I guided Zoe to a comfortable bucket seat in the back and sat her down, buckling her in for takeoff. She batted at my hands, grumbling about not being an infant and I let out a bark of laughter. Taking the seat next to her, I leaned over and put my lips against her ear. “Trust me, Zoe. I am well aware that you’re all woman. And, I’d be happy as fuck to prove it in the back bedroom after take-off.”
Her cheeks turned a ridiculously cute shade of pink, and that bottom lip ended up between her teeth again. I grinned at her flustered state until she said primly, “There will be no proving of anything or any bedrooms for that matter. This isn’t a real marriage, remember?”
I shrugged and faced forward, but wrapped her hand in mine and rested them on my thigh. No use arguing at the moment, she’d figure it out soon enough.
I wasn’t letting her go. Ever.
Chapter 3
Zoe
“Time to wake up, Blondie.” Landon’s voice was whisper-soft, but his friend’s bark of laughter wasn’t.
“Blondie? Really? And you wondered why she wasn’t giving you the time of day?”
“Shut the fuck up, Jeremy,” Landon growled.
“That wasn’t why,” I rasped, my throat dry because I’d slept pretty much the entire three-hour flight.
“Shhh,” Landon hushed me, lifting a bottle of water to my lips.
I gulped a few sips down and moaned at how good the cool liquid felt on my throat.
“I get the fascination, though. And why you’re hustling her to Vegas the first chance you get, which is saying a lot since I’m allergic to weddings.”
“I warned you,” Landon bit out, shifting away from me in his seat.
I gripped his arm to stop him from moving. “Stop. He’s your friend.”
“A damn good friend, too,” Jeremy added. “Considering I’m giving you a ride to Vegas and letting you use my Malibu place.”
“Malibu?” I parroted, confused.
“I’ll explain later,” Landon assured me, glaring at his buddy.
“But—”
“Later,” he insisted, buckling my seat belt as the plane’s wheels went down in preparation for our landing.
In the whirlwind of our arrival in Vegas—my surprise at seeing a stretch limo waiting for us at the airport, and the half bottle of champagne I downed on the ride to the chapel to help calm my nerves—I completely forgot to ask about Malibu again. I had bigger things on my mind, like the fact that I was about to get married to my incredibly hot boss.
“Welcome to the Little White Wedding Chapel,” an older woman greeted us when we walked into the iconic location of so many celebrity weddings.
It wasn’t Brittney Spears or Sarah Michelle Gellar who instantly popped into my head, though. “Isn’t this where Ross and Rachel got married on that episode of Friends?”
“It is!” The woman beamed at us.
“Wow,” I gasped. I was completely addicted to watching it on Netflix. In my defense, I had a lot of time on my hands since I’d moved to Wisconsin. It was all Landon’s fault, since I hadn’t been able to bring myself to accept any of the dates I’d been asked on by other guys. I couldn’t have said yes to him, either, so that left me home alone pretty much every night for the last two months. It was amazing how many episodes you could get through in a short amount of time when you didn’t have anything better to do.
“Landon Heath, I called this morning and made a reservation.”
He really had thought of everything.
“Ah, yes! You booked our extravaganza package.” She guided us through a set of glass doors into a flower shop. “It includes the cascade bouquet number eight and a boutonniere for the groom. It’s our best bouquet, but I’d be happy to add something a little extra to it since you won’t be needing the attendant's bouquet or boutonniere.”
I gulped in astonishment at the purple bouquet she pulled from the refrigerated area to the left. “It’s perfect,” I breathed out. It really was, since purple was my favorite color.
“Mr. Heath gave us all the specifications when we spoke earlier.”
“I told you I couldn’t help but notice everything about you,” he whispered into my ear as she led us further into the building.
“Zoe can find her gown in here.” She’d brought us into a roped-off area, and I walked into a room filled with rack after rack of wedding gowns.
“I couldn’t,” I whispered, feeling uncomfortable as I looked at all the pretty white dresses that represented so many women’s hopes and dreams for their future.
“Of course you can. It’s part of the package,” the woman assured me.
“But I brought a couple dresses with me that’ll be fine,” I insisted.
“Actually,” Landon interrupted our back and forth. “She won’t need to use one of the rental gowns because Bridal Elegance is sending over a selection of dresses along with their seamstress. They should be here any minute.”
“Can you give us a minute alone?” I asked, forcing a polite smile onto my face as I looked at the woman.
“Of course.” She gave me a look of female understanding before turning to Landon. “You’ll find the tuxes over there.” She waved towards an area full of tuxedos, directly across from the gowns.
“I brought my own.” Of course he had. In the short amount of time I’d been home packing, he’d managed to think of everything. “But I would like to use a tie, pocket square and cummerbund to match her bouquet please.”
“I’ll pull a selection out for you.”
I waited for her to be out of earshot before turning to Landon. “This is too much! We aren’t really getting married. You’ve gone way overboard here.”
“The only way this works is if we really get married, Zoe,” he reminded me.
“You know what I meant,” I huffed out. “Our wedding doesn’t have to be anything special, not when our marriage isn’t going to be permanent.”
“We have to make it look good for the pictures, don’t we?” he asked in a reasonable tone, when his expression looked like he was pissed off at the reminder of the temporary nature of our situation.
“Yes, but—”
“Everything I’ve done will help us convince the immigration officer who’s assigned our case that our marriage is real and has nothing to do with the letter they sent you.”
He was absolutely correct, and a small part of me wanted to cry at the logic behind his actions. It was all incredibly thoughtful and romantic, but only because it was necessary. I needed to keep that in mind and not fall vulnerable to the feelings that were swirling around inside me.
“You’re right,” I admitted. “Thank you.”
“You can show me your gratitude later.”
I didn’t get a chance to ask him what he meant by that because the ladies from the bridal gown store arrived. I spent the next hour picking out a dress and having my makeup done—and polishing off another half bottle of champagne. By the time I stood with Landon in front of a glass door decorated to look like a stained glass arch with pink, purple and red roses surrounding it in the small chapel, I was a little wobbly in my heels.
The ceremony passed in a blur of traditional wedding music, the exchanging of our vows, lighting of a unity candle, and a flurry of pictures. It didn’t take long before we were being pronounced man and wife. Then Landon’s fingers were buried in my hair, tugging until my head tilted back. He leaned in and brushed a gentle kiss across my mouth, a soft glide of his firm lips against mine. With that one light touch, my pulse pounded in my ears and butterflies swirled in my belly.
“Open for me, Zoe,” he urged. “Let me in.”
His tongue teased the seam of my mouth, and my lips parted. Gentle was over as his tongue swept inside my mouth. The kiss turned scorching hot and oh-so demanding. It felt as though the entire world dropped away as I clutched at his shoulders while he took my breath away.
“Oh my.” I heard the woman who helped us sigh, bringing me crashing back down to reality.
Landon lifted
his head, and there was no mistaking the stamp of possession on his face. But it was all an act, right? It had to be. I knew he’d wanted to take me out on some dates, but he couldn’t actually feel about me the way he was looking at me.
“You may want to warn your parents about that kiss before they watch the ceremony,” she tittered.
“Watch the ceremony?” I repeated.
“Oh, dear. Did I forget to remind you that we were taping the whole thing? As part of the extravaganza package, you get a DVD of the ceremony to take home with you. Plus, we offer live streaming of the ceremony, which is available on demand for thirty days so your family can log in online and watch it.”
“You really did think of everything.”
“Well, we offer just about everything, but it was your husband who thought to ask for it all.”
“My husband,” I whispered, feeling dazed. “Holy heck, I’m Mrs. Landon Heath.”
“C’mon, Mrs. Heath,” Landon purred. “We have a limo waiting out front to take us to our hotel.”
I let him lead me to the car, climbing in when he opened the door for me and moving over to make room for him as he slid in behind me. “What about our stuff?”
“It’ll be waiting for us in our room since it’s already been dropped off at the hotel,” he answered, pulling yet another bottle of champagne from a bucket of ice and popping the cork.
“Don’t we need to check-in first?”
“Already taken care of.” He handed me a glass and poured himself another.
“That’s probably for the best,” I sighed, gesturing at my dress. “I’m sure we’d look a little strange arriving at registration dressed like this.”
“What would be strange about a bride and groom checking in to the honeymoon suite?”
“The honeymoon suite? Why would you book us into the honeymoon suite?” I hissed.
“Because it’s our wedding night.”
Oh, crap. He said ‘wedding night’ like it was supposed to mean something, even though our marriage was a farce. He didn’t really think anything was going to happen between us tonight, did he?
Chapter 4
Landon
“But, this isn’t a real marriage,” Zoe stressed.
I kept my expression neutral, trying to hide the irritation building every time she insisted our marriage was a farce. Patience had never been something I possessed much of. But, I was trying to go as slow as I could, let her get used to the idea of us before forcing her to accept the fact that we were forever.
“These people will dig into every part of your life, Zoe. We can’t have them checking with the hotel and seeing that we spent our wedding night in separate rooms.” I handed her a half glass of champagne and she took it with trembling fingers. She was obviously a little overwhelmed with everything and the alcohol would help calm her nerves. Also, it would only help my endeavor to have a real wedding night. It may make me a bastard, but I was going to take every advantage I could get.
“You really think they will be that thorough?” Her tone was a little skeptical, though, there was worry in her eyes.
“Do you want to take that chance?” I asked seriously, settling myself beside her and taking a sip of the cool champagne.
Her nose wrinkled adorably as she thought, then she shook her head and gulped her down her drink. I took her glass and set it on the bar running along one side of the car. She looked on expectantly, clearly waiting for me to refill it. Instead, I filled a tumbler with ice water and handed it over. I wanted her to have a pleasant buzz, not be drunk. She was going to remember every detail of our first night together.
Before she could argue, the limo glided to a stop in front of the Bellagio. I set both of our glasses aside and climbed out of the vehicle after the driver opened the door. Leaning in, I extended my hand to help her out as well. We were at the main entrance and she looked around at the crowds, immediately trying to shrink into my side.
I loved having her against me, but I let her go and took her hand. She was my gorgeous bride and I wanted to show her off. Every motherfucker there was going to get one chance to see what they would never have. Everyone would know who she belonged to.
Ushering her into the lobby, we were met by a concierge who personally led the way to our suite. Zoe wandered across the room to stare out at the view.
“Your dinner will arrive in an hour, Mr. Heath. Everything else you requested has been taken care of. Can I get you anything else?”
“No thank you”—I glanced at his name tag—“James.” I gave him a tip and barely heard the soft click of the door shutting as I made my way over to my wife. Wife. Fuck, that felt good.
Zoe’s arms were wrapped around her middle and she seemed to be mesmerized by the lights of The Strip. She was a vision in white satin, the fabric clinging beautifully to her small frame and her blonde hair twisted up. A quick peek at my watch showed that the fountain show would be starting any minute and I smiled to myself, knowing that it would dazzle her.
“C’mere, Blondie,” I murmured, holding my hand out to her. She looked at it like it was a snake and might bite her. I chuckled and stepped closer to slip an arm around her waist. “Relax, I just want to show you something.”
I guided her to the doors of our balcony and outside. Just as we reached the edge, music began to play and I pointed down to the display below. Zoe’s eyes grew wide with delight as she watched the lights and water dance to the crooning of Frank Sinatra. After a few minutes, I turned her in my arms, keeping one hand at her waist and lacing our fingers together with the other. Staring into her grassy green eyes, I began to move with the beat, slowly moving around the small space in a gentle waltz. Her expression softened and she seemed as enamored with me as I was with her at that moment.
Silently, I sent my mom a thank you for making sure her boy knew how to dance. We floated around until the song ended and the world around us turned quiet. Zoe sucked her bottom lip in and worried it between her teeth. I tugged on it with my thumb until she released it, then lowered my mouth onto hers.
The sweet atmosphere was shattered with a rush of hot desire. I had always known Zoe was mine, but as my tongue brushed hers, and her taste exploded on mine, I was hit with the reality of the situation. Now, she belonged to me in every way but one, and I intended to rectify that before the night was over.
I gripped her hips tightly and dragged her body flush against mine. My cock was straining against the zipper of my slacks and pressing into her stomach. I wanted her so fucking much and now that I was about to have her, I had to remind myself to savor and not just throw her on the bed and fuck her like a part of me wanted.
Zoe mewled as her hands slid up my arms to link behind my neck. Her body melted into me and I let go of her, only to bend slightly and sweep her up into my arms. Never losing the connection of our mouths, I stalked to the bedroom and set her back on her feet beside the bed. My hands palmed her ass and I slanted my head to deepen our kiss.
She was so sweet, tasting like cherry vanilla. I couldn’t wait to lick every sugary inch of her body. Leaving her plump lips, I trailed my tongue down her throat and her head fell back with a whimper. The sound went straight to my dick and it pulsed painfully. Since her dress fastened around the neck, I slipped the little button through the hole and the front fell to her waist.
Fucking hell. She hadn’t been wearing a bra. It was a damn good thing I hadn’t known that ahead of time. Her ripe tits were round and full, topped with berry colored nipples. The sight was so delicious, my mouth watered. She gasped and attempted to step back, but I wasn’t about to let her clear the fog of lust we were wrapped in. Bending low, I licked a circle around one hard peak and then over the tip before sucking it in my mouth.
“Landon!” she cried out.
“That’s right, baby,” I growled after letting her nipple go with a pop. “Call my name. Don’t ever forget who owns this body.”
She moaned and I went back to loving on her tits, giving each equal atten
tion. They were clearly a sensitive spot for her because Zoe’s moans escalated and her body practically vibrated with sexual tension. I was pretty sure that I could get her to come from that alone, but I wanted to taste the first orgasm I gave her.
I returned to her lips and kissed her thoroughly while I gently unzipped the rest of her dress and let it drop to pool at her feet. I took a step back to look her over. She took my fucking breath away.
“You are so much more than I dreamed,” I murmured reverently. Then I put a hand flat on her back and pulled her close, whispering in her ear, “And I’ve definitely dreamt about it. A lot.”
Leaning back, I looked into her glazed eyes. “You’ve imagined it too, haven’t you?”
Her cheeks bloomed and she glanced away before nodding shyly. I wanted to beat on my chest in victory. I knew what we had wasn’t one-sided, but it was so rewarding to make her admit it.
Grasping her ass, I lifted her up and laid her out on the bed. I ran a hand down the side of her face, her throat, between her breasts, over her flat belly, to the waistband of her lacy, virgin white panties with tiny little bows at the corners. She shivered as I dipped a finger underneath and traced it from one side to the other.
Running out of patience, I quickly stripped to my boxer briefs and climbed on the bed, hovering over her on my hands and knees. I kissed her softly, then my lips slowly followed the same path until I reached the apex of her thighs. She tensed and tried to close her legs, but I growled in warning and pushed them wide. I practically shoved my face into her pussy and took a deep breath.
“Don’t know how I’ll ever leave this sweet pussy, Blondie,” I grunted before licking a path up her center. Her underwear were saturated with her unique scent. “I had a bet with myself that you were blonde all over. Time to see if I win.”
My intention was to draw the panties down her legs, but I tugged a little too hard and the prim little bows at the corner snapped, tearing the seam. I tore the rest from her body and threw them aside.
I didn’t get proof of whether she was a natural blonde (though I really had no doubt), but I still won. Zoe was completely bare, her glistening, pink pussy on perfect display. Again, she attempted to close the gap between her legs and I lightly smacked her right between them at her core. “Keep them open, Zoe. Or, I’ll tie them open,” I snarled.
Not-So Temporarily Married Page 2
