Crashing the Congressman’s Wedding (Crimson Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

words acted like an elixir, causing memories to flash. The church. The tearful walk home. The “tea.”
    “Oh, no.” Alice cringed.
    “Oh, yes.” Justin reached over their heads and opened the sunroof.
    Humid August air stole a bit of the staleness from the vehicle, but not enough to help Alice feel better. She grabbed the opened bottle of cola from the center console and finished it off without asking permission. As the carbonation fizzed in her throat, the fog in her head dissolved. “You didn’t get married?”
    “Nope.”
    “Because I stood up?”
    Justin dragged a loud breath into his open mouth and then pushed an exhale through loose lips. “What do you know about the tiara?”
    “Not much. I sat on one in Charlie’s car. It was so odd, and then you looked so sad. I … ” Alice watched his knuckles whiten as he death-gripped the wheel. Another wave of nausea surged into her throat. She pressed a fist to her lips. “Oh, God, Justin. I’m so sorry. What if I’m wrong? What if it’s not hers? Or what if it is, but there’s a perfectly rational explanation for it being there? I didn’t think things through, and I … oh, God.” The tears felt good. Maybe they released some of the alcohol.
    Justin drew another labored breath and shook his head. “I looked at her, really looked at her, and she couldn’t look back. The longer I looked at her, the angrier I got, because if there was a rational explanation, she would’ve given it to me at the church. Something didn’t add up.”
    Reality trickled into Alice’s sleepy brain. He wasn’t married. She watched early morning sunlight dance across his face. He was here. With her. In … Carolina Beach? “Where are we going?”
    “On my honeymoon.”
    Alice suddenly preferred the blackened state of drunkenness over her current reality.
    He laughed, but the skin around his eyes didn’t crinkle and his lips didn’t hitch. And then he started to chew. He stared out the windshield, shaking his head and gripping the wheel like he was afraid to lose control.
    “Why am I here?”
    He bristled at her question, and she was no longer certain she wanted to know. But it was too late. Leaning an elbow on the window ledge and scraping a palm across his lips, Justin released a low growl. “I figured you had answers. But then you were too drunk to talk and I sort of … ” His shoulders drooped. “I couldn’t leave you like that.”
    There was more to the story. Alice could tell by the way he chewed his lip.
    “You couldn’t leave me drunk in my own bed?”
    He scowled. “Morgan threatened you.”
    “She wasn’t serious.”
    “You don’t know that.” But he didn’t look particularly concerned. He’d stopped chewing and stared out the windshield, looking more tired than worried.
    Still … “Do you think she was serious?”
    He took longer to answer than she hoped. “Probably not, but her father can make your life miserable by interfering with the theatre opening. Maybe with you out of town for a couple days, they’ll have time to cool off where you’re concerned.”
    Fat chance. If the Parrishes blamed her for the botched wedding, running off with Justin wasn’t going to help. Then again, she hadn’t “run off” willingly.
    “You’re kidnapping me.”
    He shook his head. “I’m rescuing you from a bad situation.”
    Alice balked. Of course he was. Always the hero, even if rationalizing his heroics meant twisting the truth. “Whatever helps you sleep.” She shook her head and stared out the passenger window. “What about Parrish Plastics?” Which was supposed to be his most heroic accomplishment to date.
    “That’s a bit complicated now. But don’t worry. I have a plan.”
    He always did.
    “When I get to the beach, I’m going to call Harold Parrish, and we’re going to discuss the plant like the educated businessmen we are. He can’t build anywhere else on U.S. soil for less, thanks to me and my work in Congress. He’s a smart man. He