Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 57139 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57139 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
His expression shifted—from panicked to laser-focused. He shoved away from the table, walking me backward until my spine hit the cold steel of the fridge.
“Are you saying you’re upset?” His voice dropped low, dangerous. “That you had someone who actually knows you show up for your date, so people wouldn’t think you were a fake?”
He leaned down, breath hot against my neck. “Admit it—you’re glad I saved the day. Did I think people would recognize me or care? No. That was a lapse in judgment. Even geniuses like me get one every decade. So we deal with it. We’re already best friends. You’ve proved you can be a creative artist. Now you just have to follow through with the final dates. What could possibly go wrong?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re not my type.”
He laughed. “I’m everyone’s type.”
I smirked. “What’s next, you gonna take off your shirt and show me your six-pack? Or pull your pants down again?”
His nostrils flared. “You pulled my pants down. Remember? In front of your parents?”
I shoved his chest. “Please! Your dick said ‘hello’ before I could stop it.”
He barked out a laugh. “A pretty damn large hello, don’t you think?”
“Ew! That’s not how adults shake hands, Ezra!”
He spun me, pinning me back against the fridge. His eyes burned into mine. “Fine. I wanted it to be me.”
Every ounce of fight drained out of me. My breath hitched. “What do you mean?”
His gaze searched mine. “Maybe for once, I wanted to be the hero. Not hero support.”
A smirk tugged at my lips. “Did you just quote Sky High at me?”
“You left me no choice.”
“You know that’s my favorite movie.”
“The soundtrack’s criminally underrated.”
“Acting was top tier too,” I admitted.
He stepped back at last, running a hand through his hair. “Listen—we’re ride or die. Go on the other dates, finish this thing. How bad could it be living together and filming every day? Content houses do it all the time.”
I sighed. “It’s like you’ve never heard that Alex Warren song about burning things to the ground.”
He made a face. “Okay, fine, point goes to you. But I don’t think we’re going to have a problem here. Everyone wins.”
Something in my gut still twisted. “I win. But what do you get?”
His expression softened. “Your win is my win, Harper. I thought you knew that.”
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
EZRA
My car smells like your perfume, and I can’t stop sneezing. I think I’m allergic. Or maybe it’s just you, to be safe, let’s end things now. Yesterday I sneezed so hard I almost shit myself in rush hour traffic, I don’t need this.
—Bryant
The second Harper disappeared into her room for a shower, I slipped onto the balcony with my phone. Cold air cut through the morning haze, but it wasn’t enough to clear my head.
I scrolled past the endless mentions, the hashtags, the videos slowed down frame-by-frame analyzing the way I’d looked at her like she was oxygen. None of that mattered. Not compared to the text I’d gotten.
Call me.
No name attached. None needed.
I hit the number.
The line clicked, and then that voice—smooth as glass, sharp as knives. “Ah. I was expecting this.”
My stomach sank. “What do you really want?”
“You know what I want.” He sounded almost amused. “You promised me a show. I never got the show. And now? Now you’re trending worldwide. You fell right into my lap. Or should I say—right on my FYP page, never been more thankful for social media in my entire career.”
“This isn’t about you.” My voice came out rougher than I intended. “If this is about-“
“—Sure it is. You think your little friend thought this through? A TikTok dating stunt? Cute. But dangerous. It would be a shame if someone started digging into her family or even into her. Who knows what might crawl out of the closet once my team does a little digging and you know we specialize in that.”
My chest tightened as memories of my past came pounding into the present. Dead things were supposed to stay buried but he had an uncanny way of digging them up and bringing each and every one personally back to life. “Leave her out of this.”
“Relax.” He chuckled, low and dark. Good, he was in his supervillain era. “I don’t want to hurt her. I want what I was promised. And you, Ezra—you ran. You owe me. That’s on you, not her.”
I gripped the railing until my knuckles went white. “It was my choice.”
“Yes. And I’m fairly certain you’ll choose her. Because you’ve got that same look you did when you got your first paycheck.” His voice sharpened. “Obsessed. Hyper-focused. Determined. You won’t let her go.”
He let the silence stretch. “And I won’t let you go either, not until I get what I’m owed.”
The line crackled faintly. “So. Plan your first outing. Make sure it looks good. Post. Upload. Tag us as your sponsor. The network will be thrilled, do what you need to do to convince her to play nice and we’ll be in touch, this will be fun. You’ll see.”