Did He Actually Like Me — Or Was He Faking It?
It’s the kind of question you whisper to yourself in the middle of the night.
“Was it real… or just real to me?”
Maybe it was just one kiss.
Maybe it was a full weekend, or the beginnings of something you thought could be everything.
He touched your hand. Laughed like he meant it.
He looked at you like he could burn for you — and then pulled away like you were a stranger.
And afterward? You’re left wondering if he ever actually liked you. Or if you fell for someone who was never going to meet you halfway.
That’s the question that haunted me enough to write a book.
Why I Wrote This Story
In my newest romance, Her Dark Prince, that exact uncertainty sits at the center of everything.
The heroine? She’s twenty.
Smart, sweet, and fiercely loyal — someone who's loved the untouchable rockstar Slayer from afar for years. Not a silly obsession… but a deep-boned ache she can’t even admit out loud.
When she’s hired to fake-date him for a VIP-level media tour, it’s everything she ever wanted — and everything she wasn’t ready for.
Because he’s not the man the world sees.
He’s harder. Older. Wounded. On the edge of his third divorce, emotionally armored, and twice her age.
And from the very beginning… she can’t tell if this is a cover-up, a set-up, or the start of something that could break her heart for good.
Real Chemistry or Pretend Passion?
Their “relationship” is scripted. Public. Carefully arranged by layers of social handlers who manage his brand.
He doesn’t know she’s been in love with him since before she had words for it.
She doesn’t realize he’s already written her off as another opportunist with bedroom eyes and a soft smile.
The tension simmers. The kisses are public but loaded.
The walls stay up — and so do their defenses.
But behind the scenes, micro-moments start to slip through the cracks:
a lingering glance that’s not rehearsed,
a hand on the small of her back that no camera caught,
a voice in the dark whispering a memory during one of their fake “dates.”
She tells herself it’s all for show. He’s a damaged, famous, impossible man.
But… what if it’s not just an act?
That tension — the “is this real for him, or just for me?” — is the emotional heartbeat of the book.
When Men Stop Explaining Themselves
There’s a specific kind of hunger the heroine carries — and maybe you’ve felt it too.
It’s when you want someone not just to see you in a moment… but to name what they see.
When you leave an encounter aching for clarity — because affection without words?
Passion without confirmation?
It leads to a kind of confusion that lingers long after a man’s gone cold.
This is the ache so many women quietly carry into their memories.
And it's the ache I wanted to heal inside the story.
But Real Talk... We Don’t Always Get the Answer in Real Life
Sometimes the kiss meant everything.
Sometimes it was just convenience.
Sometimes he was faking it — but sometimes he wasn’t.
He just didn’t know how to say so.
And while real life doesn’t always give us closure, romance fiction does something even better:
It gives us stories where we feel seen — in the longing, in the confusion, and in the payoff.
Want More?
Before I wrote Her Dark Prince, I wrote a very specific chapter — a prequel that explores the night before their arrangement begins.
It’s not available in stores, and it’s not sweet.
It’s hot. Dirty. Personal.
A scene where Bix (our heroine) is alone in the shower, knowing she’ll be face-to-face with the man of her dreams in less than 24 hours.
And she can’t stop imagining what he might say. What he might do.
What she might offer… if he asked in the right tone.
Let’s just say — she stops pretending she's fine being ignored.
Want the Spicy Prequel?
You can get this exclusive reader-only scene — perfect if you love:
secret crushes about to detonate,
age gap angst,
VIP club invitations… both literal and emotional,
and a heroine not afraid to get herself off before a man ever touches her.
You can find the sign-up form on my website
Sometimes the question isn’t “Was it just fake?”
It’s: “What happens when pretend starts to feel better than anything real ever did?”