Dancing Between Lies
. . .
Cade
Ellie Darling might not be a hit man, but she was still trying to kill me.
Or maybe Nate was by putting her in that damn dress.
It hugged Ellie’s curves like it’d been custom made just for her, while the backless design felt personally targeted toward me.
And suddenly I had trouble focusing on anything else.
Hiring Ellie was supposed to be safe. Strictly business. Where was the temptation in a woman who dressed up in unicorn onesies and cuddled for a living?
It didn’t help that Lovejoy had turned the main deck into a romantic wonderland.
Fairy lights were strung up above us, featherlight piano notes played from unseen speakers, and those godforsaken rose petals made a return—sprinkled along the deck and maroon tablecloths.
She’d set up private tables for each couple, and now Ellie was sitting across from me at a tiny candlelit table with the sun setting in front of us.
I’d thought it would be an uncomfortable few hours to get through, but Ellie immediately broke the ice by talking about her little hellion. She rambled on about Whiskey’s resilience during his surgeries and how much he was going to love cat yoga at his fancy new daycare.
It felt natural to sit across from her and listen to her yap.
Easy.
“Oh wow.” Ellie stopped babbling about her cat long enough to look out at the horizon, and her lips parted in awe. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so mesmerizing.”
I swirled my scotch around in its glass, then downed the double shot just to stop my big mouth from telling her the sunset didn’t hold a candle to her damn dress.
“Eat,” I said instead, nodding toward the filet she hadn’t touched.
Ellie glanced down at her full plate. “Oh. I shouldn’t.”
“Shouldn’t?” My brows rose. “It’s dinner, and you haven’t taken a single bite.”
Maybe she’d filled up on those chocolate croissants earlier.
Ellie fiddled with the neckline of her dress, while avoiding looking at me. “It’s just… Well, this dress is by far the nicest thing I’ve ever worn in my life. And it’s a loan, so I don’t want to risk spilling anything on it.”
I squinted, not seeing the problem. “Then keep it.”
Her brow furrowed. “Keep what?”
“The dress. It’s yours.”
She went completely still, except for the widening of her eyes. “You can’t be serious.”
“Fiancés get each other gifts all the time. Consider it part of the facade. If you’re still worried about ruining it, then I’ll just buy you another one.” I nodded toward her untouched food. “Now eat.”
Ellie’s mouth opened and closed. She swallowed. “I… Um, wow. Thank you.”
She carefully skewered a piece of broccolini but hesitated, fork in the air. “Dr. Lovejoy said we’re supposed to compliment each other with each bite tonight.”
I glanced at the tables around us, none of them paying any attention to us.
The other couples were all in their own worlds, leaning close together and whispering.
Lovejoy was even having a romantic dinner of her own with a certain love guru, and she giggled like a schoolgirl at whatever Reyes said with his sleazy grin. “She won’t know we aren’t doing it.”
Ellie considered that, then shrugged and took a bite. Then another. We ate in a comfortable silence, and she didn’t spill a single drop on her dress.
Once our plates were cleared, Lovejoy sashayed over in her long teal bohemian dress.
“I come bearing dessert,” she announced, presenting a small platter of chocolate-covered strawberries that made Ellie perk up.
Lovejoy’s lips curved in a small coy smile.
“And if you don’t mind, I’d love to check in on our little activity.
Maybe listen in to a compliment or two. Go ahead, Ellie.
Feed a strawberry and a compliment to your partner. ”
“Oh, okay.” Ellie wet her lips, practically salivating at the sight as she carefully selected a larger strawberry.
She cleared her throat before meeting my gaze.
“Cade, you’ve been incredibly generous since the moment we met,” she said slowly, then winced. “Well—maybe not the exact moment, but you know what I mean. And this dress is the nicest gift I’ve ever gotten. I love it. Thank you.”
She offered me the strawberry, and I held her wrist, taking a bite of the treat. Ellie watched closely, and I fought a smirk when my thumb brushed over her jumping pulse.
“Very well done!” Lovejoy praised loudly, spooking Ellie into dropping the rest of the strawberry and pulling back. “Your turn, Cade. Please take a strawberry.”
I selected the one with the most chocolate, feeling like a student being told to do an activity by their teacher. I wanted to be honest, but we had to be careful about what was said in front of the fraud. Then it hit me. “I wasn’t lying when I said that nap with you was the best sleep of my life.”
Ellie’s lips twitched until a smile peeked out. “Yeah?”
I held the strawberry out to her. “Well, until last night.”
Her smile widened into a grin, and she leaned closer to reach the strawberry. I watched in fascination as her lips wrapped around the little fruit, and her eyelids fluttered shut as she hummed in pleasure.
I went still at the undeniably attractive sound, and she was so excited by the chocolate that she took a second bite and almost nipped my fingertip off.
Lovejoy made a noise between a squeal and a laugh. “Oh, you two are just adorable. It’s like you’re still in that early, butterflies-in-your-stomach, can’t-stop-grinning stage of love!”
Ellie’s eyes widened in alarm as she backed off, and I couldn’t risk her putting her foot in her mouth, so I forced a smile. “I could say the same about you and Mr. Reyes over there.”
Lovejoy threw her head back with a laugh, before tossing me a wink. “Oh, Indigo and I go way back.”
That was more information than I wanted to know.
“Well, I won’t interrupt you lovebirds any longer,” Lovejoy said, stepping back. “But I’ve got my eye on you for the Love Olympics at the end of the week. I think you’ll do very well together.”
She walked off to the next table, and Ellie frowned. “… Just how competitive are these pretend Olympics?”
My lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know what we’ll be doing, but I’m not losing to Harrison again.”
She gave me an eye roll, just as a new song started playing that made Ellie sit up straighter with a gasp.
“Oh my gosh. This is so cheesy, but I don’t even care because I love this song.” She beamed, scooting her chair back. “Come dance with me.”
I stared at her, questioning her sanity. “No.”
“Oh, come on.” She marched over to my seat and clasped her hands together. “Nothing will convince everyone we’re together better than dancing to love songs.”
“I don’t dance.”
“Then just stand there while I dance.” She leaned closer. “Please, Cade? Dance to a few songs, and I promise I’ll try my best to help you beat your brother in the Love Olympics.”
Her gaze turned pleading, which was completely unfair. So I got up, took her hand in mine, and wrapped my other arm around her back—once again thanking and cursing Nate for the backless design. My feet guided us in a slow sway.
“Happy now?” I murmured.
Ellie hummed softly, easily following my lead. “Very. Thank you.”
There wasn’t a dedicated dance floor, but the deck itself had plenty of space. We started out with a little room between us—not as much as a middle school dance, but enough that it’d raise questions about the ruse—so I gradually eased her closer as we swayed together.
Over the top of Ellie’s head, I spotted Harrison watching us from his table with a shit-eating grin. I shook my head and slowly turned us until my back was to him. Ellie gravitated closer, only hesitating a moment before resting her head against my chest.
I should’ve pulled away. Should’ve made an excuse to leave dinner early so I could get some work done in our cabin. Should’ve focused on the Tokyo deal and other mergers and a thousand other things that needed my attention this week.
I should’ve remembered Ellie’s ridiculous Cuddle Code that’d stop her from ever getting involved with a client.
Instead, I just pulled her closer as another song started.