The group was a law unto itself. No one on the outside knew what went on on the inside, even on the rare occasion when one of the men lost control and beat one of their wives to death. The only person they had to answer to had been the prophet. Since he was the leader, things happened at his dictate, and there were rarely consequences, only taking care of the body and hiding things from the outside authorities. When her father had killed one of his wives, not Janie’s mother but another wife, that was when Janie had taken advantage of the chaos that had erupted as they tried to cover it up and fled. Her testimony about that, and everything else that went on, was why her father was in prison.
She felt a little guilty about that, but not enough to regret it. Nor enough to try to go back, as if they would even let her. She’d tried to build a life.
After the trial, the government had put her in foster care. That had been less than fun, but not horrible either. She’d heard horror stories from other foster kids and didn’t know if she’d lucked out or if she just had low standards for what was horrible. After she’d turned eighteen, Janie had found work, fast food, retail and waiting tables, but she’d hated it. It was survival, that was all. She wasn’t equipped to live alone in the modern world. Then she’d seen the ad for the Diamond Bridal Agency, not that she’d known that was what she was applying for when she’d mailed in her application. Even after she’d found out what it really was, it made sense. She’d been raised to expect to marry someone who had been chosen for her, either by her father or by the cult’s prophet. Either way she would have had no choice. Since she’d escaped, she’d tried dating, looking for a husband on her own, but found she had a knack for poor choices, one way or another. When she’d discovered exactly what Diamond Bridal Agency was, and that they would accept her, a massive weight had lifted from her shoulders. She no longer had to worry about picking the right person.
Mrs. Creed had assured her the male applicants were carefully screened and there was no way she’d end up being matched with anyone like her father, or any of the men from the cult she’d escaped. The older woman had been adamant that men like that were not the clientele of the agency. Staring in her new husband’s wake, Janie had a glimmer of hope that the dour old woman had been telling the truth.
For the first time in a long time, Janie felt like something might finally be going in her way.
Chapter 9
Alex stared at the computer screen, wishing again someone would come along and do this for him. He went through a day of wishing the same thing over and over, every month. This month it might be two days if he couldn’t push the lush curves of his bride out of his head and concentrate. As if conjured by his thoughts, he caught a whiff of her light floral scent and looked up to find her standing in the doorway, leaning against the jam, watching him.
“Is something wrong?”
“I got lonely and wondered where you were.” She looked vulnerable and shy.
He couldn’t bring himself to tell her to leave him alone. “I’m working on the monthly records for this place. You can stay if you want.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to bother you.”
“You aren’t bothering me.”
She sat on the dark leather sofa on the wall across from the windows and watched him. He tried to focus on the sheets of names, numbers and supplies, but he felt her eyes on him. Not the hairs standing on the back of his neck he’d felt so many times while he’d been in the field, but something else. His skin was hot and tight. His dick stood at attention and throbbed, letting him know what he should really be doing. Taking his bride up to their bedroom, spreading her out on the bed and learning every inch of her body, first with his hands, then his tongue, then more.
Something about the woman made all his protective instincts, and all his desires, rise to the surface, and he didn’t know why. The not knowing why like to drove him nuts. He’d sworn off women more than a year ago. He just couldn’t take the looks the pity, the horror in their eyes when they looked at him. And not just at his face, but his chest, his arm, his hand, it all got the same reaction. Until Janie. He closed his eyes a moment and Janie’s face when she’d first seen his flashed in front of his eyes. There had been no horror or pity. Instead there’d been something different. Kindness, understanding, kinship. Did she possibly have scars of her own?
The mere idea that someone had harmed her made him want to hit something. He glanced at the clock. They still had a little over an hour until the hands showed up for dinner. Plenty of time for a workout. He locked the computer so no one could wander in and mess with things, then pushed back from the desk and stood.
“I need a workout, want to come up to the gym with me?”
She frowned a moment then nodded. He wondered when she’d open up to him, if she would. He knew better than to push. He had things he didn’t want to talk about either. Alex led her to the back stairs that weren’t far from his office, and up to what had been a back bedroom that he’d filled with gym equipment and a heavy bag.
“Sit anywhere, I’m gonna grab some tape and have a go at the bag.” He didn’t wait to see what she did, instead he peeled off his shirt on his way to the bathroom and unbuckled his belt. He had to change first.
Alex stepped out of the bathroom, wearing comfortable shorts and no shirt, carrying a roll of tape. He ignored Janie’s wide eyes as he approached her.
“Can you help me with this, I can manage on my own, but it’s easier with extra hands.” He handed her the roll of tape, then talked her through how to tape his hands so he wouldn’t tear them up while beating out the aggression he didn’t completely understand.
Chapter 10
She’d been surprised when he’d come out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a pair of long shorts and asked her to help him, but Janie had done as he’d asked. She’d never seen a half-naked man, at least not in person. They were on book covers and in magazines, but she’d never been close enough to touch one. And oddly she wanted to.
Her fingers ached to trace the lines of scars down his face and chest, to kiss away any ache that might be left. She blinked away the thought, wondering where it had come from, then she’d sat back, well, there was no back to the odd looking bench she’d found to sit on, but still, she’d sat there and watched as he hit the person-sized bag with a single-mindedness she’d only ever seen used for worship.
She considered opening her book again, a racy historical romance about an English lord who ran away from his family and lived as a pirate. She was a little surprised to think Alex had read it, but couldn’t help but be thrilled as it was here for her now. Another look at Alex made her have second thoughts about starting her book again, at the pace he was going she didn’t think he would be able to maintain it for more than ten or fifteen minutes.
Thirty minutes later he hadn’t even slowed. Janie sat watching him in wonder, the muscles of his back flexing with every movement. His skin glistened as sweat rolled off him in narrow streams. She didn’t know how he did it, or how often he did this, but he was just starting to breath heavy. To have that kind of endurance it must be something he did often. She was both wowed and scared. If he had this kind of aggression in him, what would keep him from turning it on her?
Wait. He’d said he’d never strike her in anger. She had to trust him until he’d given her reason not to. He was her husband, she owed him that much. At least give him a chance.
Janie didn’t know how much time had passed when the blows Alex rained down on the bag finally slowed. He stretched and turned to her.
“Just let me cool down for a few, then I’ll take a quick shower and we can go down to dinner.” He went to a treadmill in the corner that she hadn’t even noticed, her attention had been so focused on him. He set it on a walking speed and had no trouble keeping up as he stretched his arms around him and over his head as he walked. After a few minutes he shut it off, stepped off and headed for the door. As she followed him across the hall, she saw another benefit of the extra door in the
back of the closet, they went in the back door, and Alex headed for the shower. “You’re welcome to join me if you want.”
Her face flamed. “I’ll just wait in the bedroom.” The only upside was that his back was too her and he couldn’t see how red she’d turned.
“Suit yourself.” He continued into the bathroom, dropping his shorts before he was through the door. Janie’s jaw dropped, and she tried to breathe, but it was like someone had knocked the wind from her. She hadn’t seen a male’s bare butt in years, and even then, it had only been a baby she was caring for. What had possessed him to do that? She blinked and was finally able to draw breath. When she could think again she went in the bedroom and sat on the sofa there. She couldn’t get the image of his buttocks out of her head, nor stop the warm fluttering sensation the memory caused low in her belly.
Chapter 11
By the time he’d expended his anger toward the ghosts of Janie’s past, Alex was left shaky and exhausted. Still, he had to cool down or he knew he’d regret it in the morning. On the treadmill he felt her watching him. He’d felt her eyes on him the whole time and it did things to him it shouldn’t. Not since he’d sworn off women and decided Rosie Palms and her five friends were the only release he needed. He’d never expected his temporary bride to affect him this way. Why should he? None of the staff did and the cook’s assistant was a pretty girl who couldn’t be more than twenty-three. Maybe it was the way she wouldn’t look him directly in the face, and on the rare occasion when she did, her eyes were filled with pity.
Alex stepped into the bathroom, unable to resist offering to let Janie share his shower with him, then dropping his shorts just before he closed the door after she’d stammered that she would wait. From what he suspected of her background, that had probably scandalized her, but the temptation had been too strong. Where the hell had his self-control disappeared to? He turned on the shower and palmed his dick while he waited for the water to heat. He couldn’t help but picture Janie’s blushing face, he’d seen it enough today he had no trouble pulling the image from his mind.
The water warmed, and he stepped under the hot spray, letting it beat down on him and ease his over worked muscles. He slid his hand up and down his cock, Janie’s sweet face in his mind while the steaming water streamed over him. He didn’t have time for this, she was waiting for him. But he needed to take the edge off his desire before he lost control and got too close. He needed to be able to keep his distance and this was the only way he could get past the deep need she stirred in him.
It only took a few strokes before Alex was erupting all over his own hand. His knees went weak with the power of his orgasm, and he finished his shower quickly, washing off the sweat and other things, and shutting off the water. Stepping out of the shower he grabbed a towel and dried his hair before wrapping it around his waist, cursing his stubborn dick that refused to behave. It had gotten off once, but was insisting on the real thing. Shaking his head, he was determined to ignore it, at least for now, and stepped into the closet. There he found Janie, her suitcase open on the floor as she worked to hang up some of the things inside. She looked up and her eyes went wide as she spotted him.
“I—I started to wait in the other room, but changed my mind. I thought I’d hang up my things while I waited. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“No worries. I just need to get some clean clothes.” Alex stepped past her as she kept her eyes on him. He was tempted to drop his towel and get dressed right there like he usually did, but knew he was pushing it, so instead, gathered his clothes and took them back in the bathroom. A couple minutes later he stepped out, wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but he’d skipped shoes as he preferred to go barefoot when he wasn’t planning on leaving. He looked around, but Janie had disappeared. Her suitcase was once again closed and tucked out of the way, the clothes she’d removed hung in what had been an empty section of the closet, but she was nowhere to be seen.
He wondered if he’d scared her off as he stepped into the bedroom. There she was, sitting in one of the armchairs in front of the TV at the far end of the room. Her book was open in front of her, but she wasn’t reading it, instead she had turned her head and was staring out one of the windows that overlooked one side of the house.
“You hungry?”
Janie jumped, and he wondered again what had made her so on edge all the time. She looked at him with big eyes that skimmed down his body as if making sure he was dressed this time.
“Sure.” She stood, closed her book and set it on the table beside the chair.
“Did you want to wash your face or change?”
“Do you want me to?” Her brow creased, and one hand lifted to her cheek. “Have I got something on my face?”
“No, you look great. It’s just been a big day and I thought you might like to freshen up.” If Alex ever met whoever had done this to her, he wasn’t sure the other man would walk away. “Come on.” He reached for her hand.
She hesitated then slipped her hand into his. He liked the feel of her soft fingers against his scarred ones. It made him long for things he knew he shouldn’t take. But then again, he’d never told her his plan, only that they should get to know each other before taking the next step. It wasn’t too late to change his mind and keep her.
Keep her.
As if she was a freaking puppy. Alex shook his head, but led his bride through the closet and down the back stairs. Keeping her was a stupid idea. Sooner or later she’d get tired of looking at his ugly face. He sure did.
Chapter 12
Janie had tried to occupy herself to keep from thinking about Alex’s naked butt, but that had backfired. She’d just gotten her things hung up when he’d stepped out of the bathroom back into the closet, not what she’d anticipated, with nothing more than a towel on. Granted, it covered more than the shorts he’d been wearing earlier, but for some reason, she couldn’t keep from thinking about what he had on under that towel.
Nothing.
As soon as he’d gone back in the bathroom she’d closed her suitcase, put it away and gone into the bedroom. She’d tried to read, but her mind wouldn’t let her focus. It kept drifting to what he’d said about waiting until they got to know each other better before taking the next step.
That next step frightened her. Her mother had said it was a wife’s duty, that was all. There were whispers among some of the older girls about how unpleasant and painful that duty was. Since she’d left her family however, she’d heard different things. Romance novels certainly didn’t portray a wife’s duty as unpleasant. They made it seem wonderful. Janie wasn’t sure which to believe. She suspected that neither was completely true. But which was more accurate? Which should she trust?
When Alex had offered his hand, she’d stared at it a moment, unsure what to do. Now, with her hand in his, his strength holding on to her but not hurting, he led her to dinner.
It wasn’t until they stepped off the foot of the stairs and found the long table filled with men that she remembered what he’d said earlier. Dinner with the ranch hands. She lowered her head and snuck glances at them as she and Alex approached, careful not to meet anyone’s gaze. The chatter of them all talking at once seemed to die down as they approached. Another glance told her they were all looking at her. Her face heated.
Alex stopped near the head of the table, released her hand and cleared his throat, the few who hadn’t yet noticed their arrival fell silent and turned their attention to him.
“I have someone I’d like you all to meet,” Alex paused. “This is Janie, my wife.”
Voices rose for several minutes as the men, at least a dozen of them, offered their congratulations and made a few ribald remarks that made her face flame anew.
“All right, all right,” Alex spoke up after a minute. “I just wanted you all to meet her, so you’ll know her when you see her.” He paused just a couple seconds. “I expect you all to show her the respect she deserves. She’s had a big day and I know meeting yo
u all in-mass can be a bit confusing. I’ll let you all introduce yourselves later, on a more one on one basis.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yes, sir.”
“No doubt.” Voices echoed from around the table making.
Relief washed through her that she wouldn’t be expected to remember everyone’s names after tonight.
“I’ll leave you all to enjoy your dinner. I think I’m going to have a quiet dinner with just my bride.”
A few more off-color remarks were made, Janie did her best to ignore them as Alex seemed to be doing, as he once more took her hand and led her into the kitchen.
“Maggie, will you fix us a couple plates, I think Janie and I are going to eat in the breakfast nook tonight.”
“Not a problem, sir. You go on in, I’ll bring your dinner in shortly,” a tall, slightly round woman with steel gray hair said with a smile.
“Come on.” Alex’s hand was warm in hers as he led her to the smaller eating space, releasing it only when they reached the table and he pulled out a chair for her. “Talk to me, what kind of movies do you like?”
She bit her lip, unsure what to say. “I haven’t seen many, but I liked all I’ve seen.”
His eyes narrowed. “What about TV? What shows do you like?”
“The police shows. I like seeing how they solve crimes and capture the bad guys.”
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