~BLAIR~
The mansion was exactly the kind of place I expected from the captain of the Blackridge Wolves—modern, and expensive.
Floor to ceiling windows stretched across the back of the house, overlooking a private stretch of woods.
A member of the staff had let me in and directed me toward the living room where the pre-wedding photoshoot was supposed to take place.
I never made it that far.
Voices drifted from the partially open door of what looked like a study. I should have kept walking. I should have cleared my throat or knocked. Instead, I stopped.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Grayson’s voice was low and far too romantic for a man who was supposed to be marrying someone else in a matter of days. “I will never fall for her.”
My stomach dropped. That was Grayson? Wasn’t it?
“You know my heart belongs to you, Lily. Completely. This marriage is nothing more than a transaction. My father insisted on it to repay the Monroe family for everything they’ve done for us. That’s all it is. I already told you—I’ll make her hate me so much she’ll be the one pushing for a divorce.”
I stood frozen in the hallway, the words sinking in one by one.
He was going to make me hate him on purpose.
He had already decided I was temporary.
I took a step back without thinking and my elbow caught the edge of a tall decorative vase on the side table. It tipped, and crashed to the floor with a loud sound.
Silence followed.
Then the study door opened fully.
Grayson Shaw stepped out first.
I had seen him on the ice a hundred times. I had watched him from across rinks, cold and focused and untouchable in a Blackridge jersey. Seeing him this close was different. He was taller than I expected, broader through the shoulders, with ash-blond hair that looked like he’d run his hands through it too many times and sharp blue eyes that locked onto me instantly.
He was unfairly handsome in a way that made my pulse kick harder than I wanted to admit.
Behind him stood a pretty brunette with soft features and furious eyes—Lily Sinclair. She looked at me like she wanted to set me on fire.
Grayson’s gaze moved over me slowly, assessing. Whatever he had imagined William Monroe’s daughter would look like, I clearly wasn’t it. His jaw tightened.
“Are you Blair?” he asked.
I forced a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Yes. I’m the bride you can’t wait to get rid of.”
For a second, the hallway was completely still.
Then the corner of his mouth curved-1not a full smile, but a slow, dangerous smirk that made something traitorous flutter low in my stomach.
“You’re earlier than expected,” he said.
“And you’re more honest than expected,” I replied. “Most men at least pretend to be polite when they meet their future wife. You went straight to planning how to make me miserable. Efficient. I’ll give you that.”
Lily stepped forward, eyes flashing. “You were eavesdropping. You weren’t supposed to hear that. If you’d waited like a normal person, you never would have heard us talking about you.”
“I was walking to a photoshoot I was told to attend,” I said evenly. “If you didn’t want an audience, you should have closed the door.”
Grayson’s gaze never left my face. There was something assessing in it now, sharper than before. “So you’re the Monroe daughter.”
“And you’re the man who already decided I’m disposable.” I tilted my head. “We make a charming pair already.”
Lily looked between us, clearly hating every second of the exchange. “Grayson—”
“Give us a minute,” he said without looking at her.
She hesitated, then shot me one last vicious glare before stepping back into the study, though she left the door open enough to still hear everything.
Grayson leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed. Up close, he was even more unfairly good-looking. Strong jaw, straight nose, the kind of mouth that looked like it rarely smiled unless it was mocking someone.
The black T-shirt he wore stretched across his chest in a way that made it very difficult to remember I was supposed to dislike him.
“You’re not what I expected,” he said.
“Let me guess. You thought I’d be some spoiled, empty-headed socialite who would cry running to daddy the moment you raised your voice.”
“Something like that.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“I’m not disappointed.” His eyes flicked over me again, slower this time. “Yet.”
The way he said it sent an unwelcome spark down my spine. I refused to look away first.
“Just so we’re clear,” I said, “I didn’t ask for this marriage either. My father decided my life the same way yours decided yours. The difference is I’m not already promising someone else that I’ll destroy you to get out of it.”
His smirk returned, fainter this time. “You always this direct?”
“Only when someone is already planning to make my life hell.”
“Good.” He pushed off the doorframe and took a step closer. The air between us tightened. “Then you’ll understand when I say I don’t plan on making this easy for either of us. I have someone I actually want. You have a father who sold you into this. We’re not going to play happy couple and pretend this is anything more than what it is.”
Sold? That was a strong word. It felt the other way around to me.
I should have been insulted. Part of me was. But there was something almost refreshing about how blunt he was. No fake politeness. No empty reassurances.
“Fine,” I said. “Then we understand each other. You stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of yours, and the second this arrangement can end, it will.”
“Agreed.”
We stood there for a moment longer than necessary, the space between us felt far too alive for two people who had just agreed to dislike each other. His eyes dropped briefly to my mouth before he caught himself. I hated that I noticed. I hated even more that my pulse reacted.
Footsteps approached from the main hallway.
Grayson’s father appeared around the corner and stopped short when he saw us.
His gaze moved from Grayson to me, then past us to where Lily still stood just inside the study doorway. Shock flashed across his face, followed quickly by something harsher.
“Grayson,” he said tightly. “I wasn’t aware Lily would be here today.”
Grayson’s expression cooled. “She was just leaving.”
Lily’s face tightened, but she didn’t argue. She slipped past us without another word, her shoulder nearly brushing mine as she went.
The look she gave me promised this wasn’t over.
Richard Shaw turned his attention fully to me then, forcing a polite smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Miss Monroe. Thank you for coming. The photographer should be ready shortly.”
I inclined my head, still very aware of Grayson standing only a few feet away.
The man who had just admitted he would never fall for me.
The man who already belonged to someone else.
The man who, against every ounce of better judgment I possessed, had just made my stomach flip with a single smirk.
This marriage was going to be a disaster.
And the worst part was, some reckless part of me was already looking forward to the fight.
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.