A TEMPORARY MARRIAGE: PART ONE (AVALON BAY ROMANCE SERIES Book 1) by Vicky Dean

Bay and the surrounding area that an untamable bachelor like me is getting hitched. And at such speed. They might think you’re…”
    “Don’t even say pregnant,” Cassie said, pointing her finger at him.
    “I won’t say it, but they might think it,” he said honestly. “But seriously, there may be a few upset ladies you have to deal with.”
    Cassie hadn’t thought of that, or about Richard’s private life.
    “Is there someone you’re seeing at the moment?”
    “Not at the moment. I was seeing a woman, Victoria King, she’s the local realtor and sells most of the houses and apartments I build. I always made it clear I had no interest in marriage or children. I was never serious about her, she just happened to always be around. She wasn’t too happy when I finished it with her.”
    “When did you finish with her?”
    “When I heard about the conditions of my grandfather’s will.”
    “She’s going to hate me then.”
    “There is no reason for her to hate you. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
    “For a playboy, you don’t know women very well,” Cassie said. Her voice was lighthearted, but there was a serious warning in her words. “Did she ask you if there was someone else?”
    “Yes,” he said, tilting his head and staring at Cassie curiously.
    “And you don’t think I’ll look like that someone else?” Cassie asked.
    “Okay, I got your point, but I’ll do the best I can to not make things worse,” he said.
    It was ironic that a promise to not be a playboy once you got married had value, but it really did. Richard being affectionate toward Cassie, and no one else, was important.
    At that moment the waiter set down their plates of steaks in front of them and they both began to cut into the succulent meat, quiet in their own thoughts.
    “So how did we hook up again?” Cassie asked, breaking the silence.
    “How about I was in New York on business a few months ago and my grandfather booked me into your hotel, and we recognized each other. Then I saw you again when you were visiting your mom in Avalon Bay, and we’ve been in touch ever since.”
    Cassie frowned. What a dull romance story that was.
    Richard quickly said, “At least there’s an element of truth there.”
    “Doesn’t sound very romantic, though, not if you want to convince people that you love me enough to give up your bachelorhood, and at a break neck speed.”
    “Okay, about four months ago I mentioned to your mom and Aunt Maggie that I was going to New York and told them I was staying in the Royal Oak. Your aunt then insisted on giving me your phone number and that I take you out for dinner.”
    Cassie smiled. “Now that sounds like my aunt. But did you really travel anywhere four months ago?”
    “Boston, so close enough, right?” Richard grinned, and Cassie felt her heart flutter.
    “So I phoned you and we arranged to meet for dinner at the Trattoria we ate at last night. And as soon as I saw you again, I was smitten. I was expecting to see the tomboy from my youth and instead was greeted by a stunning, vibrant woman with long blonde flowing hair, drop-dead gorgeous blue eyes, and a beautiful smile. The only way I knew it was you for sure was the faint traces of those freckles that I remembered so well, and the slight gap in your teeth.
    Beautiful, gorgeous?  Cassie thought he was going a bit overboard.
    “Good, but you want this to be believable.”
    “But Cassie you are beautiful and gorgeous,” Richard looked so serious that Cassie was taken by surprise.
    She had never thought of herself as been particularly attractive or unattractive, just average. “Okay, carry on,” she encouraged.
    “So, I was taken aback by how well Cassie had grown up, and during dinner as we chatted I realized I was falling for her. I felt comfortable with her, as if I had known her forever. That’s how it began, and she felt the same way. We talked everyday on the phone and we met up a few times in Las Vegas, and we both