𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨?
Newly graduated accountant Cordelia Ashling has come to terms with the fact that her life is destined to be absolutely uneventful. That is until her parents gift her wi...
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I'm beginning to feel like an idiot with my hand out waiting for Cordelia to accept my deal. The amount of earth-shattering information I just dropped on her must have her in shock. This poor human came here thinking she was part of a themed singles' getaway, and now she is learning that the monsters under her bed are real. That alone should have her gripping my hand and agreeing to pretend we made a connection.
It's such an immature bargain to make. Who in their right mind would agree to fake date someone? To be honest, I'm hoping a woman desperate for my protection would. I can't go the entire summer, stuck on this island, having my best friend play matchmaker for me. Lorelai means well, but no one here is catching my attention, and time is running out. The best I can do is make her believe she almost accomplished what she set out to do with me. A little white lie to keep Lorelai focused on herself and not my impossible situation.
"Cordelia?" I ease my hand back, ready to accept my fate, but she stops me.
"Wait," she says, her fingertips brushing my palm as she closes her hand around mine. "Yes. We have a deal."
I raise my eyebrows and look down at her in surprise. "Really? You're sure? Don't feel like you must just because I—"
"No. I don't feel that way. You're 100% right. I have no idea what I've gotten myself into here, and to be honest, I'm fucking terrified. You saw me last night in the cemetery. I know there was someone in my room, and now that you've told me all this, I think you do too. And trust me; I've read enough romance novels to know all about fake dating. So yes. I'm in." She flashes me a bright smile, and her grey eyes twinkle with silver starlight.
I brush my thumb over the soft skin on the back of her hand, savoring the feel of her warmth for a second longer than necessary. I'd most likely take advantage of her nearness a little longer if it were not for one lingering thought consuming my brain.
"Are you telling me this is a real thing that people do? They pretend to date each other?"
She laughs, and the sound does something to my insides that I can't explain, but I also don't want to stop. "I don't know how often it happens in real life, but it happens in books all the time. It's all the rage right now, actually. It's my favorite trope. So getting to live it, and with a hot vampire? Even if this all seems pretty impossible and I might be losing it right now, I'm pretty damn lucky, all things considered." Her cheeks are incredibly red, and I wonder how much wine she had to drink before I got to the table.
I still have a small recollection of how wine and ale affected me before the venom of my sire changed me. As a young man, I'd made plenty of questionable choices under the influence of alcohol.
I clear my throat and begin our stroll down the shore again. Cordelia keeps a steady pace with me as I say, "I understand if you need a moment to really think about this. And I want you to know that I'd never impose anything upon you that you didn't want. We can keep things between us sweet and simple."
