We had rules:
No feelings.
No falling.
Too bad our hearts—and bodies—never got the memo.
Ayodele
I came here with dreams and determination. Now I’m one step from losing everything—my education, my future—my time is running out.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Osei offered marriage. Sweet, charming… unfaithful Osei. It would’ve been messy. Risky.
Then Luke steps in.
My best friend’s older brother.
Sharp-suited. Sharp-tongued. Always composed. Always watching. The man who makes silence feel like tension.
His solution? A marriage arrangement. Fake on paper. Real enough to fool everyone.
He gets to escape the loveless marriage his father’s trying to force on him. I get to stay and finish school.
No strings. No kissing. Just pretending.
Except Luke’s hands say otherwise.
Except the way he looks at me says he’s thought about this—us—for far too long.
We move in together, and suddenly the air crackles. He’s in my space. In my bed—just for the illusion, he says. But the illusion is unraveling fast.
Every time his fingers graze mine, I forget this is pretend.
Every time he says “wife” in that deep voice, I forget we aren’t real.
The worst part? I want to forget.
Because if this is fake, why does it feel so damn good?
Luke
I’ve wanted Ayodele for years.
Thought she was off-limits—my brother’s. I kept my distance. Stayed silent. Watched her smile at him while it tore me apart.
Then I found out the truth: she’s not his. She never was.
Now she needs help—and I need a way out of the arranged marriage that’s closing in fast.
One deal. One signature.
One lie that puts her in my life and my house.
I told myself I could handle it. That I could keep it clean. Professional.
But the first night she kissed me on the balcony?
All bets were off.
She’s soft heat and sharp wit. She pushes every button I have—and makes me ache in places I forgot existed.
And the more I touch her, the less I care.
Because this isn’t a marriage of convenience anymore.
This is about claiming the one woman I’ve never been allowed to want.
But if my brother finds out?
I lose him.
If she walks away?
I lose everything.
I thought pretending would be safe.
But the real danger is falling for my brother’s best friend—and praying she falls just as hard.
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