Borrowing him was supposed to be harmless.
Falling for him? Not part of the deal.
Everly Allen doesn't do love stories anymore. Not after watching one destroy everything she believed in. With her brother's wedding days away, a family obsessed with her relationship status, and a past she can't outrun, she makes a reckless decision.
She borrows a man.
A fake boyfriend.
A distraction.
Easton Hayes, tattooed, brooding, infuriatingly smug, is the last person she should've chosen. He's the CEO of Chrome Customs, her best friend's fiancé, and the man she once wanted so badly it nearly broke her.
But Hailey insisted. She planned it. She pushed them together.
Because Hailey always had a plan.
What Everly doesn't know, what she's never supposed to find out, is that this isn't a harmless favor. It's a lie. One so carefully constructed it blurs the line between loyalty and betrayal.
And the night before her brother's wedding, the truth starts to crack.
Every look from Easton feels like a confession.
Every touch feels like something borrowed.
And every secret Hailey kept begins to unravel, one piece at a time.
Because this fake relationship isn't fake at all.
It's a slow burning fuse tied to a secret that could destroy them all.
Some love stories start with a kiss.
This one starts with a lie.
And theirs might end with the one thing Everly never saw coming, goodbye.
Because some love stories aren't just complicated, they're impossible.
And the truth waiting at the end of theirs?
It might be the most heartbreaking twist of all.
Sometimes love begins with a lie.
And ends with a goodbye.
A slow burn, angsty fake dating romance about forbidden longing, buried truths, and the kind of betrayal that makes you question everything you thought was love.
Down-on-her-luck Aubrey gets the job offer of a lifetime, with one catch: her ex-husband is her new boss.
***
Aubrey Whitlock's life is turned upside down after her divorce, leaving her an unemployed, broke, and single 29-year-old. A chance meeting with her ex throws her for a loop again when he makes her an offer: come work with him as his assistant. Now a self-made billionaire, Bryce Roberts is just as infuriating-and good-looking-as he was the first time around.
Their marriage was disastrous, but their chemistry is stronger than ever.
Will they ever mend their relationship, or will it be nothing more than a heated game of seduction? And what will happen when Bryce discovers the secrets Aubrey has been keeping from him after all this time?