Page 40 of Curvy Fake Wife for the Player

Jack was a bit of an overbearing ass, but I was grateful to him for suggesting we move the wedding forward. It was exhausting and we were only a few hours into planning a fake wedding.“How about we just stop at the courthouse on our way back to the penthouse?”

He sighed and pressed a kiss to the back of my hand. “We’d still have to wait seventy-two hours.” He led me out of the venue and into the waiting car, stopping just long enough to smile for the cameras. “Besides it’ll look like I’m ashamed of you or like you said, that we have something to hide.”

Fair enough. “Then how about we find a place that can accommodate about fifty or so guests and that can do a wedding and reception in one place? Less planning for us.” We had exactly one month to put together a wedding fit for a hockey star.

His eyes lit up. “I know just the place. I used to stay at the Andromeda when I came to visit Dante so the photographers wouldn’t camp out at his place and frighten Lena.” Excitement lit his eyes and highlighted his stunning good looks, so fine I had to look away. “Damn near every time I stayed, there was a wedding happening.”

“Okay. Let’s go there.” I was hopeful that this place would be everything we needed because I was tired and bored, and most of all I didn’t want to waste a wedding venue I might want to use one day for a real wedding.

A real marriage.

Two hours later we didn’t just have a wedding venue and a reception hall—all in one place, thank you very much—but it was booked and the deposit was paid. It was done. Alex and I were getting married. “It’s not too late to back out,” I teased.

“Don’t even think about it, sweetheart. You’re wearing my ring. You’re mine.” The intensity in his gaze startled me, it stole my breath.

In that moment I realized that I wanted it to be real. Shit that was bad. Really bad. “That means you’re mine, Winger.”

His gaze heated when I said that, the same way they heated the last time I called him that. “Keep it up and we’ll really givethem something to photograph.” Alex wiggled his brows, mouth split into a heart-stopping smile that sent fire rushing through my veins. “In fact,” he said with a devilish glint in his green eyes. “Let’s do that.” And then he pulled me close, kissing the hell out of me, devouring my mouth while at least a dozen cameras snapped our image and who knows how many phone cameras.

I didn’t care. I wrapped my arms around him and accepted his masterful kiss like it was my birthright. I don’t know how long we stood there in the lobby of the famed Andromeda Hotel, kissing like two people really in love, like two people who couldn’t get enough of each other. I breathed in his scent and savored the feel of his body pressed up against mine, the way his hands grazed up and down my back like he was trying to decide whether or not to grab my ass.

Alex pulled back, breathless and smiling. “Let’s get out of here.”

Yes, please.“Where are we going?”

“To celebrate.”

It wasn’t what I wanted to hear but after what happened yesterday, I was glad one of us had our head screwed on straight. We still hadn’t talked about what happened between us yesterday, as in the mind-altering, axis-tilting, heart-stopping sex—and it looked like Alex had no desire to talk about it. Which was fine. Really, it was fine.

I just needed to push it all out of my head. To stop thinking about Alex in all his naked glory, the way he felt sliding into my body, the intensity and the vigor with which he gave me orgasms.Stop! No!I wasn’t thinking about it and I wasn’t thinking about him.

Period.

I was stillnotthinking about Alex or his bronzed skin and tempting smile two days later as I combed through wedding invitations. The invitations made this real and as I lookedthrough card weights, script types and RSVP cards, this all suddenly become very real. Ormorereal, I suppose. The weight of what we were doing settled all around me, which helped me keep my mind off Alex. Off sex with Alex.

Unfortunately thinking about Alex naked and growling my name like he couldn’t get enough of me was preferable to thinking about inviting my parents to the wedding. Mom would be hurt that I didn’t tell her I was dating anyone, and more so that I didn’t let her help me plan the wedding. And my dad, well he probably wasn’t sober enough to care either way.

It didn’t matter to me, not really. My father hadn’t been an active part of my life for most of my life, but they would both be invited or it might reflect badly on Alex and that would defeat the whole purpose of this charade.

Dixie babbled beside me as I picked three invitations for Alex to approve even though he probably won’t care. “What do you think, baby girl?”

Her gummy smile was brilliant as she gave me her answer, incoherent as it was.

“Cool. Let’s hope your dad thinks so too.” My shoulders fell in disappointment. My feelings were becoming complicated and Alex and I weren’t even married yet. I needed to get a damn grip, to shove whatever I thought I was feeling down deep until it was forgotten.

The sound of my phone ringing pulled me from thoughts of my husband-to-be and my complicated feelings, and to the present and another set of complicated feelings. “Hey Mom.”

“Sasha, how are you?”

“Good, Mom. How are things?” I let out a silent sigh, wishing our conversations were less stilted and more along mother-daughter lines.

“Good,” she sighed. “Always good. Are you still working?”

“I am.” Why was this so hard? “I’m glad you called because I have some news. I’m getting married.” A long silence descended and I held my breath waiting for a derisive or disappointed comment, but none came. “Mom?”

“I’m here, Sasha. I’m just trying to figure out when you started dating someone and why is this the first I’m hearing of it, when it seems all of the entertainment industry already knows.”

Because you made your choice and it wasn’t me.“You know why, Mom. I’m telling you now.”

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