Page 82 of Lie With Me

From this moment on, nothing is pretend.

It’s real.

So very real it makes my chest ache with all the possibilities of our future together.

“There’s nothing I’ve ever wanted more than to hear you say those words to me. I promise you, Valentina, I promise to be the man you need me to be for the rest of our lives. Or at least until you no longer want me.”

“The only man you need to be isyou. For the rest of our lives.” With a watery laugh, I hold up my hand. The giant diamond sparkling as I wiggle my fingers. “‘Till death do us part.”

He kisses me again, his fingers intertwining with mine as he whispers against my lips, “‘Till death do us part.”

Tripp

Even though I RSVP’d when Lenni insisted we go to Emily’s wedding, most of her family is still shocked to see us walk through the doors of the giant inn where the weekend is being hosted. It has an old-money feel to it, with rich mahogany floors covered in giant ornamental rugs, antique vases filled with nothing—purely for decoration—and whimsical wallpaper with muted floral patterns.

Lenni makes a gagging noise while we wait at the concierge desk for the key to our room. “Yuck,” she whispers.

“Are you talking about the inn or the group of Emily’s family who are openly staring at us right now?” I tug her closer, pressing a soft kiss to the curve of her neck just below her ear. I relish the goosebumps that erupt over her flesh and the soft pink hue that creeps from the apples of her cheeks downward.

“Can it be both? We were invited. Are they reallythatshocked?” Her fingers tighten where they press into my side, and her voice becomes breathy in the way that it does when she’s turned on. She shifts, pressing her thighs together.

It was a three-hour drive out to Pomfret. A three-hour drive where Lenni gave me road head and then fingered herself while she faced me—legs spread over the center console so I could watch her, even though I should have been watching the road.

We’re both horny as fuck. And by the way the lady at the desk is furiously blushing and doing her best to get us checked in as quickly as possible, we aren’t doing a great job at hiding it. “So sorry this is taking so long, Mr. Kennedy. It will just be a few more moments. Our computer systems are a little laggy today.”

My hand drifts over Lenni’s hip and around to her backside, sliding my hand into her back pocket to squeeze her butt. I’m about to tell the lady not to worry when my mother’s voice cuts down the hall. “There you two are! I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make the rehearsal dinner.”

As she comes closer, she glares at the people still gathered around a heavy wooden table. “My son has happily moved on and was invited. Is there a problem?”

Seemingly embarrassed at being caught gawking, they disperse while Lenni extracts herself from me to give her a hug. “Be prepared for a lot ofthatthis weekend, my dear. They are more than likelystunned by your looks. Tripp upgraded tremendously in that department.”

Lenni snorts while Mom embraces me. “I’m sure it has more to do with the fact that we’re here at all. You and Weylan didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to.”

“Nonsense. Of course, we would come to support you two. We gotinvitedlongbefore you did, but after you told me what really happened, we rescinded our RSVP. Emily’s mother was only too happy to reinstate it for us. They don’t want to be on bad terms with Weylan. Emily’s parents’ company was set to do a lot of business with Kennedy Construction before everything blew up.”

Lenni rolls her eyes playfully and smirks at Mom’s back. “Well, no need for bad blood anymore, right?”

“Alright, Mr. Kennedy, we have you all checked in. Here is the key to your room. The rehearsal dinner starts at six in the dining room. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to let us know.” The lady behind the desk hands me a bronze, Victorian-looking key with a tassel attached to the end and a card with the WIFI password.

“Alright, we’re gonna go get settled in. See you at dinner.” Picking up our bags, I usher Lenni down the hall toward the giant staircase that leads to the rooms upstairs.

Just as we begin to ascend, Emily appears around the corner on her way down. “Oh! You made it!”

Her skin looks ashen, and her blue eyes arebloodshot. She looks like she’s moments away from showing us what she had for lunch. “Are you feeling okay? You look sick.”

Lenni discreetly elbows me in the ribs as Emily breaks out in a mottled flush. “Something I had for lunch must not be agreeing with me, that’s all. I’m glad to see you two could make it.” She brushes her auburn hair out of her face and continues down the stairs. “See you at the rehearsal dinner. And Tripp?” She stops, turning to look up at me. Once upon a time, her gaze was all I wanted to see for the rest of my life. Now, I don’t feel a thing when I look at her. “Thank you for coming.”

“You know, you’re not supposed to look better than the bride. This is twice in as many weeks where you’ve done exactly that,” I murmur into Lenni’s neck, pulling her back into me.

“Better not let Jackson hear you say that. He’ll rip you limb from limb for saying anyone is prettier than Ginny,” she jests, adjusting an earring. “We’ll be late if your hands keep that up.”

Chuckling lowly, I let out a groan and set my forehead between her shoulder blades as my hands still, bunched in her skirt that I was in the process of dragging up her body. “I can’t help it, you’re so goddamn sexy.”

“Wejusthad sex.” She laughs, spinning to faceme. Her hair bounces around her body in voluminous waves. The dress she’s wearing is a soft blue with a gray floral print, and it covers up so much of her body that I want to rip it off her with my teeth.

“So? That was like an hour ago,” I whine as she straightens my tie. I’m wearing the same colors as her, a dove gray suit with a blue tie, and I’m addicted to the way we look together in the giant backlit mirror in the bathroom. The inn may be decorated to look older than it is, but the amenities are at least modern.

“You are insatiable. Come on, let’s get this over with.” She grabs my hand, and we make our way downstairs.

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