Stroke of Luck

by Opal Carew

He opened his eyes, remembering he’d fallen asleep here with April in his arms, but her soft, warm body wasn’t next to his now. He sat up, his gaze scanning the room.

  “She’s not here.” Austin walked into the room from the kitchen carrying two steaming cups. He set one down on the coffee table in front of Quinn.

  Austin’s eyebrow arched as he took in the sight of Quinn on the couch, the throw blanket draped around his waist.

  “Funny. Usually when the husband sleeps on the couch, it’s because the wife threw him out of bed. But as I recall, it was April who left the bed last night. Did you get tired and take a nap on your way to talk to her?”

  Quinn raked his hand through his hair. “Damn it. I thought I’d convinced her. Are you sure she’s gone and not just out for a walk or something?”

  Austin shrugged. “Well, I suppose she might be out for a walk. Not sure why she’d take her suitcase, though. And a drawerful of lingerie, the new dresses she bought, and both pairs of shoes.” He held up an envelope. “And a note with her lawyer’s number so we can contact her about the annulments.”

  “Damn.” Quinn’s stomach seethed.

  April was gone.

  Austin sank into the chair across from him.

  “So what was that all about last night?”

  Quinn leaned back on the couch. “I basically proposed to April, telling her I wanted to stay married to her.”

  “Yeah, I heard that part. She said it wouldn’t work, and you went to fix it. Why does she think it won’t work?”

  Quinn frowned. “She was upset about me insisting she sign a prenup.”

  Austin set his cup down, his jaw dropping. “You were trying to fix things with her and you suggested a prenup?”

  “No. She had some memory flash, and…”

  If there were a prenup, then he should be able to find it. He shot to his feet and grabbed his boxers, then pulled them on.

  “Do you know where the wedding certificates are?” Quinn asked.

  “Uh, yeah, they’re in the desk. They were in my suit pocket, and I put them in the drawer the next day before we sent our clothes out to the cleaner’s.”

  Quinn strode to the desk in the corner of the living room and tugged open the top drawer. He pulled out the paperwork and flipped through it but saw no sign of a prenup.

  Quinn scowled. “You said the suits got sent out to the cleaner’s. Where are they now?”

  “In the bedroom closet.”

  Quinn marched to the bedroom, Austin trailing after him.

  “If you tell me what we’re looking for, I could help,” Austin suggested.

  Quinn opened the closet door, then flicked through the clothes until he found the two suits they’d worn that night. He ripped away the filmy plastic over his suit.

  “April told me she remembered signing a prenup on the night of the wedding,” Quinn explained as he rooted through the pockets. “After I insisted. That’s why she’s upset with me. She said that means that deep down I don’t trust her. And a marriage without trust won’t work.”

  He tore away the plastic on Austin’s suit and searched the pockets.

  “I remember that prenup,” Austin said.

  Quinn glanced at him in shock. “You knew? And you didn’t think to remind me about it?”

  “Well, I didn’t know you’d forgotten. And I didn’t really think about it until you just mentioned it.” He shook his head. “But she can’t be mad about that.”

  “The hell she can’t.”

  Quinn finished going through the pockets, then noticed a clear sandwich-size bag taped to a trail of the torn plastic. Inside was a folded piece of white notepaper. He grabbed the bag and tugged out the paper. When he opened it, the word PRENUP was scrawled across the top in his block-letter printing.

  “Damn it!”

  26

  April walked up the third flight of stairs and pushed the key in the lock of her small apartment. She dropped her purse and keys on the kitchen counter that was open to the living room, then sat on the couch she’d bought from the secondhand store down the street.

  The place wasn’t much, but it had been available to move into right away, was in a nice neighborhood, and the rent was modest. Even though she had money in the bank from her town house, she was going to live on a tight budget until she got established in a job. Once she had a steady, reasonably secure income, she’d think about moving into something nicer.

  Not that getting a job was turning out to be an easy task. The only place she’d ever worked was Maurice’s company, and that meant she had no glowing references to offer a potential employer. She may have sorted things out with Maurice, agreeing to sign documents to return his properties to his name, but he was still annoyed she wouldn’t take him back.

  Her phone chimed, and she grabbed it from her purse.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “Hi, April. This is Bev. I have good news. The annulment to Mr. Wright is done. He signed the papers today.”

  April’s heart sank. “That’s great news. What about the other one?”

  “Well, there’s a bit of a hitch there. Mr. Taylor insists on meeting with you.”

  Her hand clenched tightly around the phone. “But you said we could do this without me having to meet with either of them.”

  Seeing Austin again would be hard. Seeing Quinn again would be excruciating.

  “I thought we could, but Mr. Taylor produced a prenuptial contract you signed.”

  Her lips pursed. “I don’t see why that means I have to meet with him. I’m not asking him for any money, so…”

  “It’s not that simple. It seems from the terms of the contract, you actually owe him something.”

  * * *

  April tugged on the bottom of her suit jacket as she stood outside the door of the hotel suite. Quinn had agreed to fly in to Sidney, OH. the small town April had decided to settle in, to save her having to travel back to Las Vegas, where he and Austin were still vacationing. Her lawyer, Bev, was meeting her here.

  She knocked on the door. A moment later, it opened, and her heart stopped at the sight of Quinn in his tailored suit stretched taut over his broad shoulders and chest.

  “April. Thank you for coming.”

  “I had little choice,” she said as he stepped back to let her in.

  She didn’t know what she’d expected. That he’d pull her into his arms? Drag her into a kiss? Or be angry at her for leaving so suddenly?

  But his unreadable expression, although preferable to those other choices, threw her off balance.

  “My lawyer said that according to the prenup, I owe you something.”

  The prenup he’d said he didn’t remember asking her to sign.

  “We can talk about that when your lawyer gets here. Would you like some coffee?” He gestured to the table where he had a coffee service already set up.

  She nodded as she walked to the table and sat down. Another knock sounded at the door, and Quinn went to answer it as she poured herself a cup.

  What could he possibly want from her? She’d been racking her brain trying to figure it out. At the time she’d signed it, she’d already been in debt to him. Though the agreement they’d had was supposed to take care of that. Maybe he’d been worried that she’d walk out before the end of the month.

  Which she had.

  Maybe he’d wanted it as insurance that she’d stay. Or as punishment if she didn’t. That would explain why he’d delayed the annulment.

  So now would he take everything she had left?

  Bev walked to the table, wearing a charcoal suit and red blouse.

  “Hi, April. Sorry, I had hoped to be here first so it wouldn’t be awkward.” She sat down across from April.

  “It’s okay. I arrived early.” She’d been so anxious she couldn’t help herself.

  Bev set her briefcase on the table and opened it as Quinn sat down. She pulled out a folder.

  “Mr. Taylor, did you discuss the terms with Ms. Smith yet?”
r />   “You mean Mrs. Taylor?” A hint of a grin curled his lips. Or was that her imagination. “No, I haven’t.”

  “April, let me tell you first that this contract is unenforceable. That said, Mr. Taylor can refuse to go forward with the annulment, and in that case, you’d have to start divorce proceedings if you wish to end the marriage.”

  “I appreciate that you want to protect your client,” Quinn said, “but before we get into the details of all of that, why don’t you just explain the terms to April and we’ll go from there.”

  “Very well.”

  Bev opened the folder, and April could see the sheet on top was a scan of a smaller piece of paper with some quickly scrawled words in Quinn’s bold printing. At the bottom, she could see her signature.

  “Basically, this document says you agree that if you end the marriage to Austin Wright—”

  “You mean Quinn Taylor,” April corrected.

  “No, she’s right,” Quinn said. “This agreement is triggered if you annul your marriage to Austin, which you did.”

  Bev glanced from Quinn to April.

  April pursed her lips in confusion. “Okay. Go on.”

  “If you end the marriage with Austin Wright—which, as Mr. Taylor pointed out, you have done—then you agree to stay married to Mr. Taylor.”

  “What?” April frowned. “But that makes no sense.”

  “We were pretty drunk,” Quinn said. “The point is, I didn’t insist you sign a prenup to protect myself from losing money. I had you sign it to protect myself from losing you.”

  * * *

  Quinn’s gut clenched. He couldn’t read her expression, but the stunned, leaning-to-somber expression on her face wasn’t a good sign.

  “I had you sign that contract because I love you so desperately,” he continued. “In that uninhibited state, the most important thing in the world to me was keeping you as my wife.”

  April glanced at her lawyer.

  “Sweetheart, in case you’re worried, I’m not going to force anything on you. I’ll waive the prenup, and I’ll sign the annulment papers if that’s what you want. I just wanted this chance to prove to you that I do trust you.”

  April’s teeth nipped at her lower lip. “I’d like a minute to talk to my lawyer,” she said.

  “Of course.” Quinn’s heart sank.

  He stood up and walked to the window, giving them plenty of distance while April leaned forward and spoke to her lawyer in a low voice. A moment later, the other woman put the folder back in her briefcase and stood up.

  “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Taylor. I’ll be in touch.” With that, she walked to the door and left.

  He turned back to April, his heart pounding, as she stood up and walked toward him, her eyes filled with determination.

  “There’s one thing I have to say to you, Mr. Taylor,” April said.

  His chest constricted. Clearly, he hadn’t convinced her, and now she was going to tell him to stay out of her life.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  She stood in front of him now, her gaze locked on his face. She rested her hand on his cheek, and her beautiful blue eyes softened.

  His heart skipped a beat.

  When her lips turned up in a smile, his pulse raced.

  “That I love you, too.” She ran her fingertips along his jawline, her eyes gleaming. “And I would love to continue being your wife.”

  It was as if a cloud of butterflies fluttered through him. His spirit soared.

  She stepped into his arms and tipped up her sweet face, her lips parting in invitation. He captured them, his arms encircling her, drawing her close. He ached at the feel of her so soft and warm against him. Exactly where he wanted her to be.

  Their lips parted, and he laughed in joyous exuberance. Then he lifted her and spun her around.

  “Oh, God, I love you so much, baby. It was hell on earth these past few weeks thinking I’d lost you for good.”

  “I’ve missed you, too, Quinn. Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

  He stroked some hair back from her face. “I hope you’ll never leave again. I want you in my life always.”

  Her beaming smile lit up her face, and she hugged him close, her cheek tightly against his chest, right over his heart. He cupped her head and stroked her silken hair.

  After a moment, he slid his hands to her shoulders and eased her back. Then he knelt down on the floor in front of her and pulled out the small velvet box from his pocket.

  “I never gave you a proper proposal.” He snapped open the box, displaying the white gold engagement ring with a two-carat, pear-shaped diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds.

  “April, I love you with all my heart. Will you be my wife?”

  Her smile broadened until her whole face was beaming. “I will.”

  He took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. She held up her hand, gazing at the dazzling diamonds glittering in the sunlight.

  He stood up, and she hugged him tightly again.

  “The offer still stands if you want to annul the marriage and start anew with a big wedding,” he said.

  “No. We can do a wedding for friends and family if you want, but I like the character of our inauspicious beginning. You helped me when you didn’t have to, then you asked me to marry you because you are a profoundly caring man and wanted to turn my tragic wedding day into a dream come true.” She smiled. “And you did. Especially when you brought in a second groom. That made it absolutely spectacular.”

  “Speaking of which, you know Austin is convinced we’re going to continue sharing you.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Really? And what are your thoughts on that?”

  He ran his hand along the back of his neck. “To tell the truth, I like the idea. I think the two of you have a special connection and, well…” He shrugged. “I find it really hot watching you and Austin having sex.”

  She nibbled her lower lip. “And you won’t be jealous if I tell you I’ve fallen in love with Austin, too?”

  “If I thought you were going to pick him over me, then yeah. But it’s me you’re married to. And if the three of us agree to be together, then we have the best of all possible worlds.”

  Her eyes grew wide as she gazed into his.

  “Is something wrong?”

  She giggled. “No. Quite the opposite. I’m just amazed at how lucky I am. I’ve stumbled into the best situation ever. Having two doting husbands to fulfill my every desire.”

  He tugged her closer and wrapped his arms tightly around her. “I will absolutely fulfill every desire you have, baby.” His lips captured hers in a deep, passionate kiss. “Starting right now.”

  He scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom. He set her on the bed and unfastened his tie, then pulled it free and tossed it aside.

  “Aren’t we going to phone Austin to let him know?” she asked.

  “No need.” He shed his jacket as he walked across the room, then dropped it on a chair and tapped on another door.

  “Why are you knocking on the bathroom door?” she asked.

  “It’s not the bathroom. It’s a second bedroom.”

  The door opened, and Austin stood in the doorway.

  “Austin, my wife would like you to join us in bed. If you’re not too busy.”

  27

  Austin broke out in a big smile. “You two have finally figured out you’re meant to be together. Thank God.”

  The happiness he felt for his friend and for April was heartfelt and joyous, but a part of him wished it could have been him she’d chosen.

  “Not only that,” April said. “We know that we’re meant to be with you, too.”

  “Yeah, man,” Quinn said. “It’s official. We want you to be April’s second husband. Even if it’s not on paper.”

  Although Austin had made it clear to Quinn that he wanted them to keep on sharing April, he’d assumed that when they finally figured out they wanted to be husband and wife, A
ustin would be an occasional guest in their bedroom.

  But he now filled with hope that maybe it would be more than that.

  “It sounds like you two are proposing to me.” He leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms, his grin broadening. “But I’m not sure. If it’s really a proposal, it should be done right.”

  Quinn arched an eyebrow. “You want one of us to get down on bended knee and propose?”

  April giggled. “Wait a minute, Quinn. I’ve got this.”

  She stood up, then with a slow, graceful fluidity walked toward them. It was the most seductive thing Austin had ever seen. He couldn’t take his eyes off the sway of her hips.

  Until she shed her suit jacket, then started unbuttoning the blouse. As her creamy breasts were revealed, his cock swelled. The blouse fluttered to the floor, and she unzipped her skirt. It slipped away, and she stepped out of it.

  Austin’s grin faded as he watched her step closer, desire surging through him.

  When she stood in front of him, she smiled in a way designed to make a man’s heart—and cock—leap. Then she reached around behind her back and unhooked her bra. When she revealed her firm, round breasts, the dusky rose nipples thrusting forward, his groin tightened.

  “Austin,” she said in a deep, sultry voice.

  Then she took his hand and brought it to her mouth. The feel of her soft lips fluttering light kisses on his palm sent shivers through him. Then she turned her wide blue eyes to his, and he saw a sweet vulnerability in those depths.

  “I’m married to Quinn, but I’m also in love with you,” she said. “Ever since the first moment I met you, you’ve been kind and generous and truly caring. You tried to protect me, and you did everything you could to bring Quinn and me together again. You are a true friend, a very loving man, and I really want you to be a part of my life and our marriage.”

  At the sheen in her eyes, he felt his own eyes prickling. His heart swelled. She wasn’t doing this just because having a threesome was a fun adventure. She actually loved him.

  And he loved her.

  To his surprise, she knelt down in front of him and kissed his hand again.