FAKING IT WITH THE CEO

Chapter 14: Caught in the Act

Harper wasn’t sure what was more dangerous—how easily she was slipping into the role of Nathan’s fiancée or the way her heart seemed determined to betray her at every turn.

After their charged moment in the boardroom, she had spent the rest of the afternoon trying to focus on work, but her thoughts kept circling back to Nathan’s words. “It’s getting harder to separate what’s real and what’s not.”

For her, too.

And that was a problem.

As she sat in her office, typing up notes for an upcoming investor pitch, her phone vibrated with a message.

Nathan: Come to my office. Now.

Her stomach flipped. She glanced at the clock—6:45 PM. Most of the staff had already left for the day, but she knew better than to assume Nathan’s workday had ended.

Smoothing down her skirt, she grabbed her notebook and made her way to his office.

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Nathan’s office was dimly lit when she arrived, the city skyline glowing through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows behind him. He stood near his desk, his suit jacket draped over the back of his chair, his sleeves rolled up just enough to reveal strong forearms.

Harper cleared her throat. “You summoned me?”

Nathan looked up, his expression unreadable. “Shut the door.”

She hesitated but did as he asked. “What’s this about?”

Instead of answering, he walked toward her, closing the space between them in three measured steps. His gaze was intense, searching. “Tell me the truth, Harper.”

Her breath hitched. “About what?”

“Are you feeling it too?”

Harper’s pulse pounded in her ears. She wanted to deny it, to laugh it off as part of their carefully crafted charade, but she couldn’t. Not when he was standing so close, his warmth seeping into her skin, making it impossible to ignore the undeniable attraction between them.

“Nathan…”

Before she could form a coherent thought, his hands brushed her waist, just lightly, as if giving her the chance to pull away. But she didn’t.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

But then his lips were on hers, firm yet questioning, as if waiting for her to push him away. She didn’t. Instead, she melted into him, her hands gripping the front of his shirt, pulling him closer.

It was reckless, dangerous—but it was real.

The kiss deepened, his fingers pressing into the small of her back, drawing her against him. Harper felt her resolve slipping away, her carefully constructed walls crumbling.

And then—

The sound of a door opening.

They broke apart instantly, Harper stumbling back just as the office lights flicked on.

Standing in the doorway, wide-eyed and smirking, was Olivia, Nathan’s assistant.

“Well,” Olivia drawled, raising an eyebrow. “I was just coming to drop off the revised financial reports, but I see you two are… busy.”

Harper’s face burned. Nathan, to his credit, remained composed, adjusting his tie as if nothing had happened. “Did you need something, Olivia?”

“Oh, don’t mind me.” Olivia placed the reports on the desk, her smirk deepening. “Though, I have to say, you two certainly know how to sell this engagement.”

Harper opened her mouth to protest, but Olivia simply winked before heading for the door. “Don’t let me interrupt,” she called over her shoulder before disappearing down the hall.

The moment she was gone, Harper turned to Nathan, mortified. “She saw us.”

Nathan’s lips twitched. “Yes, I noticed.”

“This is bad.” Harper ran a hand through her hair, pacing. “If she tells anyone—”

“She won’t,” Nathan interrupted, stepping toward her. “Olivia knows how to keep things confidential.”

Harper wasn’t convinced. “Nathan, she caught us. We just gave her exactly what people have been speculating about.”

Nathan exhaled, his expression softening. “Then let them speculate.”

Her stomach flipped at the implication. “You’re not worried?”

He studied her, his gaze darkening. “I have bigger things to worry about than whether people believe this engagement is real.”

Harper swallowed hard, her heart still racing. “Like what?”

Nathan hesitated for only a moment before saying, “Like the fact that I didn’t want to stop kissing you.”

The confession sent a jolt through her.

Harper shook her head, taking a step back. “This… this wasn’t part of the deal.”

Nathan’s jaw tightened. “Maybe it should have been.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that.

What had started as a carefully controlled arrangement was spiraling into something neither of them had anticipated. And now, with Olivia walking in on them, the line between real and fake had never been blurrier.

Harper knew one thing for sure—things were about to get a lot more complicated.