Proudly Pretending

She wants to be loved out loud. He has to decide if he’s brave enough to stop hiding.

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Botanical artist Laurel Finch has built her life from pressed flowers, resin, vintage dresses, and the belief that love should make room for who she is. But as Drew Smith’s girlfriend, she’s tired of feeling like the messy, inconvenient part of his polished corporate world.

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Drew is precise, successful, and always in control. As marketing director for Dalton Biomedical Technologies, he knows how to manage reputations and keep every detail in place. Laurel, however, has never fit neatly into his ordered life. She is late, warm, wildly creative—and the only woman who has ever made him feel wanted for himself.

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Behind closed doors, their chemistry is explosive. In public, Drew keeps hesitating.

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When the Dalton Foundation gala puts Laurel’s art, Drew’s career, and their relationship under the spotlight, everything fractures. Laurel refuses to shrink herself to make Drew comfortable, and Drew must face the truth: loving her privately was never enough.

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To win her back, he’ll have to show up, defend her, and prove he wants all of her—not just the parts that fit beside him.

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Proudly Pretending is a steamy contemporary erotic romance about pride, vulnerability, creative ambition, and choosing love where everyone can see.