“No honey, he’s not.”
It was like pulling teeth getting information from this woman. “When will he be back?”
She sighed and crossed her legs, fixing me with her most sympathetic look. “I’m not sure. He called late last night and said he had to go out of town on some emergency but he didn’t say what. Only to hold the place down while he’s gone, like I know what that means. I take calls and set meetings, but what else am I supposed to do without a law degree, you know?”
Hell no, I didn’t know but I was raised a proper southern woman and some days I still remembered what that meant. “Well, it sounds to me like you get paid to work on your nails and maybe get some reading done.”
Her icy blue eyes lit with mischief. “I like the way you think, Viviana. Though it is good to see you back in town.”
“Thanks, Jean. I’ll see you around.”
“Hopefully at the potluck?” She made it sound like a question but we both knew that was an order.
“We’ll see, Jean.” I waved as I headed for the door.
“And congratulations on your nuptials, honey. You bagged quite a hunk.”
I wanted to beat my head against the wall but there wasn’t one close enough so I satisfied myself with looking around at all the changes in town. There were plenty of new businesses in town, everything from clothing boutiques to specialty chocolates and even a sexy lingerie store. But the old places like the diner and the drug store with the soda fountains were just the same, only updated. Newer, clean awnings and updated signs made it clear that though Belle Musique was small, she was thriving.
I stopped at the diner and bought two lunch specials, hoping Maddie was free for lunch because some girl time seemed like a good idea. Then I spotted Della McInnis’ new office just across the street where the old flower shop used to be. The blue building with daisies and tulips painted around it was gone and was replaced with a brick façade and those slick green windows favored by large corporate buildings. I pulled the door handle and it was locked.
I thought it was strange but it had been a long time since I lived in a small town where people took off in the middle of the week for reasons unknown and everyone just rolled with it. Which meant I had to roll with it too. “I come bearing pastrami on rye for the right girl.”
“Hang on,” Maddie called out, breathless and excited. “Hey Vivi, this is a nice surprise.” While I had no doubt she was happy to see me, her gaze was laser focused on the red and white diner bag in my hands.
“You are shameless, honey. But I admire that in a friend. How’s it going?” I followed her to the back of the store where the tiny break room was, where Max sat on a beanbag chair, reading.
“Good. Great. Business is good.”
“Say good one more time and I’ll actually believe it.” She rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Zeke asked me out and I’m not all that sure I should be getting involved with him.”
“But?”
“But,” she said with a nervous grin, “he might be the perfect way to get my feet wet again.”
“He could get something else wet too. And I’ll watch Max for you, whenever you decide to get your feet wet.”
Her lips twitched at my joke and before long she was laughing so hard her shoulders shook. “You really are incorrigible, Viviana Stark.”
“Thanks. I try.”
She flashed a smile that was equal parts bemused and curious. “What are you up to today?’
“Nothing, apparently. I got a late start because I was up all night writing so I figured I’d come to town to get some business taken care of but the strangest thing—both McInnis lawyers are out of town.”
“Della’s gone the whole week. She’s in California on a conference and I think she might have a beau.”
Well, I certainly wasn’t going to leave this business to a stranger. It was bad enough the whole town knew Nash and I were accidentally married thanks to Aunt Mae’s amateur voodoo, but to let the word spread outside of Belle Musique was unfathomable. So, divorce proceedings were on hold until the lawyers came back to town. “Do you have any lightweight nightgowns for this heat?”
She arched one blond brow in question at me but I was a pro at hiding my feelings. Mostly. “I have just the thing.” While Maddie disappeared I cleaned up our lunch and left half of my portobello and cheese burger for Max.
“See ya later, kiddo.”
“Bye, Vivi.” He didn’t even look up from his read. A kid after my own heart.
“Okay, here’s what I have. These five are perfect for you.” She held out each one and even though I knew I shouldn’t, I imagined Nash’s face when he saw me in each of them. It was that same dark and hungry look he had the moment before he pounced on me. Gave me what I wanted so bad I was willing to beg for it. Had begged for it, too. More than once.
“I’ll take them.”
“I guess that answers whether or not things are going well with you and Nash. The whole town is speculating, you know?”
I didn’t know for sure but I had my suspicions. “Why do you think I’ve been avoiding the Belle Musique Facebook page?” The gossips were relentless, if well-meaning. “I guess things are going okay. We don’t know what in the hell we’re doing but sure, it’s going okay.” My phone buzzed in my pocket and I looked down, smiling at the message.
Dinner tonight. Won’t take no for an answer. ~Mr. Boudreaux
Maddie’s laugh pulled my attention back to her behind the register. “Seems like it’s going better than okay, at least according to that mint julep smile you’re wearing.”
“The sex is going amazing. Like fantastically magnificent. But the rest of it is confusing as hell. It’s going to get messy and I can’t deal with messy right now, I have too much going on. But I can’t stop either, dammit.”
Maddie’s brown eyes were wide at my overshare. “Okay, well clearly you have some feelings on the subject.” I pointed at her twitching lips, daring her to laugh. She didn’t. Thankfully. “Here’s my advice, Vivi. Do it. Enjoy the hell out of it but protect yourself as much as you can. No one ever died from a broken heart and if nothing else, you’ll get a hell of a book or two out of it.”
“What I just heard is that I’m screwed.”
“Maybe, but you might end up with a really great husband. Or another hit novel.” She shrugged and wiggled her eyebrows at me. “And sexy lingerie has been helping women get what they want since the first lace was created.”
“And before lace?”
Maddie grinned. “Good old fashioned nudity.”
That much I could handle. For now.
I hoped.
* * *
“It’s about two best friends who find a magical cave that shows the future and they can have the future or they can try to change the past. But if they, do the future might not happen.” Norah had been talking nonstop since I arrived on the Boudreaux doorstep almost an hour ago.
“Wow, that’s a pretty big topic for such a young writer. How did you come up with it?”
“I didn’t want to do a boy-girl story, and everyone has a best friend.”
“Good point. It sounds amazing and I can’t wait to see it, kiddo.” Her blush was so damn adorable I just wanted to scoop her in my arms.
“Do you mean it, Vivi?”
“Of course. I haven’t had a friend like that since I was your age.” Spending time with Maddie today reminded me of how important it was to have girlfriends in your corner and I vowed to make a better effort where our friendship was concerned. “What you need is classic buddy comedy for inspiration,” I told her and scrolled through the video options until I found it. “Goonies.”
Nash ambled into the living room and sat right between us and when his clean masculine scent hit my nostrils, it took every ounce of willpower I had not to moan. “What are watching?”
“Goonies!” I loved the way Norah said it, like she already knew how awesome the movie would be. Too bad I spent the first forty five minutes in a spell made up
of Nash’s scent, his body heat and his proximity. It was like a magnetic field of sorts, pulling me in and holding me there until I no longer wanted to leave.
Being too close to him made me feel warm and fuzzy. Hot and bothered. And it made it really hard to remember that I couldn’t feel the way I was feeling. That it was a bad idea.
“I’m going to get Norah settled in bed and then I’ll be back. Stay right here.”
Like I was going anywhere with the heat and promise burning in his eyes. “We’ll see.” Nash’s thumb brushed across my bottom lip and I shivered. Satisfied, he stepped away and picked up his little girl, taking her to her room.
I contemplated leaving but my body would have rebelled if I’d have tried. That little hussy was sprawled out on the couch, overheated and so turned on it wouldn’t take more than a stiff wind to send her over the edge. But me, I was as cool as sweet tea. If sweet tea could be hot and horny.
Nash came down the stairs and stopped in the kitchen, returning to the living room with two beers. He set them both on the coffee table and then cupped my face, kissing me like I was the most precious, dirtiest thing to him. His tongue slicked over mine and I was lost. On fire and ready to tear off all my clothes just to get closer to him. But we couldn’t.
Could we?
Decision taken out of my hands, Nash pulled back and handed me a beer. “Been waiting to do that since you got here.”
“Tease,” I groaned, and he laughed.
“How’s the book coming along?”
I debated how much to tell him but I wasn’t ashamed of my work and I was proud of this one. “Very good. Kade and Amber’s story is hot and emotional, kinky and romantic. She’s been through hell and back and as her sometimes Friend, Kade has been there helping piece her back together. I think it’s going to be beautiful.”
He was quiet for a long beat. “Wow, that sounds incredible.”
A laugh bubbled up out of me. “Don’t sound so surprised, Nash.”
“I am,” he admitted as his hand massaged my neck and his fingers occasionally tangled in my hair. “But only because I really thought those books were lady porn. Not full blown stories with people and everything. But that story sounds like something I would be interested in.”
“That’s good to hear,” I told him, my eyes tracking his hands as they slid up my thighs, pushing my dress along the way. His warm hands kept going, calloused hands over smooth skin was such a turn on that I almost hated I’d wasted so much of my life with men with soft hands. “Ah.” I hissed out a breath as his thumbs brushed over my nipples.
“Vivi, we can’t.”
Damn. He was right. “Okay. Okay,” I said again and stood. “Just one more thing. I bought something today and I’d like your opinion.” Tugging on the string tied into a bow behind my neck, I let the dress fall to the floor and stood before him in white lace. All white lace. All over. “What do you think, Nash?”
His gaze was hot as it seared through me, making me pulse starting between my thighs and spreading out. Then he was on his feet with me in his arms as he marched us to his bedroom. Only then did Nash spend the rest of the night showing me exactly what the thought of my new outfit.
Nash
“Why do I have to bring a dish if you’re already bringing one?” I turned to Vivi so she could look at the shirt I just changed into. We’d been at it for at least thirty minutes and if not for her smile and spectacular cleavage, I probably would have given up.
She scrunched up her nose and shook her head at the shirt. “Because the rule is each household brings a dish. Try the blue one.”
“Bullshit.” I kept my gaze on her as I took off the green shirt and balled it up before tossing it on the bed. The look in her eyes had my cock swelling behind my zipper. “Eyes up here, cupcake.”
She grinned even as her cheeks pinkened but her gaze was brazen as it slowly raked up my body before landing on my eyes. “Just enjoying all of your dedication to physical fitness, that’s all.”
“Yeah?” She nodded, gaze dipping below my eyes for only a second. “Impressive willpower.”
“Thanks. I honed it by not murdering my so called friends from business school. I have a newfound appreciation for just how hard that is.”
I couldn’t help but laugh even though I knew she was being honest. “So.”
“So? The blue shirt?”
“Tired of the view?”
“Not even a little bit, but we kind of have someplace to be and a little girl getting ready down the hall. But if you’re game…” She moved to stand, and I reached for the blue shirt.
“All right, you made your point, Vixen.” She glared at me, and I laughed. “I mean, Vivi.”
“Smartass. We’re just going to be the happy couple tonight, right?”
“Seeing as the town lawyers are mysteriously absent, yeah.” She didn’t seem upset about it which shouldn’t have felt so good, but dammit it did.
“I’m glad you said that because I’m eager to see how high the baby pool gets.” This town had grown crazier over the summer or maybe Vivi brought it out of all of us. I didn’t know which was true but her smile made me forget why I should care.
“Baby pool? You can’t just say baby pool and then zone out!”
“On the town Facebook page. Apparently, there were bets about how long it would take us to get together, intimately. It’s still going because no one has confirmation.” The shock on her face matched my own when I saw it with my own eyes. “And you might be surprised to learn that some people have already lost the baby pool.”
She sucked in a breath. “Are you serious? Jealous bitches,” she muttered, and I laughed. “Put that blue shirt on and let’s go, Boudreaux.”
It took me about fifteen minutes to get dressed, find my shoes and make sure all the doors and windows were locked. Belle Musique was a small town with very little crime, but when it came to Norah I refused to risk it. “Hey ladies, it’s a potluck not the prom!”
“Daddy, don’t be silly. We’re pretty aren’t we?”
I turned with a wide grin. “You’re both very beautiful.” Norah twirled around in her denim skirt and butterfly leggings with a black t-shirt and matching shoes. “Norah, you look adorable.”
“Thank you, Daddy. You look very handsome.”
It was good to see Norah happy and smiling again. And tonight of all nights, it was a good reminder of how important it was to keep things simple with Vivi.
When we arrived at the community center, I knew that the chances of keeping things simple, went from awkward but manageable to totally fucking impossible. Instead of a simple potluck—which I was kicking my own ass for even believing—it was a wedding reception. For me and Vivi.
Obviously.
“Holy crap! Did you know about this?” Shocked green eyes looked up at him, bewildered rather than accusing. “Of course you didn’t but, holy friggin’ crap! Right?”
I smiled and wrapped an arm around her. Together, we watched Norah dart off to the other room where the kids were hanging out for the night. “Right.” I leaned down and whispered. “I guess it’s showtime, Mrs. Boudreaux.”
“Oh god, that sounds so bizarre!” She laughed and when I leaned over to brush a kiss to her cheek, I caught her jaw. Then her neck. “But that makes it feel better. Mmm, better.”
“Oh, look at our two little love birds!” Aunt Mae, which she insisted I call her, strolled up with three of her silver haired friends. “You two look very happy and I, for one, am so glad.” She really did look glad but I could still see the hint of guilt in her eyes and I pulled her in for a hug.
“Stop worrying, Mae. We’re not mad so stop beating yourself up about it. Okay?”
She pulled back and grinned, cupping my face. “You’re a good boy, Nash. I’m happy to have you in my family.”
“Right back atcha, Mae.”
Vivi sidled up to me with a smile as she wrapped an arm around my waist. “We haven’t told Norah yet, Mae. It’s kind of hard to ex
plain so if we could tone this all down a bit?”
“Oh we can’t do that, Viviana, not when everyone worked so hard to put this night together in secret. You can’t imagine how hard it was to keep this off the gossip wire.”
Vivi snorted. “I think I can imagine. It sounds what I imagine heaven is like. Or other towns,” she joked. “Where are the drinks? There have to be drinks.”
“There’s a bar set up right beside the food but don’t touch anything yet, we’ll say a few words before we all eat.” Mae’s brows dipped in confusion but she kept her smile in place. “Go on and enjoy this night. Imbibe. Dance. Be in love.”
“You heard the woman,” I told Vivi with a grin. “Let’s go imbibe and dance.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” She held her hand out and I grabbed it, making a big show of twirling her to my side as we ambled over to the bar. “Champagne, ice cold please.”
She turned to me, cleavage on full display in a rose colored dress that made her skin look like white silk. It was strapless, giving the impression that at any moment I could be treated to a vision of her naked breasts. “What? Do I have something in my teeth?”
“You haven’t eaten anything, have you?” She snickered and rolled her eyes. “Are you worried about Norah?”
“A little.” I figured she deserved honesty since she was perceptive enough to ask. “I just don’t like lying to her and this, it’s a big fucking lie.”
“We’ll figure this out, Nash. And we can agree right now to make sure we do what’s best for Norah. Deal?” She held her hand out adorably, waiting proudly for me to accept it.
“Sure. Deal.” I took her hand and held it, letting my thumb rest over her racing pulse. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight, Vivi?”
“No,” she blushed. “But it’s always nice to hear.”
“Well, you do. Hell, you look good enough to eat,” I told her, my voice damn near a growl.
“Is that one of the perks of marriage?”
And just like that my cock was hard and I wanted her. Bad. So fucking bad I could taste it. So bad I didn’t give a damn about the party, I wanted to find a dark quiet corner and work Vivi over until she made those sexy noises I couldn’t resist. “Might be.”
Accidentally Hitched: An Accidental Marriage Romance Page 11
