Temporary Wife Temptation

by Jayci Lee

  Garrett didn’t know what to say, so he pulled her close and held her against his chest. What can I say? Enjoy it while it lasts? Things were getting a hell of a lot more complicated than he’d anticipated, and he had a sick feeling in his stomach that hearts would be broken before this was over.

  And he hated himself for praying his heart wouldn’t be one of them.

  Eight

  Garrett pressed her against him, and Natalie forgot everything—the lies, the uncertainty, the guilt. The warmth of his embrace and the sweet strains of the ballad gradually eased the tension from her shoulders.

  “Kiss, kiss, kiss!”

  Natalie jolted back to reality at the thundering chant of the tipsy wedding guests and the sharp chiming of forks striking wineglasses. She peeked over Garrett’s shoulder to see they were surrounded by his champagne-chugging buddies. She buried her face into his chest again and groaned.

  “Let’s give them the kiss, then we can leave,” he said, lifting her chin with the crook of his finger.

  Natalie looked up at him with an exasperated sigh. By the grim line of Garrett’s mouth, he wasn’t too thrilled about it, either. He lowered his head slowly, brushed her lips with the softest of touches and began to draw away, but the gentleness of his kiss knocked down her defenses. Too tired to fight, she pressed herself against him and pulled his mouth back with greedy fingers tangled in his hair.

  Garrett stilled for a moment, but with a moan, he took control of the kiss. Nipping and tasting her bottom lip, he sought entry with the tip of his tongue. She complied and he deepened the kiss, his fingers digging into her hips. The slick slide of his tongue against hers as they tangled and danced made her light-headed, and she slid her hands down his arms and spread her fingers across the shifting muscles of his back.

  Garrett’s breath caught sharply in his throat, then he pressed his hand against her back and pulled her flush against his body. Catcalls, shouts and applause rang far off in the distance, but Natalie was too busy to acknowledge the sound. An unmistakable hardness pressed against her stomach through the soft material of her dress, and she whimpered, rising on tiptoes to get closer to him.

  Then she was rudely torn from him and held at arm’s length. Garrett stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face, his hands gripping her shoulders. They stood silently, both breathing hard.

  She’d forgotten where they were and why they were kissing in the first place. She might not have stopped if Garrett hadn’t pushed her away.

  Natalie wanted to become a little rodent so she could scurry into the nearest mouse hole. Not only was the situation mortifying, but she also couldn’t let this happen again if she wanted an easy-peasy annulment.

  Tonight had to be a fluke. They’d kissed plenty of times since their engagement. Yet she’d successfully resisted the temptation to tangle tongues with him. The wedding wasn’t real—at least not for the bride and groom—but she was only human. How could she help but notice how beautiful and romantic everything was and get a little carried away?

  “Let’s go.” Garrett’s voice was gruff but his expression was impassive.

  He had put their kiss behind him. And why not? It was just another kiss to him. Not just that, but it was a fake kiss. He couldn’t help that he was an excellent kisser and his fake bride couldn’t take the heat.

  In a blur of smiling faces and well wishes, they bid their guests and family a hasty goodbye and headed for the Ritz-Carlton. Since it was only a marriage of convenience, they’d agreed a honeymoon was unnecessary. Besides, she had a baby to adopt and he had a partnership and a CEO seat to secure. It was time they focused on the important goals.

  “Here we are.” Garrett waved away the valet as they arrived and opened her car door for her.

  He put his hand on the small of her back and led her into the hotel lobby. Once the elevator door closed behind them, he dropped his hand and stepped aside, putting some space between them. Natalie annoyed herself by missing the heat of his body next to hers. As soon as they reached the penthouse, Garrett headed to the foot of the stairs.

  “You did well today,” he said, loosening his tie and the top buttons of his shirt. Her eyes were riveted to the hollow at the base of his throat, which had been revealed by his unintentional striptease.

  “Thanks?” Natalie said, bemused by his review of her wedding performance. “Good night.”

  Garrett stalked off without a backward glance. She blinked. What the heck just happened? She stood alone in the vast emptiness of the living room and looked around. The city lights twinkled, taunting her that the people out there were actually living their lives, while she was putting hers on hold for months.

  Natalie sighed, bone-deep tired from being lonely. This had to be the most unromantic wedding night in the history of contract marriages. In the romance novels she read, the fake couples at least played chess or watched Die Hard together.

  * * *

  Her husband watched her descend the staircase with hooded eyes. Natalie was wearing a floor-length column dress in emerald silk with a sweetheart neckline that lovingly cradled her breasts. Her hair fell down her back with a single barrette sweeping to keep the curls out of her eyes. Gold shadow dusted her lids and her lips were painted Old-Hollywood red. She looked damn good and hoped to find at least a spark of appreciation in Garrett’s gaze.

  “Hey,” she said, joining him at the foot of the stairs.

  He wore a tailored tuxedo that emphasized his broad shoulders, narrow hips and long, muscular legs. Pure female appreciation fluttered in her chest, then died at his next words.

  “We’re late.”

  Right. There was no time to waste on complimenting his wife.

  “Of course,” she said with sweet sarcasm. She was exactly four minutes late. “Sorry for holding you up.”

  Garrett raised his eyebrows in response, and Natalie fumed inside. They’d been married for thirteen days and twenty-one hours, and she was beyond tired of her husband’s cool apathy toward her. They were going to a charity ball that Clark Nobu and Sebastian Diaz were attending, and she wanted to help Garrett make a good impression.

  Maybe she should come down with a sudden, blinding migraine. Natalie suppressed the childish impulse. A deal was a deal. She would do her best to help Garrett. No matter how infuriating he was.

  Silence had been a staple during their short marriage, and it followed them on their drive to the ball. Most days, Garrett left for work before she woke up and came home after she went to bed. She hardly even ran into him at the office. Being busy was one thing, but she didn’t understand why their conversations had become so stilted. Couldn’t they be business partners who talked to each other?

  “What’s our plan?” She hoped strategizing would break some of the tension between them. “You said Sebastian’s attending with his wife, but what about Clark? Is he married?”

  “No, he’s a widower.”

  “Oh, no. That poor man.”

  “Life goes on.”

  Something in Garrett’s tone sent chills down her spine. Is it because James is a widower, too? She could let it go and enjoy the stifling silence again. Or not. She sensed an old hurt there and found herself wanting to ease it.

  “How did your mom die?” she asked softly.

  Every muscle in Garrett’s body tensed, and Natalie thought she might have crossed the line he’d drawn between them.

  “Cancer.”

  “I’m so sorry.” She knew the pain of having someone she loved being stolen from her too soon. “I didn’t know.”

  “Not many people do.” Garrett kept his gaze on the road. “It wasn’t a long battle, though. She went quickly.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Fifteen.”

  “Oh, Garrett.” Natalie reached out and put her hand on his arm.

  “My parents were crazy about each other,
” he continued in a voice so low she almost didn’t hear him. “My father...he broke down, as though someone cut off his life source.”

  “You had to grieve for both your parents.”

  His eyes snapped to her, and in that moment, the vulnerability and loneliness of the fifteen-year-old Garrett stared out at her. Natalie’s heart bled for that boy.

  “I want you to introduce yourself to Sebastian Diaz and his wife. They’re visiting from Spain. Sebastian is a substantial shareholder and the COO of Vivotex. His opinion carries tremendous weight,” Garrett said, regaining his composure and severing the brief connection they’d shared. Natalie pulled her hand from his arm, knowing her touch was no longer welcome. “I know everything about him on paper, but I don’t know what really makes the man tick. Meeting him socially might show you something I haven’t learned.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m going to chat with Clark Nobu, the head of Vivotex’s US headquarters.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” she said with false bravado.

  Her emotions collided with each other hard enough to give her whiplash. Empathy, anger and hurt churned in a primordial soup in her stomach, but she focused on the most pressing emotion at the moment. Nervousness. Major panic-inducing nervousness.

  Natalie clenched her teeth, determined not to let Garrett see through her calm facade. She’d never been to a ball before and he planned on leaving her on her own. Before it could take form, she stomped down on the twinge of resentment prickling inside her. He had no reason to know she felt like Cinderella five minutes before midnight. Even if he did, she didn’t need him to protect her. If her designer gown turned into rags when the clock struck twelve, she’d rock it as the grunge-chic look and rescue her own behind.

  They arrived at the famed Music Center, the venue for the charity event, and maneuvered through the glamorous mob to enter the grand hall. The modern building emanated subdued opulence through deep, dark wood and rich royal blues.

  Garrett scanned the crowd from the elevated entryway, then guided them down the steps. He placed his big hand over her cold fingers curved on his tuxedo sleeve. The night air brushing her bare shoulders had chilled her, but his touch warmed her up—far too efficiently. When he lowered his head and nuzzled her ear, a shiver ran down her spine and her toes curled.

  “I’ll come find you in an hour.” Unlike the intimacy of his touch, his voice was cold and businesslike.

  Her body’s response to his proximity and his apparent immunity to hers made her temper flare. Before she knew what she was doing, she snaked her hand around the back of his neck and tugged so she could capture his startled mouth in a hot, demanding kiss, daring him to respond.

  Garrett didn’t back away from the challenge. He crushed her body against his and cupped her face as he deepened the kiss, his tongue plundering her mouth with frantic, deep plunges. Even as her body softened and opened in response, her mind retained a strand of reason. She’d made her point and she needed to end the kiss before her self-restraint broke.

  Natalie managed to maneuver her hands against his chest, which proved challenging since there was no room between them from chest to thigh. God, he has magnificent pectorals. She leaned back at the waist at the same time she pushed against his chest with all her strength.

  Garrett barely budged but lifted his head an inch away from hers. His eyes were molten onyx, filled with undisguised longing, and her blood pumped in triumph. But she couldn’t fall back into his arms if she wanted to retain her pride.

  “Okay,” she said, her voice husky but functioning. “I’ll see you in an hour.”

  * * *

  After a featherlight kiss on his cheek, his wife sashayed away, her perfect round ass taunting him. He was able to swallow after three attempts, but it was only when she was out of sight that his lungs expanded to capacity. Her warm, vanilla fragrance had clouded his mind the moment she stepped into his car earlier. But standing with his arm around her had given him a whiff of the warm musk that could only be called pure, delicious Natalie. Combined with her dress and red, pouty lips, the woman was lethal to his sanity.

  Garrett had been avoiding Natalie since their wedding, unwilling to gamble on his self-control holding out if he got too close. But there was an unexpected side effect to depriving himself of his wife’s company. The suppressed desire slammed into him ten times stronger the moment he laid eyes on her.

  He scowled with frustration at the ridiculous predicament that he couldn’t make love to his own wife. A server passing by gasped and hurried past him, mistaking herself as the target of his displeasure. He released a deep breath and rearranged his expression to one more suitable for the event, then strode in the opposite direction from Natalie. He had a partnership deal to secure.

  Clark’s formidable intellect and shrewd instincts were unmatched in the industry. He also happened to be a decent human being by all accounts. Both of them being in the fashion industry, they’d exchanged pleasantries in the past. Even without an official partnership between their companies, Nobu would be a valuable ally.

  Garrett found him leaning against the bar nursing a drink. “Just the man I was looking for.”

  “Song.” Clark assessed him with a shadow of a smile. “Eager to claim that drink I owe you?”

  “We’re on the same wavelength.” He saw no point in playing games when the other man would see right through them. “The partnership already looks promising.”

  “It’s always looked promising. The problem is the timing and the execution.”

  “The shared vision is the crucial factor.” Garrett grinned. “The rest is technicalities.”

  “I would like a preview of your plans for the technicalities. People say your genius is in the details.”

  “That’s quite a reputation to live up to, but I appreciate your vote of confidence.” He raised his glass in salute.

  His conversation with Clark flowed easily and soon they were on their second glass of Scotch. Garrett scanned the throng of partygoers, hoping to catch a glimpse of his wife, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  “I know you’re new at this so I’m going to give you some unsolicited advice,” Clark said. “Does your wife know anyone at this party?”

  “Not to my knowledge.”

  “And you left your brand-new bride to fend for herself amid all this massive hoopla? I hope you’re looking forward to sleeping in the guest room tonight.”

  Garrett chuckled at the irony, pushing aside his prickling unease. He recalled her brief panic over the size of Mike’s party, but she’d single-handedly won over that crowd. He had no doubt she was charming her way through this ballroom full of guests. Even so, anxiety tugged at him.

  “Natalie is far too independent to need me hanging around her all night.”

  “You poor, clueless bastard.”

  They went in search of Natalie and found her a few steps outside the ballroom with Sebastian Diaz and his wife. From the booming sound of Mr. Diaz’s belly laugh, she was having a successful night.

  “Maybe I misspoke,” Clark whispered, and walked ahead to greet the Diazes.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, sweetheart.” Garrett slipped his arm around Natalie’s waist and dropped a chaste kiss on her red lips, unwilling to torture himself with anything more.

  “I missed you, darling, but your lovely friends have kept me from wilting away.” She smiled sweetly at him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

  Even though her affectionate greeting was for the benefit of their audience, he couldn’t help pulling her tighter against him, drawn by her warmth. “Sebastian. Camilia. It’s good to see you.”

  “Good to see you as well,” Sebastian said. “I’m glad I got to meet your beautiful bride.”

  “I hope you were behaving yourself,” Garrett replied, and the older man burst into another guffaw. “Natalie, I want you t
o meet Clark Nobu. Clark, this is my better half.”

  Clark smiled and lifted her hand to his lips. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Natalie blushed, lowering her lashes.

  Garrett frowned and tightened his fingers around her waist. Widower or not, Clark had a reputation with women.

  “Please forgive me for detaining your husband. He was eager to come back to you.”

  “That doesn’t sound like him. He knows I don’t need a chaperone.” She arched an eyebrow at Clark and glanced at Garrett. “Don’t you, my love?”

  Clark’s eyes widened and Garrett grinned. “Of course I do.”

  “Well, I still say your husband’s a madman for leaving your side.” Clark winked at Natalie, drawing a bright smile from her.

  Breaking the man’s jaw wouldn’t help Garrett win his support, but refraining from the satisfaction wasn’t an easy call. Where the hell did that come from? He forced himself to breathe and unclench his fist.

  “I have a prior engagement but I hope to see you again soon, Natalie.” Clark turned to Garrett and said in an undertone, “And, Song, please have your secretary call mine to schedule our meeting.”

  “Absolutely. Looking forward to it,” said Garrett with a firm handshake.

  After bidding everyone good-night, Clark disappeared into the crowd. With a surge of protectiveness, Garrett stepped behind Natalie and wrapped his hands around her waist. Her proximity and warmth eased the brief unease that had seeped into his veins. He’d never been much for public displays of affection. But it was different with Natalie. He had difficulty controlling his urge to be close to her. To touch her.