Page 33 of Pucking the Team

“There was no need to be so dramatic and leave me standing at the altar. That hurt. It really did. Here.” He banged his fist on his chest.

Hurt? Dramatic? I clasped my cheeks and stared at him. Was he really so delusional? Did he really think I was such a pushover? I’d seen the goddamn evidence.

“Cheryl means nothing to me,” he said, taking a step closer again. “You’ve got the wrong end of the stick. We needto move past this and reset a date for our wedding. We’ve got that big shoot lined up withOKAYmagazine, they’ll want the advance back if you don’t put on the dress and smile.”

“No! That’s not going to happen. Ever. There will be no wedding.” I held out my hand. “Do not come near me.”

A minicab went past, its headlight beam illuminating his face for a moment. He wore his best hard-done-by expression, and the bruise on his chin added to that—I was surprised he hadn’t covered it up with makeup.

“But the—?” he whined.

“Screw the advance, it’s not like either of us need the money.”

“But the brand,ourbrand. It was all set to take off. The hush-hush wedding was just the start. The intrigue and mystery of us and—”

“What? There is no brand, we kept our relationship quiet because neither of us wanted press intrusion, we agreed. It was your agent who wanted to book theOKAYexclusive, not me, not Trevor. I wanted my private life to stay private.”

“Pippa, you’re not thinking logically, but don’t worry.” He tapped the side of his head. “I can think for both of us, I can stay cool during this crisis.”

“Crisis! This is not a crisis. This is the biggest wakeup call of my life, the biggest close shave of my life. I was about to marry you, and you’re not in love with me, you’re in love with the media attention we’d get, you’re in love with another woman, I can see all of that now. My eyes are wide fucking open.”

“What? You have it all wrong. Pepperpot, none of that is true. Let’s go and get a drink, a room, talk about this so we can work it out. I know we can.”

“Work it out?” I snatched my phone from my purse. “Tell me, how the hell do we workthisout?” I brought up the first picture of him and Cheryl and held it his way.

He had the good grace to appear shocked. “What the…? Who…took…?”

“And this one?” I went to the next. “Looks to me like you have quite a thing for her big tits, don’t you think?”

“Pippa I…I don’t know how…”

“How to get out of this? Don’t bother trying.” I showed him the last photograph. “All I can say is I’m truly grateful to the anonymous person who sent me these photographs in the nick of time.”

He swallowed, closed his eyes, and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “It’s not what you think, honestly it’s not.”

“It’s exactly what I think. You were messing around behind my back while I was planning our wedding. When you were with me you were wishing I was Cheryl. When you were screwing me, you were wishing I was Cheryl. I can see it quite clearly now.”

“That’s not true, please believe me.” He managed to take my right hand in his. He clasped it between both of his palms and stepped up close.

I stared him in the eyes. His height didn’t bother me because I was practically the same. “I don’t believe you, Steven. I wish I’d never met you and I sure as hell wish you hadn’t come here. You should have taken the hint when I didn’t walk down the aisle or return any of your calls.”

“I couldn’t leave it like that, you are the love of my life.” His voice lowered, and he came closer. “I love you so much, I’ll die without you, Pippa.”

Were my ears deceiving me? Did he think I was so gullible?

“Look at me,” he said. “Surely you can see my devastation, I am nothing without you at my side.”

“Steven, I don’t care, I—”

Suddenly, his mouth pressed down on mine, and he wound his arms around my waist, dragging me up against his long lean body.

“Hmpf.” Indignation swamped me, and I pushed at his chest.

But this seemed to increase his determination, and he kissed me harder, held me tighter.

My eyes were wide open in shock. My skin crawled at being so near him. I tried to protest, but he had taken possession of my mouth. Nausea swelled. I thought of that mouth kissing Cheryl with such passion. Urgh!

And then he was gone, and the heat of his body left mine.