Billion Dollar Revenge (The Lincoln Brothers #2)

12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Chelsea

Evan: Are you free for coffee?

Me: Sounds great. I can meet you in forty minutes. Where are you thinking?

Evan: Cafe Brew?

Me: Done. See you soon.

I enter the cafe through the glass door and peer around, searching for Evan. The scent of freshly ground coffee beans surrounds me. The space is warm compared to the cool breeze outside. I spot his tall figure on the right, the sunlight catching his hard profile. His eyes are focused on me. As I approach, he rises to greet me. “Hi.”

“Hey, this is a cool spot,” I say, shrugging off my coat and hanging it on the back of my chair before sitting down. Our chairs are close together, and I wonder if he arranged them that way on purpose.

Don’t be ridiculous…

“It’s the best place for coffee in this part of Manhattan,” he says, his tone casual as he settles back into his seat.

“What do you usually get?” I ask, glancing at the menu board above the counter, which lists a range of specialty brews.

“An iced brew.”

I scrunch up my face. “I’ll get a vanilla latte.”

“I’ll order it and be right back,” he says, slipping out of his seat and moving to join the line. I admire his outfit today—a blue suit with a white shirt and a pink tie. He looks good. I’m still watching him as he reaches the counter and orders. The barista gives him a bright smile, but when he turns back and notices me staring, his expression softens and a slight smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. My stomach flips in response.

He knows me well…that’s why he’s smiling. There’s no other reason.

He returns with our drinks, handing me my latte before sitting down again, our chairs practically touching. I grab the drink but the warmth from the cup onto my hand tells me it’s too hot to take my first sip.

“So what’s the plan of attack?” I ask.

“For you to relax and pretend like we’re dating.”

I snort. “You make it sound easy. No one we know is here.”

“I thought we could capture this moment on socials.”

My eyebrows lift. “Oh yeah?”

I pull up my phone ready to take a picture of our drink.

“No,” he says. I stop and tilt my head, frowning.

“What’s wrong?”

He grabs my waist, pulling me closer until I can feel the warmth of his body and hear his breathing. The flutters in my stomach are hard to ignore, but I push them aside to play along, wrapping one arm around his neck and holding out my phone with the other.

I’m about to snap the photo when he nuzzles his face into the curve of my neck, and I can’t help but smile as I capture the moment. When I lower my phone, he lifts his head, and I finally breathe again.

“How’d we do?” I ask, but a figure stands in front of our table.

“Callum,” Evan says.

“I thought you two looked great, but I can take the shot for you?” Callum offers.

“He is a professional photographer at my work…” Evan says with a smirk.

My mouth drops open in a mock offense. “Are you saying it’s a bad photo?”

I glance at the picture again, and it’s hot. We look like a real couple.

“No, it’s great. But post it, and I’ll get one for my socials,” Evan suggests.

I hit post on the picture, adding a heart emoji and the caption cafe dates with this one… before lowering my phone to the table. Evan hands his phone to Callum, his arm sliding around my waist again. I’m almost in his lap, and though I want to move, I can’t…not with Callum watching us. We’re supposed to look like a real couple, after all.

We smile for a picture, and I think that's it, we can finally drink our coffees, and I'll be able to relax again. But Callum isn’t done. “One more. The lighting is really good here,” he says, adjusting the phone angle.

I start smiling again, but Evan has other ideas. “Chelsea.”

I turn, and he leans in closer, his voice dropping to a low growl. “Come here.”

His lips meet mine, and I freeze for a split second before I respond, my lips moving with his in a kiss that feels surprisingly sweet for one so unexpected. When we finally pull apart, my lips tingle and I’m left a little breathless.

“That’s a good one,” Callum says, handing Evan’s phone back and pulling me out of my thoughts. I lean toward Evan to see the screen, and his other hand slides up the side of my body in a soothing motion. I’m not sure if he realizes he’s doing it, but I know it’s to show Callum that we’re a couple. We both stare at the photo. This shot is both hot and convincingly real.

“You two look great together. Cute couple,” Callum remarks, and his genuine smile makes my stomach twist with guilt.

“Thanks,” I murmur, smiling back at him.

Evan starts adding the picture to his socials, captioning it with my girl and a pink heart emoji. When he posts it, I feel a strange tingling sensation spread through me.

“I need to head back. I was just grabbing a coffee on my break. See you later.”

“Bye,” Evan and I say in unison.

As Callum walks off, Evan’s phone begins to chime repeatedly with notifications. “How do I turn this off?” he mutters, tapping the screen.

“I’ll help.”

I take it and quickly adjust the settings before returning the phone to him.

The next sound to leave his phone is a call. He doesn’t pick it up, but he reads a message.

“I’m sorry. I need to go. I have a stock meeting to get to. I’ll walk you back,” Evan says, standing up.

“Actually, I’d like to stay a bit longer.” I want to add to cool down and clear my head , but I keep that to myself.

“Did you want another drink or something to eat?” he asks, concerned.

“No, thanks,” I reply with a smile to ease his worry.

My phone rings, and it’s my Pilates boss calling.

“I’ll let you go. I’ll talk to you later.” He leans down to kiss my cheek, making me dizzy with surprise.

“Bye,” I breathe, letting the call ring out.

“You better call her back.” He winks, turning and exiting the shop and leaving me reeling from that kiss. And he’s such a good kisser. I wouldn’t have minded another one on the lips. Fake dating him is turning out to be a lot easier than I thought.