Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
“Dante Lombardi?” Romy asks, though I don’t know why she’s bothering; the girl put two and two together the minute she walked in the door. Which means Vik has a big mouth or Dante made good on his threat.
“Yes, Vik’s friend,” I groan, pressing my hand to my warm cheek. “One thing led to another, the champagne kept flowing, and he looked at me and said something ridiculous about how I didn’t belong to something or other, I belonged to him. And then we walked past a chapel.”
“No,” Seraphina gasps.
“Tell me you didn’t,” Jett says with a wicked grin spreading across her face on the screen.
“We did,” I confess, holding up my left hand. “He bought this ring, dragged me to a minister, and married me. I woke up the next morning naked, in my bed at the hotel with a set of rings on my finger and zero memory of half the night.”
“Oh, Alex,” Gennie breathes, fanning herself lightly with a napkin. “That is… wild.”
“It gets worse,” I continue, taking another sip of wine. “I panicked after reading the possessive note he left me, packed my bags, snuck out of the hotel, and flew back home. I blocked his number and tried to pretend it never happened. I even hid the rings in my pocket at work today.”
“And?” Mischa prompts, leaning forward on her elbows. “I sense more plot holes that you’re not telling.”
“That’s because he’s an insane, overbearing, relentless pain in my ass!” I throw a hand in the air. “I’m also a glutton for punishment. I hightailed it to his penthouse, demanded an annulment. That didn’t happen, seeing as how he kissed me senseless and carried me into his bedroom.”
“Wait,” Romy chimes in, a sly smirk playing on her lips. “He carried you into the bedroom and then what?”
I can feel my entire face flush crimson. I look down into my wine glass, biting my bottom lip. “Well, I tried to argue. But I do have to mention, the sex is hotter than hot. Like, mind-melting, forget-your-name-and-lose-control hot.” The room erupts into a chorus of cheers, laughs, and scandalized gasps.
“I knew it!” Mischa claps her hands. “Look at him. The man looks like he was built in a lab specifically to ruin women.”
“So you went back for seconds,” Jett teases, raising a can of soda in a toast.
“I didn’t have a choice,” I protest. The memory of his hands, mouth, and weight pressing me into the mattress makes my core pulse all over again. “And then this morning, I snuck out again. I went to work, started researching about Plan B because we didn’t use protection.”
“Alex!” Gennie gasps.
“And he showed up on my floor,” I practically yell. “He dragged me into a closet after he caught me looking up birth control, lost his mind, told me there was ‘no fucking way’ I’d be taking it, and then realized his rings weren’t on my finger.”
“He did this all outside of Vik’s office, and you let him?” Romy is laughing so hard she’s wiping tears from her eyes.
“Yes, and then he marched me out after putting the rings back on my finger, sauntered into Vik’s office, summoned the guys, and told me I needed to tell you guys before he did.” I fall back into my chair, blowing out a puff of breath and closing my eyes.
“That is the hottest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” Gennie declares, grabbing a slice of prosciutto. She leans back against the couch cushions as she looks at me, taking a slow sip of her wine. A dreamy, thoroughly amused smile spreads across her face. “This is kind of romantic in a morally gray, possessive way.”
“Gennie!” I groan, tossing a pillow in her direction. “He’s an overbearing asshole.”
“He’s obsessed with you, Alex,” Mischa corrects, her tone turning warm. “The man isn’t willing to let you go, cornering you at work, inviting his best friends to brag about it, and making you keep your rings on. I mean, come on.”
“He said we’re tied together,” I murmur, staring down at the sparking diamond on my hand. “Annulment or not.”
“Honestly?” Romy clinks her glass against mine. “Accept your fate, sweetie. You’re a married woman now.”
We spend the rest of the day together, eating through the charcuterie board, drinking more, and laughing until our stomachs ache. They have no problem making me recount every dirty detail, teasing me mercilessly about being Mrs. Lombardi, and when our FaceTime call ends with Jett, she promises to be in town soon.
For the first time in days, at the sound of my friends’ laughter filling my cozy living room, the tight knot of panic or lingering cloud of doom finally begins to loosen. My eyes keep lingering on my rings from time to time, a soft smile finally tugging at my lips.