Waking Up Wed

by Christy Jeffries

  “So you do want him,” Maxine said triumphantly.

  “I never said that.” Kylie took a bite out of her fajita, only to have all the seasoned chicken and vegetables fall out the bottom. Ugh.

  “You didn’t have to say anything. It’s written all over your face. You’re actually giving this whole seduction idea some thought.”

  “See? If I’m that obvious to you two, a clinical psychologist is going to figure it out like that.” She would have snapped her fingers, but she needed both hands to put her meal back together.

  “Let me ask you this.” Mia passed her the salsa. “Are you attracted to the man?”

  “Obviously. But does that mean I want to have a first-time redo with him? I don’t know. We’re still strangers. I mean, sure, we’re living together, but we really haven’t spent that much time together. As soon as he gets home from work, he cooks dinner, we eat and then I get the kids to bed. After that, he takes off for a couple of hours and I crash from exhaustion.”

  “Wait, did you just say he cooks?”

  “That may be an overstatement. Maybe I should’ve said he prepares dinner. Like, he grills the hot dogs or mixes the boxed ingredients together for the macaroni and cheese. There’s really little cooking skill involved.”

  “Still, he’s willing to step foot in the kitchen, which shows potential. I say we come up with a plan for you to get him from the kitchen into your bedroom.”

  Kylie rolled her eyes in frustration. “You think I should sleep with a guy because he knows how to boil noodles?”

  “No, we think you should sleep with the man because you’re obviously attracted to him and could use a little spark in your life.” Maxine winked at her.

  “You guys know good and well that I have no business seducing anyone. Especially when I have no idea what his feelings are on the issue.”

  “Have you thought about asking him?” Mia asked.

  “Of course I have. But we’re never alone together.”

  “Good point,” Maxine said. “It’s not as if you can ask him in front of the twins. Okay, forget the whole seduction thing. But you definitely need to get him alone so you guys can hash everything out. Here’s what I’m thinking...”

  * * *

  Drew got the okay from Cooper to bring the boys to hang out with Hunter at poker night while Kylie was out with her friends. Besides Monday’s dinner at Patrelli’s, he’d just eaten the best meal he’d had all week. Who knew such a tough and quiet Marine turned police chief could be such an amazing cook? He’d need to get his friend’s recipe for chicken-fried steak and show Kylie that he could bring a little more to the table. Literally.

  She was doing so much around the house with the boys, and all he seemed capable of was going to work and making dinner. But even his meal efforts left much to be desired. Maybe that was why she’d been in such a hurry to get out for the night. But did she have to dress as if she was on her way to a modeling shoot? He hadn’t been able to stop looking at her long legs in those jeans...

  He’d felt like such a dope after that goodbye-hug stunt. He’d done it because his nephews were watching and seemed to expect it. Plus, he’d known how important it was for children to have a sense of routine, and he should’ve expected the boys to have some separation-anxiety issues.

  But he didn’t know how much more of this fake physical affection he could take. When he’d felt Kylie fully pressed up against him, he hadn’t wanted to let her go. She must think he was the world’s biggest walking hormone, because she’d practically flown out the door the second he’d released her.

  “So how’s married life treating you?” Thankfully, Cooper had waited until after the boys went back to Hunter’s room to play video games to ask the question.

  Alex was shuffling the cards, and Drew thought the man seemed overly eager to hear his response. It wasn’t the first time he’d wondered if the outdoorsman was interested in his wife.

  See, there he went again, thinking of Kylie as his real wife. But it was just so easy to do. They’d fallen into a comfortable domestic pattern, and she was amazing with his nephews. Heck, she was amazing in general. But it wasn’t as if what they had would last much longer than this summer. In fact, after the way she’d nearly torn the transmission out of her sports car as she’d hauled down the bumpy driveway in an effort to leave tonight, he wondered if they’d even last another week.

  “It’s going all right,” Drew said, not wanting to give up much information, but knowing the cop was going to keep asking until he got the answers he wanted. “It’s only been a few days, so we’re still establishing a routine.”

  “Are you guys getting to know each other pretty well?” Cooper didn’t have to remind anyone that Drew had met his wife less than two weeks ago.

  “It’s a process.” Okay, maybe that was a stretch. He hadn’t been able to stay in a room alone with her long enough to learn much. He could tell she had a great heart, she adored the kids and she took her job seriously. But everything he’d assessed came from analysis at a distance. It wasn’t as if they were at the stage where they could ask each other personal questions. Or have meaningful conversations about what they wanted out of life. Probably because every time he looked at her, he envisioned her in her skimpy pajamas—or worse, nothing at all—and his head would cloud up with lust to the point that he had to do something to burn up the sexual energy building inside him.

  When he folded for the fourth time that night, his two buddies exchanged a look.

  “How’s that punching bag I set up in the boat shed working for you?” Alex asked.

  “It’s pretty good. I’ve tried a few yoga classes at the hospital during lunch, but I’ve been going out to the shed and doing some hitting for a couple of hours every night after the kids go to bed.”

  “A couple of hours?” Alex asked, incredulous.

  “Every night?” Cooper followed.

  “Yep. It helps me unwind.” The two men exchanged another look. “What?”

  “Well, if I had a woman who looked like Kylie in my bed,” Alex said, “I could think of a lot more enjoyable ways to unwind than punching some bag in an old, drafty boat shed.”

  “Well, you don’t have my wife in your bed, and I’d appreciate it if you would refrain from speculating what it would be like if you did.”

  “Whoa, Saint Drew. Is this jealousy I’m sensing?” Cooper was doing that blasted smirking thing again. “That’s not very Zen of you. Maybe you need to stop boxing and focus more on your yoga classes.”

  “I’m not jealous.” But even Drew knew the statement was a lie.

  “Listen, man, I meant no offense.” Poor Alex. He really hadn’t said anything that most red-blooded males wouldn’t have been thinking. Drew did have a beautiful woman sleeping in the room next to him, and perhaps he was on edge because there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

  “I’m sorry, guys. It’s just been really stressful with the new job, and I’m still not used to taking care of the twins. Then this whole business with Kylie is somewhat unexpected territory.”

  “Hey,” Alex said. “Don’t worry about it. When Cooper was falling love with Maxine, he was an absolute bear to those poor boys on our Little League team. He would make them run bases just for looking at him sideways.”

  “I’m hardly falling in love with Kylie.” Drew tried to laugh but threw down his cards instead. Man, he sucked at poker.

  “Yeah, that’s what Cooper thought when it happened to him.” Alex drew two more cards.

  “If you want some advice,” Cooper said, matching the four cookies already in the pile on the center of the table, “things will probably go easier for you if you just let go of all that stupid control you’re used to and enjoy getting to know her.”

  “I’m a licensed psychologist, you know. I don’t think I need marriage counseling from a guy who is using his new wife’s bakery inventory as poker chips.”

  “Hey, we all win when Maxine’s cookies are used for bartering. And
right now, I’m ahead three chocolate chips and four maple pecans.”

  Alex was eating his winnings, so there was no way to know for sure who was really ahead.

  “Are you guys going to the Marconis’ costume party this weekend?” Cooper changed the subject.

  “We’ll see. We haven’t made many social appearances together yet, so I’ll have to ask her.”

  Social appearances meant pretend displays of affection. And when it came to Kylie, it was becoming more difficult for Drew to just pretend.

  Chapter Eight

  Drew couldn’t believe it was already Saturday night—the one-week anniversary of the unexpected announcement of their marriage. And they were once again venturing out into public. He looked in the bathroom mirror at his makeshift costume. He was an educated man, but he had absolutely no idea what a bedroom sheet had to do with a grown man’s birthday party.

  “Hey, Kylie,” he called out to the woman with whom he now shared a house and kid-raising responsibilities, but absolutely nothing else. “Why do I have to wear this thing again?”

  She squeezed into the small bathroom and stood behind him. Through the reflection in the mirror, he took in her oversize hot pink fluffy bathrobe as she repleated the bed linen over his shoulder. She was always doing little stuff like this for the boys and around the house, making things in their lives better, smoother.

  A guy could get used to that kind of treatment...

  “I told you,” she said as though patiently explaining herself to a child. “The Marconis have a big celebration every year for Chuck’s birthday. A few years ago, people started wearing themed costumes to the party. Well, Sugar Falls residents do not like to miss an opportunity to dress up—you should see the town on Halloween.”

  But it wasn’t Halloween and Drew wasn’t one to play make-believe. He tried not to tense as her long fingers grazed his skin under the white fabric of his homemade gladiator costume.

  Her hand stilled on his shoulder, and he caught her expression in the mirror. She was looking toward his lower back, and he remembered the last time they had been in the same room wearing nothing but the linens from the hotel room bed and her lacy underwear...

  “Maybe I should put a shirt or something underneath this.” He wasn’t feeling particularly cold. In fact, the temperature in here seemed to be rising. And a small part of him wanted her to comment on his appearance.

  “Maybe,” she replied, her voice sounding huskier than normal.

  He turned toward her, but her gaze remained below his shoulders. He tipped her head up, and his breath caught when he saw the heat in her eyes. His finger stroked her chin, and she leaned her face closer to his.

  But before he could claim her full lips, the bathroom door slammed into him. “Aunt Kylie, are you sure that no other boys are going to be dressed as a two-headed Jabba the Hutt?” Caden asked, his brother squirming beside him under mounds of green fabric.

  The woman Drew had been about to kiss jumped back and gave her full attention to his nephews, breaking the intimate spell.

  “Well, if there are, they won’t be as big as you two.” Kylie caught Drew’s eyes in the mirror. He had to give her credit for the brilliant idea of pairing the boys up in a joint costume that would keep them attached to each other and easier to locate in a crowd.

  “Okay, but can we have light sabers, too?” Aiden asked as she escorted the twins out of the bathroom.

  Drew braced one hand on the counter, steadying his body and then steadying his breathing. That had been close. He took off his glasses and splashed some cold water on his face. If it hadn’t been for him leaving the cabin every night to work off some tension, this week would’ve been filled with a whole lot more dangerous moments like that one.

  And that would’ve been so unfair to both of them. Not only because of the commitment he’d made to himself not to get involved with another woman until he was sure that she was The One, but also because Kylie was such a kindhearted person, she deserved to have that knight in shining armor she’d admitted to dreaming about. This charade was meant to last only the summer, but if they took things to a physical level, he didn’t know if he would be capable of letting go.

  It was like Icarus flying too close to the sun. He was dying to touch the warm and vibrant woman who was his wife but was too afraid that once he did, his defenses would melt and he would spiral out of control.

  “C’mon, Uncle Drew,” a voice called out from the living room. “We’re gonna be late.”

  He took one last look in the mirror, then followed his temporary family out to the car. Kylie didn’t make eye contact with him the entire drive over to the Marconis’. Drew wondered if she was tense about seeing Elaine since the woman had insulted her last week, or if she was thinking about what had almost happened between them just now. Luckily, the boys chattered nonstop in the backseat, oblivious to the silent adults in front of them.

  Apparently Kylie had been right about this party. It was one of the more popular events of the year. So popular, in fact, they had to park a few blocks away. The partygoers walking toward the Marconis’ restored Victorian home off Snowflake Boulevard were dressed in similar attire.

  “There are Hunter and Cooper,” Aiden shouted, pointing at what appeared to be Gandalf and Frodo. At least Drew wasn’t the only grown man here not wearing pants. The boys jumped out of the car the second Drew put it in Park and ran toward their new friend and his stepdad.

  Kylie was still sitting in the front seat, messing with her pink robe, so he exited and called out to the police chief, who waved and pointed two fingers to his eyes, acknowledging that Cooper would watch the twins. Drew straightened his costume as he walked over to her side of the vehicle.

  When she finally emerged, his chest almost exploded from his sudden intake of air.

  She was dressed in a short, white, gauzy skirt that barely covered her perfectly curvaceous rear end. A snug corset trimmed in gold pushed against her full breasts. Her legs were bare except for the straps of her sandals, which wrapped all the way up to her knees.

  “What are you wearing?” He tried to keep the shock from his voice, but his heart rate was wreaking havoc on his brain function.

  She looked down at her figure, then tilted her head. “A costume?”

  “That is not a costume. I’ve seen bathing suits with more material.”

  “Well, technically, I’m supposed to be Diana, goddess of the hunt.”

  The only thing she could possibly be hunting for in that getup was men. A green haze clouded over his eyes, and he tried to dismiss the alien emotion he’d been experiencing all week.

  “You should probably put that robe back on.” He reached past her to open the car door and grab something, anything, with which to cover her up.

  “Why? It’s not going to be cold once we get inside, and I don’t want to leave it behind accidentally. It’s my favorite robe.”

  If it was truly her favorite, then why hadn’t he seen her wear it since she’d moved into the cabin? Instead, she’d paraded around the place in those skimpy pajamas that had him racing out to the boat shed to exercise and clear his mind.

  “But your outfit is a bit too...” How did he put this delicately without revealing his jealousy? Or sounding like a complete prude?

  “A bit what?” Uh-oh. She was standing up straighter, and he’d seen that defiant look in her eye before. She was like that Amazon queen back in their hotel room, ready to do battle.

  “What I’m trying to say is that your outfit might draw too much attention.”

  “I’m used to being stared at. Don’t worry. It doesn’t bother me.”

  “I’m not worried about it bothering you. I don’t like the way it’s bothering me!”

  “I thought nothing rattled you, Saint Drew.”

  He planted his hands on his hips so he wouldn’t be tempted to show her just how completely rattled he actually was. He would’ve shoved them into his pockets if he’d had any. “Well, right now that skimpy cos
tume is doing a pretty good job of it.”

  “How can my outfit possibly affect you?”

  Oh, there were plenty of ways it was affecting him right this second. But he wouldn’t admit that. Instead, he said, “I’m more concerned about the way it’s going to affect the other men at the party.” Well, that was partially honest.

  She looked genuinely confused, almost as though she didn’t realize how powerful her appearance was. “Drew, I like how I look and I like what I wear. I dress for myself. Not for you, not for the uptight busybodies in this town and definitely not for the men.”

  He couldn’t believe she didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her. “But the men will still be looking at you.”

  “Why can’t they look at me?”

  “Because you’re my wife.”

  And as if to sear his brand on her, he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her toward him, dipping his head to press his lips to hers. She startled in surprise, and he took advantage of the opportunity by brushing his tongue along her slightly opened mouth. Fire shot through him the moment her tongue tentatively met his, and he pulled her tighter against his body.

  The satin-covered wires of her corset dug into the side of his chest that had been left bare, and it was all he could do to not tear the ridiculous garment off her and feel her soft skin against his.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in closer, her desire matching his own.

  His body had wanted this from the moment he’d seen her standing in the hotel room in Reno. And finally, he was giving in to what his brain and his conscience had been denying him. He let his hands wander down past her waist and over the curve of her bottom. He pulled her hips closer to him. Just for a second, he thought. Just long enough to ease the aching arousal beneath his gladiator costume.

  She was so tall that even standing up, she nestled against him perfectly, and he knew that the mere pressure would never be enough.

  He wanted her.

  He needed her.

  And if he wasn’t careful, he’d have her—right here against the door of Nana’s Oldsmobile.