by Lori Ryan
Kelly nodded and started shoving the rest of Jack’s things under the bed. He would probably cringe to see her treating his cashmere sweaters like that, but that’s what he got for not putting his fall clothing away when the weather turned warmer. The man had a ridiculous amount of clothing.
Kelly put away the last of her things and took a deep breath as she turned to survey the masculine-looking room.
There was a dark mahogany dresser and matching armoire against the deep green walls. Large windows looked out on the same beautiful waterfront view that her guest room windows had shared. The green lawn stretched past the pool, down to a stone wall. Past the wall was the beach and ocean, a scene she would never get tired of.
She turned back to the room and held her breath when her eyes landed on the king-sized bed in the center.
Until that moment, she’d been too panicked about moving to think this through. It hadn’t occurred to her that she and Jack would now have to share a bed.
Kelly’s smile fell away as she realized that keeping her attraction hidden from her husband just became a lot more difficult.
Chapter 24
Kelly stood with Mrs. Poole and Mabry in the kitchen when Jack came in from work that evening. She had poured a glass of wine for herself and Mabry and turned to ask Mrs. Poole if she wanted one.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mabry’s eyebrows shoot up but chose to ignore the look. Apparently, in her world, Mrs. Poole was paid help, and one didn’t ask the help if they want a glass of wine.
Wait until she sees Mrs. Poole sit down to dinner with us.
Kelly smiled.
Jack walked into the room and said hello to Mrs. Poole and planted a peck on Mabry’s cheek before turning to take Kelly into his arms.
She stiffened in his arms. This wasn’t part of their nighttime routine.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said before he ducked his head to kiss her. It was a warm, gentle kiss, but she could feel the arousal bubbling just under the surface, and knew that if either one of them moved to deepen the kiss, the passion would rise to the surface quickly.
Her body didn’t seem to understand how problematic this could be. It melted into him without her say so and her arms came up around his shoulders.
Damn, I’m going to make a fool of myself if he keeps kissing me like this!
As Mrs. Poole set dinner out on the table in the dining room, Jack asked his aunt how she was settling in and made small talk about things at the office. But Kelly’s attention was only half on the conversation. Her mind and her eyes kept wandering to Jack and the strong cut of his jaw, the short growth of stubble that had grown over the course of the day. She didn’t think she would ever get tired of watching that man.
She raised her fingers to touch her lips where his had been a moment before, and marveled that she could still feel them burning in response to his touch. When Jack was near, her whole body seemed to vibrate as if pulled by some invisible force.
Drawn out of her thoughts as they sat down to eat, Kelly caught the raised eyebrow on Aunt Mabry’s face when Mrs. Poole joined them.
She didn’t care. She wasn’t used to being waited on and she enjoyed Mrs. Poole’s company, so she planned to make sure Mabry didn’t have a chance to change the way things happened around the house.
She turned to Mrs. Poole and included her in the conversation. The two were chatting about new recipes to try when Mabry cut in.
“I was thinking we should host a party to celebrate your marriage. The reception you never got to have since things were so—” Mabry paused for effect, “rushed. Something out on the lawn by the water would be lovely. A summer cocktail party, perhaps?”
“That’s a great idea,” Jack said, surprising Kelly. “How about three weeks from now? Is that enough time to plan things, Mrs. Poole?”
Jack didn’t know why Mabry made the suggestion or what she had up her sleeve, but he figured that the more they went along with Mabry, the faster they’d convince her to back off and leave them alone.
“Sure,” Mrs. Poole said. “We’ll need to get invitations out right away, but if Kelly can work on that, I can coordinate with caterers and take care of renting tents and lighting. An early evening party would be lovely, with tents and lights all over the lawn as the evening comes on. Kelly and I can do a tasting with the caterers this week and decide on a menu.” Mrs. Poole quickly rattled off details while Jack turned to Kelly.
“This will give you an excuse to go shopping. You’ll need a cocktail dress. You have my card?” He turned to his aunt and continued.
“Aunt Mabry, maybe you can take Kelly into New York this week and help her find a dress?”
Kelly nodded woodenly. What had just happened? When had everything in her world spun so far out of control.
After dinner, Mabry joined them when they decided to watch a movie. Jack pulled Kelly down next to him and wrapped his arms around her waist snuggling her into him. She tensed for a moment, but as the movie began, he felt her relax and she eventually even rested her head back on his shoulders.
He was struck by the irony of his fake life with Kelly. No woman had ever come close to inspiring the kind of feelings in Jack that his father and mother had shared. With Kelly, he found he really liked his fake life with her and wanted more of it. It was just his luck that the first time he was feeling anything more than base sexual attraction was with a woman he was paying to be his temporary wife.
Jack had known it would feel good to have her in his arms, but he had no idea how good. He was actually glad to have his aunt in the house; to have an excuse to wrap himself around Kelly, to kiss her and touch her as he would if she were really his wife. The smell of her shampoo was enticing; a mixture of jasmine and something else he couldn’t identify. It made him think of summer nights, and he found himself wanting to bury his head in the scent of her and nuzzle her neck. With her curvy figure fitting perfectly against him, he had difficulty focusing on the movie. Instead, Jack’s mind was assaulted with images of her in his bed, entwined in his arms, under him, over him, looking down from on top of him with her beautiful curly waves of hair framing her face above him. He felt as if he were under attack, and he seemed to be defenseless against this woman.
Jack could feel Kelly’s breathing speed up, and knew she was feeling the same things he was. He stifled a laugh when she hopped off the couch half an hour into the movie and yawned.
“I’m more tired than I thought I was. I think I’ll head up to bed early. Good night, Aunt Mabry. Good night, Jack,” she said as she all but ran from the room.
“Good night, sweetheart,” Jack barely managed to get out before she was gone.
Kelly sprinted up the stairs and tried to clear her head of the images of her and Jack together, wrapped around each other on the couch, but when she slid in between the sheets after getting ready for bed, she groaned. She had forgotten she would be getting into Jack’s bed, and she was once again surrounded by his scent.
As she sank into Jack’s arms while they watched the movie, she fought to remind herself that this wasn’t real; that he was only putting on a show for his aunt. The hard part was dealing with how incredibly aroused she was as she leaned against Jack’s hard chest. She smelled his aftershave, a slightly spicy but clean smell that wasn’t overpowering. Her brain began to feel like scrambled eggs when he absentmindedly rubbed his thumb in small circles on her arm. She began to wonder what his hands would feel like on the rest of her body—what those small circles would do if applied to the right place. Kelly had a feeling Jack would know just where to touch her, just how to touch her, to make her melt. If she didn’t do something about this soon, she’d be crawling all over him.
She had fought to focus on the movie and ignore his scent, his presence, the hard feel of his strong body underneath her. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t stop the flood of arousal between her legs, the tingling need in her breasts as she ached to feel his hands on her without her clothes on, and without someone else i
n the room. In the end, Kelly had to flee the room or risk letting him know what a fool she was, how attracted to him she was. She didn’t want Jack to know that she didn’t have it in her to fake it around his aunt, or that she was falling for real and didn’t know how much longer she could control herself.
Chapter 25
The morning after her first night in Jack’s bed, Kelly woke to find he had already left the room. She heard him come in the night before and held her breath as she listened to him get ready for bed. She feigned sleep as he brushed his teeth and slipped out of his clothes.
When he slipped between the sheets in nothing but boxer shorts, she thought she would burst, but she focused on keeping her breath steady so she wouldn’t have to face Jack.
With a sigh, Kelly slipped from the bed, showered. dressed, and headed downstairs for breakfast. She found Jack, Mabry, and Mrs. Poole in the kitchen.
“Good morning, dear,” Mrs. Poole called out cheerfully, making Kelly smile. Jack and Mabry looked up, and she wished for a moment that the smile that came to Jack’s face as he looked at her was genuine and not for Mabry’s sake.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” he said as Kelly joined them at the breakfast nook with her coffee.
“Morning,” she smiled shyly at Jack across the table. Kelly smiled and nodded at Mrs. Poole as she put a plate of eggs and toast in front of her.
Kelly’s eyes dropped to the stack of newspapers Jack read every morning. There was one from their local area, two from New York, and several European papers.
One of the New York newspapers sat on the table, the words “No Ransom Calls, Families Hopeless” above a string of photos showing five smiling and seemingly carefree women. She pulled the paper closer to read the article.
“I thought we might have lunch today,” Jack said to Kelly across the table. She continued to eat her breakfast and didn’t look up from the paper.
“Kelly?” Jack asked, a laugh in his voice and a smile on his face. He reached across the table and covered her hand with his, rubbing her skin with his thumb.
“Hmm? Oh, me?” Kelly said looking up.
Jack laughed openly at that. Mabry listened to their exchange with a smug look on her face.
“Yes, you, my beautiful wife. I thought we might go to Le Petite Morceau for lunch today. They have a new chef who’s supposed to be amazing. Unless you have plans?”
“Uh, no. I mean, no plans. I’d love to go to lunch,” she said as she eyed Aunt Mabry nervously, knowing that Mabry was tracking every word, every interaction.
“Great,” Jack smiled. “I have a conference call this morning, but I’ll do that from home. We can go around one o’clock?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you then,” she said, but she felt like an idiot.
I’ll see you then? Who the hell says that when their husband asks them to lunch? I sound like an idiot.
Mabry knew perfectly well as she watched Jack and Kelly that the two of them were no more married than she was, and she certainly wasn’t married the last time she checked.
She didn’t know what Kelly was getting out of this marriage—she assumed it was money—but she could drive a wedge between them.
If she could put a big enough wedge there, maybe she could pay Kelly sufficient money to admit the marriage was fake. Once the marriage was exposed for what it was, Mabry would go to the board and show them their CEO was a fraud and a liar. And then, the company would be hers.
She went upstairs. It was time to split the happy couple up. It wouldn’t be hard with all of Jack’s exes out there. After all, the man was hardly the settling down type. Anyone who read the tabloids knew that he had a different woman on his arm every weekend.
Mabry picked up the phone and dialed Caroline Harridan. Caroline had dated Jack for a month the previous year, and Mabry knew she had done all she could to sink her claws into him. She wanted to marry Jack Sutton in the worst way, and Mabry had witnessed her throw herself at Jack repeatedly at public events since he broke up with her.
“Caroline? Hello, darling. It’s Mabry Thompson,” she said into the phone when Caroline answered.
“Mabry? How are you? I haven’t heard from you in ages,” she gushed on the other end of the phone.
Mabry rolled her eyes. Caroline fell all over herself whenever she talked to her, but Mabry knew it was an attempt to get information or back in Jack’s good graces.
“Yes, dear. Well, you know. Been busy and all that,” Mabry said dismissively. “I can’t talk long because I have to meet Jack for lunch over at La Petite Morceau at one o’clock, and I have a million things to do before then. I thought I’d call and see how you are. It’s been so long.”
Mabry knew if she dropped the name of the restaurant and the time Jack would be there, she could count on Caroline to just ‘happen’ to be there as well. Mabry could sit back and let Caroline do the work for her.
“Oh!” Caroline practically squealed into her ear. “La Petite Morceau? I’ve been dying to try that place. I hear the new menu is to die for.”
Mabry couldn’t take Caroline’s inane chattering or the sound of the woman’s voice any longer. The seed was planted, and that was all that was needed.
“Caroline, I have to run. I’ve got to get to my hair appointment before lunch. It was lovely to talk with you again.”
She couldn’t get off the phone fast enough but if Caroline noticed, she didn’t seem to mind. Mabry knew she was probably already in her closet picking out what to wear when she ‘casually’ ran into Jack at the restaurant.
Chapter 26
Kelly and Jack sat at a corner table at La Petite Morceau a few hours later. She looked around at the orchids on the tables and felt out of place in the upscale restaurant. She wasn’t used to having lunch at a restaurant that had floor-length tablecloths and wait staff that wore ankle-long formal aprons.
Sure, she had been to that type of place for dinner on occasion, but not for lunch on a random Saturday when there was no special occasion to be celebrated.
She looked at Jack. He seemed totally at ease and comfortable… but then again, Jack always looked totally at ease and comfortable no matter where he was.
The only time she’d ever seen him looking the slightest bit uneasy was when she walked into his office and pretended to be his fiancée in front of his aunt and cousin—but even then, he covered his surprise easily and recovered quickly.
Kelly would love to be that confident and in control all of the time. With Jack around, she didn’t feel confident or in control at all. She felt as if her body was constantly humming when she was around him.
One look from him, or a casual touch, and she was embarrassingly aroused. When he kissed her, she felt as if he could see into her and would know her secret—that she wanted him more than she had ever wanted any man.
Jack carried the conversation, chatting about the new menu and a fundraiser he attended at the restaurant when the old chef was there, and what they should do the rest of the weekend.
They ordered their meals, but just as they handed their menus over to the waiter, Kelly heard a sexy, sultry voice from across the room.
“My, my! Jack Sutton. Is that you, sweetheart?” said the voice at an embarrassingly loud volume. “I haven’t seen you in ages, darling,” Kelly heard as she watched a tall, blond goddess approach the table.
The woman was stunning, with exotic green eyes and her pale hair pulled in an elegant French twist. She wore a beautiful black pantsuit and looked as if she’d just stepped out of a fashion magazine.
She did a double take. The woman had stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. It was Caroline Harridan, the fashion model. The woman graced the pages of Vogue and Elle magazines on a regular basis.
Kelly looked at Jack as the stunning model approached their table and saw a pained look cross his face.
Caroline completely ignored Kelly as she swooped in on Jack and planted an extremely friendly kiss on his lips.
Kelly felt as thou
gh she were completely invisible and almost wished she was. They clearly had a relationship that was more than just friendly, and she knew she couldn’t hold a candle to this woman as she sat there in her dowdy strappy sundress and sandals.
Kelly cleared her throat and peered around the woman to Jack.
He didn’t miss a beat. “Caroline, you haven’t met my wife, Kelly, yet have you? Kelly, this is Caroline Harridan. An old friend.” He stood and came around to Kelly’s seat as he made the introductions, so Kelly stood with him and took the other woman’s hand in a brief handshake.
Jack looked as if the last thing he wanted to be doing was introducing Kelly as his wife, and once again she felt a pang of guilt at having put him in this position. Even though he said she was saving him from losing his company, she still felt as if she had weaseled her way into the marriage, and she knew she was nothing like the woman he would likely have married if he had been given a choice.
Nonetheless, Kelly drew up her pride and smiled her brightest smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Caroline raised an eyebrow at Jack. God, Kelly had always wished she could master the one eyebrow look, but she couldn’t quite get it. On Caroline, it looked confident, cocky, and oh so silky smooth.
“Married?” Caroline asked Jack as she drew her hand away from Kelly as if she were afraid she might be sullied by the contact.
Jack nodded and slipped his arm around Kelly. “Kelly and I were married a week ago. We haven’t quite gotten around to sending an announcement out about the wedding. We eloped.” He smiled down at Kelly as he said it in a very good impression of a man deeply in love with his wife.
Caroline pouted her best model pout. “Jack Sutton off the market? Whatever will all of us single gals do now?” She put on a show as if she were thinking and then shrugged her shoulders and continued in a flirty voice.