KAY POV

Emily’s perfume still clung to my shirt.

The memory of her sitting on my lap made my jaw tighten in irritation. Disgust still lingered in my chest.

My fists clenched at the scent of Emily on me. She was so shameless. Not only was she betraying Vanessa by sleeping with Jake, but she also had the audacity to try to seduce me.

Fuck… how do I get rid of that scent?

I groaned quietly in frustration before wrapping my arms around Vanessa’s waist, pulling her closer against my body until her curves pressed completely against me. My face buried itself in the side of her neck.

I inhaled deeply.

Vanessa’s scent.

Vanilla and strawberries.

Soft. Sweet. Innocent.

So completely… Vanessa.

Her scent easily overpowered Emily’s cheap perfume, and I found myself strangely grateful for it.

I could feel the stillness in Vanessa’s body and the subtle change in her breathing.

She wasn’t asleep.

I knew it.

She was either shy… or embarrassed.

The thought made a small smirk tug at my lips.

It was adorable.

Still, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling sitting heavily in my chest. Jake planning something behind my back was already suspicious enough, but the fact that he insisted on speaking to Vanessa alone earlier…

And then Emily trying that ridiculous seduction act tonight?

Something about it didn’t feel right.

What exactly were those two planning?

And more importantly… were they planning something against me and Vanessa?

Should I be worried?

Either way, once the three weeks were over, I would tell Vanessa the truth.

She deserved that much.

But…

Wouldn’t that hurt her even more?

The thought of seeing Vanessa sad… or worse, completely broken… made my chest tighten painfully.

What the hell was wrong with me?

This whole situation was supposed to be simple.

A favor for Jake.

A temporary lie.

Yet this stupid charade was getting messier and messier with each passing day.

And deep down…

I wasn’t even sure if I would be the one walking away unscathed once it all ended.

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear the thoughts away. Instead, I buried my face deeper into Vanessa’s neck and inhaled her comforting scent again.

Before I even realized it…

Sleep finally took over.

---

“Thump. Thump.”

A knock on the door pulled me out of sleep.

I blinked slowly, my mind still foggy.

Then I noticed something.

Vanessa wasn’t beside me anymore.

The other side of the bed was empty, and I couldn’t hear her in the bathroom either.

“Come in,” I called, my voice rough and husky with sleep.

The door opened, and Jake stepped inside.

“Vanessa is in the living room talking with the officer,” he said.

Right.

The officer.

I had completely forgotten he was supposed to come today.

I exhaled slowly in relief.

“Right. I’ll get ready quickly,” I replied as I pushed myself out of bed.

I was only wearing gray sweatpants.

Jake’s eyes darkened immediately when he realized I had slept shirtless beside Vanessa.

I raised an eyebrow at his expression.

“What?”

I knew exactly what was bothering him.

“What do you mean what?” Jake snapped. “Why are you sleeping next to my fiancée shirtless?”

I couldn’t help the smirk that spread across my face.

“Actually,” I said lazily, “I’m Vanessa’s fiancé right now.”

I tilted my head slightly, watching irritation spread across his face.

“You’re the one dating Emily.”

“That doesn’t matter!” Jake shot back harshly. “I asked you to act in my place, not to be intimate with her! And I definitely don’t want you showing her your body!”

I scoffed at how ridiculous he sounded.

“Jake,” I said flatly, “you asked me to pretend to be Vanessa’s fiancé. What exactly did you expect? Of course I’m going to act like her fiancé.”

I could tell I was pushing his buttons, but honestly, I didn’t care.

“You—”

I cut him off before he could continue.

“Now get out of the bedroom. I want to get ready.”

Jake huffed in clear annoyance before turning and walking out of the room.

I watched the door close behind him and shook my head slightly.

He seriously needed to get his head checked.

Getting jealous over Vanessa while cheating on her with Emily at the same time…

That was beyond ridiculous. But as I ran a hand through my hair and started getting dressed, one thought refused to leave my mind.

Jake asking to talk to Vanessa alone.

Emily trying to seduce me.

The timing of it all was too perfect.

Too calculated.

Something was going on.

And whatever it was…

I had a feeling Vanessa and I were standing right in the middle of it.