Page 80 of Gracefully Yours

“Yes, please,” I agreed.

Because I couldn’t stop thinking about what they’d said.

Did Daniel love me?

Maybe I hadn’t asked him enough abouthismotivations for this fake marriage.

Or was it fake to him at all?

* * *

“They’re all gone,”Daniel said, practically slumping against the door in exhaustion.

“Do you think they bought it? Did we look believably in love?” I said, taking another bite of our wedding cake. As the flavors exploded on my tongue, I practically moaned. It was delicious, especially for it being gluten-free. And it waspink.“I could eat this for the rest of my life and never tire of it, I think.”

The cake was amazing—pink velvet with the best cream cheese buttercream. Our friends had given toasts, reminding us of all the times we’d adamantly refused there was anything between us. Of how we’d both thought we were in the friend zone. How wrong they were. Because we might not have been just friends anymore, but we weren’t really lovers, either. Somewhere in the middle.

I’d given him my virginity, and he’d given me the best night of my life. And then I’d run away. Still, we didn’t love each other. And exploring his body during this fake relationship wasn’t wrong, was it? We might not have done this for love, but I was damn well going to take advantage of the benefits.

The tension between us was too intense to ignore.

His dad’s couch was so comfy, and I’d plopped myself on it when we came inside after everyone had finally started leaving the tented venue area. And the cake that was currently resting in my lap was just the icing on top of the whole day.

I let my eyes float shut as I relaxed further into the couch. Feeling the weight of the plate being lifted off my abdomen, I opened my eyes to Daniel staring at me.

“Charlotte.” His arms came down around me, caging me in. “It’s our wedding night, darling.” His voice was a low rumbling in my ear, and there was something about it that set my body aflame.

We hadn’t talked about the other day when I’d joined him in the shower, or the way he’d thrust in to me and we’d both lost our minds. I’d been sore afterwards, but there was also a part of me that had felt like I was floating on clouds for the rest of the day.

So… maybe now was the time to talk about it. “Um… about the other day…”

He positioned his forehead over mine, his lips close enough that I could have leaned up and touched ours together if I moved just a hair. “We said it was sex, right? Just sex?”

I closed my eyes as he intertwined his fingers in my hair. “Yeah.”

“We don’t need to talk about what it means,” Daniel agreed. “Let’s just make each other feel good.”

ThatI was on board with. I hummed in agreement.

“I need the words, Charlotte.”

“I want this,” I whispered, tugging him down further on top of me. “I want you.”

“Good girl,” he murmured against my skin, lighting my body on fire.

I looked up at him, feeling all too exposed on the couch of his dad’s house. “Should we…” I didn’t know what the protocol was here.

Would we drive home? Stay at his dad’s? The idea of doing anything in his dad’s house didn’t sit right with me, even if we were technically married now in everyone’s eyes. No one else knew it was fake. “Go upstairs?” I finished, lamely.

Daniel shook his head. “We’re not staying here tonight.”

“We’re not?”

“No.” He scratched his head, looking away sheepishly. “I might have, uh, one more surprise up my sleeve…”

“You do?” I blinked. “What about my stuff?” I’d left it all in the guest room this morning.

“I got it.”

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