The Reluctant Billionaire's Temporary Bride: Love is worth fighting for (Las Vegas Brides of Convenience Book 1)

by Anne Martin

  I had no idea what Sen’s Capability Approach was. I’d be googling that. I didn’t expect to be schooled by a little kitten. Still. “You can’t judge how another person needs to live. Sometimes life is all about the moment. Sometimes one moment is all you can handle at a time. Life’s hard, princess. Maybe it isn’t for you, up there in your turret looking down on the rest of the world, but it seems like no one nominated you to judge their potential and whether or not they’re reaching up to your standard of perfection.”

  Her eyes narrowed and her pink mouth pursed like she was sucking on a lemon. Why was that so attractive to me?

  “Time’s up for today,” the professor said, giving me and Miss Perfect equally delighted smiles. “It’s going to be a very good year. I can tell.”

  The blond got her things together, intentionally not looking at me. She hadn’t been able to get in the last word. A nice southern woman would hate that. She was fierce for all her size, a fighter.

  Truth is, I wished I found life a precious and beautiful gift, but life was ugly, short and brutish. That was my life. I hadn’t grown up with love and affection like her. I had no regrets about that. None.

  In the hall after class my long legs soon overtook her.

  “Your ex-girlfriend is different than I’d think a nice girl like you would run with.”

  She whirled around to face me, fine blond hair looking silky soft when it swished around her perfect heart-shaped face. “My ex-girlfriend? What are you talking about?”

  “The girl I was kissing when you physically assaulted me the other day. I’m considering pressing charges. My nose is one of my best features, and I think you may have put it out of joint.”

  “I didn’t…She wasn’t…Your nose is fine. You’re right, it’s none of my business what my ex-best-friend,” she said, putting the accent on ‘best’, “does with her life, except that I love her and care what happens to her, but I guess loving and caring about other people doesn’t fit in with your ugly, short thing.” She gestured towards me like I defined those characteristics, not like I was a poor victim of life’s vagaries.

  “Ex best friend? That’s disappointing. I was starting to think you might be a little bit interesting, not all vanilla swirl with vanilla toppings in a vanilla cone.”

  “I find it incredibly hard to believe that she told you we were dating. Also, I like vanilla.”

  So did I. “She didn’t tell me much, just that she was in desperate need of physical contact. I assumed your reaction was jealousy over her finding someone else. I can’t imagine why you’d care if your friend enjoyed herself a little bit.”

  Her hand rose and her blue eyes widened. “Wait, some random girl comes up to you and tells you to kiss her, and you just go for it? In public? You have no idea where she’s been, what’s her story. You were on her like some kind of wet and dry vacuum, a handsy one. I was saving her from what couldn’t possibly have been even slightly enjoyable.”

  That’s when I smiled. I really shouldn’t play with a cute kitten like that, but she jumped on the string with so much enthusiasm. “Is that your theory? I don’t suppose it’s possible to prove, that you would ever enjoy kissing a random stranger who hasn’t made it through your no-doubt extensive vetting process.”

  “If by extensive you mean bothering to get to know their name and age, yeah, I guess so. I’d never ask a random stranger to kiss me. What would be the point?”

  “Does everything need to have purpose? Some things just are, and some things are fun. I can prove it. Ten minutes of kissing you, and if you don’t like it, if it doesn’t improve the quality of your life, I’ll give you twenty bucks and admit, in class, that not everything’s about the moment.”

  “Right.” She put her hands on her hips while her eyes narrowed. She did, however, glance at my mouth before raising her eyes quickly. “What would I get out of it?”

  “The chance to prove me wrong. All you have to do is not like it. Twenty bucks. Ten minutes.”

  She licked her lips. “I don’t even know your name.”

  “Which is why it would be such an effective test.” She was finding excuses instead of laughing in my face. Perfect.

  “What’s in it for you?”

  “The obvious. Proving that the moment is gratifying even when meaningless.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not possible for something meaningless to be truly gratifying. It’s simply impossible. Okay, but if I don’t succumb to your bad boy experience at hedonistic pleasure, you have to promise to stay away from Stina.”

  “Who?”

  She shook her head and glared at me. “You really didn’t even know her name? The girl you made out with. Do we have a deal?” She held out her hand.

  “Deal, Kitten.” I smiled and took it. Her hand was so soft, so delicate. I raised it to my lips and barely brushed the skin.

  She jumped and yanked her hand away. “Not in public, Brutish. Follow me, if you would be so kind.” She walked quickly down the hall, excited to get going, or more likely, excited to get it over with. “You’re all about living in the moment, right? Who cares about the future because now is the only reality and all that, but what does that do to your future self, and worse, all the poor girls whose hearts you break?”

  “I don’t break hearts. I’d have to promise something other than the present. I don’t. I don’t have a future to give anyone; no one does, not really. I’m just honest about it.”

  “So you were just in the moment with my ex best friend?”

  “It’s in the past.”

  “So there’s only now or in the past, and since she’s not here, it’s like she never existed?” She shot me a frown.

  I smiled back at her, a grin that should send her running for her mama, particularly since we were on our way to find a secluded place to test our theories. “I’m not in the market for a long-term solution, not when I haven’t figured out my own baggage. Are you so desperate for a steady boyfriend that you’re offended by anyone who isn’t offering?”

  She shook her head, her big blue eyes getting kind of sad. “It’s stupid not to try to find love and happiness if you can have it.”

  “Are you saying that you already have your perfect boyfriend? What will he think about you living in the moment with someone else?”

  “I don’t date either, for the opposite reasons that you don’t.”

  “How is there an opposite to my reason? You’re too pretty not to date.”

  She laughed and gave me a sparkling smile. For a second I’d thought she was getting melancholy, but apparently sad didn’t last with her. “Pretty?”

  “Is that an insult? Are you a feminist or something? Maybe you’d like to date, but you haven’t come out yet.”

  “Come out?”

  I wiggled my eyebrows while she stared at me like I was a lunatic. “It’s okay if you don’t like men. I don’t either.”

  She shook her head and pushed through some double doors.

  I followed her through a student art gallery then through another door into a little courtyard in the center of the building.

  She stopped once we reached a secluded corner behind the planters and big HVAC system where no one could see us.

  “Ten minutes.” She bent over her watch and fiddled with it until she gave me a pert nod and lifted her chin and closed her eyes, clearly waiting to be kissed.

  She was all soft and sweet, so obviously feminine in her soft sweater and short skirt. She wore sneakers with that short skirt. It made me smile, like she’d pull out a skateboard and take off down the hall. That one touch of rebel. Did she know she had that rebellion inside her? I could stir it up. It would be good for her. I wouldn’t hate it myself.

  I slid my hands around her waist and pulled her against me, only a little tug. Her hands came up automatically, palms on my chest to hold me back. I let her keep that distance. I had ten minutes. We had the precisely perfect balance, her hands on my chest pushing, my hands on her waist pulling.

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nbsp; She wasn’t anything like her friend, so I didn’t slam my lips against hers in some rushed impulsive moment. No, I slid my hands up and down her arms, brushing the skin of her neck with my thumb, getting a feel for her.

  She opened her eyes and frowned at me. “Why aren’t you kissing me?”

  I kissed her forehead. She pulled away at that slight contact. She was really skittish.

  “In a hurry, Kitten?”

  She shook her head and closed her eyes, but her eyelids were tense. I kissed them. Her lashes were ticklish on my lips. She opened her eyes again.

  “What was that?”

  “Kissing.”

  “That wasn’t kissing like you kissed Stina.”

  “You aren’t her. Kissing isn’t a one-size-fits all kind of thing. If I’ve learned anything about women, it’s that not one of them is like another.” I winked at her, reminding her about my experience.

  She rolled her eyes and leaned into me, pulling my head down to kiss me. She kept her eyes closed with every kiss like a good little princess. Her kiss was hard and firm, very business-like. It was cute. I let her be hard, but she needed soft, so I didn’t devour her like she was clearly egging me into doing.

  I touched her hair while her kiss grew progressively softer to match mine. She couldn’t help but be responsive. That was a pleasant surprise.

  Her body was so soft and inviting, but also guarded and anxious. When I tightened my hands on her waist, her whole body stiffened, but when I smoothed up her back and held her carefully, she melted against me and her lips parted. She didn’t want hard, but soft. She didn’t want rushed, but slow. She wanted deep and thorough, but also calm and relaxed.

  I kissed her like we had all the time in the world, reveling in the feel of her hair, her skin, nowhere that would make her stiffen up and push away, just her neck, cheek, hands, places she didn’t mind human contact. I caressed her and kissed her like she was breakable, like I adored her, like she was the only creature in the world, in this moment, in this place.

  She made this sound against my lips as she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me against her.

  There was something incredibly languid about everything. I’d had more than my share of frantic desire, but this was so slow and certain, every move, every touch precisely what I needed, and if her body were any indication, exactly what she craved. I didn’t rush anything, not when she was where I wanted her.

  I kissed her deeper, her mouth so soft and welcoming, like her body, the kind of southern hospitality I’d never appreciated before. Her chest rose and fell against mine.

  When the buzzer went off she broke away from my lips to gasp for air. She looked at me all soft and dewy, but then frowned like I’d betrayed her.

  “What was that?”

  Her hands were still on my shoulders and I had her against me. I wasn’t finished with her.

  “Kissing. Did you miss it? I guess we’ll have to try again.” I bent to her lips but she went all stiff in my arms and I settled for brushing her nose with mine before I let her go and took a step back.

  She blinked at me with big eyes, all startled that I’d take my skin away from her. She wasn’t finished either. Kitten wanted her milkman.

  “Well?” I cocked my head and studied her with a smile that hopefully didn’t come across as smug. That kissing, as sweet and innocent as it had been, made me want more. So much more.

  She looked at her smart watch and fiddled with it, not looking at me while she tried to get herself together. Finally she gasped and raised her eyes to stare at me.

  “I’m late.” She whirled around and ran like the devil was chasing her. Wasn’t she going to admit that she’d liked it?

  I sighed and headed after her much more slowly. I stopped to look at the art in the gallery. I had a break for the next hour. I shouldn’t gamble with girls. They didn’t seem very good at paying their debts.

  Chapter 3

  Sunshine Wilson

  On Friday, I hesitated outside the door of Intro to Philosophy. Did I have to do this? I pulled the folded paper out of my bag, stared at the smiley face and walked in. I wandered towards the back and casually dropped the paper onto his desk before I continued on, not looking at him, not when I sat down on the far side and not when I got out my notebook to pay attention.

  The professor started her lecture and was going strong for ten minutes when I stood up.

  She looked at me, surprised and adjusted her glasses. “Yes, Stoic?”

  “I just want to say that I’ve been thinking, and it seems like living in the moment can be a necessary break from the otherwise difficult and tedious path of truth and light.”

  He laughed. “Does the path of truth and light get tedious, Kitten? You can join me on the dark side any time.”

  The whole class laughed. I ha-ha’d but didn’t look at him. Seriously, that was humiliating. That’s what I got for gambling. Good girls shouldn’t gamble, not with guys like him. I snuck a look over at him. He was looking at the professor, something in his eyes that said he didn’t agree but wouldn’t bother saying anything.

  I quickly faced front before he noticed.

  After class, I was walking when he fell in beside me. He held out the twenty dollar bill I’d folded inside the paper. I walked faster.

  “Take it, Kitten. I didn’t expect you to really pay for it, and admitting that you might be wrong, you must have really enjoyed it.”

  “I can admit when I’m wrong.” I gave him a sweet smile. “I can also not make the same mistake twice. Keep the money. Everyone has to pay for their mistakes.”

  I walked away to the sound of his laughter.

  I got caught up in the studio, working on my first project and didn’t notice the rain until I left the Humanities building and the doors clicked closed with a lock behind me. I stood beneath the overhang while water bounced from the sidewalk and splashed my legs and skirt. What time was it? It wasn’t that late. Maybe sevenish.

  I put my art board under my shirt and ran for my Camaro hunched over to protect it from the rain. I fumbled with the locked door for too long and then finally climbed inside and slammed the door behind me while I pulled out my painting and examined it for smears. It was too dark to see anything, and I didn’t really want to know. I threw it onto the back seat and checked my stomach. Viridian green was smeared over my ribs. I rubbed it off with my thumb and then settled down to start the car.

  It growled a few times and then nothing. I tried again, muttering a prayer under my breath before I cranked it. That time it just clicked a few times.

  “No!” I threw myself back against my chair too hard and had to take a second of breathing and being chill. I said a proper prayer and then popped the hood and grabbed a penlight from the glove box.

  I was out there, leaning over my engine with the flashlight in the rain when I said, “Please send an angel, dad.”

  “I wouldn’t call me an angel, but I’ll do what I can, Kitten Princess.”

  I whirled around and would have hit my head if the guy from my Philosophy class didn’t have his hand there, like he expected that reaction. Jerk. I scowled at him, his tan face streaming water while he grinned like he was in the shower and totally didn’t mind ruining his black leather jacket.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Answering your prayers. What’s the problem?”

  For a second I considered slamming the hood on his head as he took his place next to me. He took the light out of my hand and started getting his hands filthy, knocking on this, yanking on that.

  I finally said, “It won’t turn over.”

  “Bad starter?”

  “I don’t think so. I just got that replaced.”

  “Hm.” He knocked around some more until he stuck his screwdriver into the depths of the car. “Try it now.”

  I went around to the driver’s side, not bothering to hunch over because there was absolutely no point. I turned the key and was almost disappointed when it growled to life.
It died a second later. I got out and there he was, handing me the light back.

  “You need a new relay. I’ll give you a ride home.”

  “You’ll what?” I stared at him while he grinned at me.

  “Ride. Home. You. Give. I’ll.” He shook his head slightly. “You don’t talk enough in Philosophy. It’s hard to stay awake. Look, I’ll give you a ride if you promise to be more delightfully argumentative.”

  “What’s your problem?”

  He shrugged his very big and strong shoulders, not that I’d ever seen him without the jacket. “Too many to talk about in the rain. Not that I mind. The view’s not bad.” He pointedly looked at my chest.

  I followed the direction of his gaze and saw my bra quite clearly outlined beneath my white t-shirt. Before I could sputter an insult, he had his jacket around my shoulders and zipped it up with my arms still out of the sleeves. I shivered and stared at him with my hair hanging down on my face and my makeup probably running down my cheeks.

  “Come on.” He turned and walked away, so cocky in those jeans that were absolutely plastered to his extremely well-formed behind. His t-shirt was soon as soaked as mine, so I got to see his body and all it’s fascinating contours. He was beautiful. I absently touched my mouth. I’d spent a lot of time not thinking about his lips, surprisingly soft, his hands incredibly gentle, everything about that whole encounter nothing I would expect from an older black leather wearing, scruffy guy who seethed danger and apathy towards the world.

  I didn’t mean to follow, but I had his jacket, and I was standing in the rain. I should call my aunt to come and get me, but she’d lecture me about not being careful and pushing myself too hard. No, she wouldn’t. She was out of town for the weekend. I should call Daniel. He’d take care of everything, but after last semester and he’d asked me to go out with him, begged me, all down on his knees and everything, I was trying to give him his space. I missed him though.

  Stina thought it was wrong of me to keep him as my friend when I couldn’t give him any more than that. We all had a different viewpoint when it came to morality. I didn’t think it was okay for Stina to make out with a random strangers in public. No, I’d made out with him in private, which made it so much better. I rolled my eyes at myself and hurried after him. Maybe he was a psycho killer, but he’d probably get me dry and my future was iffy anyway.