Page 19 of Merry Fake Bride

Yup, he’s still here.

The sexy man from the bar who fucked me so hard I came faster than I ever came in my life is right next to my bed while I surely look like shit.

“What… what happened?”

“It’s my fault, I’m so sorry,” he says earnestly, and his brows pinch again, creating that adorable swirl on his forehead. “I reached out to catch you while you were falling, but I think I made things worse because you jerked away from me and you were hit by a car. From what I know, you’re okay, but your arm is broken. I’m really sorry.”

I glance down and a pink cast stares back at me from my right forearm.

Suddenly, the strange, distant ache around my limb makes sense.

As I flex my fingers, increasing that faint ache, Steve’s words slowly paint a picture through my memories and a swell of dread rises in my stomach.

It wasn’t his fault.

I remember hearing his voice and trying to find him around the boxes, only to feel a closing touch around my wrist.

It was a panicked reflex that forced me to jump backward, something neither of us could control, and there’s no way Steve would know how badly I dislike being touched.

Especially after how we met.

“It’s not your fault, Steve,” I croak again. “I promise.”

“Here.” He rises and picks up a small bottle of water from the table that hovers over the end of my bed.

After cracking the seal, he hands it back to me. “You should drink something. You’ve been out for a few hours.”

Accepting the bottle with a smile, the cool water is heaven against my raw throat and I drink like I’m parched while Steve continues to speak.

“And my name isn’t actually Steve. It’s Kairo. Since I know your real name, I figure I should be honest as well.”

His lips twitch up into another adorable smile that makes his eyes narrow and twinkle. “I am sorry.”

Kairo.

Of course his name is something as unique and hot as he is.

There’s no way this man is the one I fucked.

What does someone who looks like Adonis want with someone who looks like me?

The elegant cake I compared him to a few weeks ago wasn’t beautiful enough.

“It’s really not your fault,” I say after handing the bottle back to him. “I just uhm… I have this thing about being touched and itjust… when you grabbed my wrist, I just reacted, y’know? So it’s not your fault.”

“Oh.” Confusion flickers across Kairo’s face while he tries to connect my words to my actions weeks ago.

Alcohol made everything easier at the bar, but other than spending my entire life drunk, there’s no avoiding my reflexes.

Axel trained them far too well.

“You don’t need to explain,” Kairo says after a moment with another relaxed smile. “I understand, but I am still sorry that I didn’t react fast enough.”

“No lightning reflexes, huh?” The corner of my mouth twitches as my pulse quickens slightly. “You should be ashamed.”

Kairo laughs and nods. “I know. Suddenly, my denial from the school baseball team makes so much sense.”

“And it took you this long to get an answer. NowI’msorry.”