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“We are so excited. I’m thinking of a wedding at the Plaza or maybe on Ellis Island? We’ll have to book the best chef, and I’ve got Vera Wang on speed dial for my dress.”
I hadn’t given two seconds of thought about the wedding day, but I knew I fucking didn’t want any of that. It sounded like the very opposite of what I wanted. She wanted lavish and large—a spectacle.
“Wow. Sounds like you’re getting it all together, then?” Pepper smiled at Francesca, then briefly, her gaze met mine.
“I would want something small and intimate. With only my friends and loved ones around me. Strangers on my most important day isn’t something I’d be too keen on, but that’s just me.”
My shoulders tensed as I watched her wrap a curl of black hair around her finger. I knew she did that when she was nervous.
I knew everything about her body.
“Me too,” I admitted, drawing her gaze back up to mine. I inched forward in my seat. It made sense that Pepper wanted the same things as I did. We were compatible as fuck, and not only in the bedroom. I realized something that I knew all along—our relationship wasn’t just physical.
She took her teeth to her lower lip, pressing down on it, her gaze lowering to the tablecloth. Intentionally, I extended my leg, finding hers under the table, and gently nudged against it. Startled, she jerked in her seat, pulling her leg swiftly away. The instant rejection bruised. I wasn’t about to try again.
“No, no, we need to have the best wedding ever! Did you see the Paris Hilton wedding? So tacky, ours won’t be like that. I’m thinking ice carvings and caviar.”
Oh fuck. No.I didn’t think I could go through with this. But what could I do to stop it?
Nothing. They had arranged this marriage forever. And I was the fucker with everything to lose and nothing to gain.
I gazed across at Pepper, willing her to give me something.
Look up at me, please. Tell me this isn’t just me. Let me see the chocolate browns stare into my soul. Show me you want this just as much as me, and I’ll walk away. I’ll walk away for you.
“And that rock… geez, man, you know how to pick them!” Jake took my attention back to the table. I watched Francesca hold up her hand, showing off the diamond.
“She picked it actually from a tray of diamond rings.”
“I did. I’m so lucky.” She gasped, stroking the edges.
“How romantic,” Pepper drawled. But with Jake and Francesca both admiring the ring, no one else seemed to hear it but me.
“And what are your intentions with Pepper here, Jake?”
“Oh my God, you sound like my father!” Pepper whipped her head up, her face flaming red from embarrassment.
“Well, if it were up to me, I’d propose to this girl here and now.”
“What?” Both Pepper and I said while I nearly knocked over my tumbler of water.
Pepper stared at him in equal shock.
“We’re just taking this slowly for the time being.”
“For the time being?” I echoed her words.
What does that mean? Was she fucking him?If she weren’t, it wouldn’t be long until she completely let him in. Could I be pushing her toward him unknowingly?Fuck, my head was spinning.
“Well, if you insist, darls.” He kissed her on the mouth. His lips on those lips my mouth brushed earlier.
She made no move to back away, and my shoulders braced upright. My heart pounded. I turned to Francesca and pulled her in, shoving my tongue down her throat in a heated kiss.
When I pulled away, I saw the shock on Francesca’s face that quickly turned into satisfaction, like she’d finally won.
“Looks like everyone’s in love around here,” Francesca said breathlessly.
I looked over at Pepper, but her head was low, avoiding eye contact completely.
