Secret Wife

by Mia Carson

  It couldn’t be anything more.

  Jaylyn screamed and covered her face as the little girl screamed and raced across the hall to attack the people in the other room. Walker was there with her, clutching the throw pillow tighter to his chest as he looked away.

  “Why did we think this was a good idea?” she muttered and smacked his arm playfully.

  “What? You said you’d be down for watching any movie.”

  “So you pick a horror movie about a doll? I hate you right now. I really, really hate you.” She jumped again a few moments later and he laughed, draping his arm around her shoulders.

  “I’ll keep you safe.”

  “I’m glad you don’t own any dolls.” He glanced down at her, then away. “What? You don’t, do you?”

  Despite her worries for what this evening was really about, when Walker came home and their evening started with beers and pizza, she relaxed and went with the flow of the evening. He was fun and she was so comfortable around him, as if they’d been friends for years, not months. They’d started far apart on the couch, but as the movie became terrifying, Jaylyn found herself cuddling into his side as he cackled at her expense…until he jumped and cursed too. He was so warm and cozy to be beside that she hadn’t found the urge to move back to the other side of the couch and give them some distance. He didn’t attempt to move the other way either, so they sat on the middle of the couch, her with her legs pulled up beneath her and his propped on the ottoman.

  For the remainder of the movie, Jaylyn kept one hand covering her eyes in case it got too scary and Walker’s arm stayed on her shoulders. As the credits rolled, they looked at each other and decided a more light-hearted movie was needed before they could attempt to go to sleep. She flipped through the channels and landed on a romantic comedy she hadn’t seen before.

  “I’m never watching a scary movie with you again,” she murmured and waited for him to scoot away from her, but he didn’t. She thought about it and made a move to, but his hand fell to her shoulder and drew her closer to his side as if on instinct. He stared at the TV, either not realizing he’d done it or waiting to see what she would do.

  “I thought it was quite enjoyable,” he announced. “We should make it a weekly tradition.”

  “Should we now?”

  “Why not? I haven’t had such a relaxing evening in months, and I have a feeling neither have you.”

  She couldn’t argue with that. “Walker?”

  “Yes, my lady?”

  She grinned. He called her that earlier, too. She didn’t want to like it, but she did. It sent a pleasant thrill down her spine, hearing him address her so formally. The words she wanted to hear slipped from her mind and she fumbled, her thumb digging into her opposite palm as her nerves spiked. She sighed, desperate to get back what she’d rehearsed all afternoon about her reasons why they shouldn’t let this, whatever it was, go any further.

  His hand suddenly closed over hers, stopping her bad habit. He lifted her chin and their eyes met, making her breath catch. Her heart thudding in her chest, she licked her lips, and he watched the movement, scooting even closer.

  “Walker,” she breathed as she moved towards him like a magnet being pulled.

  “Jaylyn,” he replied softly, cupping her face. His thumbs brushed her cheeks and she forgot why this was a bad idea. She closed the distance between them and kissed him hot and heavy as he pulled her easily onto his lap.

  His hands held her ass as they kissed without worry or care for what they were getting themselves into. Jaylyn didn’t think she could stop now that they had crossed the line. She wanted him, plain and simple. From the way he held onto her, the feeling was mutual. His kisses trailed down her neck to her collarbone as she tugged at his hair and heat pulsed through her body. She felt his erection harden in his jeans as she straddled his lap, and being with him was now a necessity. His hands moved up beneath her sweater, each touch of his fingers pressing into her back driving her want for him even more. She kissed him, their tongues dancing to a frantic beat as he surprised her with his strength and picked her up as he stood.

  Without a word, he carried her to the stairs and ascended them, their path slow as the dogs ran around their legs, thinking they were playing.

  When Jaylyn had first arrived, she thought she would hate every day working for him, hate being in the same house with him. But those feelings had been thrown to the curb when he showed her the man he truly was. She hadn’t wanted to admit it before, but she was falling for this man with every kiss, every soothing, hot touch of his hands on her body, with every step closer to his bedroom.

  They laughed as Strider jumped up, trying to get into his arms with Jaylyn, and he had to set her on her feet. They weren’t in the bedroom yet, but she pressed him into the wall so she could kiss him again, tugging at his t-shirt until he lifted his arms and she shoved it over his shoulders. It dropped to the floor and she was finally able to admire his well-toned abs and pecs. She ran her fingers along those abs and lower, following the light trail of sandy hair leading into his jeans. As her hands moved to his hips and she stood on her toes to cover his lips with hers again, she worried they were moving way too fast. They’d only kissed twice and were going to have sex?

  The idea of pulling away now made her long to have him back again.

  He ran his hands through her hair as the passionate kiss turned to so much more. He removed her sweater from her body and slid the straps of her bra down her arms, one after the other. Goosebumps covered her flesh at his light touch and the hunger burning in his eyes as he stared at the slopes of her breasts about to be laid bare before his eyes. He reached around and unhooked her bra easily, letting it fall away. He practically growled in approval and lowered his mouth to kiss and suckle her before she had a chance to brace for the intensity of the raw desire flowing into her from him. She was in his arms again as he carried her the rest of the way to his bedroom and laid her on his bed, following her down.

  Walker’s kisses were so intense, they resonated deep, and she wanted him buried within her. He kissed his way from one breast to the other, suckling hard on her nipples as she squirmed beneath him. His tongue did not play fair, swirling around the hardened points of sensitive pink flesh as her hands clung to the sheets, grasping for anything to hold onto. He slid down her body and painstakingly unbuttoned her shorts, revealing black panties beneath. He grabbed the tops of both at her hips and with his eyes locked onto hers, dragged them down her ass and legs so she was naked before him. Jaylyn wasn’t close to shy, not with him, not as his gaze raked over her flesh and promised so much pleasure tonight.

  Jaylyn wanted him to strip out of his jeans and join her, but when he spread her legs, it wasn’t his cock he filled her with. His fingers glided along her swollen, throbbing lips, driving her to the edge. She tried to shift closer, but he didn’t let her have what she wanted yet.

  When she was about to complain that teasing wasn’t nice, he went down on her, sucking her clit hard as his fingers thrust inside her body. They twisted as they thrust, rubbing perfectly on her g-spot as if he knew exactly where it was before he even started kissing her. The moan quickly became a cry of pure ecstasy as his mouth worked against her bead, terrorizing the nerves as his fingers filled her, stretching her even wider. Her gut told her Walker would be a good lover, but she had no idea he’d be this intense. She thrashed on the bed, her hips bucking as she rode his mouth, not caring what she looked like lost in the throes of passion.

  As she rode the waves of the orgasm, he licked the length of her before his tongue replaced his fingers. Her body couldn’t be ready for another one, but the moment he thrust that muscle within her sheath, she was right on the edge again and tumbling head over heels.

  “Too much,” she gasped as he held her hips, dragging her further down the bed. “Want…want you,” she pleaded as her body trembled with another rush of pleasure. “Walker.”

  He pulled back and she sank to the bed until she heard clothe
s rustling and sat up again. He was naked, his cock bobbing. She wanted it. God, did she want him and his impressive form standing at the foot of his bed. She reached out and wrapped her hands around the burning hot shaft. His grunt of pleasure made her lick her lips before she closed her mouth around the tip. He smoothed back her hair and watched intently as his cock disappeared into her mouth, but as much fun as she hoped to have with him, he removed himself from her grasp and they tumbled back onto the bed, wrapping arms and legs around each other in their desperate need to be close.

  There was no room for words, no spare breath as they moved as one being until finally coming together in a mad rush of thrusting bodies and grasping hands. He spread her legs wide with his knee, and Jaylyn was more than swimming through a world of ecstasy. She was home. With Walker holding her close as he kissed her fiercely and his hips moved faster and faster, she was home. He rolled them again and she was on top, riding him hard as his hands cupped her breasts, tugging and teasing her nipples until she threw her head back on a cry. A fire in the kitchen wouldn’t have any heat compared to the inferno growing between them in the sheets.

  When she shuddered and collapsed to his chest with a scream of release, he rolled them over again and finished with another powerful thrust home, burying himself completely inside her as his groan joined her cries. He fell to her side and they lay beside one another, covered in a fine sheen of sweat and panting for air. When she found his gaze, they started to laugh, and the laughing turned into hysterics as he drew her close, kissing her up and down her neck and on her cheeks, tickling her sides. The dogs leapt up in bed with them, and Jaylyn forgot Walker was the son of the man who had ruined her family. That he was her enemy and her boss.

  Instead, she saw only the man she’d been waiting for all this time. A man she could be herself around and enjoy life with. Whatever worries she had for their future would be set aside and dealt with tomorrow. Tonight, she would take her parents’ advice and live.

  Walker grunted in his sleep, stretching carefully as he yawned and grinned at how worn out, physically, he was. Mentally, he was ready to take on whatever life threw his way next. Jaylyn mumbled in her sleep as she rolled over to her stomach, hugging his pillow close. The sheet slipped down her body, and he gazed at her back, a back he knew quite well.

  He’d been ready to hold off on making any moves, but during the movie, they found their way to each other until neither could resist. Softly, he kissed her back and she smiled, still asleep. He rested easily beside her, the three dogs snoring around the room. He couldn’t be with another woman, not after this night. He finally saw the fun, carefree side of Jaylyn, and that was all he wanted to see. No stress, no worry about him marrying someone he loathed so she could get her restaurant back. No matter how this went down, he would find a way to get her what she deserved and make her his. The road ahead was far from clear, but he’d be damned if he didn’t try his hardest to make her happy. She belonged with him. After one night, he knew it deep in his soul. Jaylyn was meant for him and no one else.

  She rolled over again and snuggled into his chest as he held her. His eyes slipped shut and he drifted back into a restful sleep.

  12

  A phone rang close by. Walker grunted and buried his face in the pillow, but it kept ringing and ringing and ringing. A pillow whacked him in the head and he bolted upright, confused. Last night came back to him—even more exciting than the previous night—and he spied a naked Jaylyn ready to hit him again, still looking half-asleep herself.

  “Phone,” she said through a yawn. “It’s like the tenth time they’ve called.”

  “Who is it?”

  “No idea, but I’m going back to sleep.” She tugged the comforter around her and disappeared beneath the blankets, leaving Walker to scrounge around on the floor for his jeans to find his cell. “Hello?”

  “There you are,” a furious voice answered him. “Walker? What’s going on?”

  Shit, I should’ve looked, he thought glumly as he rubbed the back of his head.

  “Nothing, I’m fine. Georgette, why are you calling so early?” He heard the covers rustling in the bed and winced. He shouldn’t have said her name aloud.

  “Why? Do you not remember what today is?”

  He rubbed his face, trying to catch up to the morning, and cursed when he remembered the grand opening was today. He’d promised Georgette a private tour of the lodge and restaurant before the festivities kicked off that afternoon. “Yes, I remember. I’m slightly out of sorts, is all. It will be a very busy day.”

  He heard feet hit the floor and watched as Jaylyn wrapped the sheet around her body and disappeared into the master bathroom, closing the door behind her before he could say a word. He climbed back up to sit on the edge of the bed, wishing Georgette hadn’t called him. All day yesterday, he’d thought about what to tell Jaylyn, and he could tell by the look in her eyes, she was torn, too. They had a great connection, but both teetered on the edge of not wanting to fall into each other’s arms again and get caught up in the moment. Somehow, they’d wound up back in his bedroom, forgetting about their worries and how badly this could end.

  “Yes, it is. Do you still have time to pick me up or should I meet you there?”

  Walker watched the bathroom door, waiting impatiently for it to open again so he could talk to Jaylyn. “Uh…meet me there if you could. I’m running behind, I’m afraid.”

  “Meet you there? I wasn’t really asking, Walker.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time. Please meet me there? I promise I’ll make it up to you today.”

  “You’d better,” she muttered and hung up.

  He tossed his cell on his bed and held his face in his hands, wondering what he should do. Jaylyn hadn’t come out of the bathroom yet, so he decided it was time to go in after her. The water wasn’t running when he knocked and she called for him to come in.

  “Sorry, I’ll be out in a second,” she said, not even looking at him. “I know you need to get going.”

  “Wait a second,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist, but she slipped from his hold. “Jaylyn.”

  “No, it’s fine. The last two nights were fun,” she said brightly, but he heard the annoyance in her voice. Whether it was at herself or him, he couldn’t decide. “But we both know this is nothing more than a fling.”

  It couldn’t have been worse if she sucker-punched him in the gut. “A fling?”

  “Yeah. I’m bringing us back to reality. You’re an Allard and I’m your in-home cook.”

  “I think you’re a bit more than that and you know it. I know you do,” he argued, but she backed away from him towards the door.

  She smiled, but it failed to reach her eyes. “Look, this is fun what we have going here. I’m not saying let’s not keep this going.”

  “The fling, you mean,” he said to clarify. “You want to what, be friends with bennies?”

  “Why not? We’re adults,” she pointed out. “And that way, no one gets hurt. We don’t get wrapped up in emotions and then shit gets messy. It’ll be easier.” She was rambling and Walker tried to follow, but she rushed past him and out the door.

  “What the bloody hell just happened?” he muttered to his confused reflection.

  He showered and dressed, stuck in a daze. He was ready to fight for what he felt for Jaylyn, but she backed down from it like she was scared. Scared of what? Walker didn’t want to admit Douglas could be right and him trying to start a very complicated relationship with Jaylyn while she dealt with her father and the restaurant was too much. He had to find a way to make her understand what he was willing to risk. He knew what he’d experienced the last two days and it was far from simply lust. Since she’d worked for him, they’d grown closer as friends first, something that had happened with no other woman before her.

  Once he was ready for the grand opening, he made his way downstairs, but Jaylyn wasn’t in the kitchen.

  “She left,” Douglas called from the dini
ng room.

  “I thought her truck wasn’t working,” he said when he reached the man.

  “She borrowed my car. Said she needed to get to the store today.”

  “Sure she did,” he muttered.

  “Did something happen?”

  Walker didn’t have time to fill Douglas in. “No, nothing at all. I’ll see you this evening.”

  “Good luck today, sir. I’m sure your father will be very proud of you.”

  Walker was sure Leo would be his usual serious self, no matter what the good news was about the lodge having every room booked and the restaurant reserved both nights of the weekend already. Leo Allard wouldn’t even congratulate Walker. No, he’d wait until they were a few months in and the restaurant hadn’t fallen down around him. Then, maybe, he would tell his son what a grand job he did all on his own. A drive he’d been looking forward to yesterday now made him anxious and fighting himself on turning around to go find Jaylyn instead. She acted like she had to be strong all the time. It had to be why she wasn’t willing to try.

  He’d suck it up and get through the day, but when he saw her again, he wouldn’t let her walk out on him, not until he told her exactly how he felt.

  “How does the food look? Nothing’s been sent back, right?”

  “Will you calm down,” Hannah said through the phone. “John is doing a great job and it’s packed.”

  “Walker did Frankie a favor for helping me move,” she explained, pacing anxiously around the kitchen. “Y’all are sure everything’s going well? Nothing’s on fire or something and you’re just trying to keep me sane?”

  Hannah sighed. “I thought you wanted it to do well.”

  “I do,” she confessed, thinking of how confused and almost hurt Walker appeared that morning when she hurried out of the bathroom. She had to get out of the house and clear her head. She intended to check on her parents, but after texting her mom, found they were not at home and walking through the park up north instead. She’d driven around for another hour, filled Douglas’ car up with gas, and finally deemed it safe to return to the house. “Can you see him at all?”