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Women couldn’t stand to see a single man, especially if he seemed perfectly content to be that way. And he was. He didn’t need a woman in his life, fucking everything up. He had Ginny.
That was all he needed.
Without warning, a flash of Scarlett laughing as he kissed a path down her body for the third time that night, her thighs falling open as she buried her hands in his hair and gave herself over to him, hit him in the gut. If he met a woman like her, who didn’t live in Colorado…maybe he’d change his stance. But for now, he was alone, and that was okay.
Being alone was safe.
“Mark!” Lauren said from behind him. “I was hoping you’d be down here. I wanted to finally introduce you to Daisy. I’ve told her so many good things about you.”
He stiffened, because her excitement to see him wasn’t exactly helping his cause with Steven. But he liked Lauren a lot more than her fiancé, so he forced a smile and turned. “Hello, Laur—” He froze, the words dying on his lips, because there, standing next to Lauren, was Scarlett.
What the hell was she doing here?
Scarlett, for her part, was just as frozen as he was, as she stared at him with horror. Her face was pale, and she wrung her tiny purse in front of her, staring at him like she was seeing a ghost instead of a man she’d fucked last night.
Hell, he felt the same damn way.
Why was she here, with Lauren?
And how did she know Steven?
Steven frowned when Mark remained silent, just staring at Scarlett because he didn’t know what to say, or do, right now. He glanced at Lauren, then Mark, and moved closer to her side. He was protecting the wrong girl. “Something wrong, Mark?”
“You okay, man?” Holt asked, his voice laced with concern when his best friend stepped closer to Lauren. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Sorry, I… I got lost there for a second.” He forced himself to straighten and snap the hell out of it, though he didn’t stop staring at Scarlett, and she certainly didn’t stop staring at him. So, another contest of wills, was it? Well, he’d win. And then he’d find out who the hell she really was, and why she was at the same wedding as him. He couldn’t think of one possible reason Lauren would be with a girl from Colorado, at Cooper Shilling’s wedding. Unless…no. Fuck no. “Who’s your friend, here?”
Scarlett stiffened, narrowing her eyes at him.
“This is Daisy,” Lauren said, grinning, because she clearly saw the two of them having a stare down and probably thought it was a good thing. It fucking wasn’t. “She’s the girl I told you about, remember? Daisy, meet Mark. Mark, meet Daisy.”
Rage, pure rage, h
it him like a sucker punch.
Colorado, my ass.
She’d lied about where she lived. If he’d known she was local, if he’d had even a hint of her real identity, he never would have touched her. “Actually, we’ve met.”
Lauren blinked, clearly confused. “You did? When?”
“Last night, we—”
“Saw each other in the check-in line.” Daisy interjected quickly, shooting a quick glance at her friend before tucking her purse under her broken arm and holding her good hand out. “If I’d known who you were, I would have introduced myself then. It’s nice to officially meet you, Mark. I’ve heard so much about you.”
So, she wanted to play it that way, then.
Pretend they hadn’t seen each other naked.
Fine.
He reached out and closed his hand over hers, tensing because that jolt of attraction between the two of them sparked to life again. He’d hoped last night, and learning her true identity, had killed that. But, apparently it hadn’t. He let go immediately, and she tucked her hand behind her back. “I’ve heard wonderful things about you, too, but the stories didn’t do you justice. Nice to meet you…Daisy. Has anyone ever told you that you look like Black Widow?”
She flushed, clamping her mouth into a thin line. “No.”
“Funny. Because you do.”
“Awesome. So glad to hear it,” she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “She’s pretty kick-ass, so I don’t mind being compared to her.”
