Page 15 of Chasing His Bride

I swallow as I stroll over to her, kiss her, and say a quick hello to her friends, then grab her hand as we rush out of the lobby.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, and I can’t stop myself from blurting out, “Did you have a think about marrying me?”

“Ah, you still think I need to get married before I have sex,” she says and laughs at me.

“Not exactly,” I say, ushering her into the car I’ve hired.

I wait until the car is moving, so she can’t rush back out. “But... remember I told you about my grandfather and that he won’t hand the business over to me until the day I marry.” I hesitate for a moment, wondering if this is the right thing to do. Deciding I have nothing to lose, I carry on.

“And as that’s never going to happen in my real life, I’ll pay you enough money to pay off your debts and have a successful life, say one million dollars. And for that, all you have to do is marry me, make it look believable to my friends while I’m here, and then you’ll never see me again.”

She almost chokes on her saliva. “Are you crazy? I thought you were joking,” she hisses. “Why don’t you marry an American girl?”

“That’s too complicated. This plan is better. Marrying a girl who lives on the other side of a large ocean,” I say and grin.

It’s ideal. Someone who doesn’t know me and lives in a different country. I’m doing what my grandfather wants.

It’s perfect.

“I’ll fill out the paperwork.” I don’t tell her it’s already done as my mouth curves up on one side at the pure brilliance of my plan.

“I don’t know.” She isn’t persuaded as quickly as I expected by the money.

I need to try harder. “Just think about it,” I say as the car pulls in front of the restaurant I booked.

She doesn’t answer, but I can see her mulling over the idea in her head. She’s told me she has debts, but she’s also a lawyer, and in a couple of years, she’s going to be better off than most people her age.

I’m not sure it’s perfect any longer.

I take Amber for lunch at a lovely restaurant overlooking the views of the Strip, and we watch a comedy show while we eat.

I can’t help but smile at how she laughs at the jokes, but then I can’t take my eyes off her.

I know this is fake, but for a silent moment, it feels so fucking real, it takes my breath away—she takes my breath away.

“Why me?” she asks.

She needs to hear this as much as I need to hear it from my own lips.

“Because you live in another country. I fulfill my grandfather’s wishes.” I smile. “And you’ll be one million dollars richer, and can also win your bet and be no worse off. I’ll send the divorce papers through as soon as the business is handed over to me.” I hesitate a moment, watching her face. “A few months in a fake marriage, at worst a year. And you’re comfortable for the rest of your life.”

Her eyelashes flutter with rapid blinks. She pulls her plump lower lip into her mouth.

My eyes don’t stop looking at her teeth as they dig deep, before her tongue swipes out and licks over the indent.

Fuck. I want that mouth wrapped around my cock and quick.

Married or not, she’s going to be in my bed tonight.

Amber looks at me with an arch of an eyebrow and a cheeky glint in her eye. “Aren’t you supposed to get down on one knee?”

“Oh, Amber, I can do that,” I say, dropping to my knee and listening to the surrounding gasps. I take hold of her hand. “Amber Greyson, will you make me the happiest man in Vegas and agree to be my fake wife?”

She bursts into laughter, holding her chest in mock surprise. “That is so romantic, and as no one has ever proposed to me before, fake or real. Why the hell not?”

And I’m staring into her eyes as she laughs, wondering why I want this so much.

I stand up and realize I don’t have a ring.

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