I usually started the day at the gym in my building. I tried to get at least a two-hour workout in before heading to the office. I had an image to maintain. It was hard work. Part of negotiating with sports teams and sponsors was projecting the ideal male specimen. I was the walking figure head for the male athlete. I was proud I always looked the part. I dared anyone to challenge me to a fitness test.

I woke up next to Evie, and I wasn’t ready to roll out of bed yet. It was dark in the room, and her body was warm and soft. She sighed and nuzzled into my chest. Shit. I couldn’t imagine ever leaving this room again. I wanted to sleep in with her. Hold her. Talk to her. What the hell was happening to me? I didn’t know how much longer I could ignore it.

There was a natural instinct to protect her. To keep her safe. I wanted to make her happy. Right now, that meant letting her get some sleep. I had worn her out last night. We fucked until our bodies were useless. I think around the fifth time, I realized we needed to at least get a nap in. I laughed to myself. Had anything felt this amazing before? I could skip the gym today and just lie in bed a while longer.

And then the fucking phone rang. I jumped to answer before it woke Evie.

I pulled it to my ear as I raced down the hall toward the kitchen. I wanted to be out of earshot. My voice had a way of carrying.

“Hi. What’s going on?”

“Did you get married?” Sasha was angry. I could hear it in one simple question.

“What? How did you hear about that?” I wasn’t completely awake. I walked toward the coffee to make a pot.

“You’re not denying it? So, it’s true?”

“Hold on. How did you hear about it?”

“What difference does it make? You married someone and didn’t think it was important information to share?”

Fuck. “Why does it matter if I’m married? Business doesn’t change. Nothing changes, Sasha.”

“Did you sign a pre-nup? Did you call our attorney? What did he say?”

“What?”

“Who is this woman? How do you know she’s not after your companies? Your inheritance. This is dangerous. Have you put us at risk?”

“Damn it, Sasha. Nothing is at risk. There’s no pre-nup, because there will never be a divorce.”

She huffed into the phone. “You don’t know that. You’re usually much smarter than this, Jeremy. Much.”

“Just tell me how you heard. I haven’t released the official wedding announcement. How did it get out?”

“I had a phone call last night, but didn’t check my voicemail until this morning.” Sasha had the same early morning schedule I did.

“What kind of phone call?” I punched the buttons on the coffee system.

“Someone named Byron Lancaster wants me to call him back about the details of your marriage. He used the word marriage.”

Shit. “What else did he say?”

“Only that he was your father’s attorney. And that’s probably the only reason I believed it wasn’t a hoax.”

“Sasha, did you call him back?” I felt a rush of panic. “Have you talked to him yet?”

“No. I was too pissed. I called you first, asshole.”

“Thank God.”

If Byron called to interrogate Sasha, that meant my mother was trying to contest the will by debunking the marriage. I needed to act quickly. I had to make the announcement today. She was a step ahead of me.

“Nothing about this makes sense. Why did you get married? And why is your father’s attorney involved? What have you done?”

“I did what I had to do.”

“I knew you were keeping secrets. I knew yesterday at the Lennox meeting you were doing something behind my back.”

“I’m not going behind your back. It was the only option I had.”

“I guess it won’t matter then if I call Mr. Lancaster back and tell him I didn’t know you were married until his call.”

“No,” I growled. “Don’t you fucking dare do that.”

“Then you need to start talking, Jeremy. Now.”

The only way my mother could get her hands on the full inheritance was to prove I entered into a false marriage. That I used Evie to collect the money. It was hard to believe this wasn’t my father’s plan from the beginning. He had pitted the two of us against each other.

I sighed. “I had to get married in order to receive my inheritance. My father’s will was clear. But if you tell Lancaster that you’ve never heard of Evie or my relationship with her, it will discredit the marriage. I’ll end up with nothing. I won’t have the money to complete the investment.”

“Her name is Evie?”

“Yes, she’s an old friend from high school,” I admitted. “Can you go along with this, Sasha? I need to know we’re still partners.”

“You were forced to get married and the first person you thought of was an old high school girlfriend?” Her voice sounded distant.

“She was never my girlfriend back then.” Those details seemed pointless right now. I had to make sure Sasha wasn’t a risk to our plan.

“You felt like you had no other options?”

“That’s right. I needed someone who didn’t care about the money. Someone I could trust to do this.”

“And there was no one else you trusted. I see.”

Oh holy fuck.

“Sasha, I didn’t mean….”

She hung up before I could explain my elopement was part of a drunken sexfest. Although, that wouldn’t have gone over any better.

I sat in the kitchen while I waited for the gourmet coffee to brew. Sasha and I hadn’t been involved in six years. I didn’t think about her as an ex anymore. It was a quick three months of dating and fucking, that ended when we realized we could dominate the sports business world together. She was practical and brilliant. I stopped paying attention to how beautiful she was.

Everything between us was about the company. We didn’t discuss our personal lives. But lately, she had been pushy. She had been digging into my life in ways she hadn’t before.

I shook my head. I never thought about asking her to marry me for the will.

Evie was there when the idea formed. It wasn’t thought out. Not as drunk as we were.

I looked up when she walked down the hall, wearing my shirt. She was stunning.

She smiled softly. “Do I smell coffee?”

Sasha couldn’t make me second-guess my decision. I had no regrets. Evie was exactly what I wanted.