Page 26 of The Best Man

It feels like he’s going along with this blasphemous bullshit too, and if anyone would have the balls to put a stop to it and force everyone to see how fucked up it is, I thought it would be him.

Itwouldbe him.

But he’s here in a tux, looking more handsome than ever.

Which means no one is going to save me from making the worst mistake of my life.

Marcus nods for me to join him in the hall. “Come out here. I need to talk to you.”

My heart skitters. I hand the bouquet off to Charlotte and make my way toward him.

“Make it quick,” Charlotte says. “We have to get her outside for pictures.”

Butterflies fill my stomach as Marcus puts a hand at the small of my back to guide me.

I love when he does that.

He doesn’t take me far from the bridal suite, just down the hall by a window where a table is set up with a vase of fresh flowers and a couple of chairs.

We don’t sit on them. We just stand there, him looking me over, me almost too afraid to meet his gaze.

I’m in a wedding dress ready to marry his brother, after all.

“You snuck out on me.”

I swallow. “I thought I had a wedding to cancel.”

His lips curve up faintly, but no humor reaches his eyes. If anything, he looks… hurt. “You’re really gonna marry him?”

His words are like a punch to the gut.

I press a hand to my stomach, pleading with myself not to throw up.

I’m quiet for too long, and he sees his opening.

I gasp when he closes the distance between us, sliding a hand around my neck and pulling me into him.

I try to pull back, pushing against his chest as my gaze darts down the hall. “Marcus… someone could see us.”

He forces me close. “I don’t care.”

My heart flutters and my skin heats, but I can’t resist wrapping my arms around him and accepting his comfort.

Just one more little hit can’t hurt, right? I’ll need it to get through the desolate chill of the marriage I’m about to enter into.

“Don’t do it,” he says, like it’s just that simple.

“I don’t know how to get out of it,” I say, fighting tears because Joey will murder me if I ruin my makeup right before pictures. “Nobody knows what happened, and if I call off the wedding now, your mom’s gonna kill me.”

“He doesn’t love you,” he states.

“I know that,” I cry, breaking away from him. “But he still wants to go through with this stupid wedding. You know Joey, he’s not one to make a public scene, and this… this is a really big one.”

Marcus looks down at me, his jaw locking. He moves his hand to cradle my face, and he stares down at me with anintensity I’ve never seen before. “You’re not fucking marrying him, Jessa. I won’t allow it.”

I choke on a smothered laugh, shaking my head as I look away from him. “Great. Well, would you like to explain that to everyone then?”

“Sure.” His other hand skims my side, causing goose bumps to pop up all over my skin. His hand ghosts around my waist, then slides down to cup my ass. He pulls me against him, and his daring fingers push my skirt between my thighs so he can touch my pussy.

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