Skylar dashed into the washroom to avoid Christian. Hopefully, he would leave by the time she freshened up. She was wrong! Even after ten minutes, she could hear him in the room. What did he want? Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?
There was a knock on the washroom door, startling her. Gingerly, she opened the door to find him just outside.
“What is it, Christian? Stop bothering me. I refuse to give you what you want from me.” Despite her clarifications, he stood with a smile on his lips.
“And what do you think I want from you?” he prodded her. It made her color profusely. Would she have to spell it out for him?
“You want another kiss? You want to have me here right now, but you know what? I will never give you what you want. There won’t be any physical intimacy in our contract marriage,” she rambled on while Christian watched her with amusement.
“We’ll see about that later. Right now, I just want to pee. Can I please use the washroom if you’re done hiding from me?” Skylar gaped at him, feeling foolish. Was that all he wanted to do? She stepped away, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“I wasn’t hiding from you.” Her ears burned with awareness as she made a dash for the door. How did he know she was hiding from his soul-stirring kisses? As if one wasn’t enough for the day! Her lips still burned from his passionate kiss. It seemed he had branded his touch on them forever! How could it be possible when she hated him so much?
She walked in a daze towards the restaurant where Grandpa Ben would entertain his guests. She didn’t want to be there, but what choice did she have?
“Ma’am, Mr. St. James has asked you to join him in the banquet hall. He’s hosting the get-together there,” said a server as she stepped into the restaurant. She glanced around but saw it was already overcrowded with hotel guests. Grandpa Ben was nowhere in sight.
“Oh, thanks. I’ll join him there.” She marched out wondering how many people Grandpa Ben had actually invited.
Skylar gingerly walked into the banquet hall and gasped with surprise to see nearly a hundred people seated at four large tables spread out for them. Her eyes sought her family, but it seemed they weren’t present there. She felt lost in the sea of strange faces.
“Oh, there she is,” said Christian, as he strode towards her. All eyes immediately turned towards her and Skylar wanted to vanish from the place. She had expected a cozy family engagement, but now she had to face so many strangers and their weird queries.
He placed an arm around her and leaned in to plant a peck on her lips, taking her by surprise. “Don’t let Grandpa down. Kiss me back,” he muttered against her lips. Her eyes widened, and she pecked his lips back in confusion. What the hell? Would she have to put up an act now in front of so many people? A strange shot of electric current shot up her body at the contact.
“That’s better!” he whispered with a smug look on his face.
His arm snaked around her waist as he pulled her against his side. “Please meet my soon-to-be better half, Skylar Carnell!”
They all greeted her, and Skylar smiled at them, acutely aware of the warmth emanating from him.
“Skye, come here,” called her granny, and Skylar breathed a sigh of relief. However, Christian didn’t release her at all and led her toward the table her granny occupied. She smiled at Skylar and patted the seat beside her. “The others will join us soon.”
She sat down beside her granny, but Christian remained stuck beside her, occupying the seat next to her. “I didn’t know Grandpa has invited so many guests,” she whispered to Granny.
“They’re all his friends and family.”
“Hello dear, I’m Christian’s aunt. You can call me Aunt Rosalyn. Welcome to the family. So, when are you planning the wedding?” asked a guest sitting opposite them. Skylar flashed her a nervous smile and looked at Christian for help.
“Hello, pleased to meet you, Aunt Rosalyn. We haven’t planned it yet. It all depends on his schedule,” she said with a fake smile pasted on her face.
“I understand. So what do you do? What are your plans after marriage?” Skylar didn’t like Christian’s interfering aunt, but she was forced to fake a smile and tolerate her.
“I just graduated out of college. I definitely will plan my career later once I settle down after marriage. I might open my restaurant or bakery.” Aunt Rosalyn looked a little jealous of her and pursed her lips a little.
“I see. So is Christian sponsoring your little venture?”
“No. I can launch it on my own.” She sounded a little annoyed and sipped the water to calm herself down. If this would have been a different scenario, she would have put the woman in her place.
“Aunt Rosalyn, where’s Stefanie and her children? Haven’t they come over?” asked Christian, changing the subject. Stefanie was her married daughter about whom she always bragged.
“No, they are vacationing in Switzerland. So, where did you meet Christian, dear?” asked Aunt Rosalyn, much to her horror.
“She didn’t meet me anywhere. It was our parents’ last wish that I marry her. So Grandpa Ben wanted me to get engaged at the earliest. I pursued her and here we are, ready to start a life together just as our parents had wanted,” said Christian. Aunt Rosalyn listened intently with her mouth hanging open. If she had wanted to insinuate that Skylar was marrying him for his wealth, she refrained from saying so.
“Oh, why didn’t Uncle Ben tell me about this before?” she asked with a pout. Skylar gave him a smile of relief for supporting her. Now she dreaded having to face all the other members of the family. Would they all grill her the way Aunt Rosalyn did?
“Not if you stick to me,” whispered Christian, and she gaped at the man. How did he always read her mind?
“What?” she asked blankly.
“Stick to me and they’ll leave you alone.” Skylar nodded and pulled her chair a little more towards him much to his satisfaction. It was better to stick to him than face the battalion of relatives and their crooked questions. Grandpa Ben arrived after a talk with the manager, followed by Sebastian, Caleb, and his family. They occupied the table beside Granny. Soon Skylar’s grandpa also joined them and the drinks were served.
“Here, drink this. It will soothe you.” Christian pushed a drink towards her and she sipped it. The citrus cocktail refreshed her throughout.
“Mmm, delicious!” she murmured, licking her lips while unconsciously drawing his attention to them.
“Can I try?” he leaned in to whisper. With everyone busy serving themselves the delightful appetizers, no one gave them a thought.
“Sure.” She pushed the drink towards him to try, but he didn’t even touch it. Skylar gave him a puzzled look only to find his gaze hooked on her lips. Her heart skipped a beat, realizing what he had implied.
“In your dreams!” she said with an eye roll, but couldn’t stop the blush from spreading on her cheeks.
“I’m tired of dreaming! It’s time to make them real!” he muttered, but she clearly heard him.
“Why aren’t you both eating? There’ll be nothing left soon!” said Lillian as she passed them with her food. It brought them out of their bubble and they went to the buffet table to get their food. Throughout the time, Christian stuck to her side to save her from his family. Skylar didn’t know whether to be thankful or frustrated about it. His constant jabs, teasing, and double-edged implications were taking a toll on her mental well-being. For the first time, Skylar Carnell was at a loss for words!
“You two look so cute together,” said a woman a few years older than Christian.
“Thanks,” said Skylar with a smile.
“I’m Laura, Christian’s cousin. My dad and his are siblings.”
“Oh, nice to meet you, Laura.” Christian handed Skylar her plate and smiled at Laura.
“Why did you plan this so suddenly? I was in the middle of a seminar in Melbourne and had to drop everything and rush. Are you pregnant or something?” Laura asked her. Skylar gave her a horrified look while Christian chuckled.
“I wish she was! Then I would have married her here and now!” Christian and Laura chuckled while Skylar glared at the two of them.
“I’m just out of college. I have no plans to get pregnant in the next five years,” she announced, looking annoyed.
“Don’t plan it so late. Let it happen when it has to. Children are a part of marriage. They can make or break a relationship. It happened to me,” said Laura with a devastated look on her face.
“It’s okay, Laura. Try to forget it and move on.”
“Laura lost her child and her husband held her responsible and divorced her,” explained Christian. Skylar felt bad for his cousin and calmed down.
“I’ll keep your advice in mind, Laura,” she said with a smile. Laura patted her arm and walked away while Christian turned to face her.
“Did you really mean it? We’re marrying next week!” he announced while she stood dumbfounded by his announcement.