Page 79 of Reckless Chance

“Cassie’s opening night went great. I slept like a dream. Then I woke up next to your hot hardness, hoping we could start the day off with a bang.” She snickers at her intentional word play.

Fuuuck. Playful Lowri is sexy. And my steel-hard cock is in full agreement with her plan. Damn it. We have to talk first. I’m not the jerk who’d take advantage of her offer minutes before telling her I’ve been hiding something.

Shit, she’s going to think I’m exactly that asshole for waiting this long to tell her. I doubt she’ll be speaking to me after this.

“Not to kill the mood, but we need to talk first,” I say, knowing I’m definitely killing the mood.

“That sounds serious. What’s wrong?” she asks, worry spreading over her face.

“Remember I said we needed to discuss the annulment?”

“Yes. I’m still confused as to why it’s taking this long. I can always step in and talk with your lawyer if there’s a problem.”

“The problem is not with the lawyer and not with the annulment itself. The problem is with me. I shouldn’t have waited to tell you. I’ve just dreaded this conversation.”

“Are you saying we don’t need an annulment? Wait a minute. Don’t you dare tell me you’re already married. You know how I feel about cheaters. Or do you want to stay married and were afraid to tell me?” she asks, skeptically.

“I’ve never been married before. Our marriage is valid, and I’m still on board for the annulment. But I need to ask a favor. Can we delay the annulment for a few weeks?”

Her frown deepens as her eyebrows scrunch together.

“Why?”

“I hadn’t realized that my dad set up my trust in a screwball way. My lawyer explained that there is a clause in the trust agreement related to my marrying. It says that if I marry before the Athena is transferred to me personally, then I must stay married for a minimum amount of time. If I don’t, then the Athena will never be mine. It will remain in the trust, directed by the trustees. They would have the power to kick me out entirely.”

Her jaw literally drops open.

“I knew something was amiss. The paperwork should have been ready for our signatures within a few days, and judges usually sign off on annulments within a couple of weeks.”

“The lawyer did say that, but contrary to popular belief, annulments aren’t regularly granted here.”

“That’s because there’s only a short list of allowable reasons for an annulment. But our situation falls squarely within one of those reasons. We were drunk!”

“Yeah, I know.”

“How long do we have to stay married?”

“Only three months.”

“From now or from our wedding date?”

“From the wedding. It’s only a few more weeks.”

“I’m not sure I’d call eight to ten weeksa few.Why didn’t you tell me? Why would I care if we delayed the paperwork a little longer? I’ll go home to San Diego. Your lawyer can let me know when the annulment goes through.”

“Well, that’s the problem. Umm… The terms of the trust agreement require us to live together the whole time.”

“What the hell? Why?”

“As I told you, my dad was head over heels in love with Mom until the day she died. He wanted the same for me and didn’t want me to take marriage lightly. If I married, he wanted me to give it a real chance. The younger I married, the longer the requirement to stay married and try to make it work. We’re lucky that we only have to stay married three months.”

“When did you find out about this marriage clause?”

“Only recently, I swear.”

“How recently? Don’t lie to me.”

“A couple of days after we got married—when I met with my lawyer to start the annulment process.”