by Lexie Davis
“Kaden, there are children in the room.” Blair commented, pouring herself another glass of wine.
Brianna had never seen a group of people so determined to have her head than those who stood around the room. It’s a shame the old man died yesterday, and they all gathered around, ready and expecting their portion of his money.
“It’s not happening. I don’t give a shit if it’s a billion dollars each. I’m not marrying someone for money.”
“Oh, come on, Kaden.” His cousin Jade spoke up from the far corner of the room. “It’s not like you don’t know each other. You have a baby together for crying out loud. Why not sign the papers, seal the deal, and after we get our money, you get your divorce. Hell, Greg’s a divorce attorney. He’ll make it really simple, won’t you, Greg?”
“Jade.” Greg rubbed his chin, thinking about the claims. “We’re all very tired, and it’s been an eventful day. What do you say we sleep on it, and, Kaden, you can give us your answer tomorrow morning.”
Bree studied Kaden’s face, never seeing him so angry before in her life. And they grew up together. She stroked his arm with one hand while he threatened to break her fingers on the other. If this was the breaking point, it sure was a doozy.
“I’ll give you my answer now. I’m not marrying Bree for money.” Everyone started clearing out of the room, as Kaden stood with her and his parents.
“Sleep on it.” Blair insisted, knowing her son was furious with her right now. “Go home, take a hot shower, and sleep on it.”
“Whatever. I’m not changing my mind.” Gripping Brianna’s hand, he turned and dragged her out the door with him.
She hated how angry he was, and judging by his temper, he was ready to punch someone or something. Sure enough when they got to his car, he rammed his fist in the hood, not even flinching as the loud bang echoed through the night. Bree jumped, wondering if she should just get in her car and go. But the hurt expression on Kaden’s face made her stay.
“Get in.” He beeped the alarm and the door locks slid back granting them access. She didn’t hesitate.
Once strapped in, Kaden took off down the drive at a breakneck speed and nearly ran through the gates as they came upon them. She hadn’t a clue where he was taking her but figured his place would be ideal. She glanced over at his profile, seeing the taut, strong, stubborn jaw. He was angry all right. Furious better described him though. But she wasn’t exactly sure why.
“Is marrying me really that bad of an idea?” She tried for humor, but when his gaze met hers, there was no humor anywhere to be seen.
“This isn’t about you.” He turned and added reluctantly, “Not really.”
She folded her hands in her lap and chose to stare out the window instead of making conversation. He evidently didn’t want to talk, and she didn’t feel like getting barked at. He drove the winding streets, going deeper into the darkness, deeper into the night. Not much to see except the city lights up ahead. The rest was pitch black night.
“I really need to get home to Shiloh. Mom will worry about me if I’m not back at a decent hour.” She tried a soft tone, though he did nothing but pull his cell out and throw it in her lap.
“Call your mom and tell her you’ll be late. Or better yet, tell her you’re spending the night.” He turned off the main road onto a side street that led back into the darkness away from the lights.
“Kaden, I can’t just stay the night. I don’t have money for a hotel, and Shiloh needs me to be with her. I already ask my mother to do too much. She doesn’t need to keep my child all night long.”
He turned, glancing at her. “Like it or not, babe, this involves you too. I wish like hell it didn’t, but it does, and we’re going to be up all night trying to figure this out.” He finally pulled into a driveway and slowly came to a stop. “Unless you have a miracle, then by all means, let’s settle this now and get it the hell over with.”
“You don’t have to be an ass.” She grabbed the phone and punched in her telephone number. After explaining to her mother something important had come up, she clicked the phone off and threw it back in his lap. “Are you happy? It’s not like I spend enough time with my daughter. Did you ever think I might actually like to be with her tonight?”
“Bree—”
“Save it. Give me the dotted line to sign on, and I’ll be out of your way.” Not knowing what else to do, and possibly just wanting to get away from him, she opened the door and climbed out of the confines of his car.
“It’s not that simple, Bree.” He came up behind her and pulled her to face him. “I don’t want to get married under any circumstances. Not to you, not to anyone.”
“Fine. Then what is there to discuss?” She crossed her arms over her chest and noticed, even in the darkness, his gaze wandering down her body.
Surely he couldn’t still be interest in her. No. He was male and having a baby had made her breasts fuller. Something different for him to look at. God, she needed to get away from here. She shouldn’t have some in the first place.
“Bree, Shiloh was in his will too.” He grabbed her arms pulling her to him. “He was going to give her his Texas ranch—as a matter of fact, Shiloh Lynn Miller-Riggens is worth about $5.8 million right about now, because the damn property is in her name. Not to mention he has a trust fund set up for her for when she turns twenty-five. That’s about a million itself.”
Her shock was noticeable. He touched her cheek, a soft caress of his warm fingers against her cool skin. Her baby was a millionaire. What were the freaking chances of that?
“I want Shiloh to get her fair share. Not because I know you need the money or that I want my daughter taken care of. I want her to have something to remember her grandfather by.”
“The ranch was his favorite place on earth,” Bree whispered.
He nodded. “So if we get married, I’m making it perfectly clear it is only for that reason. Shiloh gets the ranch—already has the ranch—and the rest of my family get their share.”
She nodded. “Kaden, you know I never wanted you for your money, don’t you?”
“I know it. You’re my best friend in the whole entire world. I didn’t realize how much I missed you until today when I needed you most. I’m really glad you came.” He pulled her to him for a hug, a hug she didn’t want to end.
Oh, why did he have to do this now? She didn’t want to love him. She didn’t even want to like him. But he made both very easy for her. She didn’t want him to pull away. She didn’t want his arms around anyone else but her. How dumb was that?
“Let’s go in. You’re freezing.” He pulled back and then rubbed her arms with his hands.
For the next two hours, they worked on making a marriage agreement. Naturally she’d sign a pre-nup, but they’d also legalize their marriage agreement to last as long as their arrangement.
“Sex.” Kaden grabbed a marshmallow from the dish she carried in the living room and popped it in his mouth. “What are we going to do about sex?”
She was trying to busy herself making the s’mores next to the fire, but the topic refused to answer itself. “Uh, how do you answer a question like that?”
He grinned. “I do believe, my darling Bree, that I made you blush.”
“Did not,” she said defensively, pressing the graham crackers together. The creamy marshmallow and chocolate gushed out onto her fingers, making a mess of the whole thing. She handed Kaden the one she made, then licked her fingers.
“Well, we agreed on a year. Does that mean we’re celibate for a year? Do we share pleasures? How do you want to do this?”
Before she thought about it, she replied, “Celibate.”
His eyes met hers as he bit into the tasty treat. Slowly he chewed the gooey dessert, and she wanted to avoid looking at him. She wanted to pull away from their magnetic power and go about her business unaffected. But his presence was too vast in the room, taking up all her breathing space, making her head swim. No, alcohol hadn’t been the only thing th
at night to make her loopy.
“You want to go without sex for a whole year?” He questioned her as if she were a crazy person saying she was sane.
“Why not? I have no problem with that now.” She shrugged, pushing a marshmallow on the coat hanger and shoving it in the fire.
“Have you had sex since that night?” She tried to lie. She tried to come up with a comeback. It didn’t work. Her silence spoke the words for her. “Damn, honey. Why?”
“I don’t have time for relationships. I work double shifts, and what free time I have, I divide it between Shiloh and sleeping. Sex doesn’t even cross my mind.”
She could tell by the look on his face that he doubted that, and he was right. Sleeping, she dreamed about sex, sex she only knew with him. She hated to admit it, but she fantasized about him, more than she really needed too.
“Brianna, stop lying to me. Sex is sex. If you want to fuck me, just say it. I’ll write up the agreement, and in the end, we’ll part about our merry ways.”
It’d be so easy if that were true. Although she knew if Kaden laid his hands on her again, they wouldn’t part about their merry ways. He had ruined her for every other man, because she desired no other. Even the guys that hit on her at work didn’t even entice. Kaden was it. And if she let him into her bed, he’d break her heart.
“I’m not having sex with you.”
“Fine. I think your making a big mistake though.” He wrote something on his notepad, and she huffed a breath.
“You just want to get laid.”
“Yeah. It’s not so bad for you to want the same thing either.” He pinned her with his eyes. “Do you even remember that night we spent together?”
Oh, did she remember. “Sure. We had sex in every position humanly possible on just about every surface of my house. You liked to nearly drown in the shower, but I made it worth your while. Of course I remember.”
His eyes flashed with humor. “Then you weren’t as drunk as I thought. I don’t feel as guilty of taking advantage of you now.”
“Yeah.” She finished making her s’more and quickly bit into the treat to keep from talking anymore.
The taste of chocolate and melted marshmallow filled her mouth, and she couldn’t help the pleasure of it. She moaned a bit, realizing all too late that Kaden watched her every move. Why did he always have to make things so hard?
“You can stop gawking at me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re still pissed at me for that night, aren’t you?” He threw the tablet to the coffee table and reached for the necessities to make his own s’more.
“No, Kaden. I’ve let it go. If we did use protection, I wouldn’t have Shiloh, and I can’t imagine my life without her.” She sat back against the coffee table as she handed him the coat hanger.
So many times they had done this. So many nights they’d stay up talking about all the shit happening in their lives and eating s’mores while sharing. It was just like old times, when they were the best of friends and knew everything about each other before the other one dared to share. Thinking about it almost hurt.
“Do you have a picture of her?” He licked the melted marshmallow off his finger, turning to meet her eyes.
“Yeah, sure.” She grabbed the little bag that she bought to match the dress, which only held the necessities—one tube of strawberry lipstick, her driver’s license, and a few dollars cash. She did manage however to put Shiloh’s baby picture in there, just for kicks.
She pulled the picture out and handed it to Kaden, trying to avoid his reaction when he saw his own eyes staring back at him. It didn’t work. He slumped against the couch, facing her with an expression of awe.
“She looks like you.” She tried to sound casual as she merely stated the truth. “I think in that picture she was trying to tell me she hated cameras. Sort of like her father.”
Brianna stared as Kaden took in the picture of his daughter. She couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old, and it was just a simple snapshot of her lying on the floor, giggling, but she saw Kaden figuring it to be more. If she didn’t know better, she’d say near regret crossed his face for not being in his daughter’s life. For being in Brianna’s life.
“She’s beautiful,” he finally said. With his eyes and practically all his facial features, Brianna thought the same thing. The only resemblance Shiloh had to her mother was the color of her hair and some of her personality. The rest was Kaden made over.
“I know. She looks just like you.”
He set the picture on the coffee table, staring at it as if it were just going to get up and walk off. Then he turned to her. “Do you think she’ll like me? I mean what is she supposed to call me, the stranger that just walked into her life?”
“Calm down. She’s easy to love, Kaden. She’s very accepting and loving toward others and I’m sure she’ll treat the stranger that is going to walk into her life tomorrow, the same.” Why he was getting defensive she didn’t know.
“What made you want to meet her?” There, she had asked the one question that she’d held in ever since she seen him in the restaurant.
He sat staring at his hands as they dangled over his knees. “I don’t know. She’s a part of me. I guess—I’m hoping she’s a good part.”
Brianna smiled, knowing what he meant. “Kaden, she’s the best part. I don’t know what you think or how you feel, but you’re not a bad person. Yeah, we both made mistakes, but that was eighteen months ago. We can’t take it back, and I don’t even want to.”
She scooted over next to him, looping her arm in his. “You’re still my best friend.”
He finally smiled. “You’re my best friend too, Bree.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he returned her affection by laying his cheek against her. This felt right between them. The awkwardness was gone, at least for the moment. It almost felt like the night they spent together before the booze. Only Kaden was the one doing the comforting.
“Are you ready for bed?” he mumbled.
If only he knew. “Uh, guest room, right?”
She felt his smile, then his lips pressed against her hair. “Yeah, but my door’s always open. Don’t forget it.”
Images ran through her head before she could stop them, and all were vivid with details that warmed her body from head to toe. She didn’t need to think about that. She didn’t need to screw up their relationship again. She just didn’t need to go there and had to be strong throughout the upcoming year. Because, if anything, Kaden Riggens was temptation. Pure, raw, sinfully wonderful temptation she had tasted, and wouldn’t be opposed to tasting again . . . and again.
Chapter Four
He was really doing this. Kaden pulled in behind her, glancing at the small white building Bree now called home. Damn things changed over the course of the year. First order of business would definitely be moving her out of this hellhole and back into a house she’d call her own, even if they never truly shared it as a family.
Damn. He killed the engine of his Mercedes just as her mother stepped out from the townhouse. Eighteen months ago, Regina Miller looked like the mom every kid wanted—a housewife by nature, loving toward her daughter and supportive to her husband. Ex-husband now, but that was another story for another time. Now, Regina stood with her hand on her apron-covered hip, looking like a bull seeing red.
He stepped out from the car, trying to prepare himself for her attack, though she didn’t attack the person he suspected.
“You go to a funeral for one night and come back married?” Regina all but yelled at Brianna causing some nearby neighbors’ gazes to wonder. “Brianna, did you learn nothing from the first round of foolishness with this boy?”
Brianna licked her lips, nervously trying to usher her mother inside. “Mom, people are watching. Let’s go inside and talk about this.”
Kaden came up to them and saw Regina ready to spit fire. He knew he should say something but “hello” felt awkward.
“Mom, come insi
de, now. You need oxygen, and we need to talk.”
Finally, Regina stepped inside and Brianna followed behind her, leaving Kaden to close the door after them. The small living space closed in around him tighter than a glove. If he wanted to, he could touch both walls by holding his arms out. A set of steps sat next to the door, and the foyer led into a hallway to which he assumed led to the living room and kitchen.
He followed the way the women went, finding his assumptions to be right. The small living room served as a dining area as well, and a little bathroom sat underneath the steps. Considering what Brianna used to live in—a four-bedroom, three-bath home of at least two thousand square feet of living space—to this, he knew she left for the money. With the way she worked off her pretty behind, he knew she didn’t have much of it left.
“Mom, would you sit and listen to me. It’s not what you think.” She stood next to her mother, forcing her to wear her oxygen mask.
“Not what I think? My daughter is married to the same man that abandoned her pregnant with his child eighteen months ago—did I miss something, or does that accurately describe the situation?” Regina glared at him before turning her head away from them both.
“Mom, please.” A baby started crying, and Regina looked toward Kaden as if he were solely responsible for it. “Just, listen to me.”
Brianna took off down the hall and climbed the steps as if she were competing in a marathon. Before he even had time to blink she came back down, carrying a tearful child with the same emerald green eyes he and his father shared.
“Mom, Tim’s will stated that if we didn’t get married, Shiloh wouldn’t get her inheritance. He’s giving her his ranch in Texas, the five-million-dollar ranch he loved so much. That’s more than I could ever give her in this lifetime, and I believe she deserves it.” She situated the baby higher on her hip. The small child looked at Kaden with amazement in her eyes. “He also set up a trust fund for her which she can use for college if she wants, or to buy her first house, or for something that I can’t give her. Mom, it’s only for a year. Until the estate is settled.”
