Famously Engaged Read Free

temporary engagement. And if you prefer, I’ll call you Cinders?”
    “You’d best call me Beth,” she said. “You know what? Cinders will do fine, actually. I’ll be Cinders, and courtesy of your too-long rock-god hair, you can be Famous Man.”
    “Beth.” He paused for several heartbeats before making a rough sound in the base of his throat. He pressed the paper into her hands. “Read all of it.
    She read. The article included all of her contact details, and
    everything from a detailed physical description to a list of life skills and character traits. It even had her height, weight, and IQ score.
    “Tell me, in as few words as possible, why this is happening and how you got my personal information.” She fisted her hands on her hips when he checked his watch. “Go ahead and wait till the reporters get here. You can tell all of us at once.”
    “Women.”
    The single word was barely audible, but the sentiment behind it set her blood to boil.
    “Women who don’t want their personal details made public?
    Are they the women you’re muttering about?” She waved the sheet of paper in his face. “I’m not looking to get married. Or engaged. I’m happy to surrender my winning lottery ticket and forfeit my prize.”
    “A prize you could forfeit. A fiancé you can’t.”
    “Watch me.”
    “Denying it will only fuel speculation.” His breath hissed out and he rubbed his open palm over his face. “We’re starring in a modern-day fairy tale that’ll capture the public’s interest.
    Cinderella bagging Prince Charming will make for a couple of great headlines, but if Cinders snubs the prince, the story will explode. They’ll hound us both until marriage starts to look like the easy option.”
    “But none of it is true!”
    “Doesn’t matter. Our engagement will be headline news all over the world tomorrow. Unfortunately, it’s unavoidable. That’s why it’s best if I move in—temporarily, of course.”
    She reached back and curled her hand around the familiar crescent-moon doorknob. “Trust me, living together is avoidable. I’m not willing to share my house with anyone tonight. Not even you.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “My mother’s in every room of this house. I can’t possibly cater to a guest tonight and I can’t be engaged to you, either.”
    Tears pooled in her eyes and she tried not to blink, tried not to let her lower lip tremble. Suppressing the urge to throw herself at the self-proclaimed prince wasn’t easy, but she straightened her spine to tell him to get back on his horse instead. “You seem…very nice. But my life’s too complicated for me to get involved in something like this. I’m sorry to mess with your plans, but you’ll have to find someone else to play Cinderella.”
    He studied her, his hazel eyes full of concern, compelling her to continue.
    “If your timing were better—” She stopped the apology that hovered on her lips. “I can’t have this conversation. I shouldn’t have to, because I don’t know you.”
    Jake’s hands closed over her shoulders, the heat of his fingers through the delicate fabric of her robe warming far more than they touched. Tiny frissons of awareness spread through her system, giving it a long overdue wake-up call. His thumbs kneaded her tight neck muscles, and when he spoke his voice was pitched low.
    It wound around her, threatening to undermine her composure.
    “Skyla and Brad have told me so much about you that I feel as if I know you,” he said. “I know your mother isn’t well. I know you rarely sleep and forget to eat.”
    “Jake.” She searched for the right words and came up empty.
    He was intruding on a very private occasion. “My mother wasn’t just unwell, she was dying, and she lost her battle a few days ago.
    Now that she’s gone, I need to be here with all of her things, in the house we’ve always shared.”
    “I had no idea. The last time I spoke to Brad he was intent on moving