Page 18 of Shattered Hearts
One of his hands adjusts to the bare small of my back, igniting my nerve endings. “Those vows we took back there didn’t mean anything. They have no legal ramifications…so what do we do about the marriage certificate?”
Is he reminding me how undesirable he finds me so I won’t get any ideas?
Swallowing the hurt, I fight to keep my tone even.
“Once Harper gets back, you’ll sign the certificate and actually begin your married life.”
I’m making shit up now. I have no idea what’s going to happen after today. But Finn is the kind of man who likes answers.
And who could miss the urgency in his tone? Beginning his married life with my twin—even though this marriage is arranged—matters to him because what man wouldn’t jump at the chance to marry my sister? No doubt he’s eager to be with his real bride instead of being stuck with me, the counterfeit.
Bitter disappointment stings my insides, but I shove it aside.
I need to get through this reception, and then I can go home and put this day behind me.
Harper’s first dance song winds to a close, punctuated again by the guests’ cheers. Through it all, another sound rises, eventually overtaking the applause altogether.
A symphony of silverware clinking against champagne glasses. I turn my head. Everyone’s partaking. I don’t realize what they want from us until Finn’s coarse fingers alight on either side of my neck, setting off alarms in my brain.
Shit, shit, shit.
They want us to kiss? Again?
Finn leans our foreheads together without any warning, silencing every unspoken protest.
Everywhere his skin touches mine, I burn.
His mouth nears mine. My body, on high alert, braces for physical and emotional impact. Our noses tuck into each other. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. Impulses rapid-fire inside me.
Pull him closer,some say.Get away from him. Now, before you make a mistake,others warn.
The loudest among them isn’t an impulse at all, but the voice of my heartache historian.
Remember what happened the last time you fell for someone’s kiss.The heft of that thought ripples through me.Remember what you promised yourself.
Finn’s even breaths warm my lips for half a second before my flight reflex kicks into gear and I jerk my head back from his. He doesn’t budge, his gentle grip on my shoulders holding me in place.
He leans in close. “Just go with it.”
Then he seals his lips over mine.
Chapter 6
Riley
Shock stuns my mouth into falling open, allowing Finn to deepen the kiss. The unexpected potency of the sensation dizzies me.
I’m powerless to resist.
The world falls away as my arms fold tighter around his neck, and his hands return to my waist, pulling me flush against him.
His beard scratches my face, every scrape sparking electricity along my skin. Finn runs his tongue along my bottom lip, igniting a flame that just might burn me alive.
It would be one hell of a way to go.
Through the paper-thin silk of this dress, his tight, muscular thighs press against me, and his harsh breaths echo in my own chest.
This kiss is different from the brief one we shared at the altar. That one was…an exploration. But this? This feels like him laying claim.