From Best Friend To Fiancé (eBook)

A Forced-Proximity Revenge Romance

Page Hunter (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
244 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-110094-7 (ISBN)

Infos

'You fake-engaged me to your entire family-to outdo your sister who's marrying your ex-and now we're actually driving to New Hope to pull off this epic lie?'
I nodded.
'Okay, okay, counteroffer-I give you my next paycheck. Just the one. And maybe my soul.'
Roman snorted. 'Love, your paycheck wouldn't cover my shoelaces.'
'Please, Roman...'
He watched me, eyes softer now. 'When do we leave?'
'In two weeks.'
He ran a hand through his messy hair. 'Great. Let's ruin a wedding.'
*******
I'm Savannah Hart, and I panicked. When my sister said she'd marry my ex, I blurted a lie: I'm engaged to Roman Blackwood-my razor-smart, infuriating best friend. We head to New Hope to 'ruin a wedding' as revenge, and our fake-engagement romance explodes into open war-petty games, a velvet-room 'surprise,' and danger that feels way too real.
With Roman Blackwood, banter is armor-and gasoline. In this best-friends-to-lovers freefall, forced proximity and messy family drama shove us past the point of no return. One storm-soaked night brands desire onto friendship. Now I either hide behind the lie-or risk scandal and heartbreak for the truth. A high-heat, angsty contemporary romance-told by me.
Perfect for readers who love fake-engagement romance, fake-dating, best-friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, messy family drama, and high-heat, high-angst contemporary revenge romance.
BOOK 3

Textauszug

Chapter 113: I Hate Her

 

The more time I spent around Penny, the less I liked her.

Scratch that. The more I watched her around Roman, the more I wanted to claw her ocean eyes out.

 

Maybe it was my low self-esteem. Maybe it was my possessive streak. Or maybe it was the simple fact that she acted like I didn’t exist whenever Roman was in the room.

 

I couldn’t tell anymore. All I knew was that my stomach soured every time she laughed too loud, leaned too close, or touched what didn’t belong to her.

 

And right now? She was perched on the edge of Roman’s desk—the same spot I used to claim as mine, the place where I’d sit while he whispered the sweetest, filthiest words into my ear—and she was feeding him like a doting little housewife.

 

He wasn’t even encouraging her, not really. He wasn’t a big eater on the best of days, but she was hellbent on stuffing him like a Thanksgiving turkey.

 

“Come on, you have to taste this.” Penny’s voice was sugary enough to rot teeth. She shoved a container toward him with manic determination. “I discovered this a few weeks ago while you were on vacation, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I’m certain you’re gonna love it.”

 

I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw my brain. Roman gave her a good-natured laugh, gently pushing the plate back.

 

“No, Penny. C’mon, stop. I’m going to end up in the ER if you keep this up.”

 

But she pushed harder. “Just one bite. I insist. You’ll love it.”

 

Her insistence grated on my nerves like nails on glass. The way she said insist made me want to scream.

 

Roman groaned dramatically, pushing the food away again. “I’m going to be sick.”

 

I sat stiff on the sofa, hands fisting in my lap, biting back the urge to snatch the plate out of her hands and throw it on the floor. My nails dug crescents into my skin.

 

Then, inevitably, disaster struck.

 

She pushed too far, the container slipped on the edge of the desk, and with a sickening splat, it face-planted right into Roman’s lap.

 

“PENELOPE!” Roman barked, jerking back. “Look what you’ve done!”

 

She only laughed. Laughed. Her head thrown back, like she’d just told the funniest joke on earth instead of dumping food all over his expensive slacks in the middle of working hours.

 

“I didn’t mean to!” she said between giggles, reaching for the wipes on his desk. “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d just taken a bite like I wanted you to.”

 

I froze. My own pulse roared in my ears. This was it. This was the moment she crossed from annoying to infuriating.

 

Roman leaned back in his chair, extending a hand to grab the wipes, but Penny pulled them just out of reach.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll do it.” She said it so casually, so sure of herself, like it was her job.

 

He gave her a look, then—God help him—his eyes flicked toward me. Just for a second. Enough to remind me that he knew this was a problem. That he knew this looked wrong.

 

And then, before either of us could say a damn word, she bent low and started wiping him. Very close to his crotch.

 

From my vantage point on the sofa, it didn’t look innocent. It didn’t look like a harmless act of clumsy apology. No. From here, it looked filthy. Intimate. Illicit.

 

Heat surged up my chest. My vision tunneled.

 

Roman must have felt it too, because his hand shot down to grab hers. “It’s fine, Penny,” he said quickly, pulling her hand to a stop. “I can do it.”

 

But she only giggled. “Relax. I’ve got it.” She didn’t stop. “I did this. I'll clean it up.”

 

And that was it.

 

I was on my feet before I even registered the movement, storming across the room, my voice sharp enough to attract her attention.

 

“Penny, that’s enough.”

 

She froze, her hand still dangerously close to Roman’s lap, her head snapping up toward me. Her brows arched in faux innocence. “Excuse me?”

 

“I said that’s enough.” I folded my arms across my chest, heat radiating off me in waves. “Hand me the wipes. And step away from my fiancé.”

 

She blinked once, twice—then let out a short, disbelieving laugh. Her eyes darted from my face to Roman’s, like she was waiting for him to correct me.

 

“What the hell is this?” she demanded.

 

Roman shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes trained anywhere but on me. “Penny, it’s alright. Let Sav handle this. I’ll need a new pair anyway.”

 

But she ignored him, her lips curling into a smirk as she tossed the stained wipes onto the desk and rose to her full height.

 

“Of course. Let’s go,” she said to Roman, like I wasn’t even in the room. She tilted her head toward the spare room. “I’ll call your secretary and inform her.”

 

Her complete dismissal of me snapped something inside.

 

“Are you dumb,” I snapped, my voice shaking with rage, “or is this some kind of ploy to rile me up?”

 

The air went still instantly.

 

For a moment, no one spoke. Roman leaned back, massaging his temples like this was a migraine he’d been expecting. Penny’s mouth hung open in theatrical offense.

 

Then she laughed again—shrill, disbelieving. “You’re kidding, right? You’re seriously acting like some jealous—”

 

“Please, leave” I cut her off.

 

Her laugh died mid-breath. “What?”

 

“You heard me. Get. Out.”

 

Roman sat up straighter. “Sav—”

 

“No,” I said, holding a hand up without tearing my eyes from Penny. “She doesn’t belong here. Not like this. Not after that.”

 

Penny’s face twisted. “You’re unbelievable.”

 

“And you’re pathetic.” My voice shook, but I didn’t care. “Throwing yourself at someone else’s fiancé? Wiping his lap like you’re auditioning for a porno? Do you have any shame?”

 

Roman groaned. “Savannah—”

 

“No, Roman,” I snapped, cutting him off without looking at him. “Don’t defend her.”

 

She grabbed her bag leisurely. “You’re insane. Both of you.” She stalked toward the door, heels clicking. At the threshold, she spun back, eyes narrowing. “Don’t come crying to me when you realize what kind of mess you’re stuck with.”

 

Then she was gone. The door slammed so hard the frame rattled.

 

I stood there, chest heaving, my hands trembling from the adrenaline still coursing through me.

 

Roman leaned back in his chair, exhaling like he’d been holding his breath for hours. “Sav…”

 

I rounded on him. “Don’t you Sav me. You just sat there. You let her put her hands on you like I wasn’t right here.”

 

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I told her to stop.”

 

“Not hard enough.” My voice cracked. “You should’ve shoved her away the second she touched you. You should’ve told her to get the hell out before I had to.”

 

His jaw tightened. “And cause a scene? You think that would’ve gone over better? Me screaming at her in the middle of the office? I know Penny. She's my good friend. Whatever you're thinking couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

 

My laugh came out bitter. “Oh, but letting her wipe you down like her personal property was better?”

 

He dragged a hand through his hair, exasperated. “You’re blowing this out of proportion.”

 

“Don’t you dare.” My voice dropped, low and lethal. “Don’t you dare make me feel like I’m crazy. You saw it. You felt it. She crossed a line.”

 

He finally looked at me then, really looked. His expression softened, just barely. “I know she did. And I stopped her.”

 

“Not soon enough.”

 

We stood locked in a standoff, the distance between us crackling. My chest burned with humiliation, my throat tight with unshed tears.

 

Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Sav, I’ll talk to her. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

 

“It shouldn’t have happened in the first place,” I whispered.

 

He flinched like I’d struck him.

 

The silence stretched until it suffocated both of us. He pushed his chair back and stood, crossing the room slowly, and cautiously, like I was a wild animal ready to bolt.

 

When he reached me, he cupped my face in his hands. His touch was warm, steady, and infuriatingly gentle.

 

“I don’t want her,” he said quietly. “I only want you.”

 

I closed my eyes, letting the words settle into the cracks of my anger, even as part of me still seethed.

 

“I hate her,” I muttered.

 

“I know.” His thumb brushed my cheekbone. “And I’ll handle it.”

 

I opened my eyes, meeting his. “You better.”

 

His mouth curved into the faintest smirk. “You’re so sexy when you’re jealous, you know that?”

 

Despite myself, I huffed a laugh, shoving lightly at...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 13.11.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-110094-7 / 0001100947
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-110094-7 / 9780001100947