The Birthday Deadline (Billionaire Brides) by Ella Cari Read Free Book Online

eye and shrugged.
    Sherry had married Cornelius for his money, there was no doubt about that. She waited earnestly for the day when she would inherit all of his riches. In the meantime, she put up with his advances and allowed herself to be dragged to these painfully dull dinners. She got to enjoy some fine eye candy with her son in law, which was just fine with her.
    Was I so different than her? Did I have any place to judge? Not really, after all, Sebastian and I were getting married for reasons just as impure as Sherry's had been.
    "Are you as excited for this wedding as I am, Delilah?" Cornelius asked, "My only son, finally getting hitched. I thought for sure this day might never happen." He giggled, arm wrapped tight around his reluctant wife.
    I nodded joyfully, patting Sebastian's leg, "I'm overcome with excitement." I lied, "It's going to be the best day of our lives."
    Sebastian looked down, watching my fingers as they squeezed his strong thigh. Heat rolled off of my fiancé’s body like a tidal wave, washing over me. His musky fragrance infiltrated my nose, filling me up with the sheer scent of masculinity. I'd never been this close to a man before, I'd never had such strong arms against me. It was making me a bit woozy. No wonder Juliet had such a huge crush on the young billionaire.
    "And grandchildren!" Mr. Fox continued with a hoot as he gulped down another glass of wine, "I'll finally be a Grandpa. Can you imagine that?" He said, turning to Sherry, "Can you imagine being called Grandma?"
    She visibly cringed, though her lips were still forced into a smile, "How...wonderful..." She sputtered.
    Cornelius, oblivious to his own bride's resignation, laughed heartily and nodded.
    "What a splendid son I have." Mr. Fox continued, "Willing to spend such time with me on the eve before his wedding."
    I went completely rigid, stiffening in the arms of my fiancé. The eve of our wedding? It was already happening? I'd known it would happen quickly, but wasn't this just too much? Sebastian squeezed my shoulder, reminding me of this false production that we were part of, reminding me to keep acting. I couldn't show how much uncertainty I had. I couldn't show how nervous this made me.
    "Everything is all set then?" He said to his father.
    Cornelius nodded, refilling our wine glasses, "Yes, Juliet has been setting up the whole thing." He said with a shrug, "So I suppose it will be satisfactory. Was that your idea, Delilah? To have his assistant in charge of the wedding?"
    Hesitating, I glanced upwards at Sebastian, who simply sipped his wine in silence, "Ah, it was a mutual agreement." I said carefully, "She does good work after all."
    Or at least, I hoped that was the case. She'd probably been planning this entire wedding hoping that it would come down to her standing at the altar. Instead, it would be me. In that moment, I almost felt sorry for the poor girl.
    Cornelius shrugged, glancing at Sherry, "If you say so." He said casually, "She was a friend of the family." He said with a wave of his hand. "We had to give her some kind of job to do."
    I smiled against my wine glass, sipping on it. So that was how she got the job.
    "And here's dinner, now." Cornelius said as he clapped his hands together.
    Before us, plates full of fine filet mignon and crisp vegetables were set, "Let's eat." He said, raising a glass, "and toast to the beautiful couple on their final night of bachelorhood."

Chapter Ten
     
     
     
    "Can I take you home?" Sebastian asked softly as he guided me from the restaurant.
    His warm hand pressed against my back, his fingers brushing the bare flesh. His fingertips were so tender and soft that goose bumps erupted under his gentle touch.
    "Is my other option Juliet?" I laughed, watching as he smirked faintly.
    "I'll take that as a yes." He said, nodding cordially to the young waiter who'd freed me from Juliet's spinning death trap prior to the delicious meal.
    The waiter tossed Sebastian his keys, bowing