Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 79462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
He seems surprised, but schools himself again, a tight smirk on his lips. “Actually, now I’m looking forward to tasting that smart mouth of yours.”
A shiver runs into my core. I nearly let out a moan. He wants to taste my mouth? “I suspect you’ll be like a rotten apple. Not for me, thank you.”
“And I suspect you’ll be like a juicy peach.”
“You’ll never get near this peach, love. Don’t worry on that front.”
“You are a vicious one, aren’t you?”
“I know men like you, Costa. Men that think they’re in control, when really, it’s your little desperate ego driving everything you do. So now we’re square, and we can be done.”
“It was nice meeting you, Fallon Grady. Soon to be Fallon Costa.”
“And it was a pleasure seeing the real you, Jayson Costa, you big fucker.” I whirl around and take a step away, but pause to look back. He’s staring at my ass, which is oddly gratifying. “By the way, to get a proper annulment, we can’t ever consummate the marriage. So good luck fucking me the way you so clearly want to, you big, stupid bastard.” The shocked look on his face, followed by the steamy smirk, is totally worth the embarrassed flush that rushes into my cheeks. I storm away, heart racing, lips numb and tingling, hating everyone and everything.
I don’t know why I thought I had a chance at building something real with that man.
And I don’t know why I’m taunting him with sex as if I know anything about it.
Jayson Costa isn’t interested in a relationship. He doesn’t want a wife, much less some random Irish gangster’s daughter. I’m nothing to him, just an inconvenience, and he’ll spit on our marriage the first chance he gets.
An idea starts to cohere. I hate that arrogant fuck so much it burns. Now that I’m not looking at his handsome face, I can think clearly, and my brain’s filled with nothing but nasty ideas.
He killed Papa. And I won’t forget it.
“I take it that didn’t go well,” Rian says once I rejoin him and the two stupid goons. They’re busy pretending like I don’t exist.
“How’d you know?”
“You’re not good at hiding how you feel.”
“Well, fuck you.”
“Fair. That bad, huh?”
I stride past him and he has to hurry to keep up. “Costa doesn’t want to marry me and I don’t want to marry him. At least we’re square about it.”
“Fallie, wait.”
“No, don’t make me stop walking, because if I do, I might turn around and go back to that big fuck and try to strangle him to death.”
“Alright, don’t do that.”
“I mean it, Chim, keep moving. I’m beyond pissed.”
“I can see. Worse than that time I colored in the eyes of all those shirtless pop star guys you hung on your walls? Remember that, when you were like thirteen? I ruined your precious posters and you stomped around for days.”
A vindictive grin spreads across my face. “Made you pay in the end.”
“Yes, you did. You waited a few weeks before you got your revenge.”
“Slashed the tires on your bike right before you had a big footy match. Those pretty twins you fancied were going to be there, but you didn’t show up.”
“Ah, god, the Doyle twins. Lovely girls. Lacy Doyle kissed Todd Pendergast that day and I’ve never forgiven you for that.” He strokes his chin. “I wonder how they’re doing, and if they’re interested in a plural marriage.”
“Disgusting.”
“I’m just saying, try to calm down and think. He’s in a bad spot too, remember?”
“I don’t care about his spot. I only care about mine.”
Which maybe isn’t fair, but it’s the truth. Jayson Costa can be pissed all he wants, but I was willing to give this a shot, and he decided to smash that hope to pieces.
At best, it’ll be a joke. Two people pretending, going through the motions, but living separate lives. At worst, he’ll make my life hell. I can’t tell which will happen, but either one doesn’t appeal.
I wanted something better from a match, a real partner, a husband.
At the very least, someone I could learn to deal with.
Costa won’t ever be those things. No, with him I’ll get one miserable, ugly year, and then a separation that goes against my stinking faith. Not that I won’t go through with it, but still.
As we leave the boardwalk and another cold, freezing rain begins to drop, a plan forms in my mind. An ugly plan, but I’m at the lowest point in my life, and if I don’t do something to regain a shred of my dignity then I won’t know how I can continue.
Rian won’t like it, but hell, he never likes any of my best ideas.
Chapter 5
Jayson
Living in a casino has perks, like the abundance of bars, gambling, and distractions.
I drink whiskey. I shoot craps. It’s my family’s place and all my money goes back into my own pockets in a roundabout way, making the stakes that much lower, but at least I’m not thinking about Fallon Grady, my future wife.