“This is not our fault,” Lara said. “We didn’t encourage you to marry the guy. We haven’t even seen him apart from at the club. In all honesty, Harp, he wanted you. The guy couldn’t tear his eyes away from him. Maybe give marriage a go. He’s experienced, and he’d make your first time something enjoyable.”
Rubbing at her temples, Harper tried not to break down. “I better go. I’ve been in the bathroom for ages. Bye, you two.”
Flicking her phone closed, she placed it in her bag, and stared down at her clothes. She wore a pair of jeans that were torn at the knees, and the shirt she wore belonged to one of her brothers, and hung off her fuller figure.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, to find Abel sitting on the bed that they had both collapsed in only a few hours ago. They had ridden to the airport, gotten onto a flight, found the nearest chapel, gotten married, partied, and crashed right here in this hotel.
&
nbsp; “Hey,” she said.
Abel looked up. “You regret marrying me?”
She groaned. He looked so sad, which just didn’t make her feel all that great. “I … I don’t know what I’m feeling.”
“You don’t need to lie. I thought this was about us taking a risk.”
“We got married, Abel. I don’t know you. I don’t know your middle name—”
“I don’t have one.”
“Oh.”
“You know, I asked you in the car on the way here if you would have any regrets.”
“I don’t have any regrets.” She winced, seeing as that was what she told her two best friends.
“It doesn’t sound like that’s the truth from where I’m standing. In fact, it sounds to me like you have a whole lot of regrets,” he said.
Hazel eyes stared back at her, and Harper didn’t know what to say.
“You’re not even going to give this a try?”
“Abel, we made a mistake—”
“You don’t know that!” He yelled the words, getting up from the bed, and advancing toward her. “You’re too damn scared to even see how good we can be together.” He stopped right in front of her, not reaching out to touch, just standing there, waiting.
“What do you want from me?” she asked.
“To give me—and to give us—a chance. Don’t go running away because it’s easier. Stay. Be my wife. Don’t just get our damn marriage annulled. You can’t deny that we have chemistry. Did you have fun last night?”
She nodded.
“Give us a chance, Harper. I won’t rush you.”
He ran his fingers down her arm, taking hold of her hand.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just kind of had a freak out moment there. I woke up, and you had your arms wrapped around me. Everything came flooding back, and I just freaked out. I guess it’s the curse of being young.”
“Tell your friends to stop calling me the old guy. I’m not that old.”
She chuckled. “You heard that.”
“I heard it all, Harp.”
“What else did you hear?”
“You’re a virgin?”