She scrambled into the seat, the cold wind starting to become uncomfortable.
When Julian got settled in the driver’s seat, she asked again, “Should you be driving? You looked almost serious about believing what you said.”
Reaching into the pocket of his jacket, Julian pulled out a folded piece of paper and dropped it into her lap. “I’m dead serious, Scarlet. We are married. I don’t like seeing you with another guy while I’m off working, and I knew exactly what I was saying.”
Reaching up, she flipped on the reading light as Julian started the vehicle.
It was a marriage certificate, with her and Julian’s names as the bride and groom. Her eyes searched for her signature, noticing it looked familiar but was pretty mangled. “I couldn’t have signed this. When did it happen?”
“Sometime after the champagne breakfast and before I left. I remember bits and pieces of the ceremony now, but I couldn’t recall much before I left.”
“Oh, God.” Kristin just stared at the paper, her body tense as she thought about the fact that she’d actually gotten married in Vegas. “Why would we do that?”
He shook his head. “What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay there. Sometimes you do something that will affect the rest of your life.”
“We couldn’t have, Julian. This has to be a joke.”
“Does it look like a fake marriage certificate to you? I started to remember more and more, so I ordered a copy. It’s legitimate, Kristin. We did get married while we were both trashed.”
“We can get it annulled, right?” She was panicking now.
“Probably not legally. We did have sex, and I remember that part extremely well,” he drawled lazily. “Best night of my life. Although I’m a little hazy on what happened after we got hitched, but I’m pretty sure we consummated the marriage when we got back to the hotel. That might not have been my best performance, because we were both pretty drunk.”
“Be serious!” she answered testily. “This is a problem we have to fix. I don’t remember any of it.”
“What’s the last thing you remember? I’ll try to fill in the blanks.”
Kristin searched her mind for information. “I remember saying we were going to get some breakfast. After that, all I know is I woke up with a hangover from hell. It was enough to make me never want to drink again.” She hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol since that morning.
“At least you remember the hot sex part,” he said, shooting her a grin.
“It wasn’t that hot,” she lied.
“Bullshit,” he answered with humor in his voice. “You told me. It was perfect.”
“I don’t remember,” she lied again. “I thought we couldn’t leave the building again.”
“Security helped us make a quick exit out the back, and I was wearing my cap and sunglasses. I remember how happy you were, especially after finishing a hell of a lot of complimentary champagne when we stopped to eat. After that, I vaguely recall us filling out the papers for a marriage license and the quick ceremony with strangers for witnesses. You said you didn’t want pictures because you’d always remember those moments in detail for the rest of your life. Guess that was the alcohol talking, since you don’t remember anything,” he finished drily.
She turned off the overhead light to make it easier for Julian to drive, then shoved the paper into her purse. “If we can’t get an annulment, I’m sure we could get a divorce.”
“We could,” he agreed amiably. “But I don’t think we will.”
“What’s that mean? Of course we need to clear this up and get divorced. Neither one of us knew what we were doing. I don’t want any of your money. I just want to be free.”
“So you can date Rob?” Julian rasped.
“So I can get married to somebody who loves me, someday, and so can you. We can’t just let this go, Julian. Someday, it will bite one of us in the ass.” Most likely, it would be him, because she certainly had no marriage prospects in sight.
“What about the slick salesman?”
“How did you know he was in sales?”
“Because he acted like he was trying to sell something.”
“He’s not the guy for me,” Kristin admitted with a sigh. “But there might be someone in the future. Before you so rudely interrupted, I was going to turn Rob down.”
“Good,” Julian replied in a smug voice.
Kristin leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes in horror. “I can’t believe I married you. We don’t even like each other.”
“That’s where you’re deluding yourself, Kristin. I’ve never disliked you.”
“We fight.”
“Foreplay,” he stated in a mischievous voice.
“Marriage is a lot more than just sex,” Kristin argued. “You have to have loyalty. You have to be best friends.”
“I haven’t had sex with anybody else. And I’ve told you things I don’t normally discuss,” Julian pointed out as he turned on a two-lane highway leading out of town.
Her heart raced faster. “You haven’t been with anyone else?”