Craving The Wrong Brother (Sloane and Knox) novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171

My eyes immediately narrow.

Ryan?

I step closer to the bouquet, already feeling the tension in my chest. It can’t be Ryan. He hasn’t sent me flowers in years-our relationship had never been the romantic, spontaneous kind. I pull the small note attached to the bouquet. The handwriting is neat but not familiar. My heart does a weird little flip as I read.

“Glad we’re back on, fake girlfriend. You’re stuck with me now. Forever… or at least until Ryan comes to his senses-Luke.”

A laugh bubbles up in my throat, catching me off guard. Of course. It’s Luke. Who else would be so damn cheeky? I snatch my phone out of my bag and dial his number, my fingers drumming on the edge of the desk as I wait.

He answers after the first ring. “Good morning, Julie.”

I roll my eyes, though I can’t help the smile that creeps across my face. “Flowers? Really, Luke?”

“Hey, you texted me, remember? Saying the deal is back on. I asked myself what a fake boyfriend could get as a ‘welcome back’ gift to his fake girlfriend, something that would make her smile, and voila. Flowers.” His tone is playful, as if I should be grateful for the flowers. “Besides, I thought red roses were a nice touch. Got you thinking about me, didn’t they?”

“The only thing they did,” I say, “is make my office smell like a funeral home.”

“Ouch, Julie. You wound me. I thought you’d appreciate a little romance.”

“Romance?” I laugh, though my heart does that stupid flip. “Luke, we’re faking a relationship, not starring in a rom-com.”

“That depends,” he replies, and I can hear the smirk in his voice. “On how convincing you want this to be. We can go all in, or we can half-ass it. Your call.”

I pause, glancing at the flowers again. There’s something about the way Luke talks, the way he makes light of everything, that irritates me-and makes things easier at the same time. Less heavy. Less real.

“Fine.” I lean against the desk. “What exactly are you proposing?”

“Lunch,” he says simply. “We’ll start there. Then you can tell me how we’ll proceed.”

“Me?” I say. “You’re making it sound like I know anything about fake relationships. This was your idea in the first place, Luke.”

“And you didn’t have to agree,” he counters. “But you did. So here we are. Let’s have lunch and figure out the rules.”

“Just pick a place, Luke.”

“Already done,” he replies, his voice smug. “I’ll send you the details.”

“Fine,” I say, trying to sound casual, though my pulse is racing. “I’ll see you there.”

I drop my phone on the desk, releasing a long breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Luke, with his quick tongue and knack for throwing surprising things at me, flowers for example. I stare at the flowers again. They’re beautiful, sure, but the note -“stuck with me forever”-has my stomach in knots.

I shake my head, trying to push the lingering thoughts of Luke out of my mind. I glance at the clock. Still a couple of hours until lunch, and knowing Luke, he’ll pick some absurdly extravagant place just to mess with me.

My phone dings, pulling me from my thoughts.

1/3

Chapter 171

Luke: Still want me to pick the location? I’m giving you one chance to say no.

I sigh. Of course, he’s going to make this dramatic.

Me: I don’t care. Pick whatever.

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