Page 15 of Wicked Cowboy
“Let me finish,” I quickly interrupted and she stilled. I held her. “We can plan the wedding of your dreams and you can pick the date. Plan whatever you want, and I’ll be there with my tuxedo to say ‘I do.’”
A small "ha" escaped her lips. She wiped her eyes as she said, “That sounds lovely.”
Marriage was now almost a reality and I squeezed her gently. “So this is a yes and I can have the prenups drawn up?”
She sniffed and then said, “Wait. One more thing.”
I gently stroked her sides as I asked, “What?”
She sucked in her bottom lip. She stared up at me, and I had the sense to kiss her. I stopped myself until she finally let her lower lip out of its prison. “I don’t want my sisters to know this is a business deal.”
I needed to taste her again. Business wasn’t quite what I had in mind with Ridley, but we’d never have the old-fashioned "match made in heaven" most people had.
“You want them to believe we’re in love?”
She tugged her ear. “They’ll argue with me. My older sisters all married for love.”
If that was her dream, then we had no deal. We’d have to figure out what happened next with Chelsea, and if she was pregnant with our child, maybe she’d be satisfied and stay, like I wanted her too. “I see, but you’re sure you don’t want to hold out for love and romance.”
She shook her head, and again, I saw that sparkle of light on her as she asked, “Where the guy shows up with flowers? Yeah, that’s never been my life. I just need to know you’ll pretend in front of them.”
I could handle flowers every day. The attraction in my body was undeniable and ready now, though I ensured she didn’t see my wood. “Now that you mention this, I’d like for my business associates to believe our marriage is legit, so you’ll need to be seen as the blushing, happy bride, in public, too.”
Her smile was genuine. “Not a problem.”
I caressed her cheek as I asked, “And you’ll sign the prenups so I can protect my family's assets?”
She lowered her lashes, and her lips curved toward me as she said, “Of course. My biggest issue is that I’ve never taken time off work to even date really, but I do want a family.”
Soon I’d have more than a kiss with her, but I said, “On a ranch, the work is never-ending. You’ll find a new rhythm here.”
She didn’t blink as she said, “Then we’ve agreed on everything.”
I'd marry my sexy diva.
I lowered my head. “And we seal this deal with a kiss, until tonight.”
She closed her eyes. Our lips brushed and she tasted even sweeter than last time. As our kiss deepened, a zap rushed through me. Her kiss was just a hint of what was to come, and I’d have every inch of her, as mine. Forever.
Chapter 6
Ridley
After I’d strutted out of Carter’s office, I paced my room. I had nowhere else to go or anything to do here. If I called home, someone might talk me out of this plan.
So I’d not tell anyone. Not yet. Not until I could pretend, I was happy with the sexiest man I’d ever met.
The second I'd laid eyes on him, he'd gone from provoking memories to visceral, rugged, and handsome. He made my body ache in places it never had.
Hopefully, my sisters wouldn't ever tell him I kept his picture from the wedding and showed it off, or that dancing with him had been a highlight of my younger life.
He’d get the wrong idea and I was under no illusions. This wasn’t about love. Our agreement was about convenience and Chelsea.
A knock at the door made me jump, but he popped his head in and my heart thumped in my chest as he asked, “Are you ready to head into town?”
If he stepped in and asked me to strip for him right now, I would. I ignored the goosebumps on my body and swallowed, but said, “Sure.”
He pointed to the door. “We should file right away since it’s a 3 day wait period. That way, we can get going on everything. The lawyers will straighten all the paperwork out and tonight we can tell my dad.”
