His Pretend Girl (7 page)
Authors: Sofia Grey
I strode across the grass, dodging happy people drinking beer and eating sausages. My pace faltered when I was just a few steps away, but that was when he looked up and saw me.
Sadness turned to open-mouthed surprise, followed rapidly by a beaming smile that lit up his face. He moved forward, and I hurled myself into his arms and felt them tighten around me. His kiss was everything I wanted, and everything I’d left behind just a few days ago. It was soft, warm, and filled with love.
He teased gently at my lips, before nipping me and then soothing the sting. “That’s for not telling me you were here. I’d have picked you up from the airport.”
“I didn’t really think it through.” I gazed, entranced, at his beautiful eyes and the way they crinkled in the corners when he grinned. There were so many things I wanted to say, but the words eluded me.
His gift.
I dug into my pocket and pulled out the box. “I wanted to deliver your Christmas present.”
Ben’s eyebrows shot up. “You came back early to do that? You must be crazy.”
“I am,” I said, totally serious. “I’m crazy about you, Ben. I didn’t want to stay away any longer.”
I didn’t think his smile could get any bigger, but it did. “What about the christening?”
“I told my sister I didn’t want to do it.” She’d been furious, but Scott had calmed her down, and made her see sense. “One of my friends knows someone who works in travel, and they managed to bring my return flights forward. And here I am.”
“And here you are.” He looked dazed, as though he didn’t really believe I was there.
I pushed the little box into his free hand. “I hope you like it.”
He glanced around, and then guided me to a sunlight-dappled wooden bench a few steps away. We sat close. I didn’t want to stop touching him, and I snuggled into his embrace.
He opened the package carefully, tugging the ribbon open, and then sliding the paper away to reveal a slim box underneath. His eyes widened, and he glanced at me, pleasure written across his face. “Oh, my.” He blew out a breath. “You bought me a Chevalier.” He opened the box and lifted out the vintage fountain pen, to examine it. “It’s quite,
quite
beautiful. Thank you so much.”
My heart warmed. “I know you like classic things, and you still make notes the old-fashioned way, so I figured you might like a good pen.”
“Like it? It’s exquisite. Is it preloaded with ink?” He murmured to himself as he checked the pen. “Yes, it is.” His grin made my stomach turn cartwheels. “Let me try it out.” Digging into the back pocket of his jeans, he produced a crumpled sheet of paper that he smoothed carefully over his knee. “You’re not allowed to look.”
I was practically welded to his side, but I closed my eyes obediently and waited, listening to the faint scratching noise of pen on paper. It had been a great idea, and it suited him so well.
“Okay. You can look.”
I squinted at him. “Well? Does it work?” I knew it did, but playing was fun.
“You tell me.” He handed me the paper, now folded in half.
I opened the page, and like he had, made a show of smoothing it over his denim-clad knee. The breath caught in my chest. He’d drawn a heart with our names intertwined inside it.
He slipped his thumb under my chin, and tilted it to the perfect angle for my lips to meet his. His kiss was as delicate as butterfly wings. “I have to tell you. I love you, Dorothy.” He forestalled my speaking by raising his finger to rest on my lips. “You don’t have to say it back. You might think I’m rushing things, but I’ve been in love with you for months. I never thought we had a chance.” He leaned his forehead against mine, in a gesture so intimate, I thought my heart would burst. “Thank you for making today incredible.”
It was my turn to nip. I caught his finger in my teeth, and then pushed his hand away, before tangling our fingers together. “I love you too, Ben. I can’t tell you how happy you make me. It was only once I’d gone back to Emerald City that I realized there’s no place like home.”
“You mean New Zealand?” His voice was soft.
“I mean with you. Wherever you are. You’re what makes it home for me.”
THE END
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If you enjoyed seeing Sofia Grey’s geeky gal, Dorothy, and gorgeous hero, Ben, find love
, click here to purchase
Seeing the Love
. Lucas Wade is losing his sight. As the darkness threatens to swamp him, the one bright spot in his day comes in the form of Natalie Fontaine. She works in the sales office, hundreds of miles away, and she alone treats him like a regular guy. She has no idea about his disability, and he doesn’t plan on telling her about it.
But if Lucas can't be honest with her, Natalie may never see the love he has to offer.
~*~
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His Pretend Girl
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Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.