The Faking Game

The narrator is driven out of her apartment by a stalker. Her brother insists she move into the legendary estate of his best friend, West Calloway, who is rich, arrogant and, as far as she can tell, has never liked her. She once had a silly crush on him, and living under his roof is not what she would have picked.

West proposes a fake relationship in public, so that anyone watching gets the message that she is taken and well protected. She agrees on one condition: he has to teach her how to date for real. She has never learned, and West does not do love, so the deal looks tidy to both of them.

The lessons happen in secret. They go on dates, kiss and share a bed, with one rule above the rest: her brother can never find out. West learns what she likes, buys her gifts, praises her and helps her stop putting everyone else's wishes first. She even considers asking him to help with her virginity.

This is a contemporary romance in the fake dating and brother's best friend mold, told in the first person by the heroine. A stalker threat sits in the background, but the weight is on the slow shift in how West looks at her and touches her, which no longer seems like part of any lesson. Heat is part of the picture, and the tone is flirtatious and tender.