Dragon's Fake Wedding Date - Riley Storm Page 0,40

basic version about Mikey and me. That we’d split up. Then, she comes two days later and finds a strange man in my house? One that I’m not inviting to stick around, who I tried to sneak out of the house? Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to tell your parents that your boyfriend left you for your best friend, a woman they’ve known and adored for years?”

Gayle shook her head, sniffling hard, fighting back tears. She did not want to cry in public, but the emotions of the past few days were all starting to wear on her.

“No, I don’t,” Rann said coolly. “I get it.”

She frowned. “You do?”

“Yeah. Listen, I should start unloading the truck, getting the stuff out.”

He turned and walked away without another word, and Gayle slumped. She’d hurt him with her words but also the implied meaning behind them, where she’d effectively told him she wished he wasn’t in her life.

But I was just telling the truth. Wasn’t I? I don’t want him around because I’m not ready or interested in dealing with the million questions that will come with it, from everyone. I need some calm in my life.

Didn’t she?

So why did she feel sick to her stomach at the idea of Rann no longer being in her life?

Chapter Twenty-One

Rann

He dumped another box down, starting another stack next to the ones he’d already piled three high. Although he could have stacked the boxes four or five high, most of the volunteers were either women or older men. He had to ensure they could easily grab the top box.

None of them were six and a half foot tall dragons, after all.

The box wobbled for a moment, its bottom edges damaged by the force of his grip. It was only blankets inside, so he wasn’t worried about breaking anything, though he knew he should be trying harder to contain his anger.

All my fault. I shouldn’t have stayed over Saturday night. I should have known better!

Even better, he should have refrained from kissing her. His usual attitude of going in and taking charge had resulted in a situation where he was no longer welcome in Gayle’s life.

It was impossible for him to deny the hurt he felt that, on some level at least, Gayle wished he was still a stranger to her. That she would prefer she had no idea who he was and that he was not a part of her world. Her comments had dug deeper than he’d expected, and his dragon’s stubborn anger had risen up in defense, trying to shield him from the pain her words had caused.

You can’t make her do anything. You need to relax. This is her choice, and if she says no, you need to accept that. Don’t turn into Prax.

Just thinking the craggy-faced dragon’s name sent a cold spike through Rann, like a bucket of ice-water dumped on his head.

“You need to calm down, buddy,” he said, speaking softly to himself as he marched past the tables of women working. He resolutely ignored Gayle, but he was forced to exchange a brief nod or smile every time Claire’s eyes met his.

Claire was starting to pick up on what was going on, he could tell. The tension between him and Gayle was unmistakable. He was pretty positive that even some of the other women were aware of it. Women he’d never met before in his life.

Gayle was right though. He was only supposed to be her fake boyfriend for a day. A date to her ex-boyfriend’s wedding to her ex-best friend. Nothing else. Just arm candy to make the two jerks jealous.

It had escalated to something more. Hanging out. Kissing. Sexual tension. He couldn’t deny any of that, and much of it was his doing. The desire he felt for her had propelled him closer to her. But damn it all, he knew it wasn’t a one way street. She cared too. It had just happened too fast for her.

It’s not like I have much experience with this. How can I be blamed for not knowing how to do the whole relationship thing?

After all, Gayle was the first woman he’d ever entertained the idea of being something with. It had taken him a lot of thought to realize that’s where his mind was going, where his desires were leading him. But at some point since he’d met her, Rann had stopped looking at other women. His world had boiled down to a short, round, redheaded wonder