Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Twenty minutes later, I’m sitting in the back of Gavine’s sleek black limousine, still reeling from that kiss. The leather seats are butter-soft and probably cost more than most people’s cars, but I can barely focus on anything except the way my lips still tingle.
Gavine sits across from me, already on his phone, discussing some business deal in clipped, authoritative tones. He’s completely in his element. The powerful rancher and businessman who just acquired another asset.
That’s all I am to him. An asset.
But if that’s true, why did he kiss me like that? And why can’t I stop staring at his mouth?
The limo glides through the streets of Jackson Hole toward his ranch, and I try to focus on the sprawling Wyoming landscape outside. Mountains rise in the distance like ancient guardians, beautiful and untouchable. Kind of like my new husband.
When he finally ends his call, silence fills the space between us like a living thing.
I clear my throat. “It’s beautiful weather today, isn’t it? I mean, for November in Wyoming.”
He doesn’t respond.
“The mountains look so clear from here. I’ve always loved how they—”
“Stop.” His voice cuts through my nervous babbling like a blade.
I flinch and press my lips together. Even his sharp tone does something to me, makes my pulse skip in ways that should probably worry me.
Gavine leans back against the leather seat, studying me with those storm-gray eyes. When he speaks again, his tone is matter-of-fact, almost bored.
“Let’s be clear about what this is, Wednesday. This marriage is a business arrangement. Nothing more.” His gaze flicks over me dismissively, but I catch the way his eyes linger on my mouth for just a second too long. “Don’t mistake legal paperwork for anything resembling romance.”
The words sting, but the way he’s looking at me sends conflicting signals that make my pulse race.
“I expect you to stay out of my way. Don’t interfere with my business, don’t make demands, and don’t get any foolish ideas about what this arrangement entails.” His voice drops lower, rougher. “Do we understand each other?”
I nod mutely, not trusting my voice.
But as the limo carries us toward his ranch, I can’t shake the feeling that Gavine Launcelot is lying.
About this being just business.
About not wanting me.
And maybe even about the real reason he forced me to marry him.
Chapter Two
THE HOT WATER POUNDS against my shoulders, washing away the stress of the longest day of my life. I lean against the marble shower wall, letting the steam envelop me like a protective cocoon. For the first time since this morning’s courthouse disaster, I can actually breathe.
The guest suite Gavine assigned me is gorgeous. All cream marble and soft blues, with a four-poster bed that could sleep six people. But it’s still a cage, no matter how pretty the bars.
I turn off the water and reach for the fluffy white towel hanging nearby. The terrycloth is so soft it probably costs more than my monthly grocery budget back home. I wrap it around myself, tucking the edge between my breasts, and pad barefoot into the bedroom.
That’s when I freeze.
The bookshelf that takes up most of the far wall is moving. No, not moving. Opening. Like a door.
And then Gavine steps through it.
My heart slams against my ribs as he closes the hidden door behind him with a soft click. He’s changed out of his wedding suit into dark jeans and a black button-down that makes his shoulders look impossibly broad. His dark eyes sweep over me, taking in my damp hair, my bare shoulders, the way I’m clutching the towel like armor. Which, let’s be honest, is exactly what it is right now.
“What are you—” I stammer, backing toward the bed. “Why are you in here?”
He advances slowly, and he makes me feel like some kind of helpless prey that has nowhere to run. “We have unfinished business.”
“I don’t understand.” My voice comes out as barely a whisper.
“The marriage.” His gaze drops to where my towel dips between my breasts, and something dark flickers in his eyes. “It needs to be consummated. For legal purposes.”
The words hit me like ice water. “Legal purposes?”
“A marriage can be annulled if it’s never been consummated.” He’s close enough now that I can smell his cologne, that dark, expensive scent that makes my knees weak. “I won’t give Jessica any loopholes to exploit when she returns.”
“But you said this was just business—”
“This is business.” His voice is rough, dangerous. “The most important kind.”
Before I can protest, his hands are on me. One tangles in my wet hair, tilting my head back, while the other grips my waist through the towel. His mouth crashes down on mine with a hunger that steals my breath.
I’ve never been kissed like this. His lips are demanding, his tongue invading my mouth like he’s claiming territory. I can’t breathe, can’t think, can only feel the heat of his body pressed against mine and the way he’s kissing me like he wants to devour me whole.