by Tawny Weber
Epilogue
MARNI HAD THOUGHT TELLING Hunter she loved him was scary. And she’d been crazy nervous over his reaction to her new career focus, and his special place at the center of it. But those nerves, that fear, had nothing on the acrobatics going on in her stomach at that very moment. It was like butterflies, bats and dragons were square-dancing.
“I really shouldn’t be here,” she murmured from her safe, cozy spot in the passenger side of the car, her seat belt still firmly in place despite the fact that Hunter had shut off the car and had one hand on the door latch.
“Of course you should. Besides the birthday bash, we need to celebrate you helping me put Burns away for life.” Hunter gave her a knowing look, then reached over to unwrap her fingers from themselves, so her hand was twined with his instead. “This is my family. I want them to meet you. To know the woman I’m in love with. And I want you to meet them.”
“I get that your father is family,” she said, half turning in her seat to give him a curious look. “But I didn’t realize you were related to the Black clan. I found a ton of information on them when I was researching the articles.” A ton was an understatement. “I know you were college roommates with the oldest sibling, Caleb, right? Is that why you consider them family? Because of that?”
“The connections crisscross and bisect. My father spent half of his career trying to nail Tobias Black. Somewhere along the way, they became tight friends. But you know that. You wrote the profile.” After giving her an appreciative smile, Hunter glanced at the house, a two-story Victorian complete with fancy gingerbread and a colorful garden. “And like you said, Caleb and I were roommates. His sister, Maya, is married to Simon. He’s FBI and was one of my agents at one time.”
“I thought the family, except for Caleb who was DEA, were all con artists,” she interrupted, drawing her knee up and turning more fully. Her fingers itched for a pencil. This family was the stuff fiction was made of. Or seriously enthralling profiles.
“Yep. Well, officially, Tobias and Maya retired years ago. Gabriel was still on the take when I brought him in last year.”
“You arrested your best friend’s brother?”
“My protégée did. Danita Cruz. Or Danita Black now, I guess.”
She hadn’t found that out in her research. Marni knew her eyes were round to the point of falling out, but she couldn’t help it.
“Gabriel Black, con extraordinaire, is married to an FBI agent? One who arrested him?”
Hunter laughed. “Be sure to use that phrase with him. He’ll love it.”
“One of the most notorious families of con artists, and each one is tied in some way to a federal agent?”
“Sure.” Hunter shrugged. “You’re going to love them. And the food. Pandora serves up some great eats. There are bound to be aphrodisiacs, so this will be fun.”
Paying no attention to her jaw hanging on her chest, Hunter gave her fingers a squeeze, then let go and exited the car. Marni had no choice but to follow.
Aphrodisiacs?
Curiosity fought with nerves. They all sounded fascinating. And, she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, totally intimidating.
Do-si-do, and here we go. She pressed one hand against her churning belly, then took a deep breath and plastered on her brightest smile, hoping the strength of it would shield her a little.
As she joined Hunter at the sidewalk, Marni started to head up the walk. But he caught her hand before she took a step and pulled her back into his arms.
Marni sank into the kiss, her nerves dissipating quickly as passion left no room for anything else in her body. But just as her lips were warming and her body heating, Hunter pulled away.
She murmured her protest, slowly opening her eyes and giving him a questioning smile.
“What was that for? Afraid to introduce a nervous mess to your family?”
“Maybe I just wanted to remind you that you love me before you face the craziness and question your choice,” he teased. Then, his smile still in place, his eyes cooled. He glanced quickly toward the door, then, for the first time since she’d known him, looked a little worried.
Marni’s earlier stomach churning do-si-do turned into a spastic jig as her nerves returned with a vengeance. Was he worried about his friends and family reacting to her? Nervous for her to meet them? Concerned over bringing a reporter into their midst?
Sucking in a deep breath, she pressed her palm against her stomach to try to calm the frantic dance.
“There’s something I want to do before we go inside,” Hunter said, his words so quiet they were almost carried away in the wind. “Something I want to say.”
“Okay.” Needing a little distance to brace herself, Marni stepped back just a bit.
And was instantly horrified when Hunter stepped back even farther. Could she just dive into the car and wait until this little birthday celebration was over? Then, after another quick glance toward the house, he puffed out a deep breath and grabbed her hands before she could make her dash for the safety of the car.
“I love you,” he said.
That’s all it took for Marni’s nerves, fears and urge to flee to disappear. She gave him a bright smile, ready for whatever follow-up he was going to offer.
“I want to marry you.”
Her brain stopped.
Hunter reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, flipping the lid and holding it out.
Her mouth dropped.
Her eyes shot from the ring, sparkling in the setting sunlight, to Hunter’s implacable face, then back again.
She couldn’t find the words.
She couldn’t even find her breath.
Frowning, he shot a glance at the house again, then shook his head at her.
“You really should say yes. Avoid all of those what’s-your-relationship-status, why-haven’t-you-introduced-a-woman-to-the-family-before questions when we go inside,” he suggested, sounding a little nervous.
Marni blinked.
“You want me to agree to marry you because you think it’ll make your family behave better?”
That broke his stoic expression, making him bark with laughter.
“Hardly. I want you to marry me because I love you. Because I want us to spend our lives together, to build a future together. To celebrate this love every single day.”
Her heart, already his, melted with love. All Marni could do was whisper yes, reaching one hand up to cup his cheek as she stood on tiptoe to brush a kiss over his mouth.
Hunter wasn’t having any of that gentle, sweet stuff, though.
He grabbed her close, taking the kiss from gentle to intense with one swift thrust of his tongue. Marni’s body joined her heart in the meltdown.
“Yes?” he clarified, shifting back just a little.
“Yes,” she repeated, laughing.
As if afraid she’d change her answer, Hunter quickly slid the ring onto her finger.
Before she could even get a good look at it, though, he pulled her right back into the kiss.
When she finally eased back to beam up at him, Marni noticed there were at least a half-dozen faces pressed to the house’s front window. Her laughter rang out, even as Hunter groaned.
Still laughing, Marni snuggled tight into his arms, then sighed with delight.
“Just so you know,” she warned quietly, tilting her hand this way and that to watch the last of the day’s sunbeams dance off the diamond, “our engagement is going to make my family crazy. And they aren’t nice enough to wait behind a window. They’ll grill you, nag you and drive you absolutely batty.”
“They can’t be that bad, can they?”
Marni brushed a kiss over his mouth, then, with her hand snuggled in his, headed up the walkway to meet the people he loved.
“Oh, they can. You’ve been warned. But you can’t get out of it,” she said, curling her fist tight over the ring.
Hunter stopped to kiss her again, then shook his head.
�
��Sweetheart, I promise. We’re in this together, forever.”
* * * * *
Tawny Weber
Coming On Strong
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Excerpt
Prologue
“I DON’T THINK I can go through with it,” Belle Forsham said, one hand pressed to her chest. Beneath the beaded silk of her bodice, her heart raced like a terrified rabbit. “I mean, this is crazy, you know? What the hell was I thinking?”
“If I recall, you were thinking that Mitch Carter was the hottest piece of ass you’d ever seen,” Sierra Donovan said absently, her attention focused on getting the fluffy white tulle arranged just so over Belle’s blond curls.
“I said I thought he’d be the hottest piece of ass,” Belle corrected, frowning at the image in the mirror. It was like watching herself through a Halloween filter. “I haven’t been able to find out how hot he really is, though, have I? Which is why I’d be insane to go through with this, isn’t it? Like, you know, buying a poked pig or something?”
“Pig in a poke?”
“Whatever.”
Sierra just laughed and, with one last fluff of the veil, stepped back to gauge the results. “You look so...virginal.”
Her best friend’s tone said it all. Virginal was the last image Belle had ever aspired toward. Then again, she’d never figured on being a bride, either.
Wild and free, that was Belle’s motto. Or it had been, right up until she’d met Mitch Carter. Then mottos had been nudged aside for her new obsession. Getting Mitch into bed.
Mitch was her daddy’s new VP of Development. The man was gorgeous. Rich auburn hair, cinnamon-brown eyes and the tightest butt she’d ever ogled. He exuded an energy that fascinated Belle. Power, definitely, and drive. A kind of intense focus that promised a woman that once she had his attention, he’d give her the most incredible sex of her life.
And Belle wanted his attention. But while she’d practically panted at his feet, he’d barely acknowledged her. For a woman used to men drooling on her buffed and polished toes, he’d been a total challenge. She threw herself at him, he gave her polite acknowledgment. She flirted, he watched. She pursued, he evaded.
Hard to get? Hell, Mitch Carter was damn near impossible.
At least, to get into bed. For some bizarre reason, after about a month of chasing him, he’d turned the tables. To use his own words, he’d started courting her. She smothered a baffled laugh at the idea of it. They’d mostly attended business functions, family events with her father, the occasional romantic dinner.
Unable to pace in the voluminous dress, Belle fidgeted on the stool where she sat. Her fingers fiddled with her late mother’s pearl necklace, so sweetly innocent as it circled with a heavy weight of expectation around her neck. Like the white dress and delicate veil, the pearls really didn’t suit her. Of course, neither did marriage.
Three months of dating. A smoking-hot kiss at the end of the evening. A little touchy-feely to add to the thrill. But never more. God, she’d wanted more. Then he’d scared the hell out of her when, out of the blue, he’d popped the question. Marriage. He wanted to make an honest woman of her...which was just plain weird since he hadn’t tried her dishonest ways first.
She’d been so hot for him, she’d agreed instantly. She’d rushed the wedding plans, pulled out all the stops and organized a ritzy society event in less than three months. Through all the planning, something she’d proven to be amazingly skilled at, she’d had one thought and one thought only.
Hurry it up so she could get to her wedding night.
But now, when faced with the actual nuptials, she wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do.
“Sierra, am I crazy to marry Mitch after only knowing him six months? I mean, is this too fast?”
Her friend opened her mouth, most likely to offer some dumb platitude about bridal jitters. It wasn’t nerves, though. Belle didn’t know what it was, but the lead weight in her stomach made her feel trapped, terrified. She’d much rather feel jittery anxiety instead.
Then Sierra shrugged, her own worry clear.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, chewing off her lipstick as she started to pace the room. Her typical in-your-face honesty and her maid-of-honor duty to keep Belle from freaking out were obviously at odds.
“Does it matter, though? You’ve wanted Mitch since you first saw him and now you’re getting him. Long-term, even. You’ll have killer sex tonight and blow his mind. Happy-ever-after, all that crap—that’ll come with time.”
Crap, indeed. The last thing anyone would call Belle was naive, but compared with the cynical Sierra she was a wide-eyed romantic. Whenever she thought past the honeymoon, let herself focus on anything besides the killer sex she was anticipating, she felt ill. She understood honeymoons. They were all about indulging in decadent sex in as many ways, places and times as possible. But marriage? Oh, God. She pressed her hand to her stomach, hoping she didn’t get sick all over her dress. Was she ready to get married?
Belle stared at her reflection. White satin, seed beads and tulle. It all went perfectly with the pearls. Sweet and innocent. Definitely not her style. Her first choice for a dress had been sexy and edgy, but she’d thought Mitch would like this better.
“I guess that establishes why I’m marrying him,” she said slowly. She loved him. Or, at least, she thought she did. Or, at least, she figured what she felt was probably love. She was fascinated by his kisses and his mind. By the sexual energy that simmered just under the surface. She was willing to make a promise to Mitch and keep it. Add to that the fact that she was agreeing to tie herself to the guy before he’d given her a single orgasm...well, that had to be love.
So, yes, she was ready for marriage.
“But why is he marrying me?” she asked in a whisper.
“Why don’t you find out?” Sierra prompted for, like, the millionth time. “Quit second-guessing yourself and trying to please him and just ask.”
Confront him? Straight up ask for possible rejection? Hell no. One thing Belle had learned watching her late mother’s bout with cancer was “what you don’t know won’t hurt you until later.” She’d rather take her chances with the unknown.
“I’m just saying, if you want to know why Mitch is marrying you, he’s the guy to ask,” Sierra said, her tone making it obvious she knew she was wasting her breath.
“He’s marrying you because he loves you, of course.”
“What?” Surprised, she and Sierra both spun around to see Belle’s other bridesmaid, Mitch’s sister, Lena.
Average height, average features, pale brown hair cut in an unfortunate bob that did nothing to hide her very high forehead, Lena looked nothing like her brother. Belle had first met her when the woman had flown in from Pennsylvania a week earlier. Where Mitch was dynamic, Lena was tepid. It was hard to believe the two of them were even related.
Belle wanted to like her, but it was a struggle. She’d first suggested Lena join the wedding party in an attempt to make nice with Mitch’s family. But the other woman had a mocking, judgmental air about her that grated on Belle’s nerves. She was trying to ignore it, though. After all, this was her new sister-in-law.
“He must be madly in love with you,” Lena pointed out as she inched into the room. The pale rose bridesmaid dress that looked so sexy on Sierra made Lena look like a fluffy pink marshmallow. “Why else would he give up on his goals to get married?”
What goals was Mitch giving up? Belle gave Sierra a confused frown, then looked at Lena.
“Well, sure, partnership with your father is a huge incentive since Mitch had o
nly planned on a short-term association with Forsham Hotels. It was the last step in his plan to take his construction company to the next level.” She said all this while gliding an ugly shade of nutmeg lipstick over her thin lips. Then she met Belle’s eyes in the mirror and shrugged. “His own development firm. He was counting on the experience and, you know, connections to help him out. Of course, I don’t have to tell you how ambitious and determined to succeed he is.”
“Partnership?” Belle frowned. What partnership?
“You didn’t know?” Lena’s mouth rounded to match the oops look in her brown eyes. “I’m so sorry. Maybe he was saving the news as a wedding surprise.”
“He’s a vice president, not a partner,” Sierra said, sounding as confused as Belle. “I thought he didn’t have enough money or land to bring to the table for that kind of a deal.”
“Well, yeah. But Uncle Danny said Mitch was given one of those offers he couldn’t refuse. I guess your daddy’s backing a risky land deal with the agreement that Mitch develop it for him. Aunt Edna said he saw a perfect opportunity and made the most of it.” Lena gave a little who-knows shrug and a wide smile. Neither hid the malice peeking out from her simpering demeanor.
All those family names blurred in Belle’s mind. She’d been so excited to be a part of a large family, for the first time since she was eight to have more than just her and her dad at the Thanksgiving table. But after meeting Mitch’s relatives, she wasn’t so sure. It was like coming up against a very large, very cohesive wall. And she was on the wrong side of it.
Lena babbled more family gossip and inane insights into Mitch’s personality. Belle just stared, her mind numb.
A risky land development? Her father wouldn’t go into a project like that with just anyone. It would require a family commitment. Had he offered to make Mitch family? Or had Mitch offered to marry her in order to get the deal? And what did that make her? The price he had to pay for success? An easy route to the top?
Recognition, denial and sharp pain twisted together in her stomach. She’d wanted to believe he was marrying her because he couldn’t resist, because he was crazy for her. But she’d obviously been wrong.
