by C. Morgan
Can’t Make This Up
C. Morgan
BrixBaxter Publishing
Contents
Description
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Epilogue
More Good Reads
Come Swoon With Us
About the Author
Copyright
Description
Of course I hooked up with a billionaire playboy.
He seemed ordinary. Just my luck.
Speaking of luck, lost my job too.
Now I just need to find a new gig with great pay and a good boss.
That boss turns out to be that hot billionaire I just mentioned.
You just can’t make these things up.
Unfortunately I can’t seem to get our one night out of my head. It’s playing on a loop and I’m seriously ready for the sequel.
But there’s no redeeming this guy.
He’s really good at getting the girl.
And this time, it’s me.
Dedication
To all of my readers. I am so grateful for all of you.
C. Morgan
Chapter 1
Trinity
I wasn’t a wedding planner. I was not cut out for this. “Pardon me,” I gushed as I nearly ran over a little old lady wearing the brightest pink dress I had ever seen. Garish was one way to put it.
“Slow down!” she scolded.
I kept running. This was a mess. I should have told my best friend I couldn’t be the maid of honor. I was so far out of my depth I couldn’t even see the shore. I was best suited as a bridesmaid. I could not take this kind of pressure.
This wasn’t the average wedding at the VFW or the Red Lion. This was the wedding of the year with all the uppity people in the Pacific Northwest in attendance. And I was going to ruin it.
“Excuse me,” I called as I dodged around a middle-aged couple making their way down the hall toward the opulent lobby of the hotel.
“Some people are so rude,” the woman muttered.
The woman had no idea what was on the line. I could not ruin my best friend’s wedding.
Naya was counting on me to make sure this lavish wedding went off without a hitch. She had bucked her fiancé’s idea of hiring a wedding planner. She wanted to do it all herself.
She and I planned every detail, with the hotel guy helping to plan the reception. Why? Why did she think we could take on such a monumental task? Because she was batshit crazy. No sane woman would ask me to plan her wedding to a billionaire.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered as I dodged around more guests.
I hopped in the elevator only slightly out of breath and slapped my hand against the button for the eighth floor. Sweat trickled down my back. The hotel was less than a block from the church. I didn’t want to waste time searching for a ride and opted to run all the way to the hotel.
“Come on, come on,” I urged, encouraging the steel box to move faster.
My heart was pounding in my chest. I leaned against the back of the elevator and watched the numbers count off. The second the doors slid open, I was off like a shot after the brief respite from my mad dash through the ridiculously overpriced hotel. I rounded the corner with the card key in my hand.
“Please be in there,” I muttered.
The ringbearer’s pillow had vanished. Well, not vanished. We all suspected we knew where it was. In the groom’s parents’ room. That was the last time the precious little devil they were using for their ringbearer had the damn thing. I told her not to let him play with it. “Oh no, he needs to practice,” I mimicked in a high-pitched voice.
I rounded the corner, my destination in sight. I glanced down at my watch to check the time and slammed into a wall. “Ow,” I muttered and bounced off the wall that was suddenly in the middle of the hallway.
“Didn’t anyone tell you not to run indoors?” a male voice said.
I looked up and right into Ryker Fallon’s face. His blue eyes were locked on mine. His full lips curved in a sexy smile. “I’m in a hurry,” I said.
“Is there a fire?” he asked casually.
His eyes flashed with mischief. I was not going to fall for his charms. I knew Ryker. Rather, I knew of Ryker. He was the twin brother of the groom. Naya had warned me he was a world-class womanizer. It was rumored he was some kind of sorcerer. He waved his hands and women’s panties dropped.
“No fire. I’m going to your parents’ suite.”
“They aren’t there.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know that. I have to get the ringbearer pillow.”
“Do you want me to get it?”
I held up the key. “I’ve got it handled, thanks. Aren’t you supposed to be with Ryan?”
He flashed another one of those panty-dropping smiles. “I forgot my cufflinks,” he said and held up a small box. “You’re Trinity, right?”
“Yes, we met last night at the rehearsal.”
“I met a lot of people last night at the rehearsal,” he answered with a smile. He looked down at my chest.
“Eyes up here, buddy,” I snapped.
“Sorry, the gold glitter letters were blinding me. Does she make you wear those shirts to keep you all straight?”
He was teasing, but it was insulting. “It’s fun and supportive. The label as maid of honor is for people like you.”
“Like me?”
“Yes, I don’t want to be mistaken for the help or one of your concubines.”
His deep chuckle sent goosebumps spreading over my skin. “I wasn’t aware I had concubines. Please, tell me where they’re stashed. It would save me a lot of effort and energy.”
I was not going to flirt with him. He was a master flirt, and I would never be able to win at whatever game he played. “I’ve got to go.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No thanks.”
He was leering at me. The way he was looking at the words emblazoned in bright, gold glitter made me feel like he was staring right through the fabric.
Damn these stupid shirts. They had been Naya’s idea. She thought they were cute. The word maid stretched across my breasts. The other two words were barely noticeable. It was all about my boobs.
I tried not to wear things that drew attention to my breasts. They did that well enough on their own.
“I’m very good at finding things,” he said.
“Thanks, but I’ve got it.”
He shrugged. “All right. Don’t be late. I would hate to see Naya go full bridezilla.”
“You and me both,” I muttered. “I’ll see you there.” I stepped around his massive athletic body. He was worse than the sun sucking planets into its orbit.
“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” he as
ked in that whisky-smooth voice.
“I think I can find a pillow.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll see you in a bit. I’ll be the tall guy wearing a tux.”
“Thanks for clearing that up for me.”
He winked before walking down the hall in a relaxed gait like he had nothing in the world to worry about. I shook my head and continued walking.
Ryker Fallon had everything he could possibly want or need. He’d been born into a wealthy family, and he made oodles of money himself with his job as a chiropractor to a professional football team. He just kept getting better looking and richer.
Some people were just born under the right moon. I did not have that kind of luck. I slid the key into the lock and opened the door. The suite was, of course, a hundred times fancier than I could ever afford myself. I looked around the living area and found the velvet bag. I ripped open the ribbons and sighed with relief.
“Thank god,” I muttered. Just to be sure there wasn’t chocolate milk or some other ugly stain on the thing, I pulled it out. The baby blue velvet pillow was in perfect condition. I put it back in the velvet bag and rushed out of the room.
I ran all the way back to the church. I let myself in through the side door and walked down the hall toward the room where we were all getting ready. I burst through the door and held up the bag. “I got it!”
Naya looked up, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “Thank god,” she said with a small laugh. “I would hate to think a single pillow could ruin my entire wedding. Come sit. You’re late.”
I took a seat in the chair next to hers. “Where is everyone?”
“They already got their hair and makeup done and are now getting dressed.”
“How’s your mom?” I asked. “She looked like she was going to have a stroke—over a pillow. The priest said we could use one of their pillows.”
She smiled. “She’s better. There was a moment of panic. I think she’s been planning this wedding for longer than I have been alive. But everything is better now. She’s dressed and ready and went to talk to Ryan’s parents. I swear they are all far more nervous than me and Ryan. It’s our wedding and we are the ones trying to keep them calm.”
One of the hairdressers that had been hired for the wedding stepped behind me. She quickly began pulling my hair up in the decided-upon style. “I think everything is good now, assuming Ryker doesn’t lose the rings.”
“He won’t,” she assured me. “I’ll kill him if he does.”
I laughed because I knew it was true. “I ran into him, literally.”
“Uh oh, did you sleep with him?”
I gave her a dry look. “Seriously? I was gone maybe ten minutes. I think that is insulting to me, but more insulting to him.”
“I had to make sure. The man is notorious.”
“I know. You warned me. I’ll wear garlic around my neck or do whatever is necessary to ward off his charms.”
I watched the woman behind me work her magic with my hair. I felt so pampered and spoiled. I would never be able to have this in my own life. Naya was one very lucky woman. She not only found a great guy that she fell madly in love with, but he just happened to be stupid rich. I felt like a movie star getting ready for the red carpet.
“Good luck,” she said with a bright smile. “I will freely say it. He’s handsome as hell. I can say that because he looks just like my man.”
“There is a notable difference.”
“Ryker is a little taller and his eyes are a different shade of blue,” she said. “Ryan has soft eyes. His smile is far more genuine.”
“You are so in love,” I said with a smile. “I really am happy for you. Maybe just a little jealous too.”
“I’m over the moon,” she said with a hitch in her voice. “Did you ever think this could happen?”
I looked at her in the mirror. “No. No, I didn’t. I knew you would marry first. You’ve been planning your wedding forever.”
“And you’ve been trying to avoid marriage for just as long.”
“Not avoid it, but it’s never been my priority. I’ve always assumed I would get there at some point, but it wasn’t like something that I dwelled on. Now that we’ve been going through this with you, I’m almost positive I don’t want a big wedding. A chapel in Vegas will do just fine.”
“This hasn’t been so bad,” she said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Um, what world have you been living in? The last six months have been insane. I swear I spotted a gray hair the other day.”
“But you did amazing.”
“Thank you, but I have premature graying and a wrinkle. I still don’t know why you didn’t take Ryan up on his offer to hire you one of those fancy wedding planners. You could have had doves and ice sculptures and everything else.”
She reached across the space between our two chairs. “I wanted this to be the wedding I dreamed of. I wanted it to be personal. I didn’t want anyone to tell me what I wanted. You know what I wanted. You’ve listened to me ramble for years about this day. I knew you would keep me on the right path.”
I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine, if you’re going to be all sappy. It was fun. I did enjoy the dress shopping and flower shopping and, lord have mercy on my poor hips, the cake tasting. I now know everything I don’t want for my own wedding.”
She laughed. “Glad I could help you.”
“I’m ready to do your makeup,” the makeup artist that had been hired said.
I lifted my chin. “Do your worst.”
Chapter 2
Ryker
The maid of honor was a bit of an odd duck. She had this nervous energy about her, but she also had a very cool demeanor. It was like she was a little firecracker ready to explode at any second, but in a moment’s notice, she could pull it all back.
She didn’t like me. I only found that a little strange. Most women did. Most women wanted to crawl into my bed.
Not her. The feisty little thing seemed more inclined to beat me over the head with a bouquet of flowers.
I couldn’t win them all. I had my hands plenty full with the women in my life already. The maid of honor was just going to have to glare at me through the ceremony. Once we got through this wedding, I could get back to my life.
I walked into the room at the opposite end of the church from where the bride was getting ready. They were taking this whole thing very seriously. Ryan did not want to see his bride before the wedding and risk jinxing the whole thing. I thought that was a little dramatic, but I wasn’t the one willingly putting on a shackle either.
“Got them,” I said as I scanned the room. The other groomsmen were gone. The room was empty. Did I miss the wedding? “Ryan?”
He stepped out of the bathroom looking a little green around the gills. “I’m here.”
“Woah, were you just throwing up in there?”
“Fuck you.”
I was going to take that as a yes. “What’s going on?” I asked and discarded my usual teasing and slightly cocky attitude.
“I’m getting married. I’m getting fucking married! I’m twenty-nine. Is this too young?”
“It isn’t too young,” I assured him. “There is no age limit on marriage, except the underage kind. You met Naya and you fell in love. I remember you calling me after your first date with her and you told me you were going to marry her. I didn’t believe you. I thought you were crazy, but fast forward two years and here we are.”
“Maybe I rushed it.”
“Do you love her?”
“Absolutely.”
“Do you want to spend the rest of your life with her?”
The panic that crossed his face told me that was the wrong approach. “I don’t know. Does anyone really know? The rest of my life is a really long time.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” I said with a laugh. “But does she make you happy?”
“Yes. Absolutely. We’re very happy together.”
“You love her, she makes you happy, and I know you want t
o be with her. So I don’t see the problem. The wedding is just a ceremony. It doesn’t change anything between you. You’re still you and she’s still her. Don’t focus on the commitment.”
“But isn’t that what marriage is all about?”
I smirked. “Sometimes.”
“Dude, you aren’t helping,” he groaned.
“Ryan, you and I are identical twins, but we are very different. You’ve always been this settled guy. You’ve always known what you want when it comes to women. You’ve been searching for a wife since we hit puberty. You found your wife. You felt it when you first met her. Remember how you felt back then. Focus on the love you have for her and ignore all the drama.”
“It feels so permanent,” he mumbled.
“If you’re buying into the part about being together until one of you dies, that is pretty permanent.”
“I never want to be away from her.”
“Then, pull yourself together and get your ass down that aisle.”
He smirked. “Gee, you have such a way with words. I’m having a crisis here. I need your guidance.”
“I guided you.”
The door opened and our father walked in with a bottle of whiskey and a glass. “I’m back,” he called out. He looked up and spotted me. “Ah, you’re here.”
“I am. What do you have there?”
“You were nowhere to be found and your brother was having a bit of a moment. I figured a shot or two would calm those nerves he seems so prone to.”