The Inconvenient Bride Read online

  For the last few months, Dylan felt as if someone had ripped his heart out of his chest. He could hardly eat, think or sleep without her in his life. Shit, she was his rock. His one constant. And, ever since she pulled away from him, he was beginning to question everything. Tonight, he needed her to know that whatever was going on in her life he would be there for her, no matter what.

  "Dylan, I really need to talk to you about something that's been on my mind," she managed to utter still holding tight to his warm flesh.

  "Anything honey, you know that. Just tell me."

  "I don't know how to. I really don't!”

  "We've been best friends since we both were kids. If you can't talk to me, who can you talk to?" He stated still locked in a deep embrace.

  "It’s not that easy," she managed to say between sobs.

  Dylan quickly stepped back. He needed to see her face. What in the hell was eating away at her so badly? What was making his best friend shed tears?

  "Don't cry. Is it work? Is it some guy? Do you need money?" The questions fell quickly from his lips, and she nodded "no" to them all.

  "Fuck. What is it? This is tearing me apart," he growled as he placed both of his hands on her face. He planted a warm kiss on her forehead, then another. The intimacy of the situation was intense and although neither verbalized their desires, they both had crossed an invisible line. A line neither was prepared for in their vulnerable positions. What in the hell was going on?

  Carrie tried to control her needs, but his nearness was driving her sick with lust and desire. Get control of yourself. This is your best friend. He doesn't see you that way. But it was too late. Carrie was already swimming in the deep end of her sexual fantasies and she didn’t want to come up for air. She wanted to be suffocated in Dylan’s warm breath and strong arms. She wanted to be ravaged by his full desirable lips. "Dylan, please hold me for one more minute, okay?" She managed to utter as she tried to get control of her feelings. He immediately acknowledged her request by pulling her close.

  "Alright Carrie, I'll hold you for a while longer. Then, you have to tell me everything,” he stated lovingly as he nestled his face close to her hers. His hands massaged the small of her back while he pressed tiny kisses to her face, hoping it would calm her down. Unbeknownst to him, it was doing the opposite. The complete, fucking opposite.

  Carrie tried to will the sexual stirrings away, but Dylan’s nearness caused her hungry and wet pussy to growl, which sparked a wave of desire in Carrie that she couldn’t control.

  She panted.

  She fidgeted.

  She silently wished her long-standing, raw urges away, but then it happened…

  Carrie’s traitorous nipples became hard as stones against Dylan's chest. The feeling was exhilarating. Instinctively, she rubbed her throbbing buds against his firm chest until a wave of heat shot through her core. The feeling was so sexually intense, she let out a deep throaty moan. A moan she knew he heard. A moan that was clearly sexual in nature. A moan that she wasn't prepared to talk about with anyone. Especially him.

  Flushed with embarrassment, Carrie immediately jerked her body from his embrace.

  "What was that, Carrie?" Dylan uttered with a puzzled look on his face.

  She purposefully ignored him, but he wasn't going to give up that easily.

  "Carrie, I'm talking to you. What was that?" He asked with concern in his voice, but still she didn't utter a word. Instead, she grabbed her purse and keys and headed towards the front door.

  "Let's go, Dylan. I’m sure Katie is pissed at us both by now," she bashfully stated, looking down at the floor. Too ashamed to face him at the moment. Her bright, cherry red face clearly told Dylan the conversation wasn't up for discussion. Then, she swung her apartment door open and slipped outside.

  Dylan immediately followed her out of small apartment, then locked the door behind them.

  "Carrie, are you just going to leave without saying a word?" he barked as the chill of night sunk into his bones.

  "Please Dylan, just let it go!" The pain in her voice forced him to drop the subject, but a million thoughts were swimming fast and free in his head What in the hell just happened? Had his best friend just moaned in his ear? And, more importantly, why had he enjoyed the sweet sultry sound of her whimper?

  "Fine, we don't have to discuss this now, but we will, later," he stated firmly.

  Carrie didn’t utter a sound nor did she look his way. Her treasonous actions had already crippled her with fear. She wanted to hide. She wanted to scream. She wanted to jump into his arms and explain everything, but the steady stream of guilt pumping in her veins kept her speechless.

  “Let’s go,” Dylan uttered nonchalantly as he unlocked the door. He thought about pressing the issue, demanding a response, but opted to remain quiet because he didn’t know what to say or do. Plus, there had to be another explanation. There was no way Carrie Heights could be interested in him.

  Absolutely, no fucking way!

  Something else had be to going on, but what the hell was it?

  CHAPTER TWO

  The entire ride to the Lou's Pizza Parlor was done in silence. Dylan blasted Rihanna's new CD in his luxury two-door, limited edition, charcoal grey BMW convertible, hoping the melodic sounds of the artist would drown out the awkwardness of the situation. Unfortunately, neither one of them heard the music, because they were both lost in their own private thoughts. Several times during the ride Dylan thought about reaching over and rubbing Carrie's trembling hand to comfort her, but after her unexpected moan he didn't know what to do.

  When they finally arrived at their favorite restaurant, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Seconds later, an overly-anxious, seven months pregnant Katie came wobbling to the car, with her husband Jeff. “What in the hell took you guys so long!” His sister joked as she swung open Dylan's car door.

  Neither said a word, but the pale and distraught look on both of their faces told Katie something was wrong. “What's going on here?” She inquired, but her question was interrupted by the loud ring of her cell phone. She looked down and winced, then her eyes shot up to her twin brother. “Dylan, dad needs you to call him. He said he called you four times and you haven't answered your phone.”

  “I know what he wants and so do you. I don't have time for that conversation right now, Katie,” Dylan barked as he rubbed his hand over his perfectly angular face.

  “No. No. No. Don't do this, Dylan. This is what you've always wanted. It's only for a year. Make the deal.”

  “Are you listening to yourself, Katie? I don’t want to do this.”

  “What other choice do you have? Dylan, just make the deal.” An exhausted Katie pleaded.

  “Deal? What deal? What is it? What's going on?” a concerned Carrie shouted, forgetting about their earlier incident. She quickly walked over to her best friend and grabbed his hand. She didn't like the worried look on his face. What in the hell did Mr. McCray want? Had she been so consumed by her own feelings that she'd forgotten to be there for him?

  Dylan tightened Carrie's comforting grip. "I guess we both have a lot to reveal," he stated, referencing the incident that had transpired earlier.

  “Look, earlier was nothing. I'm on some new medicine that has my hormones all over the place. Don't over think it. Honestly, it was nothing,” she lied. “I'll call over my ex-boyfriend over tonight and have him take care of me, alright?” Carrie joked, but Dylan didn't laugh because the mere thought caused a sick feeling to bubble up in his core. But why? She was his best friend. Why did he care about who she spent time with?

  A livid Katie was beside herself with anger listening to them both play a sick game of cat and mouse. Why were they both standing in a cold parking lot lying to one another? For months now, she wanted to sit down and talk to Carrie about her grandfather’s will, but she had promised Dylan that she wouldn’t intrude in his personal affairs. But, after receiving multiple calls from her father, over the last few months, Katie decided it was ti
me to take matters into her own hands. Unfortunately, Carrie had refused to listen. Now, the situation was completely out of control and in her current condition, the extra stress was taking a toll on her.

  Buzz. Buzz.

  The sound of her Katie's phone ringing again sent a wave of panic to wash over her. A normally quiet and conservative Jeff immediately went into protective mode. He spoke firmly, “Give me the phone. I’ve had enough of all of this.” He grabbed the device out of his wife's hands and immediately shut it off. “We are all going inside the restaurant. My wife is two months from delivering our first child. I will not have her stressed out over this situation.” Then, he turned to Dylan. “It's time to grow up and handle your business. My wife is a school teacher, not a CEO of a company.” With that, Jeff escorted his wife inside the pizza parlor leaving Carrie and Dylan standing alone.

  “What the hell is going on Dylan? I don't like being left in the cold.”

  “I know. I know. Let's go inside and I promise I'll tell you everything!”

  ***

  Carrie's heart was beating uncontrollably when they all sat down in their favorite private booth. Of the four folks sitting at the table, she was the only one sitting in the dark. She didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.

  Dylan broke the awkward silence immediately. “Katie, I'm sorry. Jeff is 100% correct. This is my problem to deal with, not yours. It just doesn't make any sense. We don't live in the late 1800's.” He was visibly agitated. “I did check with several lawyers, and grandfather's will is ironclad, so I really don't have a choice.” He reached over and touched his twin's hand. “I promise I will adhere to the conditions, no matter what.”

  Katie smiled. “I know this can’t be easy. It won't be that bad, Dylan. I promise. Remember, anyone can do anything for a year.”

  “Yeah right, that's what I keep telling myself,” Dylan sarcastically stated as he attempted to wave the waitress over so he could order something strong to drink.

  Carrie was boiling over in anger. For nearly twenty years, Katie and Dylan had shared everything with her, including family matters, but somehow they hadn't included her in this discussion. She felt like a fool sitting at a table clueless. Why were they treating her like a stranger when they both knew they were the only family she had left? When her mother died two years prior to breast cancer they both promised to be there for her forever. At this very moment, it felt like forever was being cut short.

  “Is someone going to tell me what's going on here? I don't like feeling like a stranger in front of you all,” Carrie barked, then slammed her hands on the table.

  Dylan immediately turned to Carrie. The moment their eyes locked, he knew he had to tell her everything. Shit, he had tried to reach out to her several times in the past few months to discuss the situation, but she kept ignoring his text messages, phone calls and even pop up visits. So, as much as he wanted and needed her advice, he was forced to figure out his problem on his own.

  Unsuccessful in getting a drink, Dylan took a swig of Jeff's Vodka, then spoke. "Carrie, in order for me to run McCray Construction as CEO I must get married."

  "Okay? I don't understand the dilemma. Of course you will be married one day," Carrie joked sarcastically, then looked to Jeff and Katie for reaction. Neither smiled.

  A noticeably bothered Dylan shifted in his seat. "It's not that simple. My grandfather's will is crystal clear. I have to get married before my thirtieth birthday and stay married for one year in order to assume complete control of our family's company. The terms and conditions are non-negotiable. If I don't get married, I forfeit everything to Katie."

  "What…this doesn't make sense. Katie doesn't want to be CEO of McCray Construction. Your father knows that."

  "Yes, my father knows that, but he doesn't have a say in grandfather's will. My grandfather always felt like a man should settle down and have a family. He was a firm believer that a man with a wife is more balanced than one without." Dylan shook his head in disbelief at the notion, swallowed hard, then continued. "Right or wrong, that was his stance and if I don't get married, my future at McCray Construction is over."

  "Dylan, are you serious? Your birthday is next week. Who in the hell are you going to marry?" an aggravated Carrie shouted.

  "I don't know."

  "You don't know?”

  “I don’t know Carrie!”

  “This is ridiculous. Katie or Jeff say something." Carrie yelled slamming her fist on the table. An already overly concerned Jeff shot Carrie an unsatisfied look. "Carrie stop it. I can’t feel sorry for him. My wife and her brother are multimillionaires. Trust me, there are worst things in the world than a quick, arranged marriage for the top seat at the board," Jeff spouted out.

  Jeff was right and Carrie knew it. Up until she was ten, Carrie and her mother had struggled to make ends meet. They lived in multiple shelters, abandoned cars, and even on the streets of Charleston hoping for any opportunity in life. It wasn’t until her mother landed a temporary housekeeping job at the McCray's that their entire lives changed. And, for that reason, she knew every word Jeff had uttered had been truth. But, it didn’t mean that the truth wasn’t hurting. The fact that Dylan had to marry someone, even if only for a year, made Carrie sick to her stomach. Yes, the sobering reality of the situation and how different they all were was quickly sinking in.

  Katie and Dylan were different from her and Jeff in so many ways. Although they always considered her family, Carrie was just an average girl living an average life. She lived in a modest apartment and had a working class job. While her best friends were multimillionaires living a life most could only dream of. Of course, throughout the years, Katie would offer to buy her designer outfits and bags, but she always refused. She never wanted Dylan or Katie to think her love and friendship was based on money, because it wasn't. It was based on love. And, she loved them both desperately.

  "Jeff you’re right. Why are you always the wise one in the group?" Carrie said with a half-smile etched on her face. Jeff kissed his wife on her cheek while Katie snuggled close to her firefighter husband. "Because I love this woman and will do anything to keep her happy."

  Dylan quickly placed his hand on top of Carrie's. He needed her touch, her comfort and her unwavering friendship. Marrying someone in a week's time wasn't something he was looking forward to doing. Carrie squeezed his hand and smiled lovingly back at her friend.

  Katie inquisitively observed the exchange between her friend and twin brother. She had grown accustomed to their "friendly" affection throughout the years. The chemistry was always undeniable between the two. A blind man could see the affect they both had on one another.

  Although Carrie had come to grips with her true feelings for Dylan years ago, Katie knew her brother hadn't ever fully admitted his feelings for his best friend. The problem was Dylan was afraid of being in love. Afraid of being hurt. Deep down, he still harbored deep seeded anger towards his mother for cheating on his father nearly twenty five years before. For Dylan, the pain was still raw to the touch. So, when it came relationships with women, Dylan dated with one sole purpose, quenching his sexual thirst. It was well known in Charleston that the heir to the McCray fortune dated women like he drank wine. One glass at a time…always searching for a different type and brand.

  Tears rolled out of the corner of Katie's eyes. It wasn't fair that she was in love and expecting her first bundle of joy while her twin brother was forced to marry some random stranger. She wanted him to be happy. She wanted Carrie to be happy. But, how?

  Then, it instantly happened…Katie had the perfect solution. An idea that would finally make her entire family whole. A plan that could make everyone happy, even if it was only for a year. "Dylan, you should marry Carrie."

  Silence invaded the table.

  Katie's words hit them both like a ton of bricks. How in the hell had Katie betrayed her trust? How long had she planned this? Before Carrie could muster a word to say, she squeezed Dylan's hand tighter. So tight in fact
, that he placed his other hand on top of hers. The moment she realized her emotions were betraying her she jerked her hand away. Dylan immediately felt a sharp pain rip through his core, but didn't say a word. Katie continued, "It's only for a year and at least you’d be marrying someone you trust and know. It’s the perfect solution."

  Jeff chimed in, "I love the idea. At least I can sleep at night knowing my wife has approved her new sister-in-law." He chuckled.

  "Sister-in-law? Are you all insane? We can't get married. Dylan's my best friend in the world." Carrie squirmed in her seat as she tried to comprehend the last few seconds of her life. Her eyes immediately shot over to Dylan's face. Carrie braced herself for his gut-wrenching laugh, but he remained eerily quiet. She waited for him to protest and scream at the ridiculous notion, but he was as silent as the night breeze. She waited for him to politely change the topic, pretend Katie never said a word, but instead Dylan searched her eyes for her true thoughts and feelings. Thoughts and feelings she wasn't prepared to talk about, especially with him.

  "Carrie Heights, say something?” Dylan insisted as he shifted in his seat.

  “What do you want me to say?”

  “The truth. Look, you know I trust you with my life. I actually think it's a good idea. Plus, we practically lived together before you stopped returning my calls."

  "Are you really asking me to marry you, Dylan?"

  "Yes!"

  "Yes?"

  Three sets of anxious and deep, penetrating eyes pierced deeply into Carrie's skin waiting for a response. A response that would change her life forever. Of course she wanted to marry the love of her life and sex him senseless, but the problem was he didn't love her. At least not in the way she desired him. No, this wasn't the sexy fairytale ending Carrie had daydreamed about for most of her adult life.

  She took one long exasperating breath in and quickly exhaled the stale air out; then slumped down in the over-sized pizza parlor booth wishing she could disappear. What in the hell was she thinking? Could she really agree to a paper marriage? A marriage that would provide Dylan with everything he needed in life but still leave her physically alone and craving him sexually. And how would she feel for the next year knowing another woman was going to hold him, caress him, and please him until he orgasmed? The mere thought made her sick to her stomach.