by R. J. Groves
‘I know.’ He turned her around to face her and chucked her under the chin. ‘It’s time, kid.’
***
Shannon was shaking in his boots. Quite literally, it seemed, since Sylvie roused him up for not standing still while she pinned a boutonniere to his lapel. He tugged at the tie around his neck, feeling like it was strangling him. Sylvie slapped his hand away and straightened his grey suit, then adjusted the new white Akubra on top of his head.
‘Stop fussing, Shannon,’ she said. ‘You’re more nervous than Jack was when I was in labour with the twins.’
‘Didn’t need that image,’ he muttered, watching said twins cut laps around the room. He swore those kids had more energy than he did. Sylvie really was a superwoman, the way she managed to look after her family and keep her house—and her life—as organised as it was.
Sylvie smiled up at him and patted his cheek. ‘You don’t need to fret. You’ve loved Jannette for a very long time. It’s meant to be.’
He tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. God, he wished that were the case. The idea of being married to Jannette—for life instead of for a year—was one he could only dream about. He wished things were different. He wished she was marrying him for him instead of in an attempt to shake off her stalker. He doubted they’d be getting married today if she hadn’t had a stalker and his grandfather hadn’t left conditions with his inheritance. Would they have ever married at all? Even if she’d come back to help at the farm as she did, she would have gone back to her city life at the end of it. And Shannon would probably have never seen her again.
Still, as weird and whacked up as it all was, marrying her felt like the right thing to do. A part of him hoped she felt the same way.
As he took another shaky breath, Andie and Harley bustled through the door, joining Tay, Joey, and Sylvie and her family. It was a small room and there were no seats, but he didn’t think he’d like it any other way. Robbie appeared in the doorway, his arm looped at his side, and tilted his head towards Shannon.
Then he saw her.
Jannette. His Jenny. Looking absolutely gorgeous and as breathtakingly beautiful as ever, a wide smile on her face as she looped her arm through Robbie’s and they started their walk towards him. Her baby blues met his and he almost forgot they weren’t the only two people in the room. He wondered if she felt the same intensity between them as he did. She bit into her lower lip, and it took everything in his power to not scoop her up and take her back to the farm—their farm, since Robbie had agreed to sell it to them—then and there.
He heard the celebrant speak, and heard himself and Jannette say the lines they were supposed to say, but all he could focus on was the beautiful woman in front of him. He had to be asked a second time about the ring because he’d been so trapped in her gaze that he hadn’t heard it the first time. He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out the ring her mother had given him so many years ago, right before she’d passed away. The one that matched the necklace Jannette wore now. Mrs Tanner had told him she considered him a son and wanted him to have something to give his beautiful wife one day. The whole thing had surprised him at the time. He wondered now if she knew all along he would be marrying her daughter. He slipped the ring on Jannette’s finger—a perfect fit—and she looked up at him, her eyes wide and her mouth open.
‘This is—’ she started.
He nodded. ‘Your mother’s.’
Her eyes glistened, her lip quivering as she snapped her mouth shut. ‘But how—’
‘Later,’ he said, shooting her a wink.
She slipped a simple wedding band on his finger, the touch of her fingers on his making his whole body alert. And when the celebrant said he could kiss his bride and her cheeks flushed pink, it took all of his power to not kiss her like they’d kissed on the side of the road. Like he really wanted to. Like he’d wanted to do instead of kissing her cheek the past few nights. He pressed his lips to hers, as chaste as he could manage, his body feeling like he’d been struck by lightning in response. He lingered just enough to memorise the way she felt against him, her scent. Because for all he knew, that would be their last proper kiss.
Chapter 14
The house felt empty by the time she and Shannon got back. After the wedding, they’d gone back to Sylvie’s place where she’d put on a nice spread for the happily married couple. And knowing how much Jannette and Shannon would probably want to spend alone time together on their wedding night, everyone had made themselves scarce, including the nice neighbour, Kenny, who had agreed to feed the animals in the evening. Oh, if any of them had only known …
‘Welcome home, Jenny.’
He said it with the same drawl he’d said it with when she’d just birthed the breech calf, and it still made her toes curl. Hell, every time he spoke it was like music to her ears. How the hell were they supposed to follow their rules if her body betrayed her every time he said her name? Or looked at her. She hazarded a glance up at him and he smiled his dimpled smile that made her knees go weak.
That smile …
She might just have already broken her final rule.
‘Cuppa?’
She nodded, following him into the kitchen. He shrugged out of his light grey suit jacket and vest, draping both on the back of one the dining chairs, and tugged his tie off, adding it to the pile. He untucked and unbuttoned his shirt, leaving it open at the front. Her mouth dried.
She’d seen him in a singlet before and had thought he was strong then. But seeing his bare chest now …
Her husband.
On paper only, she reminded herself.
She could smell his cologne as he brushed past her, a scent that had her stomach doing sweet flips. She diverted her gaze, her cheeks growing hot as he moved into the kitchen to make them both a cup of tea. Back into their usual routine. It wasn’t really like they were married, was it?
She glanced down at the ring on her finger. Her mother’s ring. She’d found a moment alone with Shannon after the ceremony and had asked how he’d got it. At first, she’d thought perhaps Robbie had given it to him, but when she’d heard the real story—that her mother had given it to him herself so many years ago—she’d teared up. Her parents had loved Shannon, and she knew that if the marriage were real, they would have been so happy for them both. She couldn’t help but wonder what they would think of them now. Were they shaking their heads from somewhere up above? Or did they think she’d made the right decision?
Jannette watched Shannon work his way around the kitchen, whistling as he did, and felt her heart expand in her chest. His soft kiss still lingered on her lips, the sensations mingling with those from their first kiss on the side of the road and the goodnight kisses he’d snuck on her cheek each night, and the butterflies in her stomach sparked to life. She’d thought that her memories of their first kiss had been exaggerated. Surely a kiss couldn’t feel like that—like she was about to go nuclear, or like there was nothing else in the world but her, Shannon, and their incredible breathtaking kiss. Oh, but it did.
She’d been kissed before, and she was no virgin. But she’d never once forgotten to pay attention to anything around her. She’d never felt that pulse—that need—run through her whole body, like she could feel every cell sparkling with life. And it had never felt as right as kissing Shannon had.
Had he not kissed her at their ceremony, making her feel the same—and more—again, she might have spent her life thinking her mind was playing tricks on her. Oh, but she couldn’t feel all that. As much as his sister believed it, their marriage was not fate. She bit into her lip as she recalled their conversation with Sylvie.
We thought he’d lost his chance.
Why would she say something like that? A part of her perked up, suggesting that he might have come back to the farm for her only to find she was gone, but she tried to squash the thought. Sylvie was probably just trying to make her feel good. But the look on Shannon’s face when she’d said it …
Wel
l, Jannette wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him go so red. And then he’d changed the subject. She ran her tongue along her lips to moisten them. Was it possible? Shannon turned towards her, cups of tea in hand, and smiled.
A fire lit in her belly, and her cheeks grew hot as she smiled back. How could her body not react when he looked at her like that? His green, green eyes doing things to her that she’d never felt before. She felt like she was that kid crushing on her brother’s best friend again, hoping he might just glance at her, acknowledge her. Smile at her. And maybe, just maybe, he might feel something for her too, and they might sneak a chaste kiss over near the blossoming plum tree. Her thoughts flickered back to a day some months before he’d left when she’d leaned against that plum tree talking to him, hoping he might kiss her. She remembered his carefree smile then, and registered how similar it was to his smile now. He’d plucked a blossoming twig from the tree and had tucked it in her hair. She remembered thinking it was the most romantic thing ever, and even the memory of it now made her cheeks flush and the warmth spread through her body.
But she wasn’t that kid anymore.
And her brother’s best friend was now her husband.
And their first kiss had been anything but chaste, even if it was on the side of the road.
‘You look beautiful, Jenny.’
Her eyes snapped towards him, his words breaking her out of her memories and back to the present. He thought she was beautiful? She reminded herself she wasn’t a child and the comment shouldn’t make her feel so giddy, but it was useless.
‘I’m sorry. I should have said it before, but I’ll say it now. In all the weddings you dragged me and Robbie to as kids, I’ve never seen a bride look as stunning as you.’
Jannette swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest as he neared her and passed her a cup of tea. She took it gingerly, cradling it in her hands as she looked up at him. There was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite place, but it looked very similar to the look he’d had right before he’d kissed her the first time. Her breaths quickened, and she was sure she was about to have an out-of-body experience.
He lifted his hand that had been holding her cup and brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek, his thumb running along her cheekbone, before gently lifting her chin with his knuckle. There was such intensity passing between them as his eyes darkened, and a breath escaped between her lips, parting them.
‘Maybe I’ll say it more often now that you’re my wife,’ he said, his voice so deep and low that it sent a shiver down her spine and made her knees weak.
If, for some reason, a slight breeze drifted through the house, she was sure it would be enough to knock her over. My wife. Oh, how she wished he could say that for real. The fact that they had a marriage of convenience was something she’d rather forget.
His thumb drifted along her chin and brushed the length of her bottom lip. She could feel the heat pass between them, and she wished she wasn’t trying her best to not spill what looked to be a perfect cup of tea. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips again, and his gaze dropped to her mouth, his eyes darkening even further. She could just about feel him holding back, and God, she wished he wouldn’t. But their rules …
They’d already broken one, and she was dangerously close to breaking another. But what was that saying? Rules are meant to be broken? She supposed that’s what every rulebreaker would say. As if reading her mind, Shannon lifted his gaze to meet hers again, a spark shooting through her body and down to the most sensitive part of her. It was pure desire if ever she’d seen it.
‘I know we have rules, Jenny,’ he said, his voice sounding choked and his country twang thick, ‘but I’d very much like to kiss you.’
The breath left her body and all logical thought disappeared. Shannon wanted to kiss her. Her. Jannette Tanner.
Jannette Hopkins.
She was a married woman now. And her husband wanted to kiss her.
‘What’s holding you back?’ she whispered, barely recognising her own voice. Where had the brazen Jannette come from? What happened to employing all means to stop from getting hurt at the end of this? Oh, but she had a feeling he was worth it.
If at all possible, his eyes darkened further, his brow creasing. She saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed, seemingly fighting with himself. His palm pressed against her cheek, his fingers caressing her, and she felt as though the heat from the cup against her hands was the coolest part of her body. Holding her gaze, he shook his head slowly.
‘If I kiss you, Jenny, I wouldn’t be able to stop there.’
Ohh.
A tingle spread through her body and she took in a sharp breath. ‘What if I don’t want you to stop?’
He squeezed his eyes shut, his struggle visible. God, she wasn’t sure she’d ever wanted anything so much in her life. ‘Don’t say that, Jenny.’
Making an executive decision, she pried his cup out of his hand and put both cups on the bench, feeling his gaze on her the whole time. If anything, she didn’t want spilled tea ruining this moment. And she wanted to feel him. She wanted to feel both of his hands touching her, and she wanted to touch him too. She wanted to kiss him like her life depended on it. She wanted him to show her that this wasn’t just some childhood crush.
She placed her hands on either side of his face, urging him to look at her. ‘Shan.’
He shook his head again, his eyes shut again, but his hands gripped her waist, pulling her close. ‘What about your rules?’
She smiled then, tapping his cheek. He looked at her, his eyes so dark she knew they were far beyond stopping now. She craved more of him. ‘They’re as full of shit as we are, remember?’ He chuckled, and the sound made her feel lighter than ever. She caught his gaze again, her mind well and truly made up. She licked her lips in anticipation. ‘Kiss me, Shan. Make me yours.’
Jannette could have sworn she’d heard him growl right before his lips crushed against hers. Hell, if she’d thought he was a good kisser before, she hadn’t known what was coming. Her arms slid around his neck as he pulled her against him, kissing her like she might disappear. His tongue searched her mouth, and she met him with hers. Like they had their own little dance that was sexy and irresistible and so, so right. His hands lowered to cup her bottom as he nudged her closer again, the feel of his need for her pressing against her belly, sending a fire through her body. And she needed him.
As if reading her mind, he broke the kiss and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the master bedroom he’d moved into a few days earlier. She ignored the thought that it was their room, and the niggling of what would happen a year from now. All she wanted was this—him—and for once she wanted to live in the moment. He lowered her onto his bed and kissed her again—slower now, like they had all the time in the world, and filled with so much passion it was like he was making up for the past seventeen years. She pushed that thought aside, too.
He lowered his hand from her cheek, down along her neck, and lower again, caressing her body. The satin between his hand and her body felt like a six-inch wall between them, yet she could feel the heat of his hand as it passed over her breasts, her stomach. He inched the shorter front of the wedding dress higher, slipping his hand underneath and cupping her there, releasing a moan from her lips. She heard him swear as his finger slipped beneath her panties, but she couldn’t focus on much.
Except this dress.
It needed to go.
She tried to sit up, fighting through the haze in her mind to form some kind of legible sentence. ‘Shan, the dress—’ she started, gasping in surprise as he disappeared beneath her skirt and kissed her where it was most sensitive. ‘Ohh—’
She dropped back against the bed, unable to hold herself anymore as Shannon worked his magic on her. Oh, God. What had she been missing out on all these years? She wasn’t sure anyone had ever done that to her before. Well. This was giving a marriage of convenience a whole other meaning, wasn’t it?
; He flicked his tongue against her, sending a shudder through her body, her thighs clenching against him. And when it felt like she might actually die from all the sensations spiralling through her, only then did he relent, pulling her upright to help her out of the dress. Thank God she’d chosen one with a zipper. She wasn’t sure she could have dealt with the agony of waiting for him to unbutton it.
She slipped off her underwear and heels as he worked on taking his own clothes off, her eyes roaming over his body, taking him all in. He was one magnificent specimen of a man if she said so herself.
Her husband.
She could dream for a little while, couldn’t she?
‘It’s not too late to back out, Jenny,’ he said, his body bare except for his briefs. ‘You sure about this?’
She bit into her lip as her eyes followed the trail of dark hairs leading lower. She could already see his erection straining to be freed, and it sent her body tingling again. ‘Oh, absolutely,’ she breathed, resting back on her elbows. Any self-consciousness she might have felt before had totally deserted her.
He slipped his briefs off and looked over at her, his mouth dropping and his eyes growing wide. ‘Jenny.’
She frowned, sitting up more, her heart pounding in her chest. ‘What’s wrong?’
He shook his head, slowly closing the distance between them. ‘Nothing. You’re perfect.’
Jannette swallowed, her insides melting as he closed the distance, kissing her tenderly, passionately. She kissed him back, pouring everything she had into it. She couldn’t explain it if she tried, but it just felt right—all of it. His touch. His kisses. His smiles. His body on hers. She didn’t want to belong to anyone else. Only Shannon.
He settled himself between her thighs, and she felt his hot tip against her entrance, her body throbbing—aching—for more of him. All of him. Then, he stilled and buried his head in the crook of her shoulder.
‘Fuck.’
Her brow creased and she gripped his shoulders, not wanting to let him go. Not wanting him to pull back. She needed this. She needed him. ‘What is it?’