by Anne Martin
I leaned over my knees. “Are you serious?”
“As serious as terminal illness.”
I snorted and pushed him over. He took me with him so I was on him, his strong arms holding me tight. I really loved being close to him. It made me feel more alive, more at peace, more okay.
He touched my face, gentle, so gentle. “Kitten? You probably need to think about it, talk to your aunt, see what she thinks. I don’t know what you’d do there besides eat like an old lady, nap like a kitten, and roll around a king-size bed with me.”
I gasped because the way he said it was just so shocking.
“You want to roll around in bed with me? I thought I was too respectable.”
“As my temporary wife, it would be completely respectable, also fun.”
“You think that you could actually be faithful to one woman for an entire six months?”
He sighed and touched my hair. “I’ve never had trouble with fidelity. I don’t bother with dating these days, but I didn’t always play the field. You want the experience of marriage and physical intimacy. I want the novelty of having a good girl staying good. It’s a win-win.”
“Then I’ll die before you get bored. Maybe I won’t die so soon. These things aren’t precise, you know.”
He leaned forward and kissed me, quick, sweet before pulling away. “Then we annul the thing and you come back to live your life however you want. Maybe you’ll be cured and can marry Daniel. I get the feeling he’s never giving up on you. Even if you were dead he’d be hooking you up to electrodes and trying to bring you back to life.”
I laughed at the thought of neat and tidy Daniel as Dr. Frankenstein. “Or at least come to my gravesite and lecture me about not trying hard enough. Let’s not talk about him.”
“All right, Kitten. Not talking about him sounds good to me. What do you think? Temporary marriage in Las Vegas, land of desolation?” He kissed me. Somehow his hand wandered down until it was on my butt, the other on my breast. I pulled away shocked and kind of amused because it was exactly the position I’d first found him in, only not with me.
I started laughing.
He frowned at me. “Is there a joke I missed?”
“Stina. The first time I saw you. Okay. Let’s run away to Vegas and get fake married and live together for a few months. By Christmas, if I’m too sick, I’ll move back with Aunt Willie.”
He stared at me. “Ah, Stina. Bless her heart. Did I ever tell you how much she paid me to kiss her? I apologize for my wandering hands. The idea of a temporary marriage went to my head.”
“But mostly your hands.”
He smiled and leaned over. “My hands do take direction from my mind. They are very well trained.” He kissed me. When his well-trained hands pulled me back on his lap, I didn’t protest.
I stared into his shadowy face. “King size bed?”
He nodded and kissed me, soft, lingering. “It’s going to be very good for you.”
I laughed. “You have a lot of confidence about that.”
He brushed my nose with his. “It’s all that experience I have. I’ll give you everything you need.”
I licked my lips and pulled away. “All that experience, hm? Do you mind my lack?”
He cupped my chin and kissed me, slow, sweet, deep, rich. “We balance each other nicely. Very nicely. From where I’m standing, it’s not a lack, it’s a gift.”
“Gift?”
“Your trust, your sweetness, you. I look forward to this temporary marriage. Do you want to tell Aunt Willie, or should I?”
That was a conversation I didn’t want to have. It took the wind out of my sails, but the ring on my hand stayed there, staring at me while I sat on the couch at home the next day, waiting for her to get back from work.
When she came in, she took one look at me, at my ring, and shook her head before she took off her shoes and came over.
“You’re marrying him?”
Should I tell her it was real? “Yes. Sort of. Temporary, you know, because that’s all I have, but he’s good with temporary. So, yeah. He’s got a job there, so we’ll live in Vegas for a few months.”
She took my hand and cupped it in hers. “Nevada?”
I hesitated before I nodded.
She sighed and brushed my hair back. “Do you want to talk to Doctor Fuller while you’re there? You should at least get a physical.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to worry about it. I’d rather live well. Watching dad go through that…” I pressed my lips together while she pulled me into a hug.
I closed my eyes tight. “Am I making a mistake? Should I stay here and not drag Nix into my mess?”
She pushed me away to frown at me sternly. “Certainly not. Someone needs to teach that boy how to be a man, and that someone is you. He’ll play house with you and learn how life ought to be lived. I’m glad that he’s marrying you. You know that I don’t approve of funny business.”
I sighed and put my head on her shoulder. “I know. I don’t either. So, you don’t think it’s like a mockery of real marriage or something?”
She stroked my hair. “Of course not. There are different kinds of marriage. I’ll miss you, but you’ll be back around Christmas?”
I nodded. “Probably. If it lasts that long. He’s really good at being in the moment, but I don’t expect his attention span to be much longer than that.”
“Oh, honey. Are you going to let him break your heart? That’s brave. You know that if anything funny goes on, I’ll be there on the next flight. If he mistreats you or tries to prostitute you on the strip…”
I laughed and pushed away from her. “How would that work with how easily I bruise, how quickly I tire out? I’m not rich, either. I don’t make that kind of target.”
She pursed her lips. “Yes, but you never know.”
I kissed her forehead and stood. “Okay. I guess I’m getting married.”
“I’ll tell Daniel.”
I shook my head. “I’ll do it. I asked him to meet me in the park.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. “That’s a big part of it. He needs to see me moving on now, not later. He needs to see me as a real person instead of some untouchable dream.”
“If you say so. That boy makes me tired.”
I laughed and got up to get my things. He was waiting for me on the usual bench. I handed him a bagel and kept my hand out, so he could see the ring.
He froze for a second before he nodded. “Wow. That’s a nice rock.”
I licked my lips. “Yeah. We’re eloping to Vegas.”
He shot me a look with those blue eyes. “Good.”
“Oh. Yeah. I thought you should know that I’m over us, so you should be too.”
“There’s never been an us. So that’s what you wanted to show me. He’s taking you to Vegas. Are you going to do treatments while you’re there?”
I scowled at him. “No. He has a job. I just want to experience the married thing with someone who doesn’t need perfection.”
“Because perfect is a lie. Yeah, I know. If he’s imperfect, he must be honest.” He pressed his lips together while his nostrils flared. “Good. I hope that you have fun playing bride.”
I stood up, clenching my fists. This was his reaction? It was somewhere between smug and disgusted. “I will. He’s willing to use his experience to my advantage unlike some people who have all the experience and none of the generosity.”
He laughed, teeth so nice and straight. His blue eyes went soft. “I love you. No matter what. When you come back, I’ll be waiting.” He walked off just like that.
I wanted to throw a bagel at the back of his head but I ripped into it with my teeth instead. The man was infuriating.
Chapter 10
Nix Death-Hammer
We drove the Camaro. I drove mostly while she slept. It was a long drive, thirty-two hours that went by in a blur of exhausted and panicked. Was I really doing this? The diamond on her finger was an indica
tion that yes indeed, I was. I had everything arranged, the hotel, the roadside wedding chapel, the transferred funds to the clinic, enough to get things started, and the job I’d left behind before it killed me.
What was I thinking? She was a sweet little peach, but she was in love with someone else, someone who wasn’t any good for her. She was happy with me. Not that she wasn’t already happy. Fine. I was happy with her. I lost every bitter, jaded, angry streak and was left with something like optimism. Right. I find a girl who’s dying and that makes me optimistic. I always had been contrary.
I pulled into a gas station a hundred miles from our destination. She stirred in her seat and sat up, smiling at me. That smile. You could light the world with that smile.
“Kitten. Do you want to drive for a spell?”
She stretched, arching her back and shifting her hips beneath her narrow waist. I hadn’t touched her for too long. I was dying to do more than touch her. My mouth was actually watering and suddenly I wasn’t particularly tired.
“Mm. Okay, Brute. How far do we have?”
I grinned at her. “Hour and a half.”
She ran a hand through her messy hair, still adorable even sweaty and stuck to her head. “Maybe we should have flown,” she said.
I frowned at her. “And leave your precious steed behind? I don’t think so.”
She laughed and leaned over to catch my face and kiss me. I loved it when she did that. “I think that you’ve fallen in love.”
My heart pounded as she rested against my chest, her body so light, so soft and buoyant, it raised me up every time. “Do you?” I raised an eyebrow skeptically.
“With my car.”
I kissed her, quick and sweet. “You aren’t wrong. Do you think your aunt would sell it to me after you kick it?”
She laughed and pulled away. “I’m sure she’ll consider releasing the gas-guzzling monster into your very capable hands if you don’t try and prostitute me on the strip. It was one of her concerns.”
I took her hand. “That’s an idea. You aren’t quite the type.”
“Too sickly?”
“Too sweet.”
We got out, stretched, her in those adorable little shorts and t-shirt, then took breaks and switched seats. I lay back and closed my eyes while she expertly shifted down. She drove well and liked to go fast. My sleep was plagued with dreams of her, wearing nothing but that smile of hers.
When I woke up, she was there, looking cute and sweet. We were stuck in traffic for half an hour before she took the exit for our hotel. She drove past the enormous neon sign that read, “Death-Hammer’s Back!” without distinguishing it from the other dozens of blinking billboards. Vegas. Land of stranger than strange, where if you could dream it, it could come true, or as true as that place could ever be.
At the hotel, I checked us in while she waited with the car.
“I have a reservation,” I said, sliding my credit card over the counter.
The clerk was new. He didn’t recognize me until he looked at the card and started stammering. “We have your suite all prepared, sir. Do you need help with your luggage?”
Kitten hadn’t packed much, and I’d sent everything I’d need ahead. “We’re fine. Don’t make a fuss, if you please.”
“Oh, yes, sir. Absolutely sir. You’re absolutely ordinary in every way.”
I nodded. “And my wife, keep an eye out for her, but don’t hover.”
“Your wife?” His eyes went golf-ball size.
“That’s right. My wife.” My heart was beating faster and faster as he handed over the room key cards. My wife. My wife. My wife.
She leaned against the side of the yellow car in her sunglasses and short shorts. I wasn’t the only one looking at her.
“Kitten,” I said when I reached her, then I kissed her, nice and thorough so anyone watching would see that she belonged to me. Yeah, I was probably marking my territory, but I didn’t grab her anywhere too inappropriate, so she didn’t slap me. I wouldn’t mind if she slapped me good, except it might hurt her hand.
After we parked, we got into the elevator and pushed the penthouse button. She didn’t notice. She was busy balancing her suitcase, her backpack and her bag.
“Where can you get a decent salad here?” she asked. “I’m assuming you’ve been here before.”
I nodded and studied her. She had no idea how pretty she was. I wanted to take her right there in the elevator. When we got to the suite, she walked in and stopped, dropping the suitcase I’d let her haul all that way like I didn’t notice her panting. I should have offered, but I didn’t want to feel like this was too serious. She couldn’t think that there was anything more to this Vegas trip than a little fun. A lot of fun.
“Um, Brute, I don’t think that this is a double.”
I walked over beside her and the windows that spanned the entire side of the building. “Nope, it’s the suite. I have a friend who works here. He gets a discount when it’s available. Isn’t it nice?” I nibbled on the side of her neck.
She tilted her head to give me more access and leaned against me. I slid my hands over her stomach and pulled her against me.
“Kitten, I’m going to take a quick shower, change, and then we’ll get that salad you were talking about.”
“You can get a steak, if you want.”
I ran my hands over her sides. “That’s awful considerate of you to offer.” I left before I got any more vulgar than that.
In my shower, thoughts of her filled my head. When I got out I was almost relaxed until I saw her standing in a towel, waiting for her turn.
“It’s hard not to look at you in the shower with the glass walls,” she said with a flush to her cheeks.
I licked my lips. “Heavens, girl, you can’t say that to a poor deprived member of the opposite sex when you’re standing there in next to nothing. You look so good in next to nothing.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Deprived?”
“Extremely. Three days next to the prettiest girl in the world, and hardly a kiss to show for it. Tonight, after dinner, I am kissing you ‘til kingdom come.”
She laughed and brushed me with her towel. It was a good thing I already had my jeans on or we wouldn’t be going anywhere for a very long time. She kissed my nose then ducked around me, closing the door behind her. The door was glass, and I almost watched her undress, but I wasn’t quite that desperate.
I grabbed my phone and went out on the balcony, sitting beside the Jacuzzi.
Trixie picked up almost immediately. “Did you get in?”
“Just now.”
“Did you have to drive all that way?”
I’d needed to think and plan, to decide if this was what I was actually going to do with my life. A nice car trip across the country with someone was exactly the way to get to know all their edges, their flaws, their quirks. I knew that Kitten drove well, mumbled in her sleep about ice cream, listened to Christian, Country and Girl Power ballads, had watched Pro Wrestling with her dad, and had an almost inhuman optimism along with her ability to sleep through just about anything. She was as sweet and good as she seemed, the perfect southern lady with the right amount of road rage.
“Nix?” she asked when I didn’t answer soon enough.
“Yeah. What was that?”
She made an irritated sound. “Dinner tonight. Are you coming?”
“No.”
“It’s your dinner.”
“I have to recover from the drive. I’m also getting married.”
She was quiet for a second. “Sorry. I thought you said…”
“Pretend I’m not here for another day or two. Parade a couple of the girls around to keep the mob satisfied.”
“Sure. Tom’s chomping at the bit. What shall I tell him?”
Tom was my bodyguard. He really liked knocking back crowds of groupies. “Same. Later.” I hung up and put my boot on the edge of the balcony as I looked down on the lights of the city.
When she came out
, she was dressed in a sweet little dress like she was ready for lemonade on the porch.
“Darlin’, come here.” I held out my arms and she walked into them, head cocked adorably.
“Are you all right? I slept almost that whole trip and I’m still tired. You’ve got to be flagging.”
I grinned at her and gripped her chin. “Not even close. Tell me not to kiss you or we’ll never get out of here.”
She rose on her tiptoes and kissed me, sweet and quick before she stepped away. “Let’s go eat, then we’ll come back and kiss until you’re unconscious.”
I tugged her next to me and we went to the elevator stuck together like one life form. We took the elevator to the parking garage without stopping in the hotel lobby. I opened the passenger’s door for her, but she got into the driver’s side like it was her car or something. I shook my head and slid in.
“Where are we going?” she asked as she put the car in reverse. She drove very well.
I relaxed and gave her directions. It was off the strip, a little chapel in the brush off the beaten path that did custom weddings. This next part was going to be tricky, particularly when my heart was pounding and I was starting to feel panicky.
“Turn here.”
She pulled off the main road and drove down a lit gravel road, twinkle lights on either side of the narrow road until she reached the old adobe church. An old Joshua tree was wrapped in sparkling lights and when she got up, she paused to look up like it was the most magical thing in the world. Yep. Nailed that part.
“So, this place has good salad?”
I took her hand and walked with her towards the office on the side. Jose smiled brightly when he saw us.
Kitten froze when she saw his priest’s collar.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
“Temporary wedding,” I whispered back. “He has an Elvis costume in the back if you’d rather go that way.”
She looked up at me, shock and horror warring with a hesitant yearning. “It’s so pretty. I figured it would be all pretend, like not actually go through the process. Wow. A surprise wedding. Um. It’s not real?”
