Page 41 of An Inevitable Marriage

Wiping under my eyes, I turned away and returned to the bed to unpack the rest of my stuff. There wasn’t a lot left. Just a few clothing items and some personal stuff. Before I could find places for them, my phone lit up with a text.

I snatched it from the bedside table and quickly pressed my thumb against the screen to bring it to life. My heartbeat thundered between my ears when the preview window showed it was a text from my mom.

Fingers shaking, I opened the thread then read the message in its entirety.

Mom:Where did we go wrong, Everlee? Why would you think we’d be all right with you marrying a man for money? For money!

Mom:Don’t do this. I am not asking you; I’m telling. No child of mine will sell herself for a paycheck. It’s not how we raised you and it’s definitely not what we stand for. If things are as bad as you say, then come home. We can figure it out here. Together.

I stared at the screen until my vision blurred, either from not blinking too long or from the fresh batch of tears splashing over my lids.

I honestly thought my mom would understand. That she’d support my decision.

I was wrong. So freaking wrong.

My heart hiccupped violently. What the hell was I supposed to say? To do? It wasn’t like I could march my ass back to the court and say I’d changed my mind.

Well, I could, but that wouldn’t be right.

I’d given Liam my word, and he’d already done way more than I could’ve asked for.

He didn’t have to cover my dad’s entire bill or move him to a private room.

Not that I could tell my mom any of that since she’d already made up her mind about the situation. In fact, at that moment, and I was ashamed to admit this, I didn’t want to tell my mom anything.

Pushing past the guilt and with a silent vow to get back to her first thing in the morning, I closed the messaging app and immediately pulled up my favorite playlist. What I needed now was to shake my booty to Estaban Alvarez, telling me how he wanted to dance and spend the night with me.

Which was precisely what I did whenmysong blasted through my Bluetooth speaker. Swaying my hips to the upbeat Spanish rhythm, I told my problems to take a damn hike.

And when they still wouldn’t listen, I turned up the volume until all I could think about was what lyric came next.

I was singing, dancing, and unpacking all at once, and it wasn’t long before I got to the final bag.

I’d left it for last on purpose. It held not only my toiletries but also my trusty vibrator. Eyes darting to the open bathroom door, I pulled the bright-purple toy from its packaging. The feel of the smooth silicone registered against my palm at the same time as my mind drifted back to the courthouse.

Or, more specifically, to the feel of Liam’s hands in my hair and the soft touch of his lips against mine.

That alone shouldn’t have been enough to turn me on. And yet, my belly flipped, and delicious tingles rushed through my body.

Granted, it had been a while since I’d been in the mood. Too much had happened, and my mind had been preoccupied with other stuff.

But now?

Nibbling on my lip, I imagined sliding the toy between my legs, pressing it against my aching core.

I drew in a deep breath through my nose.

Yeah, this was exactly what I needed.

Quickly silencing Estaban, I hurried toward the bathroom. I didn’t make it very far when a booming voice interrupted me.

“What the hell is going on here?”

The most unladylike sound tore from my throat as I spun around and attacked the intruder. Who turned out to be Liam…and I’d just thrown my vibrator at him.

There it was, lying at his feet in all its purple glory.

And if that wasn’t bad enough already, the man actually began to lower himself to pick it up.