Rogue Gentleman (The Rourkes, Book 8)

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Rogue Gentleman (The Rourkes, Book 8) Page 17

by Kylie Gilmore


  Don’t miss the next book in the series Rogue Rascal, where Jack heads to Vegas and gets tangled up with his best friend’s little sister!

  Preorder Rogue Rascal now!

  Rogue Rascal

  What happens in Vegas follows me home…and it’s my best friend’s little sister.

  Jack

  I’m the good-time guy, so when my best friend asked me to be in charge of his bachelor party, you better believe we’re heading to Vegas. After our wild night, I wake up in a strange hotel room wearing a gold band on my finger. Worse, there’s a bridal veil on the nightstand.

  Then I relax. Ha-ha. Very funny, guys. I’m the king of pranks, and my friends are getting me back.

  But then my bride appears, and the real nightmare begins. It’s Riley, my best friend’s little sister, looking all grown up and—gulp—married. To me. My best friend forbid me even looking at her on account of my rep for one-nighters.

  This has to end right away.

  Only somehow I get more and more tangled up in her life, trying to do damage control, and a funny thing happens on the way to ending this marriage—

  I’m having second thoughts.

  Jack

  Where am I? I blink a few times as the hotel room comes into focus in the bright light of a Las Vegas morning. This is not my room. I'm parched, and my head is killing me. Must've been a wild bachelor party last night. Of course it was, as best man I was in charge of it. I did it right too. Me and the guys flew out from New York to Vegas for the works—gambling, drinking, strip club. Gotta do it up before my best friend is chained for life. Poor guy. I roll to my side and see the most alarming thing a diehard bachelor like me could see—

  A wedding veil on the nightstand.

  I prop up on my elbows and spy a white sequined dress draped over a chair. A wedding dress? Wait. I remember that dress. There was a bachelorette party at one of the clubs and I danced with a woman wearing that sexy white dress. My mind is fuzzy on the details after that. Crap. Did I steal someone's bride? She wasn't even my type—all wholesome and innocent, blushing while she flirted. This is bad.

  I scan the room and spot a pair of red stilettos in the corner. No sign of the bride. There's no purse or suitcase that I can see. My own clothes are on the floor. I peek under the covers. Okay, I'm still wearing my boxer briefs. Maybe I just wanted to get comfortable for sleep last night. Right? I didn't actually hookup with someone else's bride. That would be a really shitty thing to do. I might be the one egging everyone else on for a wild night, but I'm not reckless, and I'd never break up a couple.

  I lift my left hand. Gulp. Gold wedding band. No, no, no. What the hell happened last night?

  I stare at the veil on the nightstand and realize there's something under it. Maybe it's a clue to what happened last night. I lift the veil to find a brochure with a picture of a smiling bride and in big pink letters at the top it says: Love Struck Wedding Chapel. A blue ribbon proclaims Best of Nevada! At the bottom it says: Affordable wedding packages! So cheesy.

  I relax, lying back in bed. Obvious planted clues and no bride in sight? I know what's going on here. The guys played the mother of all pranks on me, setting me up to look like I got married in Vegas. Ha-ha. You really had me going for a minute there. If I wasn't so hungover, I would've put it together right away.

  I blow out a breath. Geez, I'm really glad I didn't accidentally steal someone's bride in my drunken state. Okay, I admit I deserve this prank after all the pranks I've played on my friends. It's kinda my thing. My very first prank was the day I was born. I was supposed to be born on April first—April Fools' Day—but I took extra long and didn't show up until April second. April Fools, Mom! My parents always mention it, calling me a rascal. They thought since I was the third-born, I'd be an easier labor. Always causing trouble. That's me.

  I hear a toilet flush and jackknife upright, a move I instantly regret as the room swims before my eyes. Someone's in the bathroom. It takes a few moments to bring the room back into focus. The water is running. How did I not notice the bathroom door was closed? Is it the bride? Maybe it's one of the guys about to step out here in a big fluffy wedding gown as a joke. That would be just like Sam to pull something like that. He's the groom, my best friend, and the one I prank the most. You only prank the ones you love.

  “Hello?” I croak. I need water.

  I pull back the covers and snag my jeans from the floor, yanking them on. I check my wallet, emergency condom is still there. What if it is the bride in there? Shit, shit, shit. This could be potentially disastrous. Why can't I remember last night? I'm never blackout drunk. Was I drugged? I can't believe my friends would do that, even in the name of a good prank. Sam, Rick, Mike and I have been friends for eight years now, ever since Sam moved in across the hall. No, they wouldn't do that. Which can only mean one thing—I'm about to meet my bride.

  I stare at the bathroom door, frozen in place. Think! I remember a strip club, drinking, a dance club, more drinking. We ran into a bachelorette party with that cute wholesome woman—hold on. It's coming back to me now. The bachelorette party was for Sam's fiancée. He wasn't supposed to see her before the wedding because of some old school tradition, which made no sense to me since their wedding isn't until next week. We crashed it anyway because he had to see her. I was caught up with the rest of the bridal party—flirting, drinking, dancing. Sam went off with his fiancée, sucking face in a dark corner. I was dancing with a group of women, then it was just the woman in the sexy white sequined dress. That dress, the way it clung to her incredible body. She was dancing behind me, rubbing against me in a sexy grind, and I didn't know who it was at first. Oh fuck. I didn't—I couldn't have. Not with her. She's the one person Sam warned me to stay away from—his little sister. She's not so little, that's just how Sam sees her. It can't be her.

  Please don't let it be her.

  I stare at the white sequined dress draped over the chair and tell myself this is all a prank. One of the guys set this whole thing up. They saw us dancing and thought it would be a riot. Right? It's got to be that.

  Alright, guys, fun is over.

  I slowly make my way to the bathroom door, take a deep breath, and knock.

  The door pops open. No-o-o-o-o!

  Riley Walsh looks up at me with an almost shy smile. She's twenty-six now, I think. I've known her since she was eighteen and carefully kept my distance all these years on her brother's orders. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair looks like shiny silk, bare minimum of makeup, and she's wearing a white blouse with black trousers and black flats. Even for Vegas she dresses like the professional corporate accountant she is. The blouse covers her up to her neck, goes past her elbows, and hangs loosely on her past her waist. Unlike that dress last night, which clung to an hourglass figure I never knew existed before. No wonder I got confused with wholesome Riley in a dress like that. Drunk me must've followed her home. This must be her room, but she's neat and doesn't leave anything tossed around the room like I do.

  I stare at her as she walks toward me. Please tell me nothing happened in bed last night. Please tell me we're not married. I can't seem to find my voice, my tongue feels too thick. Did my mind block out our wedding because it's the biggest mistake of my life and Sam will kill me?

  “Nothing to say to your bride?” she asks.

  Preorder Rogue Rascal now!

  Other Books by Kylie Gilmore

  Happy Endings Book Club Series <
  Hidden Hollywood (Book 1)

  Inviting Trouble (Book 2)

  So Revealing (Book 3)

  Formal Arrangement (Book 4)

  Bad Boy Done Wrong (Book 5)

  Mess With Me (Book 6)

  Resisting Fate (Book 7)

  Chance of Romance (Book 8)

  Wicked Flirt (Book 9)

  An Inconvenient Plan (Book 10)

  A Happy Endings Wedding (Book 11)

  The Clover Park Series <ily first!

  The Opposite of Wild (Book 1)

  Daisy Does It All (Book 2)

  Bad Taste in Men (Book 3)

  Kissing Santa (Book 4)

  Restless Harmony (Book 5)

  Not My Romeo (Book 6)

  Rev Me Up (Book 7)

  An Ambitious Engagement (Book 8)

  Clutch Player (Book 9)

  A Tempting Friendship (Book 10)

  Clover Park Bride (A Clover Park Short)

  A Valentine’s Day Gift (Book 11)

  Maggie Meets Her Match (Book 12)

  The Clover Park STUDS Series <
  Almost Over It (Book 1)

  Almost Married (Book 2)

  Almost Fate (Book 3)

  Almost in Love (Book 4)

  Almost Romance (Book 5)

  Almost Hitched (Book 6)

  The Rourkes Series <
  Royal Catch (Book 1)

  Royal Hottie (Book 2)

  Royal Darling (Book 3)

  Royal Charmer (Book 4)

  Royal Player (Book 5)

  Royal Shark (Book 6)

  Rogue Prince (Book 7)

  Rogue Gentleman (Book 8)

  Rogue Rascal (Book 9)

  Rogue Angel (Book 10)

  All Kylie Gilmore Books

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks are not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Rogue Gentleman: © 2020 by Kylie Gilmore

  Excerpt from Rogue Rascal © 2020 by Kylie Gilmore

  Digital Edition 1.0

  Cover design by: Michele Catalano Creative

  Published by: Extra Fancy Books

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  ISBN-10: 1-947379-20-8

  ISBN-13: 978-1-947379-20-6

  About the Author

  Kylie Gilmore is the USA Today bestselling author of The Rourkes series, the Happy Endings Book Club series, the Clover Park series, and the Clover Park STUDS series. She writes humorous romance that makes you laugh, cry, and reach for a cold glass of water.

  Kylie lives in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she’s not writing, wrangling kids, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret chocolate stash.

  Click here to sign up for Kylie’s Newsletter and get a FREE book. You’ll also get new release info, exclusive excerpts, and lots of subscriber-only giveaways. For more fun stuff check out Kylie’s website https://www.kyliegilmore.com.

  Kylie can be found on Instagram @kyliegilmore and on Facebook.com/KylieGilmoreToo. Contact Kylie at [email protected]

 

 

 


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