He’s so gorgeous. My sisters weren’t wrong about that.
Dan clears his throat suddenly and looks away. His face locks down, hardening up with a stern expression that sets his jaw and takes the warmth out of his blue eyes.
My heart flutters in my chest, and I realize that I’ve upset him. I feel bad about it now.
Fuck it. A gorilla like him can’t have complicated feelings. I refuse to feel bad about this!
A lingering thought nags at me that he did try to apologize, but I ignore it, focusing on the festivities instead. Most people have eaten and paid their respects to us, so the area is emptying out now. A new wave of anxiety hits me as I realize any minute now, this is going to be over, and I’ll have to be alone with Dan.
Fuck.
Alisha approaches with the other girls, and I want to open up to them for comfort, but I know none of them can really help me. No matter what we say to each other, it isn’t going to change the fact that within a few hours, I’ll be locked up alone with a man I barely know.
Apparently, it’s my grand destiny. Wow, I feel so lucky.
“How are you feeling?” Alisha asks, taking my hands as I get up from the table. “Looks like you were too excited to eat.”
“Not the word I’d choose, but sure, let’s go with that,” I mutter sarcastically.
“Come on, Grace,” Scarlett laughs. “It’s not that bad.”
I look over at her, biting my tongue at the last moment. I have nothing against Scarlett personally, but we have existed in two completely different worlds our entire lives. I know she can’t understand my situation.
When she showed up on her wedding day, it was to see the man of her dreams at the altar. She’d never stopped loving him, and she was desperate to see him again, even if she couldn’t admit it to herself. She doesn’t know what it feels like to be unwillingly harnessed to an uncivilized brute!
“Grace?” Alisha asks, putting her hands on my shoulders. “Areyou okay?”
“I’m fine,” I almost gasp, smiling to cover my mood. “Just really nervous.”
“Understandable,” Alisha says. “We got the car packed, so we’ll walk you over there, okay?”
I nod, falling a step behind as Alisha and Scarlett walk in front. Sarah keeps pace with me, taking my hand and squeezing it.
“I know,” she says softly. “The others don’t, not really, but I do. I was terrified on my wedding day.”
“Yeah… I guess you would have been,” I reply, reminding myself that Sarah was in far worse circumstances than I. “Shawn was technically a conqueror.”
“He did conquer me,” she laughs. “I was surprised to find out that we liked the same books, and that he knew how to cook.”
“I have no such hopes,” I answer. “Did you see that uncivilized brute inhale his food?”
“I can think of worse crimes.”
“Give it time,” I say. “I’m sure he can do a variety of things terribly.”
“Give him a chance,” Sarah says. “Try to.”
“I am trying,” I sigh. “But I can just tell we don’t have anything in common. I can’t see this partnership as anything other than torture.”
“Then it’s going to be a hard road for you,” Sarah says as we stop by the car. We turn to look back at the courtyard, and the guys are walking towards us.
“Is there anything you like about him?” Sarah asks. “Does he have any redeeming features at all?”
I watch the boys approach, Dan in the center with the others by his side. He’s taller than the others, and even under his suit, I can see how muscular his shoulders are. A long fringe of dark brown hair falls across his forehead, and he shoves it back with annoyance.
“I know that look,” Scarlett says. “You can’t take your eyes off him, can you?”
“He’s pretty, okay?” I almost snap. “I’m not denying that.”
