I didn’t like the fact that having my fortune returned to me came at the cost of my brother’s happiness, but I suppose it was for the best that Libby’s true nature was forced out into the open that fateful day on Saint Clare. Either way, she was going to leave my brother and break his heart, so it was better that things happened the way they did. That way, at least he knew at the end of the day that it was never his fault; not something he did wrong.
Despite that, he’d still been devastated for months after the revelation of Libby’s wrongdoings, but he got through it with our support, just like Georgie said he would. The introduction to Tiana really helped things turn around for him, and now he was finally back on his feet. He was energetic, he was working hard, and he was happy again.
There was one silver lining to the hard times we’d experienced after Libby’s betrayal. It taught us to be honest with each other and stop bottling up our true feelings. If one of us had a problem, we discussed it with the other, no matter how small or petty we thought it was. We were brothers, so the size and scale of issues didn’t matter. It was our job to support each other through thick or thin—just like Mom always wanted for us.
As for Libby, she was serving time in prison for what she did (as was her shady accomplice Justin). Sometimes Georgie missed her sister, missed the relationship they used to have, but as much as it hurt, she had to accept it was gone now. She’d tried to visit Libby a couple of times, but Libby simply told her to fuck off and told her it was ‘her fault’ she was sitting in prison. That upset Georgie at first, for obvious reasons, but she’d eventually come to the realization that some people just couldn’t be reached or changed, no matter how hard she worked at the relationship. In other words, some people were just assholes. Ever since that acceptance, Georgie had been a lot happier.
She took another deep breath, her face flushing with a mixture of exasperation and need. “He’s probably in the bathroom. Anyway, I’ll see you out there,” she called out to her friend.
“All right.” We heard the staccato sound of Tiana’s stilettos as she stepped away from the door. Georgie’s shoulders drooped with relief, and she brought my head closer with her hands, snaking her fingers through my hair.
“Now,” she commanded.
She didn’t need to tell me twice. I pushed myself inside her, tongue in her mouth, consuming her. Our breaths matched, pants filled with gasps and moans, and I thrust deeply, groaning as she clenched her muscles around me. I didn’t need to be gentle. She wanted it hard and fast. Rough and sizzling hot.
“So fucking wet,” I growled. “Fuck…”
She sank her teeth into my shoulder to muffle her climax only moments later. That was my tipping point too. I gripped her hips hard as I shot my release deep inside her, and she gasped and clenched around me even harder.
I cleaned myself up with a wad off tissues. Georgie did the same before giving herself a cursory glance in the mirror. “Wow, I thought that would mess up my hair, but it looks fine,” she said, pulling down her dress.
“You always look fine. Better than fine, actually.”
She smiled and looked at my reflection in the mirror. “Suck-up,” she teased. She peered at herself again. “Jeez, look how red and glowy my cheeks are now. Who needs to spend fifty bucks on blush at Sephora when there’s a guy like you around?”
I chuckled. “Is that why you keep me around?”
“I can think of a few other reasons.” She turned and glanced at the clock. “Shit, you better go. You’re meant to be up there now.”
I nodded and adjusted my tie before leaning down to quickly kiss the top of her head.
“Are you ready?” Georgie asked, her eyes wide as she stared up at me.
I winked. “Of course.”
She smiled and finished smoothing down the silky cream fabric of her dress. “Then I’ll see you at the altar in five, Mr. Man Candy...”
37
Georgie
I took a deep, shaky breath as I stepped out of the bridal dressing room and found my Mom standing in the vestibule twenty feet away. She’d been waiting for me to come out so she could walk me down the aisle.
“Georgina, are you okay?” she asked, her forehead puckering. “You’re crying.”
I quickly dabbed at my cheeks with a tissue. I wasn’t really crying; there were just a few tears. “I’m fine.”
She tilted her head to the side. “You’re not worried about a repeat of last time, are you?” she asked, gently laying a hand on my arm. “Don’t worry, honey, he’s here. He’s at the altar waiting for you. I saw him arrive with my own eyes, and he was definitely alone.”
I smiled and shook my head. “It’s not that. It’s just that today is so unbelievably perfect. I can’t believe it’s really happening.”
Her lips curled up. “Oh, I see… they’re happy tears!”
I nodded, smiling wider. “Definitely.”
After all we’d been through, I had absolutely no reservations about this wedding. No concerns. I knew Nate was waiting for me at the end of that aisle, and I knew he’d never do anything to jeopardize our relationship. He wasn’t like my ex. I wasn’t worried he would secretly sleep with my best friend and ruin our wedding. In fact, I knew he wouldn’t, because I trusted him beyond a shadow of doubt, and I knew how he felt about me. I felt the exact same way about him.
I damn well couldn’t wait to marry this man.
When he proposed to me five months ago at the boardwalk down at Mission Beach—the site of our first public ‘date’—I actually wanted to marry him right then and there. Too bad it took more than thirty seconds to plan a wedding in this day and age.
Mom laughed softly. “Sorry. After the last two weddings this family has tried to host, you tend to assume the worst.”
I gave her a rueful grin in return. “Yeah, no shit.”
She wasn’t wrong. First there was my horror story five years ago, and then the spectacle at Libby’s wedding on Saint Clare eighteen months ago, so it wasn’t a huge leap to worry that something awful was happening after seeing me shedding some tears. A few rude acquaintances of ours had even started to make ‘jokes’ over the last year about our family being cursed when it came to weddings.
I knew better. Today would go perfectly.
“You look wonderful,” Mom said, appraising my dress and makeup. There were a few sparkling tears of joy in her own eyes now.
I already did the whole ‘princess gown’ thing five years ago, and even though I never actually got to walk down the aisle that day, I still wanted something different for my wedding to Nate. Something less flashy. My dress was elegant, but it wasn’t as puffy and grandiose as the last one. Instead, it was a long cream satin gown which nipped in at the waist and gently skimmed over my hips. There was no veil or tiara, and my hair wasn’t done up in some elaborate style. It was all simple and easy, just like my relationship with Nate.
Sure, sometimes we had issues like any other couple, but we communicated and sorted through them. We didn’t make things hard for ourselves by shutting off our feelings and refusing to talk. We were honest. We were strong. We were happy.
Mom wiped her face as she stared at me. “Before we go, I just want to say something. I’m so proud of you, darling.” Her voice was a little choked up.
“Thank you. I’m proud of you,” I replied. I was getting a little teary again too. “You’ve come a long way. You should be proud of yourself too.”
She clucked her tongue at me. “Oh, don’t be silly. This is your day; you don’t need to compliment silly old me,” she said, although I could tell she secretly appreciated my words. She deserved it—she really had come a long way in the last year and a half.
Instead of sitting at home feeling sorry for herself, she’d decided to put herself back out into the world and try to get some part-time work to aid with all the debt she’d found herself in. It wasn’t easy for a woman of her age who’d been out of the labor force for nearly thirty years, but she had applicable skills, and she event
ually found a job teaching a programming language at a local community college three days a week.
She’d since discovered that she loved teaching, and even though she’d already saved up more than enough to pay off all her debts (and also enough to pay me back the money I’d lent her, upon her insistence) she’d decided to keep doing it for at least a few more years.
Technically, she didn’t need to. She was still seeing Harold, the nice man she met on Saint Clare, and it turned out he was actually quite wealthy. But she’d learned her lesson. She wanted financial independence again, just like she had before she met my father all those years ago, so she didn’t want to go back to relying on men for money.
She clasped her hand in mine. “Ready to go?”
I beamed at her. “Never been more ready.”
She nodded over at Tiana and the rest of my bridesmaids, and also little Ginny Bennett, who was serving as our flower girl. They began their slow walk down the aisle, one by one, to the lilting strains of a string quartet melody.
Then, with Mom by my side, I began my own journey down the aisle, toward the altar. Toward my gorgeous future husband.
My love for Nate was written all over my face, and as I walked toward him, I saw my feelings reflected in his expression. Our love seemed to fill the entire room with warmth and put a radiant smile on every face, a joyful tear in every eye.
Everyone we cared about was here. Bobby was up at the altar as Nate’s best man, along with a few of Nate’s other friends as his groomsmen. Tiana and my other bridesmaids were up there by now, too. Reuben and his family were sitting somewhere in the middle, and the Bennett family were near the front, looking ecstatic as they watched me draw ever-closer to Nate.
I smiled and nodded at Harold as we passed him. I was glad he’d come up and introduced himself to Mom that awful night back on the island, and I was also glad he lived in California so they could easily keep in touch once we all came home. She was in such a bad place all those months ago, and he helped to lift her out of that funk. He’d also agreed to take things slow with her once they started dating, as crazy as he obviously was about her. He understood that she felt the need to do that this time, instead of racing down the aisle like she had in her last three relationships.
He gave me a nod before looking at Mom. It was the same way Nate looked at me, so that was definitely promising.
Speaking of Nate…
I looked toward the altar again. Nate’s face looked as if it were about to split in two from all the grinning. My face felt about the same. He was the soulmate I convinced myself I didn’t have all those years ago. He proved me wrong, and he showed me I could open myself up to love again. Real love. He was my everything, and in my heart, I knew nothing could ever split us up. Not even if a secretly-evil sister of mine stole his fortune.
Been there, done that.
I finally reached him, and I fought the urge to throw my arms around him. He looked so damn handsome that if I hadn’t just made love to him in the dressing room ten minutes ago, I might’ve actually jumped on him in front of everyone.
The officiant started his words, but I could barely concentrate. I couldn’t take my eyes off Nate. I still couldn’t believe he was about to be mine, all mine, especially when we started out in a fake relationship. It was funny how things worked sometimes.
It was also strange to consider how things might’ve turned out for us if life had been even slightly different all those months ago. What if Nate never agreed to that charity calendar? What if I wasn’t the creative director on that shoot? What if he never agreed to be my pretend lover, or if I simply never asked?
I was damn glad it all happened, though, and as crazy and silly as it was, I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. Not even the tiniest detail. Like Nate said to me when we first met: sometimes crazy and stupid actually works.
It damn well worked for us, didn’t it?
Nate cleared his throat. “I will love you, respect you, and give you the very best of myself. Together, every day, we can build a better life than either of us could ever imagine alone. This I promise you.” His eyes shone as he read his vows to me, his hands clasping mine.
I was so overcome with emotion that I could barely choke out my own vows a moment later. “I give you my heart and my promise—I will love you unconditionally and without hesitation. I will walk with you, hand in hand, to wherever our journey takes us. You and me, together forever.”
We said ‘I do’ and exchanged rings, and within moments, it was time for the biggest moment.
“You may kiss the bride,” the officiant said, beaming at Nate.
Nate’s arms circled my waist. His lips pressed down on mine, and the kiss quickly built from a soft, sensual caress to a frenzied exploration, our mouths hot and hungry. Everyone cheered around us, and Nate finally pulled back a moment later as Bobby and Tiana both jokingly muttered, ‘Get a room, guys’ from a few feet away.
“So how much do I get for this?” Nate murmured so that only I could hear, his lips mere inches from my face.
“For what?” I cocked my head to the side.
His eyes glinted with mischief. “Well, it was five grand to be your boyfriend, but now I’m your husband. That’s gotta be at least an extra five hundred, right?”
I giggled. “If you’re lucky, I’ll give you fifty cents in return for a foot rub after I take these dumb heels off.”
“I’ll take it.” He chuckled and brushed his nose against my ear. “Now let’s get out of here. I want to have sex with my hot wife.”
I giggled and flung my arms around him, planting kisses on his neck. It was a wonderful feeling to know I’d be able to keep doing that for the rest of our lives together. I’d be able to kiss him, stroke him and hold him whenever I wanted, and I’d be able to feel the same tingle in my toes, the same butterflies in my stomach, the same shiver up my spine. Every single day.
We might’ve started out as pretend, but there was nothing fake about this love.
Every word, every look, every touch… every little bit of it was real.
THE END
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About the Author
Alessandra Hart writes sweet and sexy contemporary rom-coms and romantic suspense. She loves to read books like that herself (especially when the two genres are combined) so it was only a matter of time before she started plotting her own novels! All of her books are standalones.
She currently resides in Australia with her partner and two cats. She loves animals, red wine, and rainy days where she can curl up inside and plot new stories instead of having to go out.
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Mr. Man Candy: A Fake Boyfriend Romance Page 30
