And I’m a wedding planner, for goodness sake. How can a wedding planner elope to Vegas? My wedding should have been the biggest and most romantic in all of California.
I groan inwardly and stare moodily out the window.
My stomach heaves as a plane touches the runway in LA. It hits me then just what Declan and I have done.
I look at him at the same time as he turns his head to look at me. My heart skips a beat as I take in his good looks. My gaze is drawn to his lips. Declan has the kind of lips that make you want to kiss him.
That’s another problem. Declan is easily the sexiest man I have ever seen. He looks hot in anything. Like now. He’s wearing a white button-down casual shirt over a pair of chinos, and he looks like he belongs on the cover of a men’s magazine.
I know that sex is not a part of the deal but try telling that to my pussy, which is oozing arousal juices. How will I restrain myself if I have to live in the same house as Declan?
Of course, I’ve considered sleeping together, just to take the edge off my horniness, but that won’t work. There’s too much at stake here to mess it up over lust. One way or the other, I’ll just have to reign in my hormones.
“Jason and Brooke are waiting for me,” I tell Declan when the plane comes to a stop.
He smiles, and my heart skips a beat. He has a dimply smile that makes me think of all kinds of wicked things he could do to me. It has been a long time because any time I’m in Declan’s company, all I can think about is sex.
“I’m glad. The sooner we meet, the better,” Declan says. “Can we drive to Santa Monica tomorrow for dinner with my family? We can drive back, or we can spend the night at my place and come back to LA early in the morning.”
My head is reeling. I feel as if I’ve been dropped on a roller coaster. And I hate roller coasters.
“Hold on,” I say weakly. “You can’t just make ‘we plans’ like that.”
“Do you have another idea?” Declan says. “And we are now a ‘we.’ I like it.”
I stare at him dully and wish that his enthusiasm could rub off on me, but I suppose for him, this marriage is perfect. He’ll get his money and fund his business. I can understand his passion for his business. I feel the same way about my business.
I want to crawl under a bed and stay there until my life goes back to normal.
“Hey,” he says while reaching into his pocket. “There’s something I want to give you.” He takes out a small jewelry box and snaps it open.
Inside are two gold wedding bands. They are simple but gorgeous, and a glance tells me they are not cheap. “They look expensive.”
Declan grins. He looks adorable. “Nothing but the best for my wife. Go on, try it on.”
“It wasn’t necessary for you to spend a lot of money on fake wedding bands,” I protest.
“The marriage may be fake, but that doesn’t mean we have to wear fake rings.” He takes one from the box, takes my hand, and slips it onto my left ring finger.
As soon as we are out of the plane, Declan takes my hand, and no matter how much I tug at it, he doesn’t let go. I feel fake as people smile at us the way they do when they see a couple in love. He keeps my hand in his throughout and even as we get our baggage.
“I see Jason and Brooke.” My voice changes with the nervousness that I feel.
“Can they see us?” Declan says.
“Yep. They are waving.”
Declan drops his bag and pulls me into his arms. His woodsy scent surrounds me before he slips his hands around my waist and pulls my body against his. His eyes are dark and stormy. A light hits them, and they morph into an even darker shade. His gaze drops to my lips, and I part my lips unconsciously. He angles his mouth over mine and kisses me. Deeply. My hands circle his neck as our tongues do a complicated dance of their own.
Declan breaks the kiss, disorienting me. It takes a few seconds for me to come back to myself. I feel as if I’ve been hit by a truck. I’ve been kissed before, of course, but nothing like this. No kiss has ever transported me to another place or made me forget myself and my surroundings.
“Shall we go meet them and tell them the good news?” Declan says.
I know the kiss was fake, but it felt so real. I sneak a look at him as we stride toward Brooke and Jason. He looks so calm, and I wonder if it affected him as much as it affected me. Of course, it didn’t. Men like Declan have women falling all over their feet. A kiss is nothing to him. I’m such a fool.