Date Published: June 11, 2026
pretend to be someone’s girlfriend, but apparently life has a twisted
sense of humor. And mine comes with a six-foot-something ego, a movie-star
smile, and a peculiar knack for getting under my skin.
Marco Dal Santo is everything I don’t trust: cocky, charming, reckless,
and way too comfortable in a world built on smoke and mirrors. I’m
supposed to use him to get close to people who hide crimes behind champagne
and expensive suits. He’s supposed to be a means to an end. Convenient.
Temporary. And fake.
But there’s one small problem. It doesn’t really feel fake because
every time he touches me, every time he pushes past my defenses and makes me
feel something real, I forget that we’re supposed to be pretending.
Somewhere between the staged kisses and very real arguments, the lines get
blurred, and I can’t tell what’s part of the job…and what
isn’t.
We’re caught up in a world where one wrong move can get us killed, yet
I’m starting to realize the most dangerous part of this case isn’t
the criminals we’re chasing.
It’s him.
Because if anyone finds out I’m developing genuine feeling for my fake
boyfriend, I’ll lose my badge, my mentor’s trust, and possibly my
heart in the process.
So yeah…I’m in way over my head.
And the worst part?
I’m not sure I want to be rescued.
Trigger warning: Gun violence, trauma victim and grief.
Jacqueline’s creative inspiration stems from romance and all its
literary and rom-com depictions. Matters of the heart are what fascinates her,
because ultimately, what makes a life out of – what would ordinarily be a
typical existence – is Love
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