Page 9 of Biker Bride (Hell on Heelz MC)

Vince nodded. "Yes. I have business to take care of. But you’ll be safe here. I promise."

I studied his face, searching for any sign of deception. But all I saw was determination. "Alright," I said finally. "I’ll do it. But if you fuck me over, Vince, I swear to God, I’ll make you regret it."

He smiled, a slow, dangerous smile that caused a chill to run down my back. "I wouldn’t expect anything less." We spent the next few hours hashing out the details, sitting in the plush comfort of Vince's living room. He had a legal pad filled with notes, timelines, and details that he flipped through methodically, each turn of the page making my head spin a little more.

"Here’s the timeline. We’ve got to move fast if this is going to work."

"Lay it on me."

"First, we need to sell the story that we met at the charity auction and instantly hit it off," he began. "It is imperative that we convince everyone, especially your sisters, that this isn’t just some fling. They need to believe you’ve fallen head over heels in love with me."

"Convincing them might be the easy part. They’re used to me doing crazy shit. But what about your side? Your family?"

Vince nodded, acknowledging the challenge. "My family is going to be tougher. They’re suspicious by nature, and they know me too well. That’s why everything has to be airtight. We’ll say that we met at the charity auction but that it was last month. After our date, we couldn’t stay away from each other. We got engaged because we’re madly in love and didn’t want to wait." He paused, looking at me intently. "You’re going to have to quit your job at the fern farm. As far as anyone’s concerned, you don’t have a job. You’re dedicating your life to this relationship, to me."

I bristled at the thought of giving up my independence. "And what am I supposed to do all day while you’re off leaving horse heads in beds?"

Vince’s expression bristled slightly at my dig. "You’ll have free rein of the house, of course. There’s a maid who comes daily. She’s loyal, but she’ll report anything unusual back to my family. So, you’ll need to keep up appearances. You can explore the island, but you have to be discreet."

I scoffed. "Great. Playing house while under surveillance. Just what I always dreamed of."

"Sybil, this isn’t just for me. It’s for you too. But you need to be all in. No half-measures."

"We Heelz don’t half ass anything. Fine. What else?"

"We’ll need to meet my family soon. I’ve already arranged a big wedding, planned in just a few weeks. We’ll have to act like the perfect couple. You’ll need to charm them, make them believe this is real."

I couldn’t help but smirk. I was good at pretending. I was an actress before all this, but Vince didn’t need to know that.

We continued to hash out the finer points of our story, going over every detail until my head was spinning. Where we went on our first date, how he proposed, which I knew, even the little quirks and habits we’d need to learn about each other to make this convincing.

Vince leaned back, looking satisfied. "Alright, that covers most of it. Any questions?"

"No questions. I’m in," I said, signing his contract.

He nodded, his expression serious. "Good. There’s no turning back now."

Bullshit. There was always time to back out or to shank him. I looked around the opulent room, taking in the reality of this scam. This was it. I was committed. I wouldn’t back out yet.

Vince led me upstairs, the staircase a sweeping curve of polished wood and wrought iron. The master bedroom was just as impressive as the rest of the house. A king-size bed with a tufted headboard took center stage, dressed in crisp white linens that looked like they belonged in a five-star hotel. To say the room was spacious would be an outright lie, it could fit my entire cabin at the Roost.

With a sitting area by the windows, offering a breathtaking view of the lake, it was what dreams were made of. A door to the left led to the en suite bathroom, a marble wonderland with a freestanding soaking tub, a glass-enclosed shower, and dual vanities. Vince appeared in the mirror behind me, with an evil grin.

“You expect me to sleep in your bed tonight?” I asked. “With you?”

“No,” he said right off. “We’ll leave before the help arrives tomorrow to gather your things. So you can stay in the guest room tonight.”

“Thank god,” I sputtered.

“This isn’t about sex, Psycho,” he said, as his eyes roamed my body. “I’m not paying for something I can get for free.”

“You wish,” I said, pushing him away from me.

That was his loss. As I lay in the guest bedroom that night, staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but think about my sisters. How the hell was I going to convince them that I’d fallen for Vince? They knew me better than anyone, and they’d see right through the charade.

Chapter 7

The next morning, I packed up my things from the Roost. I told my sisters a heavily edited version of the truth—that I’d met Vince at the auction, and we’d hit it off. That I was moving in with him to see where things went. They were skeptical, but I put on my best performance, playing the part of the smitten lover.

---