Prologue
Forty Days After Saying “I Do”
Tatiana
“Do the words ‘til death do us part’ give me a free pass to murder my husband?”
I’ve googled that question a million times since I “married” the sexy bastard who dominates almost every billboard in Las Vegas, and the answers are always the same: “No, that’s not what that means” and “Prepare to spend the rest of your life in prison.”
I’ve even tried adding a follow-up question—“What if I’m married to Travis Dante Carter?”—but the results are even worse.
The only links that appear are fan sites, filled with stories of women attempting to send him their panties in the mail or forums on how they wish someone would murder me, so they can take my place.
Alas, I can’t take this arrangement anymore, and I’ve been planning my grand escape for weeks.
It’s now or never.
“Mademoiselle! Mademoiselle!” a woman yells in my direction. “Come back here now!”
I grip the handle of my suitcase and race down the hallway as fast as I can.
“Miss,please!” she calls after me again. “Your husband won’t be amused about this!”
Oh, I’m sure he won’t.
“Come on, come on, come on … ” I jab the elevator’s down button. “Hurry up.”
The numbers above the shaft glow as they ascend, and I hold my breath as they get closer. When the doors finally glide open, I pull my luggage onto the car and release a sigh.
Swiping my security card against the keypad, I can almost taste the faint flavor of freedom. It’s all too sweet and lacks the bitterness that I’ll never have to devour again.
No more photo shoots with my fake husband’s full lips pressed against mine. No more suffocating tension that fills every room we’re forced to share. And no more long, hard nights of denial. (The denial is from him, by the way, not me.)
“You are now arriving at the private garage,” the speaker system declares. “Please watch for passing traffic.”
The elevator doors open, and my husband is standing right in front of me, instantly derailing my train of thought.
Sexy as ever, his black dress shirt is unbuttoned, exposing his perfect six-pack abs, leading the way down a rock-hard lane to his impeccably chiseled “V.”
His emerald green eyes meet mine, then his lips curve into a panty-melting smirk that I’ve never been able to resist.
Say, “Goodbye, Travis Carter.”
Say, “Eff you, and goodbye…”
“Going somewhere, Mrs. Carter?” he asks, glancing at my suitcase.
“It’s Miss Brave now.” I twist the wedding ring off my finger and hold it out to him.
“Would you like me to get that resized for you or something?”
“I’d actually like for you to take it back,” I say. “I don’t want it anymore.”
He lets out a low laugh and steps onto the car, blocking my escape.
“I could’ve sworn we had a ninety-day deal,” he says. “Was I wrong about that?”
“You’re wrong about a lot of things.” I shrug. “Feel free to sue me for breach of contract, but I’m done being your wife.”
He smiles, but it quickly disappears. “Where are you headed?”
“Somewhere alone.”
“Well, I’d like to come with you, so we can discuss whatever it is you think you’re doing.”
“I’m divorcing you.” I tuck the ring into his pocket. “Unofficially.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a cocky, arrogant bastard who thinks that the sun rises and falls over this city whenever you want it to.”
“It does, so I need you to give me a better reason than that.”
“Fine. I don’t want to be with you anymore.”
“A believable reason.”
“How about, I hate you?”
“You don’t.” He smirks. “Try again.”
“Rejection never has been your strong suit…” I suck in a breath as he steps closer. “I would honestly prefer it if I was no longer married to Travis ‘The Punisher’ Carter. He’s too much for me to handle.”
“That’s why you’re only pretending to be with him…” He closes the gap between us, then his eyes lock on mine, rendering me speechless. “We’re almost halfway through our contract, Tatiana. Tell me the truth.”
“I just did. This is becoming too hard of a role for me to play.”
“Then allow me to cast you in an easier one.” His lips brush against mine, and my heart flutters in my chest. “Pretend like I’m the guy you softly moan about while touching yourself in the shower every night. That guy isn’t me, correct?”
“Correct.” I look deep into his eyes, hoping he can’t tell I’m lying. “He’s not you.”
“Okay then.” He pushes a stray curl away from my forehead, gently tucking it behind my ear. “Just pretend I’m that guy until this is over, and we can easily return to acting like we never knew each other. Again.”
Silence.
It stretches between us for several seconds, unraveling a long string of pain and heartache. The words we’ve left unsaid for years are still tied under our tongues, tragically trapped under seams of secrets that we both have tried to ignore.
He looks as if he’s about to pull me close and kiss me senseless, but a young couple suddenly steps onto the car with us.
Dressed in matching grey fight club gear, their eyes widen at the sight of Travis.
“Oh, my god!” the woman screams. “You’re Travis Carter!”
“The Punisher.” The guy smiles. “Can we get a few photos with you, please? I mean, if it’s okay with your wife.”
“Is it okay with you, Mrs. Carter?” Travis asks.
“Yes…” I can barely hear my own voice as the guy thrusts his cell phone toward me.
I snap a few shots, and then they pepper him with questions as the elevator rises.
While he puts on the perfect performance, the words he uttered moments ago play centerstage in my mind.
“We can easily return to acting like we never knew each other. Again.”
As much as I’ve tried to convince myself that this man hasn’t left an unerasable mark on my heart, the truth is undeniable.
Once upon a time, we were friends to lovers to strangers to…whatever the hell we are now.
Ding!
The car jerks to a halt on the fiftieth floor, and the couple shoots one more smile and a “Thank you” toward Travis before stepping off.
I keep my gaze forward as the doors glide shut, watching Travis stare at me through the mirrored glass.
“Are we going up to my place or down to the garage?” he asks.
I don’t answer.
“Tatiana,” he says, his voice low. “Where are we going?”
“I’m leaving you.”
“Not for the next fifty days.” He narrows his eyes at me. “Until then, up or down?”
“I already took everything I own out of your condo.”
“My staff will happily help you put it back.”
“Okay, look.” I try to keep my voice firm. “I’m saying this in the nicest way possible. I’m not the slightest bit attracted to you anymore, and it pains me to be near you.”
“So if I were to slide my hand under your dress right now, your pussy wouldn’t be wet for me?”
My jaw drops and I immediately look away from him. “We’re going up…”
“I thought so.” He enters the penthouse code, and we ride the rest of the way without saying a word. Without having the conversation we should’ve had on day one of this deal.
Maybe if we’d been honest, I wouldn’t be here, and our secret history would still be a bittersweet memory. We wouldn’t have to lie to everyone in our lives about never knowing each other until recently.
Then again, even if we weren’t locked in this twisted game, there are two facts that make our marriage ten times harder on me.
You see, Travis Carter is not just my fake husband, not just some blast from the past I’ve struggled to forget.
He was my first everything.
And he’s also my best friend’s older brother…
(Yes, this book will be available via Kindle Unlimited if you have a monthly subscription.)
F.L.Y. + Hope you love Travis & Tatiana as much as I do!
Whit
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