Whose Bride Is She Anyway (23 page)

“Jesus H, Vinny! Why the hell would you even consider something like this? Are you fucking crazy?”

Vinny shrugged and gave him a sheepish look. “Gambling debts, man. I got plenty and coming here was a safe place to hide from the assholes who want to break my legs. It looked like easy money and the freaks that want me dead wouldn’t risk being caught by the press trying to knock me off. It seemed safe, but we have to be married for a year for me to get my hands on that money and I don’t think I can do that. I hate to say it and I know you were hot for her in high school, but she’s just gross, ya feel me? I thought I could do it, but I can’t. Not after that date…” Vinny visibly shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut briefly.

Now that feeling August could identify with entirely. “Well you should have thought about that a long time ago, Vin.”

Look who’s talking…

“Yeah, you’re right. But if she picks me, I have to tell the world I won’t marry Kelsey and people will start digging and they’ll find out I’m gay anyway. If you say no, they’ll just think big deal and eventually go the hell away. Shit, even if I
do
marry Kelsey, they’ll find out I’m gay and my fucking parents will kill me. So, please somehow ya gotta find a way to get to Kelsey and tell her
you’re
her man. ”

August had to laugh as he snorted derisively, “Bud, people want to kill you and you’re worried about your parents finding out you’re gay? Have you lost your mind?”

Vinny’s black eyes narrowed, “You don’t know my family. The people that want me dead may as well kill me if my folks found out. So I’m here begging you, man. Find Kelsey and convince her to
pick you
. Somebody has to be picked and it ain’t gonna be me. It’s only a year and then you can have the cash too. Or even if you don’t marry her— just convince her to pick you and say no when she does. It’ll piss her off, but she’ll get over it. I can’t take the chance Kelsey will pick me. I can’t and
I won’t
.”

There it was. Vinny dropped the words like a cherry bomb. They were on the floor spinning out of control, just waiting to go off, shooting in all directions.

August’s radar went into overdrive. “Nope, can’t do that, my man. It wouldn’t be right. I’m not going to go to bat for you because you did something stupid.”
As a matter of fact, I’d rather be gay
, he thought.

Vinny leaned in close and whispered, “Would you do it for
Tara
?”

August clenched his fists at his side. He’d fucking kill Vinny. “What are you talking about?”

Vinny cocked his head and eyed August. “You
know
what I mean, August. I know where you go every night. Some fuck-fest you got goin’ on there, bud. I’ll tell everyone what you’ve been doing with your evenings and the show will sue Tara for breaching her contract and you right along with her. The press will be so busy stalking you two they won’t have time for Vinny Lambatti and I’ll do it
before
the Last Man Standing round.”

Yep, August would kill him. “You fucking scumbag. I’ll tell the producers you’re gay, you shithead.”

Vinny’s look became deadly calm, his face a mask of eerie determination. “You can’t prove that, but I
can
prove you’ve been screwing Tara. Would you like me to show you? ”

He knocked his chair back and grabbed Vinny by his shirt so quickly the other man yelped, struggling to maintain his tough guy image. “You rat-bastard, chicken-shit, weasel,” August hissed in his face, tightening his grip on Vinny’s shirt. “What happened to gay pride? What are you afraid of? I swear to Christ if you fuck with Tara, I’ll kill you…”

Vinny thrust his jaw at him defiantly. “I’m not the one who has to worry about
fucking
with Tara, now am I?”

He threw Vinny flat against the wall and jammed his face in his, “If you don’t give me what you have or anything that remotely involves Tara, I’ll fuck you up.”

Vinny’s head jerked up, “You can’t be any worse than the goons who want me dead. Bring it on Auggie,” he sneered August’s name as if he were speaking to the anti-Christ live and in person.

All at once August felt sorry for him, his steam lost in how pitiful this all was. Vinny had gone out of his way to prove what a man he was because he didn’t want anyone to know he was gay. So he was willing to squelch his sexual identity to come on a reality TV show just to win some money? Now that was the gamble of a lifetime, or the debt of a lifetime. The fear in his eyes wasn’t for August, or even quite possibly being killed by a bookie, it was over
who
Vinny was and someone finding out about it.

August loosened his grip on Vinny’s shirt, shoving him on the bed with a hard jerk. “Pay attention. We’re going to work this out. It might not help your financial troubles, but we’re going to do this my way and if the thought of fucking with Tara ever crosses your mind again, you won’t have any gambling debts to worry about—because I’ll kill you long before some bookie gets his shot at you. ”

“Cool, ” Vinny looked up at him. His face was impassive and his eyes once again narrowed. “So, Auggie, let’s make a deal…”

Holy not so heterosexual, Batman…

T
ara waited for August at the cove impatiently. What the hell was going on? He should be well on his way to the mainland, but she’d found a note under her door from him when she’d come back from the final jury selection.

Pacing the small stretch of sand between the rocks, Tara pinched the bridge of her nose. Deep in thought, she didn’t hear him rustle through the bushes.

“Tara, are you okay? ” He tapped her on the shoulder.

“What the hell is going on? You should be off the island. What are you doing here?”

August gathered her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “We got trouble.”

Her stomach flip-flopped. She wrapped her arms around his waist and shivered. “What’s going on? ”

“It’s Vinny and Aaron. ”

Gazing up, she shot him a confused look. “What’s wrong with Vinny and Aaron? ”

He kissed her eyelids, “Aaron had to withdraw from the game. His brother was in a serious surfing accident.”

Tara shook her head. “Oh my, God. I’m so sorry to hear that.” She paused for a moment, “But wait, that leaves you and Vinny as the last men standing. Oh, shit!”

“Vinny is gay. ”

“What?!” She clapped a hand over her mouth, hoping the breeze didn’t carry her voice.

August pulled her down to sit beside him on the sand. “He’s
gay
.”

“Then why the hell did he audition for ‘Whose Bride Is She Anyway?’ Can’t he read? It’s bride, not
groom
!”

“Listen to me baby, that’s not all of it…”

Tara cringed, her mind raced to piece it all together. Aaron was gone, Vinny was gay and August was left holding the bag. What a freakin’ disaster. “What else is there?” She was almost afraid to ask the question, yet, inevitably, she knew it was going to get worse.

August leaned back against the rocks, pulling her into his lap. He sighed and ran a hand over his chin, “Vinny knows about us, Tara. He told me everything. He has pictures of me going to your room. He sure is good at this shit.”

Oh—my—Hell.

A heavy weight sank to the pit of Tara’s belly. They were screwed. “Okay, ” she said slowly, “So he knows about us. It’s not the worst thing that could happen, so I still don’t get it.”

“He doesn’t want to marry Kelsey, and he knows I don’t want to either. He told me if I didn’t stay in the game and convince Kelsey to pick me, he’d tell the producers about us.”

“That goddamn jerk! How could he? He’s here under false pretenses too!” Tara cried.

August brushed the hair from her face, “Yeah, he is, babe because he’s got gambling debts out the wazoo. It’s why he came on the show in the first place, and he told me he’s afraid Kelsey might pick him. If I don’t convince Kelsey to pick me, she might pick Vinny and all of the television exposure if he turns Kelsey down will lead to someone finding out about his lack of interest in the opposite sex. He said he’d rather be dead than have his family know his sexual preferences. The press might haunt me if I turn Kelsey down, but I’m not gay. All I have to do is just say I didn’t want to marry her. Even if he did win and he does marry Kelsey, he runs the risk of the press finding out. His reasons for being here were as bad as mine are for staying the moment I knew I didn’t want to marry Kelsey. I should have lost a contest right about the time I knew I wanted you. But I can’t prove Vinny’s gay. He
can
prove we’ve been fooling around. He has the pictures. If I stay in the game and Kelsey picks me, and I turn her down publicly, Vinny can slink back off to the rock he crawled out from under as the scorned contestant. It wouldn’t be nearly as bad as if he was picked by Kelsey and wouldn’t marry her. I’m not gay… The press would eat him alive over it and he could be sued for signing on under false pretenses.”

Tara searched his eyes. “So why is it okay for him to put your head on the chopping block? He has no way of knowing
for sure
that Kelsey
won’t
pick you. ” That was as ludicrous to her ears as it was when she thought it in her head. Of course Kelsey would pick August, but there was no way she could convince Vinny of that. He was too far gone in his own paranoia. “Never mind, that was a stupid thought. Of course, she’s going to pick you. Who wouldn’t? I mean Vinny is a total goombatz, a real dork. Who drinks from straws in their nose unless they’re still in kindergarten?”

August shook his head. “But we don’t
know
that, Tara. We don’t know anything for sure and now I’ve got to find a way to get to wherever the hell they’re keeping Kelsey sequestered and convince her to choose me, which really sucks because I’m going to have to turn her down on national television and I hate attention focused on me. But I won’t let Vinny slander you. I’m not going to take that chance. I do know I got myself into this and I’ll get myself out. I knew what I was doing when I signed the contract.”

Suddenly, she just didn’t care anymore. Fuck all of this. Forget revenge. Forget the slander and inappropriate behavior the show would sue her for. Forget it
all
. She was sick and tired of Kelsey Little coming out on top no matter what she did to people and she’d be damned if she’d let Vinny have the best of her.

“You know what? I don’t give a damn, August. Let Vinny do whatever he wants, the pig! I don’t care if they sue me for tampering with a contestant. Let them. I mean what’s the worst that can happen? I’ll be broke and labeled a slut, right? It’s not like the contestant tampering police are going to put me in jail. There are worse things, I suppose. I’m sick to death of Kelsey and this show and sneaking around.”

August held up his hand. “Calm down, please. Listen to me, we’ll figure this out, I promise you. I won’t let them hurt you. It pisses me off that if Kelsey chooses me we’re going to have to lay really low from the press. If she chose Vinny and we were caught hooking up
after
the show was over, the world would probably cheer. But that won’t be the case if I say no to her and we get caught on the mainland or even back home in Colorado for a while. I’ll be the first contestant in the history of the show to turn a bride down and the press is going to want to know
why
. If they catch us together they’ll make mincemeat of you and I won’t let that happen. ” August rubbed his hand over her stiff back in soothing, circular motions.

She twisted in his lap, “Make mincemeat of me? I’m not worried about
me,
August.

Forget me! What about you? I won’t let Vinny force you into scorning Kelsey publicly to save his own ass. I say let the chips fall where they may. Why should you have to beg Kelsey to save me? It’s not fair to put you in the position where you have to say no to her publicly and beg her to let you do it too, just because Vinny is a chicken shit. He’s offering you up for scrutiny because he doesn’t want to take a gamble on paying the piper. I’ll turn myself in. I’ll tell them I’m in love with you and I have to withdraw from the jury. ”

Silence fell between them. Good gravy. Had she just admitted that?

August broke the silence first, his voice low and husky, “In love with me?”

Oh, for Christmas sake. Open mouth, insert anything big enough to shut her the hell up. Tara fiddled with the straps on her bikini.

August nudged her shoulder, “Hey, I’m talking to you. ”

Tara looked down at her lap, “Funny… You’re
talking
to me now. ”

He laughed, “So, what’s up with the love thing?”

Her cheeks flushed in irritation. “Shut up, August, it’s not the time to talk about this.”

He swung her around, laid her flat on her back and covered her upper body with his own. He made her look at him by tilting her jaw upward. “I think it’s the perfect time. Now, give.”

Tara avoided his eyes and pushed at his chest. “I will not. We have some really serious stuff to worry about right now. ”

August pressed his lips to hers briefly. “I’d say this is just as serious, now put your arms around me and woo me right, woman. ”

Giggling, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I do not woo, Mr. Guthrie. I am to be the woo-ee, not the woo-er.”

His tongue slipped between her lips and his big hand cupped her breast through the bikini top. Her nipple swelled in response, immediately straining to feel his touch. “You said it first,” he accused.

Tara shivered as he lifted her bikini and stroked her nipple with his tongue. The cool breeze and the heat of his breath made her shiver. “August, we’re doing it again. We’re having a conversation while we paw each other.”

Nipping the underside of her breast, he said, “You’re right, and if you don’t tell me what you meant, I’m going to ignore you and keep right on doing what I’m doing.”

And this would be bad, how?

No, no, no, she thought. It was time for the two of the m to behave like adults. His lips wrapped around her nipple and suckled. Oh, oh, oh… Giving him a shove, she detached him from her breast and bracketed his head with her hands. “August Guthrie, stop that right now. No more sex until we straighten this out!”

“Then say it,” he demanded.

Grinning at him, she kissed him full on his firm, sensuous lips. “I think I’m falling in love with you. ”

Cocking his head he replied, “You
think
?”

“Yes, I
think,
” she answered smugly.

“So does that mean you don’t
know
?”

“Maybe…”

“C’mere woman. ” He kissed her once again, hard. “Now there is no maybe about it.

You love me, I can tell.”

“Do I?” she asked innocently, delirious from the kiss and praying he’d say it back.

“Yep.” Nuzzling her neck, he let his hand drift back to her breast.

“Argghhh, get off me, you beast!” She pushed at his big body to no avail.

“Oh, all right. I
think
I love you too, Tara Douglas. How’s that?”

He rolled over a bit as she pinched his sides, and she used that to her advantage, scooting out from under him. Jumping to her feet she brushed at the sand stuck to her butt. Pointing her finger at him, she shook it. “Now pay attention, Mr.-I-think-I-love-you, we can’t be rolling around in the sand when we have some real trouble. So get up and let’s try to figure this thing out.”

August sighed, long and suffering. “Can’t we roll in the sand first, then figure this out?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “No, we can’t. Now, if you promise to behave and help me work this out, I’ll let you cop a feel. Okay? ” Holding out her hand, she offered to help him up.

August jumped to his feet and took her hand, “Okay, but remember, you
promised
.”

Turning from him, she wiggled her hips and pulled him up behind her. “C’mon, good looking, we need to get crackin’.”

“Ooh, ” August snickered, “do you have a whip to go with that crack?”

Tara’s laughter rang through the air, “Come with me, Mr. Guthrie and I’ll introduce you to the dark side.”

As they made their way out of the cove a big camera loomed, large and black in the moonlit night.

Oh, fuck.

Thankfully Tara was ahead of August by just a bit and he ducked down into the bushes.

“Hey, Tara,” the cameraman crowed, “Wanna tell us why you came on ‘Whose Bride Is She Anyway’? We heard a rumor about you and Kelsey in high school and we’d like to know if you want to confirm it…”

Yep.
Fucked
would be the appropriate terminology.