The Billionaire Takes a Bride (Billionaires and Bridesmaids, #3)(25)

Chelsea: Ha! No, like I said, it was super sudden.

Gretchen: Oh man. Drunk wedding? Been there, done that. Wait, no I haven’t. Because I wouldn’t do that to my friends. And in case you can’t feel it, I’m totally shaming you with my judgmental stares right now.

Chelsea: I’m sorry. We decided to just up and do it. We didn’t think about inviting anyone.

Gretchen: You guys must have really hit it off at the party the other night. Right? He saw you in the derby gear and decided he had to nail that shit down, am I right?

Chelsea thought for a moment. How far were they going to go in their charade? They hadn’t really talked things over. She looked over at Sebastian, who was writing something down on a notepad. “I’m getting grilled by Gretchen. What’s our cover story? She thinks we had a drunk hookup that turned into a marriage.”

He glanced over at Chelsea, gaze flicking to her mouth. “Doesn’t she know you don’t drink?”

For some reason, his focus on her lips made her feel . . . nervous. Weird and fluttery. “I don’t know if she knows. I used to drink.”

“Oh? And you stopped?”

“I did.” And she left it at that, hoping he wouldn’t ask questions. Instead, she gave him a challenging look, as if daring him to ask about it.

He only leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful. “What kind of story do you want to go with?”

“Love at first sight?” She offered. “Stars aligning? Birds singing? A chorus of angels overhead at the glimpse of you?”

His mouth quirked in a half smile and he shook his head. “You clearly want to have everyone picturing me as a way more romantic man than I am.”

“You’re not romantic? I’m gasping in shock here.”

“Oh, I’m romantic enough, but only with the right incentive.” He wiggled his eyebrows and then leaned back in his chair, gaze thoughtful. “We could tell her you have a magic vagina.”

“A what?”

“Yep. Magic vagina. Or one like a Venus flytrap. My dick went inside and never came back out.”

She batted him on the arm. “Yeah, right. I’m trying to think of believable things. I need something to tell her. She’s one of my best friends.” She thought for a moment, and then looked over at him. “What if we position me as a gold digger?”

Sebastian gave her a sleepy but skeptical look that made her wonder how long he’d been awake last night while she’d been in the midst of her panic attack. A vague memory flashed, of rain and his hands stroking over her damp shoulders, her hair, him soothing her with wordless noises. He was a good guy, she realized with a twinge of guilt. He deserved better than her. She was all f*cked up.

“We need a story,” Chelsea prompted again. She needed a distraction, too.

“You could tell her that from the moment I saw you, I decided I had to have you,” Sebastian said in a soft voice.

For some reason, that made Chelsea’s pulse flutter. She pulled away from him in her chair, pretending to look out the window. “I’ll think of something.”

“Well, let me know what you decide.” When she looked over, he had put down his notepad and held up his phone. “Hunter’s texting me, too. My guess is that Gretchen put him up to it.”

She paused, thinking, then began to type again.

Chelsea: It was just sort of a thing. He looked at me and I knew. And he says he felt the same way. So we decided not to waste any time.

Gretchen: Omg. I can’t decide if that’s harebrained or incredible. Sebastian never struck me as the romantic type.

Chelsea: Really, how did he strike you?

Gretchen: Will you kill me if I say ‘aimless’?

She glanced over at the man idly texting next to her.

Chelsea: No, but now I’m intrigued. Why aimless?

Gretchen: I’ve only met him a few times, mind you. But he just sits on family money and like . . . doesn’t do anything. Doesn’t have a business of his own. Doesn’t run the family business. He’s just rich. He and Hunter work out together but I don’t know what he does with his time other than avoid his crazy family.

Chelsea: I’m sure he has a plan. :) I gotta go anyhow. Lunch tomorrow?

Gretchen: Girl, yes. Now go kiss your new husband for me and I’m gonna go gossip at Hunter. And read more tabloids about you, but mostly gossip at Hunter. XO

Chelsea: XO

Chelsea looked over at Sebastian speculatively again. Aimless, huh? She didn’t think Gretchen meant it in a cruel way. Gretchen was blunt and sometimes thoughtless with her words, but was never cruel. And how could anyone be mad at Sebastian? He was gorgeous, polite, funny, and utterly charming. Heck, she was immune to men and still found herself getting girlishly excited whenever he gave her one of those sleepy smiles.

It seemed they both had things to work on.

He looked over at her and gave her a wary glance. “You’re staring.”

She held up her phone and changed the conversation. “I just told Gretchen that it was an immediate attraction sort of thing and we acted on it.”

Sebastian gave her a small nod. “I can work with that. And anyone who sees you knows that it’s not off the mark.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means if this wasn’t platonic, I’d be all over you like peanut butter on jelly.”