Page 34 of The Stallion
Wait… Wasn’t I drunk? I only remember vague moments, but…
“With the amount of alcohol that was in my system, that can’t be—”
“Legal? You’re right, it’s not—not yet, at least. That’s why I drove all the way here—with a proposal. For you.”
Insheer disbelief, I touched the marriage license, dragging my thumb along the raised seal again and my fingertips across where I had signed my name in ink.
Bria Robins. That was my handwriting—my name.
“You already have the signed license, so unless you plan on formally getting down on one knee, it’s a little late for proposals, don’t you think?” I lifted my determined eyes to meet his, feeling a small wave of relief as I glimpsed the blank space where a notary stamp should be but wasn’t. “What do you want from me?”
It wasn’t legal—not yet, and he wasn’t lying. But then why?
What could a man like Dallas Ryan possibly need with someone like me?
“There are finer details that I can’t disclose to you right now, but essentially, what I want from you is simple: for you to pretend to be my wife—legally. I’ll give you anything you want, everything you need. But you have to return home with me tonight to make this happen.” Dallas took the license, folding and tucking it back into his jacket before sliding one hand into his jeans and holding the other out for me to take. “What do you say?”
This had to be a fucking joke. He wasn’t serious about this, was he?
Could he notarize it without my consent? Would he? It was already signed…
As I stood there, I could feel my breathing turning erratic, my mind racing with everything he had just dumped into my hands—I had started hyperventilating.
Dallas stepped forward, wrapping his arms around my body and holding me tightly against his chest.
“Breathe, sweet girl.” He whispered against my head.
I could feel his soft lips pressing into my scalp.Fuck he was tall.
My body trembled with the rush of emotions that had crashed into me.
Anger, fear, deception…rage.
“Bria!” I snapped out of my spiraling state as Asher’s voice called from across the way.
Shit. What the hell was I going to do?
“I need to—fuck—I’ll be right back,” I hissed under my breath before I pushed Dallas away from me and sprinted across the track to where Asher waited, trying to put as much distance between me and the man of my dreams before I did something even more compromising and stupid.
Like saying fucking yes.
As if I didn’t have enough shit on my plate with Connor, now another man had entered my life—just as problematic.
Dallas goddamn Ryan.
Chapter 13
Dallas
Thiswomanhadavicious bite, compelling sass, and an intoxicating attitude that made her fun to chase.
I knew that drunkenly forcing her into this marriage from the start would be an unwise decision—establishing a relationship based on nothing more than lies and broken trust.
After Bria had signed the license and I’d escorted her back to her hotel room, I kept it instead of having it notarized, wanting her to make the choice with a sober mind.
Drunk, she was more than willing to give herself to me, but if there were ever a line that I wouldn’t cross, this was it.
While I had her sprawled across my desk last night, I wedged a tracker into the lining of her jacket. It wasn’t hard to slip it through the leather when she was busy writhing underneath me.
