by Cathryn Fox
I shake my head, hating that I let things get so out of hand, that I let her lead me like a lamb to the slaughter. I’m a grown fucking man who can make his own decisions, so why the hell did I just go along with her, cave to everything she wanted? Oh, maybe because it was easier to be with Ari, and go with the flow—keep my mind off the one girl I’ve always loved, the girl who’d grown up next door to me, and who keeps me in the friend zone.
But now, I just can’t bring myself to go through with this marriage. We both know we’re not in love, and we’d be making a big mistake if we exchanged vows tomorrow. I remove her arms from my neck and place them at her sides. Her fingers grip her phone tighter, and her mood darkens.
I exhale slowly. “Why don’t you call your friends. Have them come stay the night.” I might not love her, but I care about her. And even though she just admitted she didn’t love me, that months ago her father threatened to cut up her credit cards if she didn’t settle herself into a career, I’m still a decent human being who doesn’t want to see anyone upset.
“You can’t do this to me,” she says, her voice bordering on hysterical.
“Please, Ari.” I put my hand on her arm, give it a reassuring squeeze. “You know in your heart this isn’t right. You’ll find the perfect guy for you in time.” Although with her father threatening to cut up her credit cards, time is not on her side. I guess that’s why she latched on to me so quick. She was desperate for a rich daddy figure who would help her keep the socialite lifestyle she’s grown accustomed to, and never make her work for anything she wants. It’s a role I can no longer go along with.
She steps away, and her high heels wobble slightly as she paces to her window. With her back to me, she says, “You’re making a big mistake.”
There is a calculated coldness in her tone that raises the hair on my arms. “I’m sorry, Ari. I never meant to hurt you.”
“Hurt me?” she shrieks. “You’re the one who’s going to be hurt, Luke.” She spins, and her eyes narrow in on me. Jesus, if looks could kill. “If you do this, I’ll make sure you never play hockey for the Shooters again.”
My heart jumps into my throat. Does she have the power to do that? Yeah, she’s the owner’s daughter, but can she pull his strings, too? Fuck, maybe she can. She sure as hell pulled mine for the last few months.
“If you don’t want me to destroy you and your reputation, I suggest you accept what I’m about to offer.” She folds her arms, and the pale blue dress she’s wearing climbs up her thighs. Since I’m a guy who loves a nice pair of legs, maybe she’s doing it on purpose, to lure me with sex like she did that first night in Boston. I fell for it once, and look where that led me. Then again, is the fault entirely hers? I went along with it, which means half the responsibility is mine. “Are you listening to me, Luke?”
I brace myself, almost afraid to hear her offer. “I’m listening.”
“Good. Take a week. Go, get your head on right.”
“Jesus, Ari, my head is on right.”
“No, it’s not, otherwise you wouldn’t be putting your career on the line like this. I can destroy you, Luke.” She snaps her fingers for effect. “Like this!”
Who the hell is this woman? For the last six months, she’d been nothing but charming. Then again, I’d given her everything she wanted, until now. Even before I heard her say those things to her friend, I knew I couldn’t go through with it, not when my heart belongs to another—despite the fact that I can never have her. Christ, what kind of fucked up mess have I gotten myself in to?
“Why would you want to do destroy me, Ari?”
She stands a little straighter. “Because no one embarrasses Arianna Moore. No one.”
“Fine, we’ll tell everyone it was your idea. That you broke things off.”
“What we’ll do is tell everyone I needed time to think. In the meantime, you have one week. One week to think about this mistake you’re making, the future that will be ripped right out from underneath you if you don’t do the right thing.”
I’m not a violent man. Jonah, aka the Body Checker, takes care of anyone who gets in the way of my stick-handling skills, but suddenly my fingers are curling, the urge to put my fist though her wall pulling at me hard. I grew up with nothing, and spent my whole life working my fucking ass off, practicing every goddamn night, until I was good enough to be scouted at the Junior A level. My scholarship to Arizona State gave me a top-notch education and I made a name for myself in the rink. No fucking way am I about to let her destroy my reputation and take that all away from me, simply because she wants to save face. We’re not right for each other and we both know it.
“One week,” she says again. “Use our honeymoon tickets and get away for a bit, to think this over, and you tell no one what’s really going on. No one. Not even that tomboy you hang around with, otherwise....” Her words fall off as she snaps her fingers again.
“Her name is Katee, and she’s not a tomboy.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Whatever. Do we have a deal?”
I’m about to argue, but stop to think about that for a moment. Maybe a week away will do her good. Giver her clarity and help her see the mistake we’d be making if we went through with this.
“Fine,” I say. “One week. Then we’ll talk.”
A small, triumphant smile tweaks the corners of her lips. She obviously thinks she won the battle. I can only hope that after seven days, she comes to the same conclusion that I have. Still grinning at me, she slides her fingers across her phone, and puts it to her ear.
“Kari, I’ve been thinking.” A big sigh, followed by a long pause for effect, then she continues with, “I’m not so sure about tomorrow.” I stand there, taking in her expert performance as she tells Kari she might need more time before she walks down the aisle with me. Her best friend Kari is a blogger and a socialite. In all of five minutes, I expect the entire world to know that my fiancée has decided to postpone the wedding.
I leave her luxurious penthouse apartment, a headache brewing as I dig my phone out to call my folks and the guys who were standing up for me. I make the calls as I wait for the elevator, and oddly enough, no one seems surprised. My folks almost seem happy about it. I’m not sure they were ever big fans of Ari’s anyway. The elevator arrives, and I step on and make my way to the garage. I have one last call to make, the most important call, but I’ll do that from the privacy of my car. As soon as I step off, my phone pings. Dammit. I am not in the mood to answer any more questions tonight. I pull the phone from my pocket, about to power it down when I see who the text is from. My heart pounds a little faster, and no matter how much of a shit mood I’m in, Katee’s texts always brighten my day.
I just heard the news, where are you?
About Cathryn
New York Times and USA today Bestselling author, Cathryn is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.
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Also by Cathryn Fox
Players on Ice
The Playmaker
The Stick Handler
The Body Checker
The Hard Hitter
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In the Line of Duty
His O
bsession Next Door
His Strings to Pull
His Trouble in Talulah
His Taste of Temptation
His Moment to Steal
His Best Friend’s Girl
His Reason to Stay
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Confessions
Confessions of a Bad Boy Professor
Confessions of a Bad Boy Officer
Confessions of a Bad Boy Fighter
Confessions of a Bad Boy Gamer
Confessions of a Bad Boy Millionaire
Confessions of a Bad Boy Santa
Confessions of a Bad Boy CEO
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Hands On
Hands On
Body Contact
Full Exposure
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Dossier
Private Reserve
House Rules
Under Pressure
Big Catch
Brazilian Fantasy
Improper Proposal
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Boys of Beachville
Good at Being Bad
Igniting the Bad Boy
Bad Girl Therapy
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Stone Cliff Series:
Crashing Down
Wasted Summer
Love Lessons
Wrapped Up
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Eternal Pleasure Series
Instinctive
Impulsive
Indulgent
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Sun Stroked Series
Seaside Seduction
Deep Desire
Private Pleasure
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Captured and Claimed Series:
Yours to Take
Yours to Teach
Yours to Keep
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Firefighter Heat Series
Fever
Siren
Flash Fire
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Playing For Keeps Series
Slow Ride
Wild Ride
Sweet Ride
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Breaking the Rules:
Hold Me Down Hard
Pin Me Up Proper
Tie Me Down Tight
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Stand Alone Title:
Hands on with the CEO
Torn Between Two Brothers
Holiday Spirit
Unleashed
Knocking on Demon’s Door
Web of Desire
