“You look beautiful babe.” I took her hands in mine and leaned in for a kiss that had the crowd whistling and clapping. “That dress is stunning.” I stole another kiss and she giggled.
Her smile dimmed just the littlest bit. “What about the boots?”
My lips curled into a smile. “You’ll wear the boots all night. Got it?”
Her green eyes went wide and she nodded. “Okay,” she answered breathlessly.
“Ahem,” the pastor said, looking impatient under the burning Texas sun. “Are we ready to begin?”
“Sure are,” Clara answered and squeezed my hand with a wink. “Let’s get married.”
The service was just as Clara had requested, fast and with as little fuss as possible. There were no speeches or verses read, just a quick vow and exchange of rings and I was sharing my first kiss with my wife.
“Surely we can do better than that,” she challenged against my lips, making the folks in the front row laugh.
“Hell yeah we can.” I smiled and tilted her back so she was at my mercy, sliding one hand through her hair while the other held her low on her back I kissed her until we were spinning out of control. Her tongue did wicked things to mine and I felt my body going tense. Everywhere. “Sweetheart we still have to walk up this aisle.”
She pressed against me wickedly and smiled. “I guess we better stick close then?” She took my hand and lead me up the aisle, staying close as promised so her dress mostly covered my body as well.
“I love you,” I told her when we made it inside the house, feeling happier than ever that she was mine and we’d decided to get married at home.
“I love you too Asher. Do you think we have time to go upstairs?”
I laughed and pulled her into my arms so our bodies were pressed tight. It turned me on knowing I’m the only lover she’s ever had, but seeing how much she wanted me was better than that.
“Since Dolly and Mom will have that photographer taking pictures of us until the end of time, probably not.”
She pouted adorably and stole another kiss. “I guess you’ll have to wait to see the lingerie I bought for tonight, then.”
I couldn’t help but groan. Since discovering how much I loved to see her in silky, lacy things, Clara had been on a mission to drive me crazy. “We have the rest of our lives.”
Her smile softened and she laid one hand over my heart. “We do.”
“There you love birds are! The photographer is waiting for you at the most perfect spot!” My mom Nina gushed as she walked in holding her first grandchild with whom she was completely smitten.
“There’s my sweet baby girl,” I cooed and took Maggie from her arms. My Maggie was the perfect blend of me and Clara. She had Clara’s fiery red hair and her spunk but she had my blue eyes and contemplative nature. She never rushed forward like most babies, she took in the situation before making a decision. Just like me.
Maggie smiled at the sound of my voice and curled into my neck where I could inhale her baby smell. She looked up at me, cooing and talking her baby nonsense that Clara insisted were real words.
“Yeah, I think your mama looks gorgeous today too,” I told her, loving the way she tilted her head to the side as though she understood.
“Oh hush up Asher,” Clara admonished and dropped a kiss on both of us before leaving with my mom.
I just smiled at my daughter and held her close, singing low and deep to her. “I love you baby girl.”
She cooed right back and in that moment, I understood exactly what Clara had been saying. Maggie didn’t know the words but she was responding to us in her own way.
Clara
“I should have known this dress wouldn’t make it the whole day.” I’d always been cursed when it came to wearing white. Either I spilled something, someone else did, or my energetic daughter decided barbecue sauce was a perfect substitute for finger paint.
“I’m kind of glad it didn’t. Now I don’t have to wait until tonight.” Asher sat on the edge of the bed in our room, watching me with a heated gaze as I shimmied out of my wedding dress.
“See something you like?” Now that I was sure of myself and our love I found myself feeling bolder with him. With my hands on my hips I let him look his fill, my body tightening in certain areas under the weight of his gaze.
“I don’t know, come closer so I can see better.”
I let him tug me closer until I stood between his legs. I ran my fingertips over his stubble covered jaw and felt myself grow wet with desire. His fingers traced the tops of my cleavage before his hands skimmed down my waist and settled on my hips.
“You wore garters for me. And stockings.” Asher’s hands smoothed over my legs and I knew I’d chosen right for our first night as husband and wife.
“I did,” I gasped when his fingers brushed against my swollen, sensitive core. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it almost as much as I love you,” he growled and let one finger slip inside my body. “And I love these panties. Easy access,” he whispered in my ear and I shivered.
“Now you see why I was hoping to sneak away.” Even shopping online I was embarrassed to order crotchless panties, but Asher’s reaction made it all worth it.
“Come here,” he commanded and lifted me so I took his place on the bed. Then his mouth was on me and I couldn’t think of anything but the pleasure he constantly brought me. Our sexual relationship had been a revelation to me. I didn’t have to be shy, and Asher was up for trying anything I thought we might like.
“Asher,” I moaned to let him know I was close and he plunged two fingers deep inside me while he sucked on my clit and I fell apart. “Please,” I panted because the more I had of him the more I craved.
“Anything for you, Clara. I thought you knew.” He winked and slid inside me, pumping hard and fast until we were both little more than a pile of sweat slicked bodies.
“Alright,” I began breathlessly, “I’m willing to concede that barbecue on the dress worked out pretty dang good.”
Asher laughed and pressed a kiss to my neck. “Barbecue sauce could be interesting,” he moaned against the sensitive skin behind my ear.
“I’ll stick with the caramel sauce. It’s tastes good and when combined with you I can’t help but lick it all.” I laughed when he groaned because I knew he was remembering that night I used an entire bottle of caramel sauce on his body.
“Best. Night. Ever.” Asher stood and I watched his movements, wishing he was wearing fewer clothes. “Come on, we still have to cut the cake.”
“You do that and I’m gonna take a bath.”
He closed his eyes and groaned. “Don’t,” he warned.
“Fine,” I pouted though I really didn’t mean it. I was feeling way too good to worry about anything besides when I could get my husband alone again. I grabbed a yellow dress dotted with Texas bluebells and slid it over my head. “All good?”
Asher smiled. “You’re beautiful Clara. I don’t know what I did to deserve the love of a woman like you, but I’m so damn glad you love me back.”
He was the sweetest man I ever met and he was all mine. “I do love you Asher and now you’re mine forever.”
“I think I’ve been yours since the day we met.”
We laughed because he couldn’t stand me then and we both know it. “Maybe it was when you ate my food for the first time.”
“You do have great buns.”
“Ha ha,” I faked laughed with his double entendre. “You only married me for my cooking skills.”
His smile dropped. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Asher grabbed me around the waist and pressed a kiss to my cleavage. “I married you for your body.”
I could only laugh again. He made me feel beautiful every. “I’m sure.”
“I did and I’m willing to prove it to you again if you need me to. Cake can wait.”
I stepped back with a horrified look on my face. “Did you just say cake can wait?”
“I did.”
I shook
my head in resignation but inside I was dying of laughter. “Who did I just marry?” I grabbed his hand and pulled him down the stairs and through the kitchen where Dolly, Nina, the entire town of Rogue and everyone else we knew waited for us. “Cake can wait!” I mumbled and shook my head again.
“There you are,” Dolly scolded while Nina stood beside her shaking her head.
“You have the rest of your lives to do that, cut the cake.” Nina Hawthorne was strong-willed and bossy, and I loved her to pieces. I was lucky to get a mother-in-law I loved after hearing a few horror stories from my new friends in town.
Asher stepped forward and grabbed my hand. “Apparently cutting the cake can not wait,” he winked at me as he spoke to the crowd. “Thank you all for coming out to celebrate me getting this amazing woman to marry me. I’m a lucky man and I know that, it’s the only logical reason we have many dang cakes on this table.” Everyone laughed because it was a ridiculous display of cakes but the caterer brought two large sheet cakes plus the wedding cake while every woman in Rogue had also brought her specialty cake. “Clara, I hope we spend the rest of our lives eating cake and celebrating our love and accomplishments every single day.”
I couldn’t help the tears that fell at his heartfelt words. “You’re my cake Asher.”
His gaze darkened and he leaned in for a fiery kiss that probably melted some of the frosting on the table. “When you say things like that to me babe, you have to know what it does.”
I smiled. Of course I knew. “I’ll make it up to you later. With chocolate frosting.” I winked and he groaned. “Now let’s give these people what they want!” The crowd clapped and the cowboys whistled and hollered in appreciation of our display.
Asher cut a square of cake and we split it in half, holding it up to feed one another. “I can’t smash this in your face Clara.” He could be so sweet at times it melted my heart.
“Me either,” I told him and grabbed his wrist. Instead of eating the cake, I licked the remnants from his fingers.
“Your turn,” I told him, ignoring his warning as I smoothed a streak of frosting across my neck. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back while his tongue slicked across my neck, and it quickly turned into a kiss. A suck.
A quiver shot through my body as desire overcame me. I leaned against the table until I felt something cool against my butt. “Oh no,” I fake pouted, “I got frosting on my dress.”
Asher’s gaze darkened and his lips twitched at my horrible acting. “I’m sorry sweetheart, I guess this means we have to get you changed again.”
I smiled. “You’re the best husband a girl could have.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
We made our way back to the house, to the bedroom where we couldn’t seem to get enough of each other.
I knew that years, decades from now when this house is full of love, and laughter and children, when our hair was grey, we would still be sneaking off to be alone.
Together.
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Sneak Peek: Her Fake Fiancé Billionaire Boss
Chapter 1
Everything would be fine. At worst, she would end up laughing and assume he was pulling her leg or at best she would take the offer without another question.
Justin Dunne's workday was coming to an end. Any minute now his assistant Jennifer would be coming to let him know she’s heading home for the day. And when she did, he would conjure up the nerve to ask her what he had wanted to ask her all day. The worst part is that he didn’t have enough fingers or toes to count how many times he had to rephrase his question. He suddenly felt small in his large office, dreading what he was about to do. But what was the worst that could happen? If she said no, she would just leave and show up to work the next day like nothing happened. Maybe. She could also assume the worst and think this was his way of sexually harassing her.
But if she said yes, his plan would work perfectly.
Would this count as sexual harassment? He contemplated this as he sat at his desk drumming his fingers impatiently on its surface. Irritated he stood up and walked around his desk to sit on the edge, but no pose could erase the sense of doom that lingered on the border of his mind. He took a deep steadying breath and said, “Everything would be fine, just breath, ask her what you want and let the chips fall where they may.”
There was a slight knock on his door, and he quickly moved around to sit behind his desk again, trying his best to look at ease.
“Come in!” he called and cleared his throat. His tongue felt thick in his mouth.
With her purse in hand and her coat dangling over her arm, she walked into his office and smiled, and Justin stood up. It was not an out of the ordinary gesture, since he was taught etiquette by his mother from the day he was able to stand. You always stood up in the presence of a lady. But right now, he felt awkward to say the least.
"Mr. Dunne, I’m heading home now, is there anything else you need me to handle before I go?”
He nodded and reached for a pile of files, then motioned for her to sit, “Actually there is…” he started, but his courage hung on a thread over a gaping chasm waiting to swallow it whole.
“Of course,” she said, her smile fading ever so slightly.
He couldn’t blame her, of all the staff; she’s always the one who stayed behind to tie up his loose ends. Over time he had grown so used to it that he had taken her for granted. Sooner or later she was going to get fed up or find the love of her life who will insist she worked her nine to five day and focus on a relationship, or worse a family.
"How have you been?” he asked wanting to kick himself, he never asks her how she is, why start now?
Jennifer looked at him quizzically as she tilted her head, “Is there something wrong?”
Instead of sitting down, he rounded his desk and walked past her and headed for his personal mini-bar. Which, low and behold, thanks to Jennifer, was always stocked with drinks. If he wanted to he could live in his office and not have any reason to leave. He had a closet full of clean work clothes, a bathroom, a bar and a single phone call could have any meal of his choice brought to his office.
"Drink?" he asked, as he poured himself a glass of bourbon.
The bar was near a floor to ceiling window that gave him a magnificent view of the city when he looked out of it; just one of the perks of having a penthouse office. The view was breathtaking but the vertigo-inducing height didn’t help his trepidation right then.
Justin regarded her where she sat with her legs crossed causing her skirt to ride up slightly, it wasn’t not enough to be inappropriate, but enough to catch his eye and distract him without any intention. He was professional but he was not blind. Jennifer's hair was a rich chestnut tone, with lighter brown highlights throughout. She was of average height and even in heals, she was still quite a bit shorter than him. Being on the swimming team in high school and college had given her an athletic build, which emphasized a generous chest that her conservative work blouses did not hide.
Jennifer sat at the desk watching her boss's back as he poured himself a drink.
"No, I'm fine thank you, but what is this about sir?" she asked again. She was sure that she had done everything he expected to the book, and if she had missed anything at all, surely he would follow the proper procedure and let HR handle any enquiries. In fact, he had never appeared so casual and so completely strange all at once. Mr Dunne was always in control, the epitome of sheer class and caliber. Something serious must be on his mind. And she had a sinking feeling it somehow involved her. And that she might possibly find it unpleasant.
With his back turned against her, she took a moment to admire him; it was what every woman in the entire building did when he wasn’t watching. His jacket, vest and tie had been di
scarded on the leather sofa against the wall, and he had rolled his sleeves up. He had thick, sinewy forearms, which were certainly not built from hours of pencil pushing and corporate meetings. He worked out, once again, no secret. Come to think of it, she knew almost every detail of his life, from his favorite coffee to his preferred restaurant. She knew he had his own private gym and he had his own personal trainer. On that level, he was an open book.
She worried her lip as he turned around, and feigned absolute patience as she waited for him to tell her what this was all about.
"You know about the deal with Pryor?" he said walking slowly past her as he rounded the desk.
"He's the one you want to buy the property from in Midtown," she responded and re-crossed her legs.
"That's right. He's shown additional interest in becoming an investor with us."
"That's fantastic!”
She was excited for him, but not quite sure where the whole cloak and dagger routine was headed. If he wanted a scheduled meeting with Pryor or whatever else, he could easily have asked her to do it in the morning. It wasn't that she didn't take her work seriously but she had a life, and that was in her one bedroom apartment, with her cat Ratchet having a love affair with her favorite TV series. Her workday was over and she couldn't wait to go home and kick her shoes off.
"It is. I'm having him over to my house for dinner to discuss the deal.” He paused, swirling the rich amber liquid around his glass.
She shifted in the chair and set her purse down, "Do you want me to schedule it? Get in contact with him? Send a car over?"
"No, none of that, I actually have a favor to ask you. You see Jennifer... there’s no easy way to say this…”
"What is it?" she asked, mulling over his very strange behavior.
"Well, I invited Mr Pryor for dinner on Friday, to talk about the deal and to introduce him to my fiancée."
He was engaged?! That morsel of information was a surprise. And somewhat deflating, though Jennifer cared not to examine that feeling right now. He never mentioned his fiancée in all her time working as his PA and now out of the blue, he was going to host a dinner and introduce her to a business partner. She clearly underestimated him; he wasn’t just a drab of a boss married to his work. He had a heart. She couldn’t wait to tell the others and watch their hopes and dreams shatter into a billion pieces.
Sinful Takeover_An Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 39
