Page 17 of All Bets Are Off

I shook my head. “This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Maybe so, but we both have something the other needs. I just want you to consider it.”

I didn’t have to consider it long. “Absolutely not. No way. No how. Nothing doing. There’s nothing in the world that could ever convince me to marry you.”

And just like that, I’d thrown down the gauntlet. The challenge in his eyes told me he was nowhere near done.

Uh-oh. This was not going to be good.

4

FOUR

“Don’t be stupid,” I chided her. I was familiar with the obstinate look in her eyes and knew that she wasn’t about to back down. I had to finesse this situation. Rex and I had talked through all the parameters of what the agreement would entail. He was on board—if only for his sister’s sake—and we’d already established boundaries.

I just needed his stubborn-ass sister to get with the program.

“Did you just call me stupid?” Olivia’s eyes went so wide I momentarily worried she was having a stroke. “You can’t call me stupid. You want a favor from me. I’m not going to grant a favor to somebody who insults me.”

“Actually, I happen to believe that I’m offering you more than you’re offering me.”

“I’m not offering you anything.”

“I just need to be able to breathe, Livvie.” I didn’t want to beg, but the more time I spent thinking about Rex’s suggestion, the more I started to believe it was my best shot at not suffocating under the weight of what my father wanted from me. “I don’t expect sex from you or anything.”

She made a squeaking sound. “You’d better not!”

I had to bite back a laugh at the horrified look on her face. “You’re Rex’s sister. He would kill me if I made a move on you. Give me a break.”

“And yet he’s not going to kill you for marrying me?” Olivia looked genuinely befuddled now.

“It was actually his idea.”

She raised her hand before I continued. “Are you being serious right now?”

I nodded. “He’s worried about you, Livvie. Personally, I think you’re going to be just fine, but he’s always believed it’s his job to take care of you.”

“I don’t need anybody to take care of me,” she muttered.

“It’s not a love match,” I insisted. “It’s a marriage of convenience. I’ll take you to a few parties and dinners. My father will see that you’re serious and have never gotten into any trouble. He’ll chalk up our marriage—and dating under the radar—as maturity he didn’t see from me until now.”

“Except it’s not true.”

“Yes, well, I don’t care about that part. I just need time to figure things out.”

“And I get my dental work taken care of out of the deal.” She cocked her head. “It’s expensive dental work.”

“I already checked and you’re covered as my wife. No co-pay.”

Her mouth dropped open. “No co-pay?” She almost looked reverent. “That means the money I saved…” She trailed off.

“Can go to whatever you need it to go to,” I finished. “It’s a win-win situation for both of us. Plus, because you’re Rex’s sister, I don’t have to worry about you developing feelings for me. You already hate me.”

For a moment, I saw a flash of something in her eyes that I couldn’t quite identify. She ruthlessly shoved it away before I could say something else, though.

“What about my parents?” she asked. “Don’t you think they’re going to have questions about why we’re suddenly married?”

“I asked Rex if we should tell them the truth, and he said no. He says that they already worry about you. If they find out why you’re willing to marry me, they’ll cancel their retirement and spend all the money they have saved on your teeth.”

---