"Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God."
My head was pounding like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my skull. My mouth tasted like I'd licked the floor of that bar and to make things worse I was completely naked.
In a room I didn't look familiar next to a man I didn't—
I sat up so fast the room spun and the sheet fell away, I grabbed it, clutching it to my chest as I looked around frantically.
Clothes scattered across the floor, my dress was hanging off a lamp and my underwear was tossed somewhere in the far corner.
What the hell happened last night?
I remembered the bar then talking to some guy who looked as miserable as I felt and then... nothing except fragments of his mouth on mine, hands in my hair and … No.
"No no no no." I looked at the man still sleeping next to me, his face half-buried in the pillow, accompanied by dark hair, broad shoulders and completely naked body under the sheets.
I'd slept with a complete stranger.
I never did things like this. I was the responsible one, the one who thought things through, the one who—
He stirred, rolling over onto his back. And when I saw his face clearly for the first time in daylight, my entire body went cold.
It was Richard McAllister, the man I was supposed to marry.
"No." I scrambled out of bed, dragging the sheet with me. "No no no this can't be happening."
He woke up at the sound of my voice, blinking for a second he looked confused, then his eyes focused on me and I watched the exact moment recognition hit.
"You." He sat up fast, looking around the room like he was trying to figure out if this was real. "You're Summer Trudeau."
"And you're Richard McAllister." My voice came out shrill. "What did you do to me?"
"What did I do?" He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "You're the one who came over to me at the bar!"
"So you thought you'd drug me and bring me back here?" I was backing toward the bathroom, my heart racing. "Is this some kind of sick game to you?"
"Drug you?" He got out of bed and I averted my eyes because he was completely naked and I did not need that image burned into my brain right now. "You drank enough vodka to kill a horse. I didn't need to drug you."
"Then why don't I remember anything?"
"Because you were drunk!" He grabbed his pants off the floor, yanking them on. "We were both drunk. This wasn't planned, it just happened."
"Nothing just happens!" I spotted my bra near the nightstand and grabbed it, trying to get dressed while still holding the sheet. "You knew who I was. You planned this whole thing."
"I didn't know who you were until two seconds ago!" His voice was rising to match mine. "You think I wanted to sleep with some mafia princess my father's forcing me to marry?"
"Mafia princess but You're the one whose father is blackmailing you into this marriage because apparently you're a drug dealer!"
"Ex-drug dealer, and that was ten years ago!" He found his shirt and pulled it on inside out. "At least my family isn't under FBI investigation for organized crime!"
"At least my father isn't sleeping with my girlfriend!"
The words were out before I could stop them and I watched his face go pale. How did I know that? Had he told me last night?
"How do you—" He stopped, running a hand through his hair. "What did I tell you?"
"I don't know! I don't remember anything after the fourth drink!" I finally managed to get my dress on, though it was wrinkled. "All I know is I woke up naked next to the last person on earth I ever wanted to see again and now my life is even more of a disaster than it was yesterday."
"Trust me, the feeling is mutual." He was looking around for his shoes. "This never happened. We were both drunk, we both made a mistake, and we're going to pretend this never happened."
"Agreed." I found my phone on the floor and checked the time, Nine in the morning. "I'm leaving. You stay here for like twenty minutes so we don't leave together."
"I'm not staying here." He grabbed his jacket. "I have places to be."
"Well I'm leaving first."
"Like hell you are."
We glared at each other across the hotel room and I felt that same pull from last night. That magnetic thing that had made me cross the bar to talk to him in the first place. Which was insane because I hated everything he represented.
"Fine." I grabbed my purse. "We'll both leave and if anyone asks, this never happened."
"Won't be hard since I'm trying to forget it already." He headed for the door.
"Good, Because you were terrible anyway."
"Am I?" He stepped closer and I could smell his cologne mixed with whiskey "Because I distinctly remember you begging me not to stop."
"Get away from me." But my voice came out breathy instead of angry.
"Gladly." He pushed off the wall but not before I saw his eyes drop to my lips. He left without another word, slamming the door behind him hard enough to rattle the frame.
I stood there shaking, whether from anger or adrenaline or something else entirely, I didn't know. I'd just slept with Richard McAllister. The man I was being forced to marry and the worst part was not even my body still humming from having him that close to me.
My phone rang as I was getting into a cab a few minutes later, my father had been calling back to back, on the fourth call, I answered.
"Where have you been?" Sam's voice was cold. "The engagement dinner is tonight at seven. You need to be at the house by five to get ready."
"I'm aware."
"Where are you?"
"Out." I wasn't giving him anything. "I'll be there at five."
"Summer—"
I hung up, whatever he wants to say will only worsen things.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
If you tell anyone about last night, I'll deny everything. - R
I typed back furiously : Don't flatter yourself. I'm trying to forget it ever happened.
His response came immediately.
Good. See you tonight, future wife.
I wanted to throw my phone out the window but instead I typed one last message. This marriage is a business arrangement and what happened last night was a drunken mistake that will never happen again.
As long as we were on the same page that last night was a mistake, and the marriage was fake then after tonight's dinner, we'd figure out how to survive this arrangement without killing each other.
I just had to make it through one dinner. How hard could that be?