Page 64 of Love in Fine Print

Olivia smiled, amused at the outburst.

Coach Graham continued, “Do you take Olivia Bradshaw to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do,” I said without any hesitation.

“Repeat after me, I, Benjamin Whitaker.”

“I, Benjamin Whitaker.”

“Take you, Olivia Bradshaw, to be my lawfully wedded wife.”

“Take you, Olivia Bradshaw, to be my lawfully wedded wife.”

“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, forsaking all others, till death do us part.”

“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, forsaking all others, till death do us part.”

Olivia squeezed my hands as I repeated the final vow, acknowledging the secret that only the two of us shared. Well, the two of us and Trevor.

Then it was her turn.

“Do you, Olivia Bradshaw, take Benjamin Whitaker to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

She took a breath and for a split second, I wasn’t sure what she was going to say. The world stopped turning. My heart stopped beating. Time stood still.

“I do.”

When those two words left her mouth, my heart began beating again. Relief and happiness surged through me. As I listened to her recite the rest of our vows, I told myself to remember this wasn’t real. Our marriage wasn’t real. None of this was real.

“By the powers vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Ben, you may kiss your bride.”

I lifted my hands to her face and leaned down. I paused for a split second as my mouth hovered over hers and I felt the sweet heat of her breath fan my face. Then, I closed my eyes, and, finally, I pressed my lips to hers. The kiss started soft and tender and sweet, but when she lifted up on her toes and gripped my neck, I sort of forgot where we were and what was going on.

Her lips parted and my tongue slid into her mouth. As the kiss deepened, my hands moved to her waist, and I pulled her against me. Her body molded into mine as our kiss continued. The passion never waning, only amplifying.

I don’t know how long I would have kept kissing her if Declan hadn’t grabbed my shoulders and squeezed. It was only then that I became aware of the cheers and whistles erupting around us.

When I broke our kiss, Olivia looked up at me, her eyes were glossy and glazed. I could see that she had been just as affected as I was by the encounter.

This is not real, I told myself again.

But, damn, it felt real.

27

OLIVIA

I leanedagainst the counter in the bathroom, my head was cast down as I stared at the wedding band that was now next to the engagement ring that was Ben’s grandmother’s. I knew they were both just for show, that they didn’t actually mean anything, but I couldn’t help the way I felt when he’d slipped it on my finger.

Or the way I’d felt when he’d pressed his lips to mine for the kiss.

That kiss.

Obviously, I knew that I was attracted to Ben. He was an attractive man. But…holy shit, he was an attractive man who could kiss. That kiss was explosive. That kiss was electric. That kiss was dangerous, was what it was.

How was I supposed to live with a man, for an entire year, who looked like he did and kissed like he did?

A knock sounded on the bathroom door.

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