Please don’t let me puke any more.
Her stomach quieted to the point where she felt safe to open her eyes.
But the second she spotted the golden band around her left ring finger, she started hurling again.
***
Gideon ran into the air-conditioned trailer and shut the door before he lost any of the precious cold air. He’d been out in the desert sun since ten this morning, and sweat drenched his costume. Thankfully, Karl had called for a two-hour break once he noticed the entire crew wilting under the heat.
However, that didn’t stop him from pestering Gideon between takes about setting Sarah up for a screen test. He didn’t give Karl an answer. He had bigger problems to deal with than who was going to play the female lead.
He grabbed a bottle of Gatorade from Jason and retreated to a far room where he could afford a moment of privacy. He’d been waiting all morning to call Adam, and yet he dreaded the conversation he was about to have. His eldest brother would probably call him impulsive and irresponsible, but if he reminded himself that he’d woken up next to Sarah this morning, it would be all worth it.
A smile formed on his lips as he remembered the soft way she sighed when he told her he loved her before reluctantly tearing himself away from her. If he didn’t have to be at this remote corner of hell in the Nevada desert, he would’ve gladly stayed beside her all day. As it was, his “wedding night” was not exactly what he’d always imagined, but Sarah was passed-out drunk by the time they got home. It gave carrying the bride over the threshold a whole different meaning.
At least last night had resolved one issue. Sarah loved him, even if she needed half a bottle of vodka in her system to admit it.
Of course, it also meant he’d have to get Sarah back to her regular AA meetings and remind her to call her sponsor before reaching for the bottle again. At least he’d asked Raul to remove all the alcohol from the villa so she wouldn’t have easy access to anything.
But there was another call he had to make right now. He pulled out his phone and worked up his courage while he dialed Adam’s number.
“How are things in Vegas?” his brother answered as soon as he picked up.
“Hot.” He loosened the top buttons on his damp shirt and ran the icy sports drink bottle along his neck and chest. “But I didn’t call to talk about the weather.”
“Then what did you call about?”
Gideon braced himself for the lecture he knew was coming. “You know how you told me to get a prenuptial agreement if I ever decided to get married?”
“Yes,” Adam replied with a slow drawl of warning.
“Well, um, if I didn’t have one in place beforehand—”
“Stop right there, Gideon. Please tell me you didn’t get wasted and visit one of those drive-by chapels.”
“I can honestly tell you that I was not wasted last night.”
“Shit.” Some more incomprehensible muttering followed, and Gideon could almost picture his eldest brother sliding his hand over his face. “What did you do?”
“Sarah and I got married last night.”
“Oh?” Surprise replaced the critical edge in Adam’s voice. “You and Sarah?”
“Yeah, it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing.”
“No shit.” Adam paused, seeming to gather his thoughts before continuing. “Have you told Mom?”
“No, and the reason is that I’m not sure how this is going to end up. Hence, why I’m calling you about the prenup.”
A weary sigh answered him. “Start from the beginning.”
Gideon sat on the small sofa that was in direct line of the window air conditioner and stretched his legs out to maximize their exposure to the cold air. “Sarah got drunk last night and proposed to me, and I figured it was now or never.”
“But she wasn’t thinking clearly when you got married. That’s grounds for an annulment.”
“I know. That’s why I’m not going to tell Mom until I see how things pan out.”
“But you sound like you want this marriage to work.”
Gideon closed his eyes and remembered the passionate kisses from last night. It had taken every drop of will power to keep his desire in check, but he refused to sleep with Sarah when she was wasted.
But if she had given him those same kisses when she was sober…
“Yeah, I want it to work. I love her, Adam. I think I always have. And she finally admitted to loving me back.”
“You haven’t picked the easiest way to start things.”
“I know, which is why I’m turning to my big brother for advice. I doubt she’ll try to take me to the cleaners if she wants to end things.”
“Don’t be too hasty. After all, she’s been living in your garage apartment for three years.”
Gideon jerked up, consumed with the need to defend her. “And working as my assistant to cover her rent and earn a paycheck. She’s not a freeloader.”
“But she hasn’t been motivated to move on, either.”
“Yes, she has. She’s even been working on starting her own fashion label.” Then it hit him like a blow to the chest. She’d been setting up everything to leave him, and now he’d done an asshole maneuver to keep her. “Shit, Adam, I’m worried I might have fucked things up between us by marrying her, and I need to know the best way to convince her to stay with me.”
“Did you sleep with her?”
“Mom and Dad raised us better than to take advantage of a drunk woman.” Although it still rankled him that his brother would even think of asking him that question.
“Good. At least you haven’t complicated things by bringing sex into the equation.” The soft sound of footsteps filled the line, indicating that Adam was pacing. “Have you told her how you feel?”
“I—” It was one thing to confess his feelings to her when she was drunk or sleeping beside him. But to tell it to her face? “I haven’t.”
“Why not?”
“For the very same reasons I’m dreading tonight’s conversation. What if she doesn’t feel the same way now that she’s sober?”
“Then you’d be better off getting this marriage annulled within sixty days before she’s subject to the community property laws.”
Gideon cursed under his breath. Adam sounded so cold, so emotionless, so at odds to the frantic emotions raging inside him. But he needed his older brother’s perspective. It kept him from acting like an overgrown teenager. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied, his words quiet and morose from the thought of what could happen.
“I’m sorry to be the heavy, Gideon.” Adam’s confidence seemed to waver as he added in a rush, “Do you need me to come down there and help—”
Gideon cut him off. “No, I don’t. I am an adult, after all. I made this mess. Now I’ll have to sort it out on my own.”
“No, you don’t. Just say the word, and I’ll be there.”
He held his breath and fought the urge to let his brother swoop in and clean up everything. “No, Adam. I’ve got this. Just please don’t tell Mom.”
“Keep me posted?”
“I will.” Gideon hung up the phone feeling more confused than ever.
Chapter Thirteen
Sarah smoothed the wrinkles from the skirt of her maxi dress and fought the urge to have another drink. Even after she’d borrowed Jason’s phone to call her sponsor, she still couldn’t shake the craving. Alcohol had complicated her life more than once, and the wedding ring on her finger was all the reminder she needed to stay away from it.
She massaged her forehead, but she still couldn’t fill in the void from last night. What had she done? Was she really married? And if so, to whom? What if she’d married some whack job from the Strip?
No, Gideon had been with her. He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. If she was married to anyone, it would be him.
Although she couldn’t shake the feeling that Gabe Harrison had been there, too.
Way to go, Sarah. You’re married, and you can’t even
remember the name of your husband. The next thing you know, you’ll be on husband number four, just like your mother.
She cursed and started pacing. Night had fallen, and Gideon still hadn’t returned. Raul told her that he’d been shooting scenes in the desert all day, but he didn’t know how far away.
Pull yourself together. You can’t be this frazzled when he gets home. She forced herself to stop and take a deep breath.
At least one blessing had come out of last night’s misadventures. The suite bar had been completely cleared of any alcohol. If she wanted a drink, she’d have to leave the villa, and based on the media coverage of her “audition,” she’d be instantly recognized.
A new wave of panic seized her, and she doubled over. What if the media found out about last night?
The front door opened, and she dashed toward it before she lost her resolve. She needed answers, even if they confirmed what she feared the most. “Gideon, we need to talk about last night.”
However, Gideon hadn’t returned alone. Standing next to him was Gabe Harrison.
Her tongue grew clumsy when she spotted them together, and her courage faltered. Even if she could get out a coherent word, she didn’t want to air her dirty laundry in front of a crowd.
Gabe gave her a charming smile and kissed her cheek. “How’s the lovely bride this evening?”
Her stomach dropped, and for a second, she wondered if she would either pass out or puke. Maybe both.
Gideon kept his distance, his gaze on everything but her. If she wanted any help, she doubted it would come from him.
She backed away from Gabe. “Please tell me this is some sort of sick practical joke.”
“You mean you don’t remember?” A mischievous glint appeared in his dark eyes. “You, me, and the Kid turned the Strip upside down.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.” Her head swam, and she sank into the nearest chair. “Do I want to know the details?”
Gabe elbowed Gideon. “Should I tell her about the matching tattoos we got? Or the striptease she performed on the bar? Or how we got away from the cops who were chasing us?”
Her throat started closing up, and her vision blurred. A few years ago, those kind of stories followed her everywhere she went. Now after she’d worked so hard to clean up her act, she’d fallen right back into her old ways.
“Shut the fuck up.” Gideon pushed Gabe aside and crouched in front of her, his forehead wrinkled with worry. “You okay, Red?”
She shook her head, not trusting what would come out of her mouth if she opened it. A lone tear escaped her eye and slid down her flaming cheek.
“None of that happened.”
“You promise?”
“Absolutely.” Gideon squeezed her left hand.
That’s when she noticed the matching gold band on his finger. Her breath shook as she pointed to it. “But that did.”
Gideon’s face fell slack, and he lowered his eyes. “Let’s talk about this later.”
“No, let’s talk about it now.” She snatched her hand away and held it up to point to the ring. “I’ve been waiting all day for you to come home so we could talk about how I got this.”
“Must not have been a memorable wedding night,” Gabe quipped.
Gideon’s face twisted into something akin to rage. He shot up to his feet and shoved Gabe against the wall. “I said shut the fuck up.”
“You’re the one who asked me to come along as your witness.” Gabe pried Gideon’s hands off of his chest and stepped to the side, smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt. “If you want me to leave with the evidence—”
“No, stay.” Gideon’s shoulders drooped and he wandered off to a chair on the opposite side of the living room. “But please keep the commentary to yourself.”
“What evidence?” she asked, even though she dreaded the answer.
“First off, since you obviously don’t remember everything,” Gabe said with a grin, “mazel tov.”
“Gabe,” Gideon warned.
“What?” He threw his hands up and turned to Gideon. “Can’t I congratulate you two for finally tying the knot?”
“Oh, God.” Even though her hangover had eased hours ago, the headache threatened to return with a vengeance. She covered her face behind her hands so neither one of them would see the tears that threatened to spill over.
“See? I told you she would’ve been better off marrying me, but—”
“Just stop it.” Fury over the way Gabe was making fun of the situation overcame any restraints she had left. She rose and crossed the room to the one man who could give her a straight answer. “Are we or are we not married?”
Gideon met her gaze, and a flash of sadness appeared in his eyes. “We are.”
Shit!
Another tremor worked up her spine until her fingers shook from rage. “How dare you take advantage of me like that? I was drunk, and you tricked me into marrying you.”
“Ah, but that’s where you have it all wrong, Sarah.” Gabe came alongside her with his phone in his hand. “You were the one who proposed to him.”
For the second time in mere minutes, the blood left her head until she was on the verge of passing out. “Excuse me?”
“Take a look at the evidence.” He pressed play and handed her the phone with a flourish.
The scene was a table in a dark bar. She was straddling Gideon’s lap, her skirt hiked up far enough to expose the scars from where they’d repaired her broken hip three years ago. Locked at the lips would be putting it mildly, yet the image of them kissing revived the heated desire she’d dreamed about this morning.
She dared to glance out of the corner of her eye at Gideon. He was watching her with an intensity that made her forget how to breathe.
Somehow, she managed to turn her attention back to the screen as the kiss ended.
“I have a crazy idea,” she heard herself saying on the video.
“What?” Gideon asked as he twirled her hair around his finger, his smile so sexy, she wondered how she’d kept her clothes on at the moment.
“Let’s get married.”
The smile slipped, and he blinked several times. “What?”
“I said, let’s get married.” She ran her hands along the collar of his shirt and wiggled her body against his. “What do you say?”
She knew Gideon so well that she could read the emotions as they flickered across his face. First was surprise. Then hesitation. Then guilt. And finally resolve. “Are you sure you want to get married?”
She nodded her head. “I love you, Gideon,” she said before kissing him again.
The video stopped, but the embarrassment over what she’d just seen lingered. It burned her skin, made her palms slick with sweat, and tied her insides into knots. She backed away, unable to look either of them in the eye.
“So you see, Sarah, it was all your idea.” Gabe slid his phone into his pocket. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll give you two newlyweds a little privacy.”
An awkward silence filled the room after Gabe left, but Gideon was the one who broke it.
“Red…”
“Don’t talk to me.” Her vision blurred from tears, but she refused to let them fall. “Just leave me alone.”
For the past few days, the pool had become her place of calm serenity, but just like yesterday, it did little to ease her spirit. A breeze whipped in from the desert, distorting her reflection in the water. She’d been the one to blame for this, and yet it was easier to lash out at Gideon than direct her anger at herself.
“I’m not leaving until we talk about this,” he said behind her.
She spun around on her heel. “You shouldn’t have done it. You knew I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“Funny, because your kisses said otherwise.” He closed the gap between them with a strange glint in his eyes. “And now that you’re sober, I fully intend to pick up where we left off.”
And if he meant with her kissing him like that, there was no telling where thing
s might go.
Actually, she knew exactly where things would end up—with her naked in his bed.
Sarah back-pedaled until her foot hit nothing but air. She flung her arms out in a desperate attempt to catch her balance, but landed in the pool with a splash. She surfaced just as another wave of water sloshed across her face from Gideon jumping in after her.
“Damn it, Gideon!” She rubbed the water from her eyes. “Don’t make this worse than it already is.”
“I like seeing you all wet. You have no idea how hard it was to lie beside you last night and be on my best behavior.”
She followed his line of sight to where it focused on the outline of her breasts through the thin material of her dress. A shiver coursed through her, and she only wished she could blame it on the chill in the air. She imagined him holding her breasts in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over their centers until her nipples ached with want.
She crossed her arms over her chest to hide the stiff peaks and swam backward. “We should stop before we do something else we’ll regret.”
Gideon shook his head and stalked through the water like a jaguar on the prowl. “I don’t regret marrying you at all. You opened the door, Red, and I would’ve been a fool to let an opportunity like that slip through my fingers.”
“I was drunk.”
“I know.” He stopped mere inches from her. “But I was sober.”
“And you thought it would be a good idea to marry me?”
He nodded, his face oddly unreadable for once.
“Why? Any idiot could see I’m all wrong for you.”
“Then I must be an idiot.” He pulled her into his arms and silenced her protests by pressing his lips to hers.
All coherent thoughts fled her mind. At the moment, she would’ve easily believed they were perfect for each other, that she belonged in his arms, that what she’d said last night was true. And in the deepest part of her heart, she knew she did love him, even if she wasn’t quite ready to admit it when she was sober.
She cupped his face in her hands and deepened the kiss. A moan rose up into the night, although she wasn’t sure if it was from him or her. He tightened his hold on her until the steady drum of his heart vibrated through her from his chest. A warm glow of contentment flowed from the center of her chest, easing the tense knots in her shoulders. Desire followed, redirecting the tension to the lowest pit of her stomach and quickening her pulse.
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