“Of course, I am. You heard how thrilled Max was about us being married, and I thought about what you said all night. He shouldn’t have to endure the gossip, which is exactly what’ll happen if we say this was just one big mistake.”
Damn. “You have given this some thought.”
He flashed a gorgeous, panty dropping smile that heated up my whole body like a wildfire was ravaging through me.
“I have, and I admit it does work to my favor because I want us to be together. And,” he leaned forward and brushed a kiss against my jaw, “I promise to put no one before you. Not ever. What do you say?”
I had my doubts about this plan, because I could see at least fifty different ways it could totally backfire on both of us. Mostly, me though. It was totally reckless to publicly date a ladies’ man like Zeke, and doubly so to be married to him, however accidentally it happened.
“I don’t know, Zeke.” That was an honest answer. I didn’t know how I would be able to spend time with him without falling for him, because last time we tangled I’d nearly fallen completely.
“What’s wrong? Tell me so we can talk about it. Please, just give me a chance.”
So I did. “People think we’re married, which means we’re going to have to spend a lot of time together.”
“Days, and nights…” he added with a flirtatious wink.
“Exactly, how will it look if you sneak off to your place every night? There are too many details we haven’t anticipated.” I knew I was starting to panic, but I never wanted Max to be the subject of small town gossip. “Maybe we should just forget about it?”
“Maybe you should stop finding reasons why this can’t work. I’ll move in with you while we figure this out. I’ve just been living above the bar for months now anyway.”
I frowned, that was news to me. “You have, why?”
“Because I wanted to cut down on expenses during the expansion, and rent on a big ass house I didn’t really need was the perfect place to cut.” He shrugged like it was no big deal, but for me, it was another alarm bell clanging loudly that this was a bad idea. Zeke seemed like a happy-go-lucky, laidback kind of guy, but he was deeper than he appeared, which appealed to me in a big way. “Now, ring me up wife!”
A shiver slid down my body at his use of that endearment, even though I knew logically that it meant nothing. I couldn’t let it mean anything, it was a title and nothing more.
“This isn’t a game you know.”
His expression turned serious, and he pulled me into his arms, walking us both to the register where he put two sets of lingerie on the counter.
“I know it’s not. I want you and I’ve made no secret of it. I don’t see what the problem is, unless you’re afraid you won’t be able to resist this? Because I’m kind of hoping you can’t.” Zeke buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply. “You like me too, Maddie, I know you do. Give me a chance to prove to you that I learned my lesson while we keep the little man protected. Punish me if you must, but do it while you get to know me better.”
“Stop being so dang reasonable!” He laughed, and though I tried to hang onto my unwarranted frustration, I failed miserably. “Fine, you win.” He pumped his fist in triumph, but I held up a hand to stop his premature celebration. “But if this stops working at anytime, for either of us, we end it before anyone gets hurt.”
“Deal,” he took my hand, grinning as he brought it to his lips and pulled me close. “I think we should seal this marriage with a kiss. And let’s make it a good one.” His lips were on mine before he even finished speaking, teasing me lightly with playful little nips that woke my body right up.
“Tease,” I accused with a grin just seconds before nibbling his bottom lip. Zeke rewarded me with a satisfying groan that made me wish we were anywhere but inside my shop. Someplace with a bed, or at least a sturdy wall or couch.
Then Zeke turned the fire up to inferno level, cupping my face and angling my head so he could kiss me exactly how he wanted. Slow and sensual, teasing and torturing, before his tongue slid deep and he took ownership of the kiss, of my mouth. Hell, at the moment his mouth was controlling my whole body and I never wanted it to end. Immediately my mind reminded me that I could have this all the time, for the foreseeable future anyway.
He groaned again when I let the back of one hand graze against the hard bulge in his jeans and deepened the kiss, pulling his body harder against mine and it was a mighty fine body. Hard and lean, I just wanted to let my hands roam all over his body the way I used to do.
“Maddie…” he tore his lips from mine and left a trail of wet heat from my mouth to my jaw, to my ear and down my neck.
“Yes?” My voice was low and breathy, thick with arousal and I was about five seconds from shutting down the shop and begging Zeke to take me in the break room. Or the fitting room. “Yes,” I moaned again when my body began to vibrate with need, but my pocket started vibrating too, and I was ripped from the sensual fog of Zeke and back to the real world. “I have to get that.”
“Me too,” he said with a smile as we both pulled our phones out and answered simultaneously. “What’s up Nash?”
That’s all I heard before I turned to my own call. “Yeah?”
“Mads, the baby is finally coming!” She was panting fast which meant she’d probably been in labor for awhile.
“That’s great! What do you need?”
“Norah. She’s at camp today…oh, shii-iit!”
“I’ll get her when I collect Max, and she can stay with me after we visit later.” Aunt Mae had been by my side, helping escort Max into the world so I knew how much it helped to have a support system. “Anything else?”
“Yeah,” she panted again. “Nash and I aren’t at home so we’re headed straight to the hospital.”
“Say no more. I’ll take care of it.”
“But Maddie,” she screamed through another contraction, and I could hear Nash telling her to breathe. “I didn’t pack a bag.”
Of course she didn’t. “Don’t worry about it. Just breathe deeply and keep calm, you’re about to meet your baby!” It was an exciting time for Vivi and Nash, and I would do what I could to relieve her stress.
“You’re the best.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
She laughed, but it was breathy from the effort it took to fight those contractions. “I won’t, because you’re going to tell me how you and Zeke ended up married. Ow!” And then the call was disconnected. I looked at the phone and then over at Zeke who stood stock still, frozen in shock.
“Everything will be fine, Zeke. You need to pick up Max and Norah from camp. I’ll call to let the co-ordinators know that you’re the one coming for the kids today, although I’m guessing they already know our situation.”
“What are you going to do?” He looked worried.
“I have to go pack a bag for Vivi and take it up to the hospital. You can bring the kids up there, and we’ll figure the rest out later.”
He blinked out of his haze. “You know, you’re even hotter when you’re bossy .” He kissed my cheek sweetly and started for the door. “See you soon, wife.”
I rolled my eyes. “Call if you have any problems, oh and you can tell the kids that Vivi is having the baby.”
“Yes dear.” With another wink, he hurried outside where the sunshine bathed him in a golden light that made him look even more appealing than he usually did.
Damn him.
Zeke
Standing beside my shiny truck in a long line of exhausted but happy parents, I felt out of place. Like I didn’t belong, but as I looked around for Max and Norah, I realized it didn’t matter. The other dads looked as uncomfortable as I felt, which reminded me of my friends’ parents growing up, the fathers were always uncomfortable when the mothers weren’t around. Even now, the mothers pulled snacks from oversized purses, greeted their kids with hugs and kisses whether they wanted them or not, and asked all about the day’s activities.
Max spo
tted me first, and his legs pumped hard as he crashed into me. “Zeke, you’re here!” His smile was contagious, and so big it took up his entire face, but it quickly dropped. “Why are you here? Where’s Mama? Is something wrong?”
I picked him up without even thinking he might be too old for it and held him close. “She’s fine. Vivi’s baby decided to come today, and she’s getting some stuff together for her.”
“The baby’s coming? The baby’s coming!” His body near vibrated with so much energy he slid right out of my arms and turned, nearly running right into Norah. “Norah, the baby’s coming!” Max wrapped his arms around her, who smiled and hugged him back.
“I’m gonna be a big sister. Yes!” She pumped long, lean arms in a sort of victory dance, smile as wide as Max’s.
“Yep. Now let’s get in and buckle up and I might take you to meet the little tyke, whenever he gets here.”
“He? It’s a boy,” she asked excitedly.
“Actually, I don’t know, Norah. Your folks have kept it top secret.” Nash and I had painted the nursery green and yellow because Vivi didn’t want their kid to grow up with unrealistic gender role expectations, whatever the hell that meant. She was always going on about stuff like that, and I just smiled and nodded, pretending like I got everything she said.
Both kids fell quiet for awhile, but as we drew closer to town, they were restless and full of energy. “Can we stop for burgers?”
I looked over at Norah in the passenger seat, a confused look on my face. “You don’t want to meet your kid brother or sister?”
She nodded, but showered me with her prettiest little smile, the one that she used to get me to buy her things she knew she shouldn’t have. “I am, but I’m hungry too.”
Somehow I doubted that, but I never said no to a burger. Especially a cheeseburger with extra ketchup. “Fine, but burgers only. No fries and no soda.”
“How about a milkshake?” Max, that little devil, was a man after my own heart.
“If we get a milkshake now, your mama might not let you have celebratory cake for the baby.” I cast a quick glance at Max’s pouting face in the mirror and chuckled.
“What kind of cake?”
“Don’t know, kid. We haven’t gotten there yet.” Instead of stopping at one of the fast food joints, I stopped at the food stand a few miles from the hospital because they knew how to dress a burger. After placing the order, we sat at one of the little tables while we waited.
“Max said you and Aunt Maddie are married now.” Norah’s tone held an accusation I didn’t understand.
“Yep. You have a problem with that?”
Norah shocked the hell out of me when she nodded. “I wanted to be a flower girl, maybe even a bridesmaid.”
“And I wanted to hold the rings. Uncle Nash says that’s a very important wedding job.”
“I’m sorry guys, I didn’t even think of that. I’ll find a way to make it up to you, how about that?” I held my breath, waiting for a tantrum or something, but they both nodded and began having a quiet conversation between themselves.
Maybe this kid thing wasn’t as hard as I thought. Well, other than being manipulated into letting them ruin their dinner, which I justified by telling myself that the chaos of today would make a normal meal time difficult.
My phone rang and Maddie’s smiling face appeared on my screen. “Hey, everything good?”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Where are you?”
“We stopped for a burger,” I said simply, but mentally braced myself for the bad kind of tongue lashing. Mothers were always coming into my bar complaining about weekend fathers stuffing the kids full of junk and sugar before sending the kids home high and impossible to contain.
“Oh good. Vivi isn’t dilated enough so it’ll be awhile. Take your time, unless they’re driving you mad already?” There was a smile in her voice, a hint of amusement that said exactly what she thought might be going on.
I smiled at her concern, always worrying about everyone else. “I’m good. They talk a lot, but right now I suspect they’re plotting.”
Her sweet laugh sent a shiver of awareness through me. “Plotting? World domination?”
“Nah, how to best boss around the newest kid in their little family.” She laughed again and I smiled. “Or maybe how to best con me into letting them bungee jump, or eat their weight in sugar.” She laughed again and in that moment I understood how a man could make a fool of himself just to see a sexy smile or hear that husky laugh.
“Sounds about right. See you soon.”
“Not soon enough. Wife.” There was a little hitch in her breath before the call ended, and I knew I’d gotten to her.
Soon, she would be mine.
Maddie
“I have to tell you Maddie, I don’t know how in the hell you do this every night.”
Zeke dropped down on the sofa and kicked his socked feet up on the coffee table. He looked as exhausted as I felt after the never ending day we’d just had. By ten o’clock Vivi still hadn’t had the baby, so we herded Norah and Max back to my place.
Our place, I suppose.
I shrugged at his words, because I never really thought about it. “You just do what you have to do when there’s no one to lean on.” From the moment Max arrived in this world, I just moved forward with a determination to give him a really good life. “Keep going, and eventually you wind up here, wherever this is.”
Some strange place where I now lived with my incredibly hot accidental husband.
“Well, have a seat woman.” He patted the seat beside him wearing that impossible to resist grin that made me want to kiss him until we were both naked and sweating. “I swear if you pick up one more toy, and wipe down another table, I’m going to lose my mind.”
With a short laugh, I fell down beside him and rested my head on his shoulder. “It’s easier to keep moving because once I stop, I’m done until morning.” It was a lesson I’d learned about six months after Max began walking.
“But tomorrow, we can both clean in half the time. Right now though, I’m too tired to even watch you clean.”
“You don’t have to watch, Zeke. Go to bed.”
One brow arched suspiciously, but the quirk of his lips gave him away. “And miss the show of you bending over and shoving that sweet little ass right in my direction?”
Zeke might have it wrong about his ability to commit, and I was convinced he was, but the man knew how to make a woman feel good about herself.
“I can see why women are so reluctant to let you go.”
He turned to face me on the sofa. “This I gotta hear.”
I shrugged as if it was no big deal, because lord knows the last thing Zeke needed was more ego stroking. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I just meant that you have a way of making a woman feel good.” And for a woman who hadn’t been with a man for anything more than a couple dates, his words were like a balm to my battered self-confidence.
“Well it has the added benefit of being true. Whatever you think of me Maddie, I’m not a liar.” He slid closer, one hand on my thigh and slowly moving up. “And your ass is sweet. And a perfect handful.”
For some reason his words hit a little too close to home. I knew what I looked like. A mother who hadn’t quite lost those last fifteen pounds from pregnancy—several years ago—and who owned maybe five pairs of sexy panties. I had a little too much flesh all over and I was a little too short for all the curves on my body. But when Zeke uttered those words, I wanted to believe it. “Zeke.”
He applied pressure to my thigh, almost as if he knew how close I was to jumping off the sofa and running away from the intensity in his gaze. His actions.
“Maddie.” He lowered his head and I knew what was coming, one of those kisses that left his name branded all over my body. The hot, searing touch of his hands that I would probably be thinking about long after he was gone.
Then his lips were on mine and I didn’t care about the consequences. About the inevitable h
eartbreak that would be my life if I made the mistake of letting him in again. But, oh how his kisses made me stupid. Made me forget good sense and good decisions. Made me want everything he was offering and then some. His tongue swept across my bottom lip and then the top, in a teasing nip that had me leaning forward just to get closer to his heat. His masculinity. His utter maleness. He swallowed a moan and that brought me back to reality. To my living room that still bore traces of toys and science books for young children. That brought me up. Literally up and on my feet. “I should, ah, get the day bed ready for you.” His laughter sounded behind me and I chose to ignore him.
Zeke was no good for my peace of mind. The man had a way of making me crazy. Making me feel like a swoony teenage girl. “Why did you stop? Things were just getting good.”
I startled at the sound of his voice right behind me in my tiny office that only held a desk where my laptop sometimes hung out beside the outdated printer. On the other side, a day bed with a brass frame and a too soft mattress.
“Out of control, you mean,” I said in my haughtiest tone, turning to dare him to question me.
“That’s exactly what I mean. I love it when you get out of control Maddie. Look what it does to me.” Two steps and he was right in front of me, fingers wrapped around my wrist and placed my hand on the hard length behind his zipper. “That little moan of yours,” he groaned when I squeezed, “I can’t stop hearing it.”
His raw, naked honesty was as appealing as the rest of him and that groan, utterly masculine and dark, hit me right between the thighs. Then his fingers slipped beneath the t-shirt I put on after my shower, warm and slightly roughened skin slid across my lower back. “Zeke,” I moaned again and he smiled.
“I love the way you say my name.” His honesty was going to be my undoing, I just knew it. He pulled my t-shirt over my head and tossed it behind him, hands sliding up my sides to cup my breasts. “God, these tits are a thing of perfection.” He bent low, swirling his tongue around one nipple and then the other, pulling a low growl from me. “Fuck, so gorgeous. Your nipples always get so pink and hard for me. Like candy.” To punctuate his point, Zeke held them firmly, licking and sucking back and forth until all I could do is hold the back of his head to keep him right where I wanted him.
Accidentally Wed: An Accidental Marriage Romance Page 8
