Page 50 of Tempt Me

“But it’s all arranged!” Her voice goes up. “The wedding planner already booked the venue, invitations are set to go out!”

“So un-set them.” I’m seriously confused. One minute she’s acting like Max is way above me, and now she’s angry I’m not marrying him, after all? “Look, I’ll talk about this with Max when he gets back. Please send my apologies to your grandmother, too. I’m sorry to do this, but this all happened way too fast. I should never have said yes in the first place,” I add. “I’ve only known him a few months.”

“You ungrateful little bitch.” Sienna’s face screws up in anger. I reel back in shock. “I told him you were all wrong for this, but did he listen? No. You’ve just ruined everything! What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

I don’t understand what she’s saying.

“Goodbye, Sienna,” I say firmly, pushing past her. I unlock my door and then close it on her furious face. I really don’t get why she’s so angry. Anyone would think I just broke up with her, not her stepbrother!

But it’s not my problem anymore, I realize. None of the Mainwarings are. No more icy tea parties or fancy gala events. Maybe other girls would be disappointed to think of losing all the romance and candlelit dinners, but I feel nothing but relief.

I’ve made the right decision. Even if I’d never met Jase, marrying Max would have been a terrible mistake. Because now I finally understand: there’s no such thing as a blank slate. I can’t erase the past—and I shouldn’t have to. My terrible affair with Aleksander is part of my history now, and I’m not going to move on from my past by pretending it never happened. Play-acting at being the perfect bride for a man who barely knows me won’t solve a thing.

But having mind-blowing sex with a man who seems to understand my darkest fantasies? That’s definitely on the menu. And I can’t wait.

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