Page 22 of Perfectly Wedded

I freeze, glancing at Vale. We hadn’t even discussed this tiny yet monumental detail. Obviously, everyone expects us to share a room—it would be weird if we didn’t. But the thought of actually doing it sends my mind spinning. Do we head upstairs to Vale’s room, right next to the other hockey players? Or stay in my bedroom next to Jaz and Brax’s room? I swallow hard, my pulse quickening.

Vale clears his throat, flashing a quick smile. “Your room’s cozier,” he says, trying to cut through the tension.

“Cozy it is, then,” I say, giving a half-hearted shrug and heading toward my room.

Once we reach the bedroom, Vale shuts the door behind us and lets out a relieved sigh. “I think that went well.”

I sit on the bed and kick my shoes off. “That depends on how you definewell.”

“What do you mean?” Vale asks.

“I feel terrible not telling my sister the whole truth. I know we agreed to only tell her what was needed. But I left out so much.” I look up at him. “Do you really think this is the only way?”

“What’s the alternative?” Vale asks. “We tell them, and the news gets out, and insurance refuses to cover your medicine? That’s not an option. No way.” Vale crosses his arms. “I don’t want them to have to keep the secret. It’s too risky.”

“Which is why I hate that I dragged you into this mess.”

“It’s not a mess,” Vale says, sitting next to me on the bed. “It’s marriage.”

My stomach flips. Will I ever get used to him saying words like “married” and “wife” when there’s no truth behind them?

“If it helps,” Vale continues, “I can sleep on the floor. That way it won’t be...weird.”

I bite my lip. It seems wrong to ask him to sacrifice good sleep just so we can pull off this charade. But I’m not ready to have him next to me in bed either. There’s so much that could go wrong.

“You don’t have to do that,” I weakly protest.

But I know the truth. He absolutelydoeshave to sleep on thefloor if I ever plan on sleeping again. Because having Vale next to me all night?Game over.I’ll die of insomnia.

“It’s okay,” he says. “When I said I’d do this, I meant it. Hard floor and everything.”

“Maybe we can take it in stages,” I suggest. “Eventually we’ll share a bed, just like a sleepover.”

Vale shakes his head, a soft smile playing on his lips. “I can’t ever think of sleeping next to you as a sleepover, Sloan.”

The way he looks at me makes me feel like caramel over too much heat. His gaze holds mine just long enough for alarm bells to go off in my head.

“Well, time for bed!” I chirp, flying off the bed and hurrying across the room.

I root through my dresser to find the most modest pajamas I own, a pair of lightweight cotton pants and a Carolina Crushers T-shirt. Then I head to the bathroom before Vale sees the flush across my face.

Anytime Vale gets that look in his eyes, it makes me want to runfaraway. Not because he’s done anything wrong. But it feels dangerous, like he’s the forbidden fruit and I’m a starving woman.

From the bathroom, I hear Jaz’s laughter float through the house.

I peek out the door and catch Brax and Jaz in the kitchen, his lips brushing her cheek in what’s meant to be a private moment. Their connection is so effortless, so natural, it stirs something inside me—a longing for that kind of intimacy, the kind I wish I had with Vale. It makes me wonder if I can really pretend to be married to Vale without actually getting my heart crushed.Who am I kidding?I can’t pretend to care for him, then switch it off when this is over. I’m not built that way.

As I tiptoe across the hall, looking over at Brax and Jaz, I run face-first into a very solid object.Vale’s chest.

I give a muffledoofbefore taking a dazed step away from him.

“Sorry, babe,” he says, loud enough for Brax and Jaz to turn our way.

“Babe?” I mouth to him. That’s almost as bad assweet cheeks.

His eyes swing to his brother, as he tucks a hand around my side, trying to lean into rule two again. His fingers find the hem of my T-shirt, and the bare spot of skin peeking out where the shirt rides up a little. His fingers rub circles on that spot, flooding me with heat, while he’s totally oblivious to how he’s torturing me.

“I hope I didn’t hurt you.” I lightly tap his chest where I head-butted him just a moment ago. I can feel the curved ridges of muscle underneath his soft henley shirt.

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