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)
I let out a sigh of relief. “That’s my phone. We’ve been all over Vegas looking for it.”
“Give me a sec,” Elvis said before he walked toward the back of the room and into an office.
“Thank you,” Will said as our eyes met.
“For what?”
“Bailing me out of this. I didn’t know we were that bad last night. Olivia is going to kill me when I see her.”
“Girl of the week? Or your publicist?”
I loved to tease him.
He snickered. “I don’t have a girl of the week.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I meant girl of the hour.”
Will rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to show you, woman. I’m going to be the best husband you ever had.”
“A husband without the perks.”
“Which reminds me, you never set the terms of our new deal. No sex, no jerking off, no orgasms. I can do that, no problem. But what does the winner get?”
As his words sunk in, I realized we needed to up to stakes. “If I win, you’re my slave for a month.”
He laughed. “Sex slave? I can get down with that.”
“Nope. Like a house servant. You’ll have to cook, clean, wait on me hand and foot for one whole month.”
“Done.”
“We have to sleep in the same bed. Like a real married couple.”
“So? I’m good with that.”
“You’re so going to lose this bet, Romeo.”
He sank down to my height, his lips inches from mine. “I’m going to win. And when I do, we’re fucking for an entire weekend straight. No work. No breaks. Nada. And by the time I’m done, you will never want to leave me.”
So that was it. I was his end game.
But was I ready to play?
Chapter Ten
CLARKE
After we landed in Philly, Will pulled me aside. He led me to the far end of the hangar, giving us some room to speak privately. We hadn’t spoken a word during the flight. I passed out after twenty minutes in the air, while Will busied himself on his iPad, forcing himself to endure thousands of shitty comments online.
Will brushed his fingers down my arm, his blue eyes on me. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
His words sounded like a question, as if he were afraid I would run away before Ethan and Mia got married. No chance in hell. I would never abandon Mia on her special day.
I smiled as our eyes met. “I’ll be at the church. Bright and early.”
He moved his hand to my face and cupped my cheek. “You sure about this?”
“Are we talking about us or the wedding?”
“Us.”
“Then, no. I’m not really sure about this.”
“I know you’re freaking out, but I’m scared, too.”
“Why are you telling me this? What’s changed since before we left Vegas.”
He lowered his hand to his side and sighed. “Because I don’t know what’s going to happen. The Flyers GM is pissed. He thinks the marriage is a sham and just another one of my stunts.” He released a deep breath. “We have a meeting scheduled for Monday morning.”
“Do you need me to go with you?”
“No,” he breathed. “But it might help sell the story if we take turns living at each other’s apartments. People need to see us together. I know you hate media attention because of your dad… and I hate to ask this. But I worked my ass off to get to the NHL. I’ve never been this scared in my life.”
“You want to do a press release?”
“My publicist suggested we make it official.”
“Have you heard of The Gossip Queen?”
Everyone in Philly, and the country, feared the wrath of The Gossip Queen. Callie Bloom worked at Market House Press, a woman’s magazine headquartered in downtown Philadelphia. Her column was so popular she garnered over forty million views per month on her articles about celebrity dirt. She was not only the best source for controversial news but also reliable. Unlike other gossips mags, Callie confirmed her sources before hitting publish.
Will nodded. “Who hasn’t heard of her? She has the biggest mouth in the country.”
“Callie is a friend. I met her when I worked at The Inquirer. I can arrange a meeting. Maybe get her to shine a positive light on our relationship. No one will doubt it’s real if they hear it from The Gossip Queen.”
Will’s frown turned up into a genuine smile. “You would that for me?”
“That’s part of the deal. I promised to sell our love, real or fake.”
He hugged me so hard the air drained from my chest.
I patted him on the back. “Ease up, Hulk. I can’t breathe.”
Will laughed, then his lips brushed my earlobe. “Thank you, Clarke. You’re saving my ass. Anything you want, it’s yours. Just ask.”
I slipped from his grasp and fixed the strap of my bag over my shoulder. “Stay off social media. Reading the comments won’t help. And try to stay out of the spotlight until I can talk to Callie. Okay?”