know that the real ploy here was that any of this was fake.
    “Sophie—”
    “No.
    “That ring on your finger alone was half a million dollars.