Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
I’d laughed, flushing at the memory of Jared’s mouth hungrily taking mine. Of the tickle of his short beard against my skin. I wanted to feel it between my thighs.
My fingers curled against the fabric of my dress as I threw that image out of my mind. We’d already decided there would be no funny business between us. In fact, I should be pretty pissed at him for that kiss.
Why did he have to kiss me like that?
The question suddenly blurted out of me.
Out of my periphery, I saw Jared’s hand flex around the wheel. Then he replied gruffly, “The registrar looked suspicious. If by some chance Immigration interviews her, I wanted to leave her with a lasting impression that helped to not betray us.”
So he’d kissed me like he wanted to fuck me and it was as fake as our marriage?
Stupid disappointment filled me. “Right. That makes sense.”
“Sorry if … sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”
“No. Nope. It was fine.”
At his silence, I turned to find him glowering out at the road ahead of us.
“You regret this, don’t you?”
He glanced sharply at me. “Do you?”
“No.” And I actually didn’t. “I get to stay now.”
Jared nodded. “Look … I’ve been thinking and I know you’re not going to like this because I don’t like it, but I think we need to lie to everyone.”
“Everyone?”
“Sarah, Aria … your parents. Everyone.”
No. It wasn’t possible. “They’ll know we’re lying.”
“Even if they do, if we don’t tell them the truth, it protects them legally. It might hurt us to lie to them and for them to know we’re lying to them, but once it’s all over, we can explain.”
Shit.
“Shit, shit, shit.” I pressed my head back against the car seat and heaved a sick-feeling sigh.
“I take it that means you agree?”
“Yes, unfortunately, that means I agree.” And it meant I was about to make my relationship with Aria worse than it already was.
“Fuck.”
Jared chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “You’ve got a mouth on you.”
“Well, you would know,” I quipped.
He flashed me a dark look before returning his gaze to the road. Noting the white of his knuckles, I apologized.
“It’s fine. I just … hope you know that kiss was all for show.”
Anger was better than the hurt I felt at his continued need to prove he didn’t want me. Keeping my tone light, I replied, “I know you find me repugnant, Jared, so don’t you worry your pretty little head that I’m going to catch feelings here.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw, but he didn’t deny it.
And I racked my brain wondering what it was that I had done that had turned him off so much. Then I reminded myself that whatever it was wasn’t my fault, that Jared was merely a tool to get what I wanted, and it didn’t matter what he thought of me otherwise.
It did matter what Aria thought of me.
Dread filled me the closer we drew to Ardnoch.
Eight
Allegra
It seemed right to me, especially because I’d been avoiding her since our argument, that I should tell Aria about the marriage myself. However, Jared pointed out that a real couple would do it together. So we decided we would tell Aria and Sarah as a couple.
I’d texted my sister to let her know I’d visit that evening. I had to collect my stuff from my parents’ beach house and take it to the farmhouse. Sarah’s old room was now mine. We’d entered Jared’s home, awkward tension hanging over us, as if we’d both just realized the immensity of what we’d done.
As a kid, I’d gotten it into my head I wanted to act, so my parents enrolled me in a prestigious after-school acting class. They’d thrown us into improv a lot. I’d left behind the acting for art, but apparently not the improv. This would be the biggest role I’d ever attempted.
Jared and I hadn’t discussed how this would really work. We’d made the decision and as if afraid one of us would back out, we’d booked the registry office and hightailed it down there the next day.
Now we were stuck together with no real plan.
And the fact that Jared had the power to affect my feelings meant I’d chosen the wrong man for this job. I thought so even as I laid the flowers he’d given me gently down on the dresser in Sarah’s room, already planning to preserve them in an art piece.
As regretful as I was that I’d picked him, I was grateful for Jared’s quiet, solid presence as we pulled up to my sister and her husband’s beach house. I was about to lie to the only person in my life who really cared about me. The only thing that soothed my guilt was the knowledge that it wouldn’t be the first time I’d lied to protect her.