Free Betrayed by Trust by Hailey Hogan Page B

before putting it in her purse. “I’m going to have fun with this. First thing I’m getting is a new outfit. I need to find me something to wear to our engagement party. We should coordinate our colors.”
    “I had planned on wearing a gray suit. Nothing too fancy, but debonair.”
    “I’ll find me a smoky gray dress that’ll knock your socks off.”
    He sipped his drink. “You’ll look good in whatever you wear.”
    She smiled but looked away. She looked back at him. “This seems real.”
    He reached over the table and touched her hand. “It is real. We can have many more nights like this.”
    She stared into his eyes. He sensed she was feeling the same thing he felt; a desire that went beyond the physical. They connected in more ways than one. He wanted to explore the feelings she stirred in him, but didn’t want to get hurt. Would his fantasizing become a reality? He hoped to find out soon.
     
     

Chapter 15
     
    The next two weeks went by in a blur. She spent a lot of time trying to cover her tracks so the number fudging on a few projects couldn’t be traced back to her. Although the rumor mill had her seeing Blake, they were not aware that the party they were invited to was to announce her and Blake’s upcoming nuptials.
    Her time was also limited because Blake insisted they get together a few times so they could learn more about each other. She wasn’t too thrilled about it, but knew if they were going to pull it off, the more she knew, the more convincing she would sound when talking to others.
    A few days before the event, he surprised her with a candlelight dinner at his house. She didn’t want to admit it to him, but she loved his mini-mansion. The house seemed too big for two people, let alone one person. Moving in with him, would be one of the few perks she enjoyed. It was big enough for them each to have their own suites.
    Caitlyn fantasized about her life in the Banks mansion.  She felt guilty for getting caught up in the excitement. Blake snapped her out of her fantasy. “Do you think it would hurt you to show a little more enthusiasm?” he asked. “We are supposed to be getting married.”
    “What would you like me to do? I promise to smile and pretend like I’m overjoyed,” she said, sarcastically, while rolling her eyes.
    “Follow me.” He reached for her hand.
    She took it and followed him into a room beautifully decorated with roses of various colors. “All of this for me.” She let go of his hand and walked over to get a closer view and smell of the flowers.
    “Are these enough flowers for you?”
    “Beautiful. Okay, you get a few brownie points for this move.”
    “Wow. I finally did something right.” Blake clapped.
    “You’re not too bad.” Caitlyn hated to admit that Blake would make a good boyfriend. A part of her wished the whole ordeal was real.
    “How about a toast?” he walked to the bar and came back with a bottle of Moet and two flutes.
    They sat down on the soft leather couch. She waited for him to pour his glass and they toasted. “To a new chapter of our lives,” she said, as they clicked glasses, each taking a sip of their drink.
    Blake placed his glass down on the table. He picked up one of the roses and handed it to Caitlyn. “To my future wife.”
    She sniffed the rose. Something sparkling caught her eye. She put her drink down and used her free hand to remove the ring lodged in between the rose petals. She held it up and inspected it. “This is big.”
    “ Caitlyn, would you do me the honor and accept this ring as a symbol of our commitment to one another?”  Blake took the ring from Caitlyn’s hand and placed it on her finger. “It looks beautiful.” His eyes seemed to twinkle as he said, “Just like you.”
    Caitlyn cleared her throat. “Sure. I mean we have to look the part don’t we.” She moved her hand away. Caitlyn wasn’t expecting Blake to act romantic. She sure didn’t expect the gorgeous ring. She knew he would get her