No sculptor has chiseled a finer male face.
Guys like him do not go out with chubby, average looking girls like me who will never have a thigh gap.They just don’t.So, what’s the catch?Why is he here?Why is he withme?As far as I can remember, I’ve never set eyes on him before last night.Believe me, I would’ve remembered.Even now my girly bits are approaching nuclear meltdown.My gaze lingers over the sheer lusciousness of his lips.
And I’m a total weirdo, ogling him while he’s sleeping.
But there’s just so much to admire.
Have I ever seen lips that kissable before?
Why the hell am I thinking about kissing the naked stranger?
Um, because he’s a total hottie, he kissed me, and I want more.
I press my fingers against my lips as a memory zings me.Hell yeah, he kissed me.A lot.Thoroughly.Make me forget my freaking name, kissed me, and a lot more.
It takes every ounce of self-control I possess to tear my gaze away from his broad, muscled chest.It’s one of those male chests that you don’t believe exists in real life.How could it?Because it’s too perfect, too sculpted.He has a warrior’s build and is a sexy beast of a man.In my deepest, darkest fantasies, he’s the kind of man I’ve always secretly wanted.
I curl my right hand into a fist in the blankets because my fingers itch to trace the hard lines and bulging heat of all those muscles.My left I curl into a ball and press against my lips so I can feel something other than the memory of his kiss.
Cool metal grazes my lips.I yank my hand away from my face and drop my gaze.
Holy shit!
There’s a shiny gold wedding band with intricate markings on my third finger.
Did I get married last night?
Two
B.I.L.L.: The first critical mistake?Trying to pass for human.
~ 18 Hours Earlier, Bucking Bronco Cowboy Bar, Saturday, 4:15 pm
I look down,quite sure my nipples are about to pop free of the vice-like corset.Not that it would be the worst thing to happen to me today.I give a very unladylike tug to the heavy white gown.Boost the girls higher.Better.Even if they do resemble the front end of a battleship prow in this getup.
“Tequila shots!”Larry, the bartender, grins through his waxed, handlebar mustache as he sets two rounds of shots on the bar.He acts like he sees three young ladies in wedding attire every day.No big deal.Every other person in the bar is staring at me and my two besties like we’re aliens.So what if I’m wearing a huge, white wedding dress with a six-foot train and veil that are dragging the nasty-ass, sticky floor behind the bar stool?So what if Emily and Hannah look divine in their matching chiffon bridesmaids’ dresses?Wisteria.I love the soft purple.Such a dreamy, fantasy-like color.
Not anymore.Every time I see the color now, I’m going to shudder.Actually, I should be more upset.I should be screaming and sobbing and broken-hearted.Instead, I’m… relieved.What does it say about me that I realize I didn’t want to marry Nicholas and that I’m more upset about losing my plans for the future than I am about losing the man?He showed up a little over aa year ago, swept me off my feet with roses and romantic dinners, and six months later, a diamond the size of a small car.My mom was thrilled that I’d snagged the mayor’s son, one of the hottest bachelors in town.My dad, however, kept his own counsel, which meant he didn’t approve but loved me enough not to say anything.
By the time I realized something wasn’t right, the venue was reserved, the dress paid for, the caterers hired, the florist selected, and the wedding cake ordered.Shit.I’d almost thrown my life away to avoid ‘wasting’ a few thousand dollars.Stupid.Stupid.Stupid.
Emily raises one of the shot glasses.“Time to look on the bright side.”
I bite.“Okay.What’s the bright side?”Other than not marrying a man who doesn’t love me?I keep that bit to myself.
“Here’s to getting the huge contract with Riley’s.”Emily grins and I grin back.
“I do make a mean cookie.”Riley’s is the most popular grocery store in Stargazer Village and they want me to supply their bakery department with fresh baked cookies.The contract is big, the money is bigger and all thoughts of Nicholas fade away as a warm glow fills me.I did something right.Something good.Really, really good.
“Hell, yeah, you do.”Emily leans over the bar and raises her voice.“Here’s to the best cookies in town!”
Hannah lifts her glass.“Everyone adores Madison’s cookies.”
I lift my shot glasses.“And here’s to Tahoe Triple Treats.”The new contract with Riley’s was going to finally pay off the loans we had to take when we opened.We had to borrow so much money to getTahoe Triple Treats, Art, Books, & Caféup and running, that we’ve barely been able to pay our bills since we started.This contract would finally give us some breathing room.We were going to make it!
“Here.Here.”Hannah clinks our glasses together before we all toss the shot back.
“Thanks, Larry.Can we get some food?”Emily places a hand over her stomach and, for a minute, looks like she might hurl.
