Read Online Tough Luck Hero by Maisey Yates - Free Book Online

with disbelief as he asked her if she was stumping for votes. Maybe she had a little bit of a problem. But she had spent the past few years as a workaholic, and she didn’t really know what else to focus on. Particularly when things were chaotic. She tended to fall right back onto the topics she found easy. Right now, that was her campaign. And since her marriage, or rather, the continuation of it, was directly related to that campaign, it was particularly easy to do now.
    â€œYou know you have my support,” Sadie said. “And Eli’s. I mean, he can’t actually force people to vote for you under threat of arrest—I asked—but if anyone talks to him about it he makes his preferences pretty clear.”
    â€œAnd I appreciate that. I appreciate the support that he’s given me, always. Which I mean in a nonsexual way.”
    â€œI know.”
    â€œEli, in my opinion, is Copper Ridge. You two. The best, the future.”
    â€œI feel like you’re avoiding giving details.”
    Lydia let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m running against an institution. Not only that, he’s a man. It seems like the personal lives of women are always more scrutinized in these types of situations. I was single, which already made me somewhat unapproachable. I mean, people wonder why. They want to know if I even care about family. If I throw a quickie marriage and even faster divorce onto the pile...well, that’s it. I’m done.”
    Sadie nodded slowly. “Okay. I see your point. So...what’s the plan? You stay married to him forever?”
    â€œNo. I stay married to him until I get elected. But, basically we’re just going to pretend to be married. I mean, we’re going to actually be married, but without the love, or the sex.”
    Sadie frowned. “So, marriage with all of the annoying things like compromise, cohabitation and having to eat what he wants for dinner, without the things that make it fun?”
    â€œFor a limited time. We’re going to be roommates. Roommates who don’t like each other and who probably had sex and don’t remember it.”
    â€œWow. Good luck with that.”
    â€œThat is not helpful to me, Sadie. You’re an optimist. You’re supposed to be optimistic about this.”
    â€œSorry. Realist Sadie is the one who feels like weighing in. This is going to be a giant pain in your butt.”
    It was Lydia’s turn to frown. “I think Realist Sadie is a pain in my butt.”
    â€œShe’s a pain in mine, too. I’m just saying, you honestly think that you’re going to live with Colton West for the next few months and pretend to be his wife and that isn’t going to be...awkward?”
    â€œOh, it’s going to be awkward.”
    â€œLet me rephrase. You aren’t going to sleep with him?”
    â€œNo,” Lydia said, feeling each and every one of her muscles begin to tense up. “I’m not. The situation is complicated enough. We’re not going to mess it up further. It’s a blessing that we don’t remember what happened.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œYou don’t believe me.”
    â€œI believe that sex often overrules common sense.”
    â€œWell,” Lydia said, “that has never been the case for me.”
    â€œExcept with Colton.”
    Lydia set her cup down on the desk and threw her hands up. “I don’t remember it. It’s basically the same as it not happening.”
    â€œExcept that it did.”
    â€œIt isn’t happening again.” She picked her cup back up again, then set it back down. “You know what? I haven’t had sex in four years.”
    Sadie’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
    â€œSo celibate, Sadie. So celibate. I don’t think a couple of months sharing a very large space with Colton is going to undo my willpower.”
    â€œExcept, you did... A couple of days ago. With him. He was