AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She tilted her chin higher, glaring down her nose at me. “People have gotten married in less time.”
“And ninety percent of them regretted it. Eighty percent probably even got divorced.”
“You’re being cynical.”
“I’m being cynical?” I nearly propelled myself across the table. “You’re the one manipulating my marriage into a business transaction. Who expects someone to get married after knowing a person for only thirty days?”
“It’s reasonable.”
“You don’t really believe that.” She couldn’t. This was all madness. “You of all people know you can’t make decisions like this.”
“I know that when you meet the right person, it doesn’t matter what limitations of time you have. You just know they are the one you want to be with.”
Well, she had me there.
Though such a declaration hardly made me feel any better. The only person who incited those types of emotions was sitting right across from me, urging me to fall in love with someone else. “Youknow that?”
“Yes.” She swallowed, her voice hoarse and dry. “I also know it isn’t fair to string someone along if you have no intentions of proposing to them in the future.”
An old ache pinged in the center of my chest, setting off like a signal triggered by an unknown assailant. No. No one wanted to get their hopes up about a relationship, only to find the one person they wanted was the one person they couldn’t have.
“So, just take thirty days to make a decision,” Lyndsey added. “No one is saying you have to propose at the end. If you aren’t feeling it, then it’s a ‘no’. And we start all over again.”
“Fine.” I nodded. There was no going backward, only forward. If this is what I still wanted, then the only option was to keep trying and pursue the next steps. Only one persistent question held me back.
Did I still want any of this anymore?
Chapter Sixteen
Lyndsey
Of course, they were perfect for one another.
Crystal was everything Hunter wanted in a woman. Safe, reliable, and nice to look at, like a shiny new car.
And she would love Hunter and be completely, endlessly devoted to him.
Who wouldn’t? The man actually cared about people and put his life on the line everyday to protect them. He listened, even when he didn’t have to. His embrace made a woman feel warm and wanted, safe.
Loved.
Not to mention, the man could kiss like the devil. Among other things.
Warmth scaled up the side of my cheeks, lapping against my skin with its fiery touch. Just imagining his hands on my body, his lips roving over my most intimate parts was enough to leave me begging for more. Getting through that meeting with him had been just short of being in a medieval torture chamber. Not only did I have to ignore the tension pulling deep within the pit of my stomach and fight through a flood of fantasies only Hunter could fulfill, I had to mercilessly coerce him into accepting our thirty-day policy.
The one that said he would have to propose marriage or choose another candidate.
There would be no other candidate though. If there was such a thing as a perfect match, Crystal was the woman for him. I knew from the moment I first met her, she was the one.
His missing half.
There was no prolonging the match. If I sent Hunter out on a string of unsuccessful dates, then his frustration would lead him to leave the service, which would put me in the same situation as if I’d slept with him anyway, only without all the entertaining parts.
This was all for the best. Hunter and I weren’t meant to be together.
And I had no intentions of giving him everything he wanted. I wanted to see the world, try new things, and start new adventures. None of which I could do while being tied to my home and the eight children he expected his wife to pop out at will.
You know very well that, that’s not what Hunter’s about.
