“You made it?”
He chuckled. “I’d like to take credit, but a neighbor just dropped it off. She’s known around these parts for her pies.”
“Wow, does this happen often? Women dropping by offering pie?” She felt something she hadn’t felt ever—pure jealousy. And she wasn’t even sure what she was jealous of.
“When it’s a two hundred pound, stocky, bearded deliverer, it ruins the whole image of women and pie.”
She laughed. “Some woman. Must be the grain-fed beef.”
“Ted’s a veteran, has large hands, and is skilled with a gun. Not a feminine bone in his body. And yes, he loves steak. He’s one of my good friends and neighbor. He’s also the husband of the woman known for making the best pies.”
Pulling out one of the wooden chairs from the worn table, she took a seat, watching him slice into the pie. His hands moved deftly, gracefully for a large man that spent most of his days building fences, working with livestock, and pounding nails into wood. Her inner thighs throbbed. He plated a piece and placed it in front of her.
He turned and her gaze naturally went to his bottom. “Looks delicious.” She liked how the jeans hugged his bottom. She barely registered that he was asking her a question. “Yes?”
“Beer, iced tea, or coffee?”
“I’ll take a beer.” She’d probably be here for a while if she was lucky.
When he returned with one beer and a water and took the seat across from her, she dug into the pie and licked the tines of the fork clean. It was nothing but sweet heaven. “My God, the woman who made this is a culinary genius.” Realizing he was staring at her mouth, she swallowed.
“Here. You have a piece that didn’t quite make it in.”
She reached up to wipe her lips but he beat her to the task. He swept his thumb along her bottom lip and brought it to his mouth, licking the pad of his finger.
Holy mother of all that is good.
He reached for his bottle and lifted it to his mouth. She leisurely strolled her gaze over his bicep sticking out of the frayed sleeve of the flannel. She followed the thick rope of muscle and the veins from his elbow down his forearm, his wrist, and his long fingers holding the bottle. She wanted to follow the happy trail with her tongue.
He cleared his throat, bringing her back to reality.
“I’m sure you must be wanting me to get to the point,” her voice quivered.
“I’m sure you didn’t come all of this way for pie.”
She swallowed, suddenly feeling like she had razorblades for vocal chords. “This is probably going to come as a shock.”
“I’m beginning to think you’re full of surprises.”
Moistening her lips, she gained the bravery to continue. “I’ve found myself in a bit of hot water. And you did say if I ever needed something to let you know.” Yeah, she remembered those words.
He nodded. “I did, and I meant it. There’s a history between us. It’s not every day a man meets someone and marries her six hours later.”
She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the folded paper, smoothing the wrinkles, then turning it so he could see it better. “Take a look.”
“So, we did get wedding pictures after all.” He chuckled. “Stories to tell the offspring, babe.” His eyes twinkled.
“You’re taking this very casually.”
He shrugged. “Did you expect me to be pissed?”
“More concerned, maybe. You are the rodeo star. Won’t this influence you also?”
“Was a rodeo star, sweetheart, and I have no control over this.”
“Do you take everything with a grain of salt?”
“Most times.”
She sighed. “Do you realize this affects me enormously?”
“Yes, that’s why you’re here. Now how about we cut to the chase and you tell me why you came all of this way.”
“For you. I need my husband in a very bad way.”
*****
Roman’s chest tightened and his gut twisted as he absorbed her words. “The sex was great but I’ve never had a woman travel almost a thousand miles for seconds.”
One corner of her mouth quipped, but she didn’t allow it to expand into a full blown smile. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m here because we need a solution, and fast.”
“You’re the advice guru, maybe you should give yourself some direction.” The area between her brows scrunched. “No?”
She exhaled a long breath through her pretty, plump lips that he’d wanted to kiss since she’d walked through the door. “You see,” she clasped her hands together tightly and laid them on the table in front of her. “This trash magazine caught the picture of us as we were leaving the Vegas chapel. Apparently they are like bottom feeders hanging out for any celebrities getting secretly hitched. I guess since it was at the end of the day and they were out of luck, they thought they’d take what they could get. Us. Since then, the fact that I married has spread through social media and other public forums.” She moistened her lips and his cock jerked. He needed to concentrate on the problem, but right now it was in his pants. “My manager thinks this could ruin my career.” She finally brought her gaze up, meeting his, and his heart kicked up in speed. He couldn’t look past the darker shade of her eyes or the trembling in her bottom lip. His protective instincts reared their head again and he immediately wanted to keep her safe—definitely keep the mist in her eyes from turning into tears that he saw in the near future if this conversation didn’t take a turn for the better.
“What do you think? Will this ruin your career?”
She gave her head a slight nod. “It certainly won’t do me any good. A popular relationship advisor marrying a stranger. Doesn’t make me look like the professional, now does it?” She blinked and some of the mist disappeared.
He shifted in the chair, the wood creaked under his weight as he braced his elbows on his knees. “Our whim suddenly has consequences.”
“This isn’t your fault, or your problem to fix. I get that Roman, but my future hangs in the balance. The release of my book could suffer.”
He was getting a clearer idea of where this conversation was headed. “Sorry, sweetheart. The damage is done. We’re hitched. Maybe after the annulment is filed—”
She lurched forward. “No, Roman. We can’t do that.”
The tension in her expression was palpable. “No annulment? You and I agreed.”
She exhaled a long breath and the air swept across his cheek. “Yes, I know we did, but that’s why I’m here. I need a huge favor.”
“Usually I only do huge favors for people I know.” But damn, could he deny her? She’d already managed to tweak his protective side and make his cock misbehave. She had a lot of control when it came to his body…and his brain.
“I am your wife,” she reminded him.
“Legally, yes. But you said yourself it was a mistake.”
“And I’m not denying that.”
“And yet you’re here asking for a favor and I get the feeling that involves you and me staying married.” He scrubbed his jaw, feeling as if the oxygen depleted from the room. When he had the man-to-man conversation out on the porch with Ted, Roman had no clue the forces of nature would land his ‘wife’ right here tonight.
She nodded. “I know it’s a lot, but I’m only asking for a temporary marriage for a long term resolution.”
“A resolution for you, but how would this benefit me?” Oh, hell, he could think of a dozen ways this could benefit him, but maybe he just wanted to hear her say the words.
“From the looks of things around here, you could use a woman’s touch. I could fix the place up, make it more homey.” She smiled, showing a row of white, even teeth.
He lifted a brow. “Do I look like the type that cares for homey?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I would make all of your meals. Wash your laundry. Do whatever else a wife does to make her husband happy.”
There went parts of his body again. “Let me get
this straight.” He leaned closer, inhaling her scent that triggered need. “You and I stay hitched and you act like a wife, all ways?”
“Yes, I’m sure I can handle being domestic for a few months.”
He squinted. “A few months? I do cook my own dinner and wash my own laundry. That’s not what I expect from a wife.” Yet, he couldn’t deny how nice it’d be to come in after a long, difficult day covered in sweat and dirt and not worry about feeding himself. No, he liked the idea of having someone to talk to, someone just being there. “I’m just not getting how this helps you? The trash magazines and gossip columns back off?”
“No one knows that you and I were strangers when we married. For all anyone knows, you and I have been dating for a while, keeping it private. We romantically flew to Vegas and married.”
“So twisting this into something romantic helps how…?”
“I’ll look like a woman who has fallen madly in love and married the man of her dreams.”
He laughed. “This is quickly becoming a soap opera, but go on.”
“As I agree to be the dutiful wife, you must agree to be the adoring husband, for the cameras and interviewers that is.”
“Adoring husband—wait, what did you say? For what cameras?”
She played with a crumble of crust on the side of her plate. “With a new release comes promotional duties that includes some time in front of the camera and doing interviews. There are only a few. We’ll show them how happy we are, how well we get along.”
“And then what happens when we divorce?”
“We’ll handle that bridge when we come to it. For now, it’s damage control mode.”
“Why the hell would I agree to this ludicrous suggestion? If you haven’t noticed, I’m trying to get away from the spotlight.” He didn’t have the time to fool around with such nonsense. Just as he told Ted, why couldn’t he have the benefits of a relationship without the pain in the ass? Find the woman that makes it all worthwhile. His friend’s words tangled up through Roman’s mind. No, Pippa wasn’t the ‘one’. No possible way. She wasn’t suggesting that she wanted a real marriage. She wanted pretend.
And yet, why did her proposal tweak his attention, nestle goodwill in parts of his body he’d forgotten he’d had until recently. Yet, he couldn’t agree to such a scheme. Sounded like a lot of work and torment.
“What do you have to lose? It’s not as if I’m asking you to marry me. That’s already been accomplished. You did get me into this mess, after all.”
He had his beer halfway to his mouth and stopped. “What? I got you into this?”
“It was your idea to get married. I had too much to drink and agreed.”
He lowered his hand, the bottle hitting the table with a loud crack. “Excuse me? Are you suggesting that you said yes because you were too drunk to know any better? Good way to convince me of going along with this crazy scheme.”
“I’m sorry. I had been drinking, but I wasn’t drunk—far from it.” Her tongue darted out and across her bottom lip.
“Why, Pippa? Why did you say yes?” He was curious.
She lowered her gaze for a long second and then she brought it back up. “I don’t know why,” she whispered.
“Search your mind, sweetheart.”
She blinked. “I-I wanted, for the first time, to follow my heart and not my mind. I’ve always done the right thing, never the adventurous thing.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Her eyes widened then narrowed.
He shrugged. “I agree to your proposal.”
“That easy?”
“Just as you said, what do I have to lose?” He laid his palms flat on the table. He had possibly a lot to lose. “Where do we go from here?”
“I wasn’t sure how this would go so I made a reservation for the closest motel.”
“You can cancel your reservation. I have the extra room here. Anyway, it’s dark out and these backroads can be dangerous at night, especially for a city girl. Have you ever seen a deer?” He was only partly teasing.
“Yes, I’ve seen a deer, but not one running out in front of my car.”
“Case settled.” He dug into his pie, scooping up a large bite and shoveling it into his mouth. “Wow, Betty really outdid herself this time.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
AFTER ROMAN CARRIED in her bags and laid them on the guest bed with the bright colorful quilt, Pippa stood to the side, watching him. He looked at her and rubbed his jaw as if he wasn’t sure what to say.
All she could think was that if he was kind enough to agree to her proposal, then she should be brave enough to go after what she wanted. Truth was, she wanted him—had since she saw him.
Strolling across the short space between them, she met him toe-to-toe, placed her palms in the center of his chest and leaned into him. His sculpted muscles tightened under her touch, sending shivers of delight through her. “Thank you for this, Roman.”
“I hope you’re still thanking me after the few months are up. I didn’t do so well in my first marriage,” he admitted.
She had to be grateful for his honesty. “Well, I’m not your ex. Let’s see how things go before we start signing those divorce papers, okay?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Now, I’d like for my wifely duties to start tonight.” She wagged her brows.
He swiped a hand down her hair. “I’m going to start thinking you did come all of this way to get me back in bed.”
“Would you have your feelings hurt if that were the case?” She challenged.
“Not one bit.” He stroked his thumb down her cheek and used it to tilt her chin further upward. “I want you, Pippa.” His voice came out like sandpaper scrubbing rough wood. “Fact is, I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I didn’t want you.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off with his mouth pressing hers and all of her thoughts vanishing. His gentle kiss turned aggressive as he groaned, then parted her lips to make his way inside to tease her tongue.
Everything became blissfully cloudy as she succumbed to her emotions, all logical thought and doubt, all of the issues with the trash magazine forgotten as her nipples hardened and sensitized. The nubs pressing against the fabric of her bra, needing his attention. Against her stomach, she could feel his erection through the denim of their jeans.
She explored him with her palms, over his broad shoulders, down the bulky, coiled muscles of his biceps, then back up to the nape of his neck, threading the tips of her fingers into the soft strands of his hair. Her core clenched, needing more, ready to have him sink inside of her. Heat flowed through her veins, building an inferno along its way.
The kiss became more of a dance between lovers, his tongue stroking the inside of her mouth, suckling her and she responded by exploring his mouth, tasting his lips and tracing his teeth.
A deep moan vibrated his chest, making her nipples tingle and throb. He placed his hands on her bottom, easily lifting her off the ground, and she obliged him by wrapping her legs around his waist. He moved, slowly, until they reached the edge of the bed and together they plopped down onto the mattress. They bounced, but his brawny body covered hers, stopping them.
She brought her hand up and touched his prominent, stubbled jaw. Damn this man for popping into her life and wreaking havoc. Double damn that she liked how he made her want things that she never thought were possible.
A scorching desire, like an uncontrollable wildfire, rushed through her, erupting desire in her nerve endings. Her pussy pulsated, taking on a throbbing that matched the heavy beating of her heart. Her breasts ached and seemed to grow in size.
*****
Roman spread her thighs and ground his fully hard cock against her pussy. He could barely catch his breath because the need was so powerful. He squeezed her ass cheeks, loving the feel of her tight bottom.
She made a whimpering sound that burrowed deep into his sanity. He’d never had a woman, no matter how good looking or sexy, rea
ch inside of him and tweak every sensation in his body. Slanting his head, he sank his tongue into her mouth again, soaking up all of those sweet, little sounds she made in the back of her throat, wanting to keep them like he used to keep fireflies in a jar. All of those pleasant whimpers fed his ego, made him feel powerful.
Her arms came up around his neck and her breasts pressed against his chest. He could feel the firmness and the thickness of her nipples through the material of their clothing. When she rubbed her breasts across his chest, his cock jerked and threatened to bust seam.
“Damn,” he pushed through clenched teeth. He wished he had more hands, two to grip her ass and two more to play with her breasts. Releasing her bottom, he went for the pale mounds that were high and firm, smaller than a lot of the women he’d been with, but her nipples were perfect. Through the material of the shirt and bra, he rolled the pink beads between his fingers, tweaking her thick nipples. Once he got his rewarded arching of her back, he tore his mouth away from her. Her lips were swollen and pink.
Her chest rose up and down, her eyes burning right through him with an unspoken urgency. “My God. I’m on fire.”
His heart picked up as she lifted her head and nibbled his bottom lip, rolling her tongue along the curve. He inhaled sharply, picking up the sweet scent of her skin and the musk scent of arousal. He nearly bit his tongue. Nearly lost control.
“Tonight, I want to sample all of you. I’ve been craving it.” His throat was raw as if he’d swallowed staples. “It feels like centuries have passed in days.”
She sank her fingers into his hair and thrust her core upward, grinding against him. Groaning, he slid a few inches downward, using his teeth to lift the hem of her shirt until a sliver of her flat stomach was visible to his hungry eyes. The diamond piercing in the shape of a star dazzled from her navel.
“Follow the star home,” he said in a gritty, tight voice. He rolled the tip of his tongue over the stud and she jerked her hips upward, tugging at his hair. Kissing her skin, trailing moist circles along the flesh, he played with her distended nipples.
Roman's Choice (Saddles & Second Chances Book 1) Page 7
