Arranged

by Jennifer Kittredge

  She leaned in close to my face.

  “Listen to me, Sydney. Stay away from my husband. You’ve got enough on your hands with Sam. You better keep a tight leash on him, he’s known to wander. Oh, and if you can’t keep up with him in the bedroom, with his…shall we say, proclivities, you’ll be gone before you know it.”

  Lena grabbed, my arm squeezing it tight. Leaning close to my ear, she whispered, “You’ve been warned, Sydney. I only warn once.”

  With that, she dropped my arm, air-kissed me, turned, and walked away.

  I stood there, shaking with a mixture of rage, disbelief, and very real unease. What the hell just happened? Did Marcus really say I tried to come on to him? And what did she mean by Sam’s proclivities in the bedroom? What the hell had I gotten myself into?

  Still shaken when I returned home, I sat out back with Bear. I needed to clear my head and deal with a growing conviction that I shouldn’t go along with this plan anymore. Marcus and Lena were vile human beings. I did not want to be tangled up with either one of them. I grabbed a glass of wine to settle my nerves.

  “Oh, Bear. What have I done?”

  My phone rang, startling me from my thoughts, and of course, it was Sam, wondering where I was. I let it go to voicemail. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with him right now. My nerves were on edge, and I needed to gather my thoughts—and my courage—before I spoke with him. My heart leaned towards backing out of our deal. I know contracts had been signed, but I didn’t think I could handle a year of having to deal with Marcus and Lena. They were a nasty couple who deserved each other, but for all that, they were also people whom I did not want to be a part of my life.

  My phone rang again. I knew without looking who it was so simply ignored it.

  I can’t go through with this. My life was anything but complicated, and the more I got enmeshed with Sam, the more complicated my life became. I didn’t want it. I liked my quiet, dull life. With no expectations, each day was much of the same—and I didn’t have to deal with slimy psychopaths.

  I decided, in a fit of rebellion, to put my new bikini on and get some sun. I poured myself another glass of wine, grabbed my air pods, and made my way out to my back patio. Mumford and Sons blasted in my ear when I felt a presence beside me. I jumped.

  “What the fuck—Sam? You scared the shit out of me.”

  “And you lied, Sydney. You told me you knew how to lock your house up. Seems to me like you forgot to lock the gate to your back yard.”

  Bear, of course, betrayed me, jumping up and down, super excited to see Sam.

  “Hey there, big boy. How are you today?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “What are you doing here, Sam?”

  “I could ask you the same question. What are you doing here when you and Bear are supposed to be with me? We had plans.”

  “I changed my mind.”

  “What’s going on? You’re not yourself. Is it what happened with Marcus last night?”

  I shrugged. Now that the moment of confrontation had come, I felt oddly guilty and defensive—like I was the one in the wrong. I’d wanted to delay the moment until I’d found some clarity on my own and reached a decision without added pressure from him.

  “We’re supposed to be honest with one another in order for this to work, Sydney. Please. Share with me what’s bothering you?”

  “I ran into Lena today. Well…she actually saw me and made her presence known, I should say.”

  “Go on.”

  “She told me she knew what happened between Marcus and me last night, and I had better stay away from him, he’s a married man. He told her I came on to him, Sam. What kind of sick person does that?”

  “Marcus,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving mine. Something lurked in their emerald depths, something that triggered a shiver that traced up my spine. “Go on. I can’t imagine that’s all she said.”

  “Well, no. Then she told me I had enough to worry about with you, how you go through women quickly and if I wasn’t up to your ‘proclivities’ in the bedroom, then you’d dispose of me sooner rather than later.”

  Heat rushed to my cheeks. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, so I took another sip of wine, hating the fact that my hand trembled slightly.

  “And?”

  “And then she took my arm and squeezed it hard, while whispering in my ear that I had been warned and she only warns once. What the fuck is wrong with your family?”

  He was pissed. I could tell he was trying to keep himself in check, but the set of his tense jaw told me he struggled to control his anger.

  “I apologize for their poor behavior, Sydney. I had no idea they would set their sights on you like they have. I’ll speak with each of them to ensure they stay away from you. As for my ‘proclivities,’ there’s nothing you need to worry about since we both agreed to abstain for the time we are together. It doesn’t concern you.”

  “You apologize for their poor behavior? They’re horrible people, Sam. I feel completely violated by both of them. What am I getting myself into by agreeing to marry you? Is this what the next year and half will be like? I don’t know if I’m up for it, honestly.”

  Sam’s eyes widened.

  “Sydney, I would love it if you and Bear would come home with me tonight. We can talk more there. I’d like to sit down and discuss this with you, so that you can then decide what you’d like to do. If you decide you no longer want to move forward, I will burn the contracts and let you go.”

  “I’m just not sure, Sam. Honestly, it feels like too much. My quiet life has changed dramatically in the last week and a half. I don’t know if I can handle it, or if I even want to.”

  “Please, Sydney. Come home with me.”

  Looking into his eyes, I saw the sincerity there. Sam was a good man, unlike his cousin and his troll of a wife.

  I stayed quiet for a long time, weighing my options. If I said yes to going home with him, I was basically saying I’d stay in this business arrangement, something I still wasn’t sure I wanted. Then I thought of my mom and the debt hanging over my head and decided I could at least talk to him about this.

  “Okay. We’ll come home with you tonight. I’m not saying I’ll go through with it, but I’d appreciate some answers, so I can make my decision. This entire situation has me totally on edge.”

  “I’ll give you your answers.” He leaned forward, brushing my hair from my face.

  God, I couldn’t resist this man. What woman could ever say no to him?

  “Why don’t you go pack a bag? I’ll grab Bear’s leash, bowls, and food.”

  “Okay. I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”

  Sam’s eyes swept over my body and heat rushed to my cheeks. I’d forgotten I was in my bikini, having been so startled by his presence. I stood up shyly, put my cover-up on as casually as I could, and walked into the house. Packing a bag, I heard Sam talking to Bear.

  “You’ll love the pool, Bear. That is, if you like to swim. You’ll have a big back yard with plenty of room to run and chase balls. You’ll like that, won’t you, boy?”

  “I’m all set. I can follow you in my car.”

  “It’s fine. I can drive you.”

  “Sam, you don’t want Bear’s hair all over your car. You’ll never get it out. He sheds like crazy.”

  “I brought my SUV. There’s a dog blanket covering the back seat, just for Bear. He’ll be fine. A little dog hair never hurt anyone.”

  “Unless you’re the one having to vacuum it up.”

  “Touché, but I’m not, so it’s fine. Besides, it’s been a long time since I took a dog on a car ride.”

  That did it. Bear heard the words ‘car ride’ and began barking relentlessly.

  “What did I do?”

  “You said ‘car ride.’ He hears those words and won’t stop until he’s in the car.”

  “Then by all means, let’s go. I’ll lock up. Where are your keys?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Sam, I’m perfectly—”<
br />
  “You already said that and proved yourself wrong. If you had keyless entry, you wouldn’t have to worry about locating your keys all the time. Now, if you’ll allow me to check the house and make sure everything is locked up.”

  “Fine.” I grabbed Bear’s leash and headed out to the large black SUV. Bear jumped happily into the back seat and sat there, panting his enthusiasm onto the window. I thrust aside the thought of the drool he would inevitably leave behind. Sam walked out of my house two minutes later, hopped in the driver’s seat, and handed me my house keys.

  “Safe and sound,” he said as he pulled away from my house.

  Chapter Eight

  Sam parked his SUV under his carport. John was already out front, waiting to receive us.

  “Hello, Sydney.”

  “Hi, John. I hope you like dogs. This is Bear.”

  Bear bounded out of the car toward John, who got down on his knees to meet him at eye level.

  “Hello there, Bear. It’s nice to meet you.”

  He was given an enthusiastic tail-wag in response.

  “I’ll take him into the house and start showing him around.” John grabbed hold of the leash. “Come on, boy.”

  Bear followed happily, his tail wagging the entire time.

  “He really is a traitor.” I rolled my eyes, teasingly.

  “He merely knows good people when he meets them.”

  “I don’t think he’s met a person he hasn’t liked.”

  “I’m sure there are a few he wouldn’t like. You just don’t surround yourself with those types of people.”

  “True.” Hence my very real issues with Marcus and Lena.

  “Come. Let’s get you settled. I’ll show you the guest room so you can get comfortable.”

  We entered the house and took a left toward the stairs.

  “All the bedrooms are upstairs. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Why would I mind?”

  “Well, some people find stairs a nuisance.”

  “I actually like stairs. I count them as part of my workout.”

  Sam smirked at me with that sexy half grin.

  “This way, then.”

  We fell into silence as I followed him up the stairs onto the landing above, and he led me down a long hallway with many doors on either side. I wondered if they were all bedrooms.

  “Most of them are bedrooms,” Sam said, as if reading my mind. “One is my office as I wanted a view of the Bay when I worked from home. Another is a gym. Feel free to use it anytime since you like working out.” The corner of his lips fought a smile.

  “I loathe working out. I do it only because I like food so much.”

  “Well, it’s yours to use whenever you’re here. I want this place to feel like home to you.”

  “Sam, I’m honestly still having second thoughts. Your harassing cousin and his wife are a little more than I’m used to. I don’t know if I want to put up with them for the next year and a half.”

  “I told you I would handle both of them. Don’t worry. They won’t harass you any longer. Here you are.” He gestured as he opened the last door on the left.

  “Wow,” was all I could manage as my eyes took in the view before me. “Sam—” I stammered.

  We entered the room, a large corner space with beautiful bay windows along each wall, looking out over the back yard and the bay. “I’m in heaven.”

  “It’s yours for the time you are here.”

  “We’ll be sleeping in separate rooms?”

  “Yes. If you still go through with this, it’s a business arrangement. I’m already asking you to do so much. I don’t want to make you anymore uncomfortable than you already are.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  “I want you to feel at home here. I know you’ll be giving up a lot for me.” He paused, that emerald gaze searching my face as if looking for assurance that I wasn’t able to give. “When you’re ready for pool time, come down. I’m going to check on Bear and let you get settled.”

  Sam turned, closing the door softly as he left. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, staring out at the view before me, I gave myself a few moments to take it all in. It really was spectacular. The water was my happy place. For the next year a half, I could wake up to this view—if I chose to continue with our arrangement—and see the bay every morning. I knew he felt like I was giving up so much for him, but I was really gaining more than he was. I’d be living in this magnificent home and would have a ‘husband’ who was easy on the eyes and actually really fun to be with.

  Although, I thought with brutal honesty, I would have to keep my heart in check, constantly reminding myself that this was all a game. Too bad he made my heart race and my body react in ways it shouldn’t. If I did go through with this, I wondered if I would survive.

  Giving up on the growing list of misgivings that plagued my mind, I went down to the pool. I was pleasantly surprised to find Bear and Sam playing catch. My dog was soaked, running and jumping into the pool, and Sam laughed each time he did.

  “You’ll never get him to leave.”

  “I don’t want him to leave. He’s fun to have around.”

  Sam turned to look at me, his gaze making its way slowly up my body, which tingled in immediate response.

  “Why don’t you come in? The water is perfect.”

  “Okay. Be right there.”

  I walked slowly over to the lounge chairs to the left of the pool and dropped my book and beach bag on top of one. When the time came to take my cover-up off, sudden shyness overwhelmed me, leaving me breathless and unsure of myself. I could feel Sam’s eyes on me, even though I wasn’t facing him. Seriously, the man would be the end of me. I stiffened my shoulders, slipped off my cover-up, and strolled as casually as I could to the beach entry and dipped my toes in the water.

  “Oh!” I exclaimed. “Sam, this is not perfect. It’s chilly.”

  “What? You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s perfect. Come on, get in. You’ll get used to it in a minute.”

  Treading lightly so I could get acclimated to the water, I grimaced. The temperature was definitely not as perfect as Sam claimed it to be. Before I could take another step, he swam over, grabbed me, and dragged me underwater with him. I popped up, breathless, grateful that I’d managed to snap my mouth closed over my instinctive shriek before I gulped water.

  “Sam!”

  Laughing hysterically, he took two steps forward to wrap me in his arms.

  “I’m sorry.” A devilish look danced in his eyes. “I couldn’t resist.”

  Dipping his head, he captured my mouth with his, catching me off guard. I opened timidly for him, and he deepened our kiss. My need intensified around a vague awareness that it had been a long time since anyone has kissed me like that. Actually, I didn’t think anyone had ever kissed me like that. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing myself closer to him.

  Sam swept me into his arms and carried me over to the beach entry, where he set me down in the water, continuing to kiss me. Our tongues danced around one another, our mouths entwined, fitting together perfectly as if they had done this thousands of times before. Both of us were desperate with need, our desire palpable, a heady cocktail overflowing with arousal. Sam tore his mouth from mine, leaving me breathless, giving me a moment to gather my thoughts.

  “Bear!” Sam yelled.

  Coming back to reality, I heard the shout and turned quickly to the sound of growling behind me. Sam sprinted out of the pool toward Bear. I immediately froze when I saw the object of Bear’s animosity.

  “Well, isn’t this a nice surprise.”

  Sam grabbed Bear’s collar, but the dog continued to growl in a way I heartily approved of.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Marcus? You know you are not welcome here.”

  Marcus’ dark eyes bored into Sam’s. For long moments, they remained locked in that silent exchange of animosity.

  “Get out, Marcus. As I mentioned a moment ago, you ar
e not welcome here.”

  Bear continued to snarl at Marcus. I’d never seen him behave this way in all his life, though a small part of me was both impressed and delighted.

  “I apologize, Mr. Andrews. He pushed past me when I answered the door,” John said.

  “John, if you’ll please escort my dear cousin back out the front door. He is not a welcome guest.”

  “Of course, Mr. Andrews.”

  “Oh, but my dear cousin, I think you want to hear what I have to say.”

  “There is nothing you have to say that I could possibly want to hear.”

  “I’ll think you’ll disagree. Grandfather is in the hospital. It looks like he doesn’t have much time. Pity for you.”

  “Get out Marcus. Now.”

  I flinched at the shout that came out of Sam. Bear immediately plunked his behind down, still growling at Marcus. When he turned to leave, Sam had to hold the dog in check, and I almost wished he hadn’t. I got out of the pool and walked slowly toward them.

  “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?” I said as I wrapped my arms hesitantly around him from behind. He turned slowly, taking me in his arms.

  “Marry me this week, Sydney. I know if I tell my grandfather we’re getting married, he’ll hold on. I can pull some strings with a marriage license. Please. I can’t let Marcus win. He’ll ruin everything my grandfather built.”

  I wrestled with my emotions before answering. Just a few hours ago, I was sure I wouldn’t go through with this. Now, he was asking me to marry him this week. Could I do it? Visions of Marcus and his vile wife flashed before my eyes. I didn’t want to let them win. I hesitated before speaking but knew I would say yes. I wanted Sam to win and I wanted to be there when he did.

  “All right.”

  “All right?”

  “Yes, I’ll marry you this week, Sam.”

  “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  He leaned down, kissing me tenderly. Bear barked at us, still a little hyped up by his run in with Marcus.

  “Hey there, big boy. You are quite the protector, aren’t you?”

  “Sam, he’s never done that before in his life. He must have sensed the evil in Marcus. It oozes out of him.”