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

wants a successful corporation more than he wants a married niece.” She looked in time to see him punctuate the words with a crisp nod. Alice couldn’t help but think he looked like he was trying to convince himself. “Harmony Falls will come out of this unscathed. I truly believe that.”
    Who was he kidding? He was speeding down the highway with a Cramer in his car. “What about your precious reputation? Will that come out unscathed, too?”
    He winced. “People break off engagements every day. I have to believe it’s better to call it off now than to be married to her amidst rumors of her infidelity. How capable would I look if my wife was running around on me? Who would support me or my projects then?”
    Alice closed her eyes and leaned against the cool window. She was exhausted from more than the liquor and unsatisfying night’s sleep. Justin exhausted her. All this talk about reputation and image and his ability to emotionally disconnect from the most brutal experiences in the name of his “projects” annoyed her.
    “What about my project?” she whispered without opening her eyes. Two weeks ago she’d asked Justin to talk to people on the grant committee on her behalf. She was so damn close. Before this. She had a sickening hunch things were different now.
    “Alice, after what happened in that church, if I stick up for you or the theatre … ” — he glanced at her, wrinkling the muscles of his face — “ … people will talk.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “People are already talking. They’ve always talked. They always will. Whatever.” She waved a hand. “I don’t care what anyone says. I wasn’t the one who cheated, and I didn’t ask to be here.” She glared at him. “But since you care, don’t worry about helping me. I can fight for my theatre without you.”
    Congressman Mitchell’s heroics were better saved for people who needed to be rescued. Alice Cramer rescued herself years ago, and she wasn’t about to step back into old habits, old habits that led her to feel ashamed.
    She twisted until her upper body stretched between the seats, her hand groping the backseat and floor while Mouse dove around her sweeping arm. “Where’s my purse? I’ll rent a car and drive myself home. Then you can ride your white horse back into town without so much as a speck of dirt on your face, and you can walk down the aisle like nothing
compromising
ever happened. Tell everyone Alice Cramer is crazy. The tiara was a joke. Tell them … ” Her hand met nothing but empty space.
    “Where’s my purse?” Alice spoke slowly, sitting rigid, glaring at him.
    “I only grabbed you and the dog.”
    “Crap.” She slumped against the leather and huffed some more. “I want to go home. I want a do-over. I want to close my eyes, wake up and realize this is all a bad dream.”
    It sucked to be the kind of girl who never got what she wanted.

CHAPTER THREE
    Bringing Alice Cramer on what was supposed to be his honeymoon wasn’t just a bad dream, it was a cold, harsh nightmare turned reality. And now Justin was going to have to deal with the repercussions.
    He parked his car in a spot marked with the number fifteen and let his eyes linger on the mirrored high-rise. “It’s oceanfront.” The fact gave him immense pleasure when he’d purchased the condo as an escape from the pressures at home and work. Now, it didn’t produce a twinge of satisfaction.
    “Good for you.” She wasn’t happy.
    He couldn’t blame her. This wasn’t exactly his best plan. Hell, this wasn’t planned. This was what he got for letting impulse lead the way. He gave her a sideways glance again and bit down extra hard on the inside of his bottom lip. If only he’d thought this through … Looking at her now, the danger was clear. Despite her ugly mood, she was beautiful, so beautiful he had to look away.
    All those years, Justin had kept his distance for one reason. Alice Cramer wasn’t the right kind of woman. Untamed starlit curls