Jesus Christ.

She’s an absolute vision as she stands in front of me, and for a split second, I think I might be dreaming.

Her dark blonde hair is curled into waves and her make-up is a little darker and more dramatic than she usually wears. She’s in a dress that hugs every beautiful curve of her figure and pushes up her tits in a delicious buffet that I’m not allowed to partake in. It’s a real fucking tragedy.

She steals my breath as I stare at her. I’m unable to form actual words as my eyes feast on the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.

For a brief moment in time, she was mine. And once this is over, once the month passes and Allen files our paperwork, at least I’ll have those memories. At least I’ll be able to say I had a true love once upon a time, and it was fleeting and beautiful and true. No one else will ever measure up to what we shared. No one else will ever be able to break through the heavy armor she was able to so easily dismantle.

I finally clear my throat as I attempt to draw in a breath. “You’re uh…you’re not supposed to outshine the bride, Hartley.”

She chuckles. “And you’re not supposed to be hotter than the groom.”

I laugh, and that seems to break most of the tension between us, though it’s hard to break it down completely when there’s a divorce underlining our every move.

Fuck.

Can it really be over when there’s still so much heat in the room I nearly need to take off my coat?

I just need to get her to fall back in love with me.

That plan is in motion.

I talked with the guys about it today while I hit bogeys and flew into bunkers without mentioning the divorce part of it, and Jaxon is confident we’ll get it ready in time. He suggested I call in Ellie for help, and between all of us and our pooled resources, I think we can do this. I have a tentative date in mind…I just need to make it happen before my suspension is over because once I’m in season, everything will change again.

I need to make it happen before the one-month clock runs out on Allen’s promise to hold onto the papers.

I’ve got this.

“Are you ready?” I ask.

She shakes her head, walks over to the little counter where she spots the bottle of tequila I picked up earlier, and she unscrews the cap. She takes a very unladylike swig from the bottle before handing it to me.

I shrug and grab the bottle from her outstretched hand.

“Thanks.” I take a swig, too, and hand it back. She takes another and hands it back to me, and we head toward the elevator to go down to the rehearsal dinner that’s taking place right here in our hotel.

I smell strawberries in the small elevator car, and my cock hardens. I already had a semi just from doing tequila shots with her, but now she’s too close. I can’t be this close to her and not be hard for her. I can’t be mere feet away from her in a fucking elevator and not contemplate shoving my hand up her dress and feeling the inside of her cunt again.

She glances over at me as if she can read my mind, and I swear I see lust in her eyes.

“Do you need me to fake with you tonight again?” I ask softly.

She swallows before she cuts off our eye contact, her eyes moving straight ahead before she nods. “Yeah. Tonight and tomorrow too. Is that okay?”

I nod. “Of course. And just to be clear, it’s not faking for me, Hartley.”

She presses her lips together, and part of me thinks just maybe I’m getting through to her.

The other part of me thinks she probably just can’t resist the cock.

Either way, I’ll take what I can get tonight.

I grab her hand as we walk toward the restaurant, and she glances over at me with narrowed eyes. I just shrug innocently. I realize holding her hand isn’t what’s going to be the thing that wins her back, but I can’t stand beside her and not touch her. I lean in close and drag my lips along her neck until my lips are right next to her ear. “To faking it,” I say.

I don’t miss the way she shivers a little at my breath on her ear, and I squeeze her hand as we walk into the restaurant.

Jaxon rented out the entire place. The wedding will take place tomorrow in the garden just outside the restaurant with the mountains and golf course as our backdrop, and the view is both romantic and scenic.

I spot Jaxon and Mandy talking to an older lady who I assume is the event coordinator when the two of us walk in. The rehearsal is first, and it appears to be just a few family members along with the two of us. Everyone attending the wedding is invited to the dinner scheduled for a half hour from now, and that’s when I’ll get a better look at who will be in attendance for this thing.

So far, the only person Victoria seems to know is Mandy. Hopefully that’ll bode well for my chances at keeping her attention.

Mandy spots us and waves us over, and we walk hand-in-hand toward the two of them. Her eyes dart down to our joined hands, and she gives Victoria a look that tells me she knows. She has to know. These two are as close as sisters.

And then Mandy winks at me…which tells me that maybe she knows, but she’s in support of the two of us holding hands regardless of whether it’s genuine.

I’ve got the best friend on my side. That has to mean something.

We practice for tomorrow’s event. I’ll be escorting Victoria down the aisle, and the music plays while we walk toward the spot where Jaxon will marry Mandy tomorrow. Her arm is tucked into mine, and strawberries surround me. Warmth surrounds me. Love surrounds me.

And, you know, lust.

A thick tension lies between us, and I can’t possibly be the only one who feels it. I feel like everyone in the entire room must feel it. In the entire hotel. Maybe even in the entire world.

Okay, so that’s a tad egotistical, but it really does feel like it’s that strong. And it’s not just the underlying tension of the divorce. It’s not just the sexual tension. It’s some combination of all of it pulling us together like two magnets.

I remember playing with magnets when I was a kid. My parents got me one of those ones that had a handle and I’d put it next to anything that looked metal. I was always fascinated by how the opposite poles attracted each other and the same poles resisted each other.

Victoria and I are opposite poles.

We always have been.

And maybe the magnetic force pulling us together is stronger than either one of us alone.