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“Ladies and gentlemen...” the minister’s voice interrupted my thoughts, “... if anyone has cause or reason that these two people should not be joined in matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
The chapel was quiet, all those present ready to see the happy couple wed. At the front, holding tightly onto Roman’s hands, Rebekah turned her face slightly, her worried eyes meeting mine.
So she had seen me.
She expected me to cause a scene.
She expected me to fight for Roman.
She expected me to give a shit.
I didn’t.
I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe.
When she convinced herself I wasn’t going to sabotage her wedding, she turned back to her soon-to-be husband and exhaled heavily.
So, she had a brief moment of fear about losing the one she loved. Of being humiliated.
And I felt a perverse sense of satisfaction.
Hawk squeezed my hand and placed it high on his thigh as the I-dos took place.
Ignoring the minister, I turned to Hawk. While his eyes were focused ahead, he was smirking.
“Yes?” he asked.
“You confuse me, you know that?”
Hawk focused his gaze on me, the five-day growth on his face making him irresistible. “As long as it’s in a good way, I’ll take it.” He turned back to watch the wedding.
I shook my head, stifling a laugh. “You’re so cocky.”
“Your cocky fiancé, to be precise.”
“Fake cocky fiancé,” I corrected.
This time, Hawk turned his intensity toward me, leaning down so our lips sat only an inch apart.
“Should we make it official?”
His words stunned me into silence. All I could do was blink. Hawk followed his proposition with his sexy as fuck wink and a quick peck on my lips.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the minister announced jubilantly.
The congregation clapped for the newlyweds as Roman lifted his wife’s veil and kissed her deeply. A few wolf whistles followed from some of Roman’s college friends, but all I could do was stare, too caught up in Hawk’s loose words.
Perhaps he was only joking.
Perhaps he said those things to lighten the mood, to take my mind off everything.
Everyone stood, and the happy cheating couple worked their way down the aisle, stopping to kiss and hug those closest to them. I prayed they didn’t stop at the last row where everyone in the chapel would turn and stare, watching the interaction. Fortunately, after they made it about halfway down the aisle, they hot-footed it the rest of the way, bypassing without so much as a glance.
Hawk had been holding my hand the whole time, and as the flower girls threw pale pink petals over the couple, all I could think about was the man next to me.
“Shall we, fiancée,” he teased me as we fell into step behind the last few guests making their way out into the bright sunshine.
As I took to the last step, Roman’s father spotted me and offered a wave and a smile over the heads of the other guests. I waved back, genuinely always having liked the man. Janice noticed with a double take, and placed her hand on his forearm and led him in the opposite direction. She still was a damn dragon. Seemed not much had changed.
She suddenly became the least of my worries.
“Hawk...” I started, gripping his arm. “People are staring.”
Looking around, I noticed it wasn’t me they were focused on. It was Hawk. The women seemed to maul him with their eyes. The men looked on with envy. Turning to gaze at him, I could see why. Dressed in all black with his tie the only splash of color, he looked like he just stepped out of a photoshoot. His chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and brooding eyes all could make the most stoic of people wet between the legs. That included Ms. Redhead, who while holding Rebekah’s bouquet, was all eyes for Hawk. Something about her expression unnerved me.
How was she suddenly appearing everywhere we went?
“Let them stare,” he said, breaking my thoughts. Proudly taking my hand, he led me out of the church and across the lawn to the reception and to our assigned seats, where I soon forgot about the mystery woman. I had to admit, they’d chosen well. Eight round tables coated in fine linen and adorned with glistening cutlery and sparkling wine glasses, sat perched on the lush green lawn overlooking the vineyard. It was a glorious day with the sun burning bright, but nothing compared to the burning intensity of Hawk’s stare.
I met his gaze, and I felt the overwhelming urge to straddle and taste him once more.
Perhaps there was at least one good thing that came out of attending the cheaters’ wedding.
“Please welcome to the floor for their first dance as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hopheart,” the MC announced as everyone finished their meals. A gentle applause sounded as Roman and Rebekah walked hand in hand to the center dance floor.
