Page 57 of Curvy Fake Wife for the Player

I was ready to move on to everything else, whatever that entailed, and I knew I would have to do it alone.

Without Alex.

He was my husband in name only and if I was silly enough to get my heart involved in this marriage of convenience, well thatwas totally on me. It wasn’t his burden to bear. It was mine alone and I would take care of it.

On my own.

Turns out I wasn’t enough. Again.

Chapter 31

Alex

Turns out a wedding reception isn’t much fun without a bride.I couldn’t say how long I stayed at the reception after Sasha left, only that it felt like a fucking eternity had passed without her. I was miserable and worse I was doing a shit job of looking anything but miserable.

“Where’s the happy bride?” Dante stood towering over me, his body casted a long shadow that matched my mood perfectly.

“She’s gone,” I grunted. “Heard Jack’s words apparently and convicted me without a trial.”

Dante grunted which I suppose meant he was on my side. He grabbed two flutes filled with champagne and sat. “What was she supposed to think? You didn’t correct Jack at all.”

“I didn’t think she was spying on me. How could I?” What was she even doing outside the groom’s suite in the first place?

“Maybe she came to tell you something and what she heard made it unnecessary.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit. You can’t say some ominous shit like that and not back it up. What does that mean?”

He shrugged. “Lucy said she got the feeling that Sasha’s feelings for you were real, but my wife doesn’t know everything.”

Shit. Those words ricocheted through me with the force of a bullet. Could that really be true, that Sasha’s feelings for me had grown during our time together? Had she come to tell me she wanted our marriage to be real in all ways? “Fuck.”

“I’m guessing that’s news to you?”

I nodded. “She didn’t say anything.”

“Why would she? You made it clear that this was nothing more than a business arrangement. You kept up your end of the bargain and so did she. Right?”

I nodded. Yeah, she’d only asked for a few charitable donations, one of which solely benefitted me. She’d been nothing but good and kind, sexy and sweet, and I fucked it up. All of it. “Why wouldn’t she say anything?”

Dante shrugged. “Why would she? That’s not what you want. Is it?”

Was it? “I want her.” That was the only thing I knew. I wanted Sasha and I would do whatever it took to make her mine. “I need to get out of here.”

Dante, grumpy bastard that he was, flashed an uncharacteristic grin as he stood. “I’ll make your excuses,” he offered. “Don’t fuck it up.”

“Thanks man, your confidence in me is overwhelming. Seriously.”

“It’s just a bit of friendly advice. It’s time to go big or get off the pot.”

I frowned and a laugh escaped. “You might want to work on your pep talk, Dante.”

“It wasn’t a pep talk. It was a get off your ass and go get your woman talk. Go,” he growled and shooed me towards the door.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I loosened my bowtie and strolled towards the ballroom exit, ready to claim my bride. My woman.

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