This isn’t real.
But as I look into Kieran’s eyes, itfeelsreal, and that terrifies me.
“By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada and the spirit of Rock 'n' Roll,” Elvis declares. “I now pronounce you husband and wife!”
Kieran takes a deep breath, and then he’s bending down and pressing his lips against mine. Even though I figured this would happen, it still takes me by surprise, and my entire body freezes as he kisses me.
“You’re on camera,” he murmurs against my mouth.
I throw my arms around Kieran’s neck and part my lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss.
His arm snakes around my waist as his hand finds the back of my neck, and my body immediately melts against him as his tongue brushes against mine.
It takes everything I have not to moan.
He tastes of champagne and chocolate from our dessert, and it’s intoxicating.
The tacky chapel and Elvis impersonator seem to disappear around us. All I can focus on is the feeling of his hard body pressed against mine. Of how much I want to tear open his shirt and run my hands all over his skin as his mouth devours mine.
But then it’s over, and Kieran pulls away, leaving me practically gasping for air and desperate for more.
My hands rest on his chest, and it takes me a moment to catch my breath.
“Congratulations!” Elvis’s voice sends my reality crashing down around me.
I’m in a daze as Kieran leads us back outside onto the Strip.
The air feels cooler somehow, and I take a breath as if trying to ground myself back in reality. But that’s hard to do when my lips still tingle from the kiss we just shared.
“The entire thing was recorded, just in case anyone questions the legality of the marriage,” Kieran explains.
“Right…”
This was evidence, nothing more.
I feel nothing short of numb as we begin the walk back to the hotel in silence. The lightness of the evening has been replaced by a dark cloud, and I want nothing more than to climb into bed and hide under the covers.
The moment we step inside the safety of our hotel room, Kieran phones Ronan to update him.
I take the opportunity to sneak inside the bedroom to have some alone time, but the sight of the rose petals covering the bed hits me like a punch to the gut.
I knew that Kieran and I would have to announce our fake marriage at some point, but for some reason, looking at the enormous bed covered in rose petals makes this situation feel too real.
What the hell did I just get myself into?
There is no going back. Sean O’Keefe will likely hear of my nuptials within the hour, and the fallout could be catastrophic, not just for my family, but for Kieran’s too.
I think of Ronan’s pregnant wife, and my dinner threatens to reappear.
The Sullivans might have willingly agreed to help me for their own gain, but at the end of the day, if any lives are lost, that’s on me.
I start gathering up the rose petals and shoving them into the trash can. My stomach twists as my thoughts start to spiral, and I know it’s only going to get worse from here.
It was selfish of me to come to the Sullivans for help and even more selfish to agree to marry Kieran, regardless of whether it was fake or not.
“Riley?” I didn’t hear Kieran come in, but I turn and find him hovering in the doorway, looking concerned. He glances at the pile of rose petals in my hands and frowns. “What are you doing?”
Having a nervous breakdown?
