Page 3 of Sexy AF
Two
Benny
I’d half expected to be stood up. I was clearly fucked in the head, but every time I got near to her, I felt lost in the past. Carrie Lynn Jenkins Maragani was unforgettable, and I’d been a stupid kid who got stuck on going away to college. When I came home for Christmas, she hadn’t spoken to me.
I’d stayed far away from her partly because she got to me and partly because I’d wanted to protect her. The last time I’d seen her was two years before, when I heard she’d hooked up with Terence Grate. My face still had the imprint where she’d slapped me. But the truth was, I’d tried to forget about her for the last ten years.
So when my father spoke about the Marogonis’ deal he wanted, I volunteered. For the first time in my life, I was happy to work for him. However, as the double doors opened, and Carrie breezed into City Hall for our wedding in a white dress to her knees and sunglasses, I almost lost my balance.
She was beautiful and about to be mine.
As she approached, I tapped my wristwatch, an old-fashioned nod to my great-grandfather, who’d given it to me. “You’re two minutes late.”
She held her hand in the air. I could have sworn that she was shaking.
Damn.I’d been too hard on her.
But then she took off her sunglasses and said, like she was in charge, “I was circling the parking lot.”
Right.I took the license out of my pocket and guided her to the line. “You wore a white dress, so you’re forgiven.”
She wrinkled her nose and stared at all the people fighting traffic tickets, or whatever, as she crossed her arms. “I should have worn black, as this feels like my funeral.”
I rubbed her shoulder. She seemed nervous. Touching her sent a shock wave through me. I swallowed. “You wanted me once. You’ll want me again.”
Our number was called, and she said, “I was a fool once, and marrying you means I wasn’t fast enough at fixing that.”
We headed to the counter, and I handed the paper to her with a pen. “All you have to do is sign the license for the clerk.”
She rolled her eyes and took the pen. Another shock wave rushed through me. She said, “Convenient that you got this three days ago.”
I winked at her and rubbed her shoulder, which I hadn’t let go of. I whispered, “I knew you’d say yes.”
“Right.” She pushed the license toward the clerk.
He told us to stand in the corner and wait for the officiant.
As we waited, I said, “After this, we should at least go out and celebrate over a meal.”
She glanced over her shoulder at me. “Do we need pictures to prove how happy we are?”
The door opened, and I whispered, “Your sarcasm used to scare me, Carrie.” I released her shoulder so we would enter the room as equals, but she stayed where she was. I held the door open. “Let’s go.”
Carrie sucked on her bottom lip like she’d done as a little girl, but then she stopped and said, “I doubt anything scared you.”
We stepped into the white room with the wedding arch and a view of a small green patch of grass. The officiant handed me a paper and said, “Here is the price list of extras if you want.”
Carrie hugged her waist as she walked to the middle of the arch. The sway of her hips distracted me. Soon, she’d be mine for however long this roller coaster lasted. I felt my dick go hard thinking about it.
I told the worker, “We’ll take the certificate and photo.”
She pressed her hand to her heart. “Wow, spending the big bucks on me.”
I went to stand beside her, and the air smelled cleaner with her next to me. I needed to hold on to my fucking lust for a few more hours. “You’re worth it, Carrie. You have a mouth on you, and I like that.”
She sighed. The officiant asked her to repeat, “I, Carrie Maragani, take Benedetto Dawes as my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.”
Carrie rocked on her toes as she repeated the words and wiped her eyes.
