Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
When the elevator beeped on our floor, our lips separated. Clarke stared at me, struggling for breath as she fixed her shirt back into place. I checked my appearance in the mirrored wall behind her. Apart from the messy hair, I looked decent. I fixed the mess Clarke made of my hair and led her out of the elevator. We strolled over to the reception desk at Market House Press, holding hands.
The brunette behind the desk smiled as we approached her. “Welcome to Market House Press.”
“We’re here to see Callie Bloom,” Clarke said. “Will and Clarke Roman, she’s expecting us.”
“One moment.” She held up her index finger before picking up the phone.
I dipped my head down to whisper in her ear. “That sounds so good, Mrs. Roman.”
She looked up at me. “That’s my legal name now… or at least it will be.”
I steered her away from the receptionist, my voice low as I spoke. “I thought you wanted to keep your last name.”
“Changed my mind.”
“I bet last night had a lot to do with your change of heart.”
“All those orgasms didn’t rot my brain,” she shot back with a slick smile. “It’s the right move. We need to sell this.”
“Still, I like the sound of Clarke Roman. Has a certain ring to it.”
“Don’t get used to it,” she muttered.
“We’ll see about that.”
“Clarke,” a woman called out.
I glanced to my left and found Callie Bloom with her hand raised as she approached us.
“Hey, girl,” Clarke said without an ounce of the nervousness she showed a second ago. “Long time, no see.” She hugged Callie. “How are you?”
“Hanging in there.”
“Are you and the girls still living with Amelia?”
She laughed. “Yeah. It’s like a frat house for women.”
“I believe they call those sororities,” I quipped.
“Not this house,” Callie said with laughter in her voice. “It’s like a bunch of frat dudes live there, except they’re my besties.”
“Sounds like my kind of house,” I joked.
Callie gave me a stern look. “Not something you should say in front of your new wife, Romeo.”
“Ugh,” I groaned. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Actually, I did but whatever. It was a bad joke.
Callie regarded me with curiosity. Her gaze swept over Clarke, who hooked her arm between mine and smiled. She was doing her best to keep it together. We were both struggling to put on our best unified front.
Callie tipped her head toward the glass doors to our right. “Let’s take this convo into the conference room.”
I could tell Callie already had her doubts about me. And I’d just given her some ammunition. If we could convince her we were in love, everyone would believe it. At least that was what I had hoped.
I followed the girls as we walked down a long hallway filled with flashes of pink, red, and blue that popped against the white walls. Everything at Market House was pretty and polished.
“Is Romeo treating you okay?” Callie said as she looked at Clarke, ignoring the fact I was only a few feet behind them. “You know, he has a bit of a reputation. I thought it was a hoax when I saw the pics of you two in Vegas.”
“The wedding was real,” Clarke admitted.
Callie shook her head. “Elvis. What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t. We were drunk and wanted to get married. We’re planning to have a recommitment ceremony, so our families can attend the wedding.”
My eyes widened. Wow, Clarke was really selling our lie. But was another ceremony necessary? Maybe. It couldn’t hurt to have our friends and family stand with us to legitimize our relationship.
“You better invite me,” Callie cooed. “And I call dibs on the best man.”
“He’s married to my sister,” I told her.
Clarke laughed. “You called dibs on Nate’s best man, and if I recall correctly, that didn’t turn out so well for you.”
“No, it didn’t,” Callie said with bitterness in her tone.
At the end of the hall, we made a left into the conference room and Callie closed the door behind me. I took a seat beside Clarke at the long table, and Callie sat across from us.
She removed a recorder from her pocket. “Mind if I record this?”
“Go ahead,” Clarke muttered.
I nodded my approval.
Callie clicked on the recorder, and a green light flashed. She set it on the table, her eyes fixed on me. My heart banged in my chest as she studied my face for malice. I could handle myself in tough situations. Years of being in the NHL had proven that. But with my career on the line, I was sweating bullets. One wrong move, and Callie could flip our story on its head and ruin both of our careers.
“What made you decide to get married in Vegas?”
“We wanted to,” I replied. “It’s not like we just met. I have known Clarke for three years. She’s my sister’s best friend. We’ve dated on and off for a long time.”