“You know, I think I liked you better when you were single. You were grumpier and less nosey. You never asked about my dating life before.”
“It’s Ruby,” he says, looking a little pained. “She has several questions she wants me to casually work into the conversation tonight.”
I bust out a laugh. “I should have known.”
He feigns a sheepish smile as he takes another drink of his beer, but he keeps looking at me like he still clearly wants to get his answers for his girl.
“Hit me.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Anything for Ruby.”
His gaze narrows slightly. “Is this all part of your plan to steal my girl?”
“I guess you’ll have to take your chances, Galaxy.”
He does, firing off a dozen questions without waiting for my answers. Things like, “Has anything happened since she moved in?” “What’s it like living together?” “Has anyone questioned your relationship?” “Do you kiss in public and go places so people think you’re a real couple?” “Are you telling people that it was a drunken Vegas mishap?” “Are you allowed to hook up with other women?” “Did you buy her a fake ring for your fake marriage?” “Can I use this in a book?” and “Are you still convinced love at first sight exists?”
Before I can so much as digest them, the rest of the guys arrive. D-Low and Shep and then Penn. The conversation shiftsto other things briefly, but it seems my life—or rather my relationship with Hannah—is the most exciting topic.
“Where’s the old ball and chain?” D-Low asks, biting his lower lip to stop the grin spreading across his face as he raises the pot.
“At the gym,” I say, tossing in a chip to call him. He’s trying to throw me off by bringing up Hannah. Historically, it’s not hard to distract me from cards, but I’m feeling lucky tonight.
“Too bad. I was hoping to hear her side of the story.”
“What do you mean?” I look up at him.
He stops trying to hide his smile. “You say you got married and she’s living with you, but since none of us have witnessed it…”
“You think I’m making it up?”
He was there that night. He knows how gone for her I was. How happy I was to see her. And he saw me the next morning on the flight home, I couldn’t stop smiling.
D-Low shrugs it off and I scan the table to see if the other guys are wondering the same thing. Penn has his usual stoic, unreadable expression so I get nothing there. Galaxy is laughing because he knows the truth. And Shep is watching me, brows lifted, like…like…fuck, I don’t know.
“He’s fucking with you,” Shep says, putting me out of my misery.
My blood pressure slowly lowers to a normal range.
“Only a little,” D-Low admits. “I would love to chat with her about this whole marriage of convenience plot though. I have so many questions.”
“It wasn’t…it’s not…” I’m ready to defend my marriage. I’ll kick his ass or challenge him to a shoot-out or refuse to hang out with him ever again. But through my annoyance, I am able to remember that technically, Hannah is staying married to me for convenience, so I stop talking and glower at him instead.
The fucker laughs again.
“I hate all of you.”
“I think you two are great together,” Shep says.
“Thank you.” I toss my cards on the table and wave my hand toward him. “Finally. Someone gets it. Thank you, Shep. You’re a true friend.”
“I’m all in,” he says, glancing at the spot in front of me. Which is when I realize I threw my cards down face up. Dammit.
“Hey!” Ruby calls as she comes down the stairs. “Look who I found.”
Two steps behind her is Hannah. Her long, blond hair is down tonight, and she’s wearing a black dress with a high neck and long sleeves. It hangs mid-thigh, about three inches above where her tall boots stop. She’s showing so little skin for my heart to start beating so rapidly.
