by Kaylee Ryan
“Hey, Mom, can we talk?” I say. She gets Dad on the other line and I proceed to tell them about the letter and about Kinley’s offer to marry me. Her selfless offer to ensure I keep my baby girl.
“Is she there with you?” Mom asks.
“Yeah, she’s sitting right next to me.” Where I’ve longed for her to be since the night I held her.
“Can I talk to her?”
I hand Kinley the phone. “Mom wants to talk to you.”
“Hello,” she says quietly. She listens intently as my mom talks. “Yes, I know what I’m doing. It was my idea. I refuse to let them take her,” she says with conviction.
They talk a few more minutes before Kinley passes the phone back to me.
“Evan, you okay with this?” Mom asks.
“More than I should be,” I say honestly.
“Okay, I’ll call Sarah in the morning and we will take care of it all. I’m so excited to meet my granddaughter.”
I can’t help but laugh at her excitement. “Night, Mom, love you. Tell Dad too,” I add. He got off the call when Mom wanted to talk to McKinley.
“Will do, honey. Take care of your girls,” she says before hanging up.
My girls.
“What did she say?”
“She told me to take care of my girls. She’s going to call your mom and start planning.”
“Good.”
“Should we—-—” she cuts me off.
“Nothing to talk about. We’re getting married. We’re going to prevent those heartless people from getting their hands on that precious little girl. When it all blows over, we’ll annul the marriage and your life can go back to normal. Until then, we’re two best friends doing what we need to do to save your little girl.”
“All right, we should get some sleep.” I go to my dresser and pull out a t-shirt. “You can sleep in this.” I hand it to her.
“Thank you.” She takes the shirt into the bathroom to change. I strip down to my boxers, turn off the light, and climb into bed. I’m more excited than I should be that she’s going to be in my bed again, at least I hope she is. We didn’t talk about it, but after tonight, I just need to hold her. Besides, she’s going to be my wife. How in the hell am I going to stay away from her now? We should talk about it, about living and sleeping arrangements, but that’s not what we do. We share kisses and sleep in the same bed and pretend it doesn’t happen. I’m just going to let the cards fall where they may.
I watch the shadows dance across the ceiling, willing my racing heart to slow its rhythm as I wait for her to finish in the bathroom. When the door opens, she turns off the light and walks toward the bed. There is just enough moonlight to lighten her features. I lift the covers, inviting her to join me. Her step doesn’t falter as she climbs in. Dragging the covers up over both of us, I pull her into my arms and hold her close for several minutes before I finally whisper, “Thank you,” into her ear.
She rolls over so she’s now facing me, our bodies aligned. I place my arm around her, resting it on her back, and move her as close as I can get her. “We’re really doing this?”
Her hand rests against my cheek. “Yeah, we really are.”
I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t find the words. Instead, I lean in and press my lips to hers. The kiss starts soft, as I trace her bottom lip with my tongue. She opens for me, and the minute my tongue slides past her lips, I lose all train of thought. I have a single purpose—to have more of her. I need more. I need to taste her for hours, everywhere I want to trace her soft skin with my tongue and to be buried so far inside of her that we both forget our own names.
I want her.
I can no longer fight it. I don’t know if it’s the thought of her being my wife or just because it’s her.
More than likely, it’s both.
She throws her leg over mine and presses her body closer. My cock pulses against her belly. “Evan,” she moans my name. Moans my fucking name!
Breaking our kiss, my lips find her neck. My hand slips under her shirt and I’m once again treated to the silky smooth feel of her skin against mine. I guide them up her spine and she shudders in my arms.
She’s so fucking sexy.
“Evan.” This time, my name on her lips is a pant.
“Tell me, McKinley. Tell me what you need.” I’ll fucking give her anything she wants. I just need to know she wants this. Her actions tell me she does, but this is a turning point for us. I need to hear her say it.
Instead of telling me, she sits up and pulls my shirt over her head, throwing it across the room, and then lies back down.
“You,” she whispers.
Fuck me!
I close my eyes and will myself to slow down. I want her and this will change us, but we’re getting married. We’re going to change regardless.
With my index finger, I trace the contour of her face down to her neck. I continue my journey until I reach her full breasts, tracing each pert nipple with my finger. No longer able to hold back, I bend my head and take one, then the other, in my mouth. Giving them both equal attention with my tongue and a gentle tug of my fingers.
“Evan,” she moans again and the sound goes straight to my dick. I’m now painfully hard with want for her.
Never moving my mouth from her breasts, my hand skims her flat belly, touching every single part of her I can. When I reach the hem of her silk panties, I don’t even hesitate to slide my hand underneath.
I gently run the tip of my thumb over her. This causes her to raise her hips from the bed. Exploring further, my hand is coated with her. I want to bury my face between her legs and feast, but I can’t seem to tear my mouth from her chest, from the tight, perky nipples, I’ve not had my fill of.
My hand is going to have to do for now.
I’m naked except for my barely there panties. Evan sucks a nipple into his mouth and it sends fire through me. His hands on me—this is something I’ve thought about more than I care to admit. He’s holding back; I don’t want him to hold back.
“Evan.” His name falls from my lips. He doesn’t lift his head, just continues to suck and nip at my breasts, driving me insane with lust for him. His finger is softly tracing my folds, so I know he knows what his touch does to me. But he doesn’t make a move to take this further. It’s almost as if he’s just enjoying the feel of his hand covered in . . . me.
I need more.
I know he’s in his head. He’s thinking this is wrong and, honestly, it might be, but I don’t give a damn. Nothing that feels this good can be wrong. We’re adults. Adults who agreed, just hours ago, we should get married.
Deciding he needs a little encouragement, I keep one hand in his hair, holding him to my breasts. The other follows the same path he just covered until my hands slips underneath the hem of my panties. I place my hand over his and push. I need him to touch me. I need . . . him.
“McKinley.” His mouth falls from my breast. I watch as he squeezes his eyes closed and bites down on his lip. It’s a heady feeling, having him fighting his control.
“Touch me,” I whisper, raising up to capture his lips. He moans deep in the back of his throat and deepens the kiss. His hand still under mine, I begin to move his fingers where I want them. It takes seconds for him to give in to whatever he was fighting and slip inside.
Turning my head, I break our kiss. His hands . . . finally . . . he’s driving me crazy.
“I got you, baby. Just feel,” he whispers in my ear. It’s with those words that I let the pleasure roll through me and fall off the blissful cliff that is Evan.
My body slumps against the bed, sated and relaxed. Evan kisses my neck, then my lips. Guiding me to lay on my side, he wraps me in his arms. I know I should repay the favor, but I’m putty at the moment. Instead, I allow him to pull my body close, and he buries his face in my neck. “Fucking amazing,” he mumbles. My heart swells at his words. I refuse to let my worry over, well . . . everything take this moment. I focus on what it feels like to be skin to s
kin with him and drift off to sleep.
The sunlight shines through the curtains and I fight the fact it’s time to get up. I just want to curl my body around Kinley’s and hold her a little longer. The thought of Kinley has me reaching for her. When I find cold sheets, I force my eyes open. I’m in bed alone. Damn, I really wanted to wake up to her.
After a quick stop in the bathroom, I throw on a pair of shorts and head out to find my girls. Kinley’s laughter travels from downstairs, and I take my time with each step while enjoying the sound. When I reach the bottom, I see Kinley lying on her side beside Lexi on the floor. Lexi is under the baby gym, kicking her feet and flapping her arms. Her baby jabber is a mile a minute.
“Is that so?” Kinley asks her. I couldn’t prevent my grin if I tried. “Well, okay then,” she laughs, continuing on like Lexi has something important to say.
This girl.
“Morning, ladies,” I say, taking the spot on the other side of Lexi on the floor. She turns at the sound of my voice, and I maneuver my way through the gym to kiss her cheek. Then, leaning over, I do the same to Kinley. She tries unsuccessfully to hide her shocked expression.
“You girls had breakfast yet?”
“Miss Lexi just finished hers and was telling me how good it was.” She taps the end of Lexi’s nose, which causes her legs to move even faster.
“If you’ve got her, I’ll fix us something.”
“Yeah, we’re good, aren’t we, Lex?”
I leave them to play and head for the kitchen. Kinley is always taking care of me, so I like the fact that I get to make her breakfast. Too bad it’s not in bed, preferably with her naked. She didn’t mention last night, and I won’t either. That’s not what we do.
I’m not exactly the best cook, but I can make a mean bagel—toasted with bacon, egg, and cheese, melts in your mouth. It’s also quick. I make two plates, grab two bottles of water and a couple of napkins, and head back into the living room.
“Your breakfast, my lady.” I hand Kinley her plate and settle back on the other side of Lexi before giving her the water and placing the napkins out of reach of little fingers. Lexi has a firm grip for such a little thing.
“Do you have her today or does your mom?”
“Me. I had a message this morning saying the shoot I’d blocked most of the day for cancelled. Triplets who are sick.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
“When it comes to the little ones, yeah. It’s hard enough to get a three-year-old to sit still for pictures, add in the fact they don’t feel well, and it’s . . . a long day,” she laughs.
“I’m such a bad dad. I haven’t taken any ‘professional’ pictures of Lexi yet.”
“Pshh,” she waves her hand in the air, “I’m all over that. I took newborn, one month, and two month. We are almost ready for month three, aren’t we, Lex?” She speaks to her like she’s a little adult. I think it’s adorable. I know I sound like a lovesick fool, but it just can’t be helped.
“Thank you, McKinley. For everything.”
“I love her, Evan. I can’t let those people take her. They told Misty to . . . not have her. Now they want her? Not on my watch.”
Reaching over, I run my fingers through her hair. “I have some errands today, but it won’t take me long. I’ll try to get back early, so you can get some editing done.”
“No rush. Lex and I play, and then I edit while she sleeps. I’ve even done a shoot with her.”
“Really? How did you manage that?”
“I used the swaddler. I picked it up at Target. I put it over my head then place her in it, and she rests tight against me. I had both hands free to do the shoot. She was fussy that day and Mom couldn’t calm her, but when I held her, she was pacified. I decided to try it out and she seemed to love it.”
“You already had this carrier thing?” I ask her.
“Yeah, I kind of always make a trip through the baby section when I’m at Target. I found it on sale and thought it might be useful for you to get stuff done, being on your own and all. I just kept forgetting to give it to you. It worked out.” She grins.
All I can do is grin back at her. She’s so carefree. I expected her to be consumed with this marriage we both agreed to. I expected her to be . . . different, I guess, about last night, but I should have known better. This is McKinley. She’s tough as nails.
“I think I need to see this . . . contraption,” I tease her.
“Hey, Lex loves it.”
“Uh-huh.” I stand and pick up our dishes. “I’ll clean the kitchen real fast and grab a quick shower.”
“And we,” she lifts Lexi from the floor, “will go pack your bag, little miss.”
Today, Evan, Lexi, and I leave for Alabama. We decided to drive since little miss requires so much gear. It’s an eight-hour drive, so here we are at five in the morning, piling into the car. My family, as well as Evan’s grandparents, will be flying out this weekend for the wedding. We’ve decided to keep things as simple as possible, but all the family needs to be there for appearance’s sake. His grandparents don’t get around all that well, but insisted they be there. Evan tried to tell them we understood, but like I said, they insisted.
Evan loaded the Durango last night, and I spent the night here; it was just easier. Not to mention, when we come back from Alabama, this is where I will be living. I will continue to use my studio at my parents’ and Mom is still going to help out with Lexi on the days I cannot be with her. Everything’s falling into place.
“Okay, I think I have everything. I loaded the last of our bags with toiletries. You girls ready to hit the road?” he asks.
“She’s oblivious,” I laugh. Lexi is now three months old and sleeping through the night. When Evan got her out of bed this morning, she just stretched and fell right back to sleep after her diaper change. She’ll be ready to eat around seven, which will be the perfect time for us to stop and eat breakfast as well.
“Let’s do this.” Evan swoops down and picks up the car seat before holding the door open for me. Just like that, we’re on the road to Alabama to be married.
I’m marrying Evan Chamberlin!
“Can you believe Aaron got ordained?” Evan laughs.
“I know! I mean it makes sense, keeping it all in the family, but it’s going to be weird, right?”
Evan reaches across the console and rests his hand on my knee. “It’s going to be fine,” he says with confidence.
During the past few weeks, we’ve kissed a lot. There’s been more a few times, but not much. Neither one of us talk about it. We slip into his room late at night, and then the next day, it’s like it never happened.
Except it does.
My heart knows it and so does my body. I ache for his touch and long to be in his arms each night. After this trip, we’ll be sleeping under the same roof every night. So far, it’s just been the occasional evening when he has to work late, so I watch Lexi and end up staying instead of driving home. It’s a weak excuse, considering my parents’ house is not a five-minute drive from his.
“So, depending on how she does, we should be there tonight. We’re in no rush, so if you decide you want to stop somewhere and spend the night, we can.”
“Sounds good. Everyone else will be there on Friday. I’m glad you’ll have a few days to spend with your parents and grandparents with Lexi before everyone arrives.”
“And you,” he says.
“Me?”
“Yeah, they get to spend that time with the three of us.”
He’s been doing that a lot lately—including me in the small group that is made up of him and Lexi.
“The way our mothers are acting, you would think we’ve been dating for years.”
Evan chuckles. “I know. I mean, our families have been intertwined for as long as I can remember, but they know, you know what I mean?”
I know what he means. This isn’t a real marriage. We’re not madly in love and suddenly going to live happily ever after. We care abo
ut each other and I love his little girl. We’re doing this for her.
“Yeah,” I finally say.
“You can catch some more sleep if you want. I’m going to drive until she decides to wake up. No sense in waking her.”
“I think I might. I can drive whenever you want.”
“I’m good, babe.”
That’s new too. He’s been calling me babe more often than my name, no matter who’s around. When it’s just us, he calls me baby and I love it. I shouldn’t—I’m only setting myself up for more heartbreak when this “arrangement” is over—but I can’t help it. You try having a sexy as hell, shirtless, abs on display Evan call you baby and see if you’re not wet in zero point two seconds.
It’s not possible!
I close my eyes and get comfortable in the seat. I’m not all that tired, but it’s easier to think about the way I feel about him when he can’t read my eyes. He’s too damn perceptive when it comes to me.
Instead, I’ll pretend to be asleep while he draws lazy circles on my thigh, driving me mad with want. I should have ridden in the back with Lexi.
My girls and I are on the road to Alabama. In just five short days, McKinley will be my wife. I have to keep reminding myself it’s not real, that she’s not really going to be mine, but then again, she is. The problem is it feels real—every smile, every touch, and every simple gesture. When her body is pressed tight against mine as we sleep, it’s all real.
I’ve been driving for about three hours, one hand on the wheel and one on Kinley. I can’t seem to help myself. If she’s near, I need to touch her. It was a desire before, but after we decided that getting married was our course of action and since the night I first tasted more than her lips, it’s turned into a need.
Lexi starts to babble and I know she’s in need of a diaper change and a bottle. Pulling into a small bakery, I turn off the engine and look over at Kinley. She’s facing toward me, looking so damn beautiful. She hasn’t been asleep as long as she would like for me to think. She was faking, or hiding—however you want to look at it. Eventually, the ride with her eyes closed lulled her to sleep.
