Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
He’s offering me a way out.
Wealth, money, power.
All I need to do is shackle myself to a stranger.
Dive head-first into murky, shallow, shark-infested waters and pray I don’t get ripped to shreds.
“I can’t,” I say, my voice a squeak. “I can’t just—I can’t just marry you.”
“You can. And you should. But take the afternoon to think about my offer. This will change your life, Dara. It will set our child up for a future you could never dream of. All you need to do is marry me.”
“Why would you want this? Why go from marrying one stranger to marrying another?” My pulse races as sweat beads my back. The thought of being his wife. Of sleeping in the same bed as him. Of being close to him, day after day. It’s terrible in how addictive it feels.
“Think about that night we spent together. I’ll never have chemistry like that with Robin McLaren. But with you?”
“Don’t pretend like this is about that night. This is about… getting what you want.”
“Who says I can’t want you too?”
I lick my lips, looking away. Images of that night flash in my mind. His mouth between my legs. His cock in my throat. Coming, over and over, legs shaking, moans ripping from my clenched teeth. “I have to think, okay?”
“Looks like you already are. Imagining how it would feel to be my wife?”
“More like trying to think of a way out of this mess.”
“Please, you could do a lot worse than me.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.” I shake my head, slipping away toward the hall. “I’m going for a walk.”
“By all means. But don’t go too far.”
“Why? Going to hunt me down?”
“Yes,” he says, and I believe him.
What did I get myself into? What nightmare is this? A man like that should never even look my way, but now—
He wants to make me his wife.
And that scares me just as much as it sends a jolt of excitement into my core.
Chapter 16
Finn
“Judge Mattingly? This is Finn Crowley, how are you?” I stand on my balcony, phone pressed to my ear.
Mattingly does not sound happy. It’s never a good thing when a Crowley calls. “Hello, Finn, I hope everything is going well.”
“I’m reaching out because I need a wedding license.”
Mattingly is quiet for a long moment. He’s a Crowley judge, meaning he takes the envelopes stuffed with cash without question, and occasionally does the family favors. However, normally these calls come from my father, and I can tell it makes him uncomfortable speaking to me instead.
“Well, those are simple enough, if you go to the courthouse—”
“I need one today. I need it made official by this evening.”
He clears his throat. “There are waits. Legally mandated—”
“Backdate the paperwork as necessary. I can count on you, right, judge? I’ll bring my future wife to your office this evening at five.”
“I, ah, I have court, but—”
“I’ll see you then.” I hang up before he can make more excuses.
I pace back and forth, head running through all the reasons why this is a bad idea, but unable to stop myself. Last night, when I saw her lying in bed, lips moving, mumbling to herself in her sleep, she looked so fucking beautiful and vulnerable, and I made up my mind on the spot.
In ten years, I see myself with Dara, raising our child together.
I don’t love the girl.
I’m not even sure I like her.
She’s beautiful, yes, and I’m physically attracted to her, absolutely, but she’s not the kind of girl I pictured would become my wife. She’s not a part of our world, not used to the pressures of being a Crowley.
She’s not stone cold, like Robin.
But that’s also what attracts me to her. She’s not the normal kind of woman that would want to be a part of this lifestyle, and there’s some voice in my head that thinks it would be good for me, having her around. Good for her too. At least financially.
If I’m doing this, I have to do it the right way. I can’t just marry Dara and blow everything up, even if that’s what I want to do.
Instead, I have one more call before I can push ahead.
Robin’s phone rings a few times. I’m worried she won’t answer until the line clicks alive and her voice comes through. “Finley,” she says, using my real name, which pisses me off. “I didn’t expect you to ever actually call. I figured we wouldn’t speak until our wedding day.” She pauses. “I preferred it that way.”
“Where are you right now?” I say, practically growling at her.
“Home, at my father’s place. I’m having a tennis lesson.” That explains the thumping sound in the background. “Why do you ask?”
I grit my teeth. Her father’s place is two hours away. I don’t have time to go meet her in person. “How badly did you want to get married?”