Page 2 of Trust Me With Forever

A small voice in my head said,Because you’ve known him your whole life. He was a good man once, and probably still is, under his grumpy exterior.

Not wanting to cave into believing him, I turned around and flipped on the lights. As I searched for my clothes, Rafe said, “Abby, look at me. Please.”

Ever since Rafe had been injured and forced to retire from being a world-famous soccer player, he’d never once used such a gentle voice. At least, not in my hearing.

I looked over my shoulder to find him standing just behind me. He was close enough I could feel the heat of his body, and smell his spicy masculine scent.

The combination made me want to wrap my arms around him and hold him close. But no, I wouldn’t do that. Ever. For so many reasons.

After clearing my throat, I took a step back before turning to face him. “What do you want?”

“I can’t remember last night, but I know I’d never use you for revenge. Please tell me you believe me.” He gingerly took my hand, frowned, and lifted it. “Why are you wearing a wedding ring?”

I looked down, and sure enough, there was a simple gold wedding band on my ring finger. “I never wear rings. Ever.”

Rafe lifted his left hand and sure enough, he had a simple gold band too. He dropped my hand and stumbled backward. “What the fuck?” His gaze met mine. “What the hell happened last night?”

His tone poked at my temper. “You make it sound as if this is my fault. I don’t remember a damn thing either, Rafael Mendoza. And before you accuse me of tricking you to get your fortune, I don’t care about that. I don’t ever want to get married. To you, or anyone.”

After whirling around, I searched for my clothes. Because if I didn’t get dressed and leave, I might do something I’d regret. Like start throwing things.

Rafe remained silent as I gathered my dress and bra. I ran into the bathroom, shut the door, and leaned against the counter. Staring into the mirror, I noticed my ruffled hair, smudged makeup, and the deathly pallor I always got after drinking too much.

I whispered, “Oh, Abby, what the hell did you get up to last night?”

Because after what had happened during my student teaching internship in San Jose, I’d vowed to never date again, let alone marry.

So how had I ended up in a hotel room with my best friend’s older brother, with no memory of the night before? Let alone how we’d both ended up with gold bands on our ring fingers?

And if it were true, if we’d gotten hitched, then how the hell could I undo it and keep it from my family?

Chapter Two

Rafe

As I stared at the bathroom door, my head pounded as I tried to process everything that had just happened.

At first, waking up to Abby wearing my shirt had stirred my cock. I’d dreamed of her often in recent weeks, and I thought it was yet another forbidden fantasy filling my nights.

However, then I’d realized it wasn’t a dream, and I’d sobered up. Fast.

Especially once Abby looked at me with such sadness and betrayal, as if I’d used her to get back at Weston Wolfe for marrying my sister. I’d tried to convince her it wasn’t true—because it wasn’t—but her eyes said she didn’t believe me.

I’d heard rumblings of how she’d been hurt by some dickwad ex. But her look of pure pain had shown me a sliver of the truth—she’d had her heart broken, stomped on, and set on fire.

Then I’d found her ring and mine, spoke without thinking, and now she’d locked herself in the bathroom.

Part of me wanted to bang on the door and tell her we needed to figure shit out. Because if we had gotten married while drunk, we could easily get an annulment.

But thinking of the media’s field day with that made me hesitate. I could just imagine the headlines if or when it got out:

Playboy’s New Tactic: Marriage, Sex, and then a Quickie Divorce

Mendoza’s Failure at both Soccer and Love

Drunken Vegas Wedding Debacle for Former Playboy, Rafael Mendoza

Me and the media had a strained relationship. Gaining fame and fortune at such an early age had gone to my head. Before my parents’ fatal car crash when I was nineteen, my life had been full of drinking and parties and women. Lots of women.

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