“Here you go.” Cole handed Bran the crutches, but added in a low tone, for Bran’s ears only. “Be careful. You’re giving off protective vibes, my friend. Might be confusing to Stephanie. I’d hate to see her feelings hurt any more than they already are.”
Bran responded with a grunt, snatched the crutches, and marched back to Stephanie. What did Cole know about her feelings?
“I’ll go catch the elevator.” Cole called from the hallway as the door slammed shut behind him.
Bran cleared his throat. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, in a tremulous tone.
“You think you can handle going downstairs?”
“I don’t have much choice, do I?”
He knew she didn’t like feeling out of control. If she felt trapped into the marriage, she would reject him before he had a chance to make her fall in love with him—before he could prove he was worthy of it.
“You have a choice, Stephanie. We’ll do whatever you want. If you don’t want to be married, I won’t force you.”
“Before we left, you were furious that you needed me. Now you say you’re in love with me. How am I supposed to believe that?”
“I think I’ve been in love with you for a long time. But I never allowed myself to consider the possibility of the two of us being together.”
“Because we’re from different worlds?” Her tone was tight. “I’ve got news for you. Nothing has changed. I’m still a nobody, and you’re still a successful, wealthy businessman.”
“You’re putting words in my mouth. That’s not what I was thinking.”
“You’re fooling yourself, Branson.” Her voice cracked. “Carina is from a prominent family. She’s beautiful and rich and educated. She probably went to Harvard.”
“Oxford.”
“Of course! Oxford.” She exhaled an exasperated huff. “Don’t you see? You’re trying to convince yourself otherwise, but the truth is you’d never be satisfied with someone like me.”
He cringed at the hurt in her voice. He had to tell her the whole truth, no matter how humiliating. Nothing less would ease her pain. He reached to sandwich her hands between his.
“Listen to me.” He swallowed a lump the size of his fist. “I thought no one could ever really love me. People show me deference because of my wealth and power, but even Carina can barely stand to look closely at me. But something you said made me think…” He paused, turning to face her squarely. “You didn’t seem repulsed. And the way you responded… I thought you might actually be able to love me.”
“Oh, Branson.” Her voice cracked. “I’m so sorry you’ve felt that way all your life. But I don’t—”
He lifted his finger to her lips. He couldn’t bear to hear it. “Please. Don’t say anything yet. All I’m asking for is a little time. Please give me a chance to change your mind. Maybe you don’t have to love me. I think I could be happy with whatever you can give me.”
He withdrew his finger slowly, holding his breath.
She responded in a small voice. “I’m afraid, Bran. Really afraid.”
He wilted. She’d rejected him. He couldn’t make her feel something that wasn’t there. “I understand.”
She spoke again, so quiet he barely heard her. “But I’ll think about it.”
CHAPTER 17
Steph’s mind spun in dizzying circles. She’d almost recovered from the initial shock as they sat in his hotel room, calmly discussing how to end the accidental marriage.
An inkling of hope had sprouted during the ceremony. As Branson spoke his vows, all the air seemed to vanish from the room. The sincere expression on his face… the fervent timber of his voice… She almost believed him. Yet she knew it was an act. The vows were merely the means to an end. At the time, like her, he had no idea the fake wedding would result in a legal marriage. It hurt. It hurt a lot. But she was accustomed to tamping down her dreams.
Then he said the three little words she never thought she’d hear from his lips.
“I love you.”
If only it were true. Just a week ago, he’d announced his engagement to Carina with cool detachment. And hadn’t she seen the couple emerging from her hotel room with Carina in a state of undress? As much as Steph wanted to believe he’d kissed her and suddenly fallen head-over-heels in love, even she wasn’t that naive. If he loved her, he would’ve found some opportunity to mention it during the last two years. If he loved her, he would never have dated Carina, much less proposed to the woman.
Steph’s sensible side screamed at her. Why didn’t you turn him down flat? She should’ve insisted they seek a divorce as soon as possible. But how could she be expected to make an intelligent decision? After not one, but two, mind-altering kisses—tender and sweet, yet full of passion and restrained power—how could she think at all? Her iron will felt a lot like gelatin.
Declaring his love was one thing, but when his fingers read her face and he declared her beautiful with genuine wonder in his voice, her brain turned to warm goo. Nothing made sense. She was only certain of one thing… for all eternity, he’d ruined her for any other man.
“Are you going to bet?” Cole’s voice brought her back to the present.
With only twenty minutes left in the tournament, many of the participants had abandoned the casino for the celebration party next door. Most of those who remained were clustered around two craps tables in the back of the room. Jarrett and Finn stood on the opposite side of their table, beside Branson, to whom Carina clung like a second skin. Stephanie had turned off her microphone thirty minutes ago. Bran certainly didn’t act nervous, and she was tired of watching Carina hang all over him.
“No, I’m done betting. I think I’ll go upstairs. My ankle hurts.”
“But you have a lot left.” With his neon hand, he pointed to the chips in front of her.
“Yeah.” She stared unenthusiastically at the large stacks of chips. Upon her return to the casino an hour ago, she’d been surprised to learn she’d actually doubled her money earlier at the slot machines. Must’ve been that last angry push of the button before she stomped off after Carina.
At first she’d been enthusiastic about her newfound wealth and had relayed the news to Branson via her microphone, before hobbling back to the craps tables, ready to play. Yet, seeing Branson and Carina together turned her stomach, though she knew it was coming. It reminded her what a good actor he was.
She groped her vacant ring finger, thinking of the simple gold band at the bottom of her purse, while Carina’s diamond engagement ring sparkled in the casino lights. She ought to throw it away, along with the marriage license she’d stashed in the zipper pocket.
