Page 8 of It's Holy Matrimony, Baby

“Now where would be the fun in that?” She knocks her elbow into my side.

I rub the tender spot while I glare at her. “That’s probably going to leave a bruise.”

“Good. It’ll match the ones you end up with tonight when you’re getting nailed to a wall.” We both watch as the two guys walk to a flatbed truck and climb in. Moments later, it rumbles away. “You should have told me about him.”

“Nothing to tell.” I shrug, mostly relieved. And also a little not relieved, which is weird. But then I do have to face him again before I can put this crazy situation behind me. “It was a mistake.”

“Tell that to your mother,” she says, walking ahead of me. “She might believe you.”

“I’m serious.” I catch up with her and we take the elevator up to our floor. “I’m going to get this annulled. I’ll get him to agree to it tonight. Simple.”

“I know.” She doesn’t seem thrilled by the idea. If anything she almost sounds disappointed. “Beckett McClain doesn’t do relationships. Or marriage. Or love.”

“Oh come on, Liv. It’s not like there’s a happily ever after here anyway.” The elevator stops, and we step out into the hallway. The door to my suite is first and I hurry toward it. “Why drag the L word into it?”

“Because you need to be reminded it exists.”

I turn around while I trawl through my handbag for the key card. “It’s a bunch of chemicals, knocking around inside our bodies, urging us to procreate with the closest Neanderthal.”

“It isn’t,” she retorts.

“It is.” I glare at her as I lift the plastic key in triumph.

“It isn’t. You would know that if you’d ever given it a chance.”

She shakes her head as though she’s given up. Which is good. I hate arguing with Liv but she’s the worst when it comes to this la de da love baloney. Falling in love with cute guys all across the continent since, well, since she realized what a vagina was for. “You know why I can’t do that.”

“I know you won’t.”

“Fine. I won’t.” I stop at my door and insert the card in the reader, waiting for the light to flash. “And even if I did it wouldn’t be with this guy.”

“Because of the curse,” she says.

“Because of the curse,” I agree before I have time to think it through. Stupid motor mouth. “What? No. That has nothing to do with it.”

“The curse has nothing to do with your not annulling this marriage? Or why you’re so damn adamant to void it all of a sudden? Almost two years, Beck. It’s not nothing.”

“It’s practically a damn life sentence,” I snip. “And the curse is bullshit.”

“Exactly,” she says. “So why does it seem you believe in it?”

---