A sweltering beach house. Only one bed. And a fake relationship that’s about to get very real.

Ivy Calloway has spent twenty-four years being the perfect, compliant daughter. So when her mother engineers a dinner date with yet another "appropriate" man during their family vacation to the Outer Banks, Ivy is fully prepared to paste on a smile and endure it.

Until Harlow Voss intervenes.

Harlow is her soon-to-be stepsister. She is entirely too intense, covered in intricate tattoos, and sees right through Ivy's good-girl armor. To save Ivy from the excruciating date, Harlow does the unthinkable: she tells their parents they are together.

Now, to sell the lie for the rest of the week, they have to fake a relationship under the watchful eyes of their parents. That means casual touches, lingering glances, and sharing a doorless, sweltering loft bedroom. There are strict rules. No real feelings. Just a performance.

But as the stifling coastal heat rises and the boundaries of their arrangement begin to blur, Ivy discovers that pretending to be Harlow’s girlfriend is dangerously easy. Harlow's demanding, attentive dominance sparks a fierce, undeniable hunger Ivy has hidden for years. Soon, the performance is stripped away, leaving only raw, consuming desire.

When the week is over, they'll have to decide if what they found in the dark can survive in the light, or if they were only ever playing pretend.

Playing Pretend is a high-heat, forced proximity sapphic romance featuring fake dating, opposites attracting, and intense emotional awakening.

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