CHAPTER 4
1357 Words
The morning after,..........
I shook my head to think more clearly, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to remember what happened after that.
“The last thing I can remember from last night was walking outside. I don’t know how I went from there to all this.” I said, forcing myself to hold his gaze even as he exuded the rugged promise of danger.
“You’re lying.” He stated, his mouth stiffening into a hard line.
I ignored the accusation, giving him a wary look. “I remember meeting you now,” He raised an eyebrow at that, his grip loosening slightly. “But I never told you my name.”
His emerald eyes seemed almost sea green this close as he skimmed my face, searching for God knows what. “I had someone do a background check on you.”
“What?” I shook my arm free and stepped back, raising both hands, temporarily forgetting that I was draped in nothing but bed-sheets. The sheets cascaded to the floor and I sank down immediately, covering myself with them.
“Believe me, wife. It’s much too late for that.” He threw me a wolfish grin, causing the warmth coating my cheeks to spread downwards. I was probably cherry red at this point and the bastard seemed to relish that fact.
“When did you have the time to do a background check?” I forced myself to ask, looking around the room for my dress.
“Last night.” He said, shrugging as though it was a normal thing to run a background check on the stranger that bumps into you.
“Why?”
“I’m the one asking the questions here,” He bends down, so we’re at eye level again. “How did you do it? Why? Was it some sort of ploy to get my attention?” I snorted at that. “Did someone put you up to this?”
“Listen, Donovan,” His eyes cloud over again, hardening the way they did the night before. “I’m not some sort of spy. I have no interest in you …”
“Beyond the fact that my company acquired your father’s?”
My eyes widened almost on their own accord. “How …”
“You knew who I was when we met. I thought it only fair to know who you were.”
“Why?” I asked, furrowing my brows. It didn’t make sense to have gone so far just because of a casual slip on my part. “You’re the famous face of the Donovan Group. I’m sure you’ve been recognized several times, maybe even at the party. Why the background check on me?”
To my surprise, he broke eye contact and looked away for a few beats before turning back the intensity of his gaze on me. Was this what Superman felt with kryptonite? “You ask too many questions for a gold digger.”
“Gold digger?!”
“Are you not in need of money then?” He asked, the calmness back in his tone, almost as though he was bored of the conversation.
Rage and embarrassment flooded through me. God, I should’ve just made a scene yesterday. That would have spared me this uncomfortable, impossible situation.
“I wouldn’t resort to something so despicable, and I certainly don’t want anything to do with you or your money.” I spat the words out, rage overpowering my embarrassment.
He flinched, almost as though the words had been a slap instead. Giving me another bored look, he got up and said, “I must say, you have a way with words , wife.”
“Please stop calling me that. It’s clear that both of us weren’t in our senses, so the marriage is baseless.” I rubbed my temples in exasperation. This conversation was making my headache worse.
“You still haven’t answered my questions.”
“God, why do you have to be so … frustrating? Where’s my dress? I’m tired of sitting around like this.”
He rolled his eyes but walked back to the chair and threw a shopping bag in my direction. I looked in to find clothes and underwear that seemed to be my size but definitely weren’t what I was wearing earlier. “Did you …”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Mathews.” He tucks his hands into his pockets. “Those were the clothes you wore last night when we … got here. I found them strewn across the room and found the shopping bag too. I suppose the bag is from a purchase we made at some point.”
Well … that seemed to make as much sense as everything else. I picked up the bag and managed to stand without letting go of the sheets this time. “Is there anything else that you can remember?”
His gaze held mine again. This time it was back to its emerald. He stared at me wordlessly for so long I began to feel flustered, acutely aware of the soreness I felt now and the marks on his chest.
Nope. I wasn’t going there. The last thing I needed was to start … As though I’d conjured it, my mind brought up a sliver of memory:
Laughter, so deep and luscious I wish I could bottle it up. A warm hand resting on my lower back, guiding me through into the store.
“This one.”
“It’s perfect.” My voice. Why did I sound so happy? When was the last time I was this happy?
“Let’s go get married.” He smiled at me and it felt like pure sunshine. If I’d thought he was handsome before, he seemed perfectly angelic now.
Some distant part of my mind reminded me that I hated him, that he was the devil in human form. But how could he be when he had such a nice smile? That smile alone would’ve made me agree to anything.
“Let’s get married.” I beamed, grabbing his hand.
Then, my back against the bedroom door, strong hands gripping me. A shift, a gasp as our positions change so quickly, I’m left breathless.
“Wife.” The word is said with a laugh but stirs an intense urgency in me.
“Husband.” I replied, laughing even as I drew his face closer to mine.
“Husband.” I moaned this time. Then, everything fades to black.
I blinked, stumbling back, feeling myself reeling from the flashback I’d just had. If ever a part of me had been in denial of everything, it was gone now. Buried under the pile of embarrassment I was now feeling.
“I remember going to the chapel. Then … some other things after.” He said finally, eyes searching mine again.
“Oh.” I said, simply now blushing with full force. Right. I took this as my cue to go and get changed. “Where can I …” I trailed off, raising the bag for him to take a hint, now feeling a bit awkward.
“You can use the bathroom. It’s through that door.” I nodded and rushed as fast as I could towards it and prayed hard for my faux drape to stay on this time.
Thankfully, it did. As soon as I stepped inside, I leaned against the door breathing a sigh of relief. The bathroom was massive, easily the size of my current apartment, but then again, this was a penthouse. That much was to be expected.
I banged my head slightly against the door. What on earth was this day? Just when I thought things wouldn’t get worse, they somehow did. It felt ridiculous just thinking about it and that flashback.
“God.” I muttered aloud now, wishing I had taken the advil he’d thrown. It was pretty clear that something we both had was spiked. But what? When?
We were both at the bar, but I made sure to only have water. So then how did all this happen?
- Writer
