Not Husband Material

by Violet Paige

  He flipped me over, kissing my legs and my stomach. He took a nipple between his teeth.

  “Oh, Evie. You’re a fucking siren. Did you know that?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve never done anything like that. What you did…”

  “Are you ok?” He kissed my collarbone and shoulder. “Did you like it?”

  “I liked it too much. I didn’t know it could feel like that back there.”

  He pushed my knees wide as he settled to my overheated pussy. I hissed when his cock nudged against my swollen entrance.

  “Good.” He grinned. “Because I plan on having that virgin ass one day.”

  “It’s yours,” I whispered.

  “And so is this.” He sliced inside me and I bowed from the bed, my back arching toward him. His thick cock stretched me fully. I felt delirious with him inside me. I said things I’d never say. I did things I’d never do. And somehow in his bed I felt safe and protected. Safe enough to give myself over to his control.

  He began to pump in and out of me. Our breaths matched. He hooked his arm under my knee, angling deeper.

  “Oh, Jer.” I looked in his eyes.

  “You feel so good,” he growled. “So fucking good.”

  His balls slapped against me and I knew he was motivated to go to new depths. To tie us back together after our fight. To make sure I never wanted to sleep in the guest room again. And holy hell, I didn’t. I wanted this. Nights like this. Sex like this.

  I wanted Jeremy to give me everything he had, and in return he could have all of me.

  He grunted as his thrust picked up in urgency. My head rolled into the pillow. My legs splayed open, offering him something I’d never thought I’d want to give another man. I was his.

  He groaned. “I’m going to come, Evie.”

  I dug my nails into his firm ass, urging him to fill me.

  One. Two. Three. He roared as his climax hit him like a cannonball. He fired his seed inside me, rooting deep with possessive thrusts.

  He collapsed on top of me. “Holy fuck, that was amazing.”

  I brushed my fingers through his hair, letting it feather between my fingers as it fell back into place.

  “It was,” I whispered.

  “We’ve lost our damn minds, haven’t we?”

  I nodded. “I think so.” What we were doing was dangerously close to something that felt real. Something that felt like it had legs and a body. And if we weren’t careful, would be the definition of a real living breathing relationship.

  But I couldn’t stay away from him. I couldn’t not touch him. I couldn’t not kiss him. And there was no way to have his baby without the sex.

  He kissed my neck and rolled to the side. I hugged my knees to my chest.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Trying to up the chances of getting pregnant. I read this helps. It keeps your stuff inside longer. I should stay like this for thirty minutes.”

  “My stuff?” He laughed. “I can just give you more. Is come too dirty a word for your innocent mouth?”

  “No. I can say it. But, it only takes one of your little swimmers.”

  “Hey, there’s nothing little about my swimmers.” He placed a hand on my knee.

  “Didn’t mean to insult your male ego,” I teased. “Maybe you skipped Sex Ed in middle school. Who knows what you know about getting pregnant.”

  “I’ve avoided it my entire life. Condoms have always been my best friend.” He eyed me.

  “And now?”

  He turned toward me. His finger traced over my pointed nipple. “I never knew sex could be so good.”

  “It’s that good?” I whispered.

  He nodded. “Better than that.”

  I swallowed. I wasn’t supposed to fall for Jer. He wasn’t that kind of husband. But I didn’t have anything to hold me back. And that terrified me.

  21

  Jeremy

  I usually started the day at the gym in my building. I tried to get at least a two-hour workout in before I headed to the office. I had an imagine to maintain. It was hard work. Part of negotiating with sports teams and sponsors was projecting the ideal male specimen. I was the walking figure head for the male athlete. I was proud I always looked the part. I dared anyone to challenge me to a fitness test.

  I woke up next to Evie, and I wasn’t ready to roll out of bed yet. It was dark in the room, and her body was warm and soft. She sighed and nuzzled into my chest. Shit. I couldn’t imagine ever leaving this room again. I wanted to sleep in with her. Hold her. Talk to her. What the hell was happening to me? I didn’t know how much longer I could ignore it.

  There was a natural instinct to protect her. To keep her safe. I wanted to make her happy. Right now, that meant letting her get some sleep. I had worn her out last night. We fucked until our bodies were useless. I think it was the fifth time I realized we needed to at least get a nap in. I laughed to myself. Had anything felt this amazing before? I could skip the gym today and just lie in bed a while longer.

  And then the fucking phone rang. I jumped to answer before it woke Evie.

  I pulled it to my ear as I raced down the hall toward the kitchen. I wanted to be out of earshot. My voice had a way of carrying.

  “Hi. What’s going on?”

  “Did you get married?” Sasha was angry. I could hear it in one simple question.

  “What? How did you hear about that?” I wasn’t completely awake. I walked toward the coffee to make a pot.

  “You’re not denying it? So, it’s true?”

  “Hold on. How did you hear about it?”

  “What difference does it make? You married someone and didn’t think it was important information to share?”

  Fuck. “What difference does it make if I’m married? Business doesn’t change. Nothing changes, Sasha.”

  “Did you sign a pre-nup? Did you call our attorney? What does he say?”

  “What?”

  “Who is this woman? How do you know she’s not after your companies? Your inheritance. This is dangerous. Have you put us at risk?”

  “Damn it, Sasha. Nothing is at risk. There’s no pre-nup, because there will never be a divorce.”

  She huffed into the phone. “You don’t know that. You’re usually much smarter than this, Jeremy. Much.”

  “Just tell me how you heard. I haven’t released the official wedding announcement. How did it get out?”

  “I had a phone call last night, but didn’t check my voicemail until this morning.” Sasha had the same early morning schedule I did.

  “What kind of phone call?” I punched in the buttons for the coffee system.

  “Someone named Byron Lancaster wants me to call him back about the details of your marriage. He used the word marriage.”

  Shit. “What else did he say?”

  “Only that he was your father’s attorney. And that’s probably the only reason I believed it wasn’t a hoax.”

  “Sasha, did you call him back?” I felt a rush of panic. “Have you talked to him yet?”

  “No. I was too pissed. I called you first, asshole.”

  “Thank God.”

  If Byron called to interrogate Sasha, that meant my mother was going to try to contest the will and debunk the marriage. I needed to act quickly. I had to make the announcement today. She was a step ahead of me.

  “Nothing about this makes sense. Why did you get married? And why is your father’s attorney involved? What have you done?”

  “I did what I had to do.”

  “I knew you were keeping secrets. I knew yesterday at the Lennox meeting you were doing something behind my back.”

  “I’m not going behind your back. It was the only option I had.”

  “I guess it won’t matter then if I call Mr. Lancaster back and tell him I didn’t know you were married until his call.”

  “No,” I growled. “Don’t you fucking dare do that.”

  The only way my mother could contest the will and make sure she
received the full inheritance was if she could prove I entered into a false marriage. That I used Evie to collect the money. It was hard to believe this wasn’t my father’s plan from the beginning. He had pitted the two of us against each other.

  I sighed. “I had to get married in order to receive my inheritance. My father’s will was clear. But if you tell Lancaster that you’ve never heard of Evie or my relationship with her, it will discredit the marriage. I’ll end up with nothing. I won’t have the money to complete the investment.”

  “Her name is Evie?”

  “Yes, she’s an old friend from high school,” I admitted. “Can you go along with this, Sasha? I need to know we’re still partners.”

  “You were forced to get married and the first person you thought of was an old high school girlfriend?” Her voice sounded distant.

  “She was never my girlfriend back then.” Those details seemed pointless right now. I had to make sure Sasha wasn’t a risk to our plan.

  “You felt like you had no other options?”

  “That’s right. I needed someone who didn’t care about the money. Someone I could trust to do this.”

  “And there was no one else you trusted. I see.”

  Oh holy fuck.

  “Sasha, I didn’t mean….”

  She hung up before I could explain my elopement was part of a drunken sexfest. Although, that wouldn’t have gone over any better.

  I sat in the kitchen while I waited for the gourmet coffee to brew. Sasha and I hadn’t been involved in six years. I didn’t think about her as an ex anymore. It was a quick three months of dating and fucking, that ended when we realized we could dominate the sports business world together. She was practical and brilliant. I stopped paying attention to how beautiful she was.

  Everything between us was about the company. We didn’t discuss our personal lives. But lately, she had been pushy. She had been digging into my life when she hadn’t before.

  I shook my head. I never thought about asking her to marry me for the will.

  Evie was there when the idea formed. It wasn’t thought out. Not as drunk as we were.

  I looked up when she walked down the hall, wearing my shirt. She was stunning.

  She smiled softly. “Do I smell coffee?”

  Sasha couldn’t make me second-guess my decision. I had no regrets. Evie was exactly what I wanted.

  22

  Evie

  I sat and listened while Jeremy gave me the rundown on the details of the press conference for today. I’d never participated in a press conference, much less attended one. I was completely out of my element. We drank coffee and I ate fruit at the small bistro table tucked in the corner of his commercial-grade kitchen.

  “Whatever you’re doing while I speak, make sure your left hand stays visible,” he instructed. “I want everyone to see that rock.” It was going to take me a while to get used to wearing it. It was ostentatious. No one would doubt Jeremy Hartwell had marked me as his wife.

  “Why can’t we release a marriage announcement like normal people do?” I pleaded. “We could hire a photographer and put a picture with a nice recap of the ceremony at the Magnolia Inn in the paper,” I suggested.

  “We aren’t normal. And neither is this marriage.” He sighed. “My mother is coming for this money. She’s going to do whatever she can to prove we aren’t real. We can’t give her the ammunition. So we’re going full blast on this. I want every news outlet there. All the entertainment sites. Everyone who has interviewed me over the years. Business. Sports. Celebrity beat reporters. All of it.” He waved his hands in the air. “I want us to be the top story tonight.”

  “What if it doesn’t work? What if we aren’t convincing?” I had a nervous pit in my stomach. I had no idea how I would make it through a full press event without throwing up.

  “Why wouldn’t we be convincing?” He waggled his eyebrows. “We have consummated our relationship multiple times. I think we know each other very intimately. We’re close. Closer than most husbands and wives.”

  I swallowed. “They don’t know that part.”

  “Did that make you blush?” he teased. “You liked what I did last night. Tasting you in a new place.”

  I almost moaned out loud. He knew exactly what he did to me. He knew he could coax moans from my throat and orgasms from my core. He knew with one look I’d tear off my clothes and offer my body on the kitchen table. He knew he had me.

  “If I could, I’d take you back to bed right now, but I need to prepare the rest of the morning to set up the press conference.”

  I sighed, realizing I was disappointed he hadn’t thrown the breakfast dishes on the floor and tossed me on top. “What can I do to help?” I asked.

  “As much as I know you probably don’t want to, you need to let your parents know they could get some calls from the media. And Frannie. She needs a heads up too. A united family front would certainly help.”

  “Ok. What else?”

  “You need something to wear for the announcement.”

  “What kind of something?”

  He rubbed the back of his head. “Something sophisticated, but not too cold and distant. And you don’t want to look dowdy.”

  “So avoid the Jane Austen spinster look this time?”

  He chuckled. “We have taken a huge detour from Jane Austen.”

  He reached into his pocket and withdrew a credit card. “You can buy anything you want. An entire wardrobe if you like. But make sure you have something for the big show.”

  I stared at the hard plastic. “You don’t have to do that. I can buy something on my own. I have savings.”

  “You’re a Hartwell now, Evie. You get all the perks. I’ll have your own cards for you by the end of the week. You can use mine until then.”

  I took the platinum card and flipped it over in my hand. “I’m going to guess there’s no limit on this?” My eyebrows lifted.

  “No limit,” he answered. “The accountant will also set up your own bank accounts. You can take care of that debt you were worried about. I’ll make sure it’s all handled quickly. I don’t want there to be any questions about the trust between us. Nothing will demonstrate to the attorneys that I trust you like sharing my fortune.”

  It was strange how quickly I had forgotten about the clinic. I didn’t need it any longer. I was going to have my baby a different way. Was it possible this was even more unconventional than my in vitro plans in Newton Hills? I would pay my bill, and they clinic would be in my past. No more appointments. No more long drives for testing. It was just over.

  “Evie?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I need to get to the office. Sasha is waiting for me. I can’t be late this morning.”

  I had almost forgotten about her too. The beautiful blonde. “Do you want me to go with you?” Maybe I should meet her. “You could show me your office.” I smiled sweetly.

  “No. It’s going to be hectic today. I’ll have a driver waiting for you. He’ll take you to whatever shops you like. Make sure you’re here and ready by four. I promise I’ll be here.”

  I nodded. “I can do that. One not-too-sexy, but not-too-matronly outfit coming up.”

  He chuckled. “You’ll look sexy no matter what you do.”

  I looked at him. My hair was a complete mess. I was wearing one of his T-shirts. I wasn’t wearing an ounce of makeup, but he didn’t care. He thought I was sexy. The power of Jeremy’s words was intoxicating.

  “That’s because you haven’t seen me when I’ve been writing for three days straight.”

  “I think I’d like to see that.”

  “It’s not pretty.” I shook my head. “My hair sticks straight out of a bun. I wear glasses by the second day, and I completely forego bras.”

  “Holy shit. You’ve just described my fantasy, woman. You, glasses, and no bra?”

  I giggled. “Ha. Ha. Funny.”

  He wrapped his arms around me. “You think I’m joking?”

  �
�Of course you are. You say all kinds of things. You’re just a huge flirt, Jeremy Hartwell.”

  He dropped his hands from my lower back. “Walk back in here with a pair of glasses on and see what happens.”

  “You are bluffing.” I hurried to wear my suitcase was anyway. I was going to prove him wrong. I retrieved my glasses from their case and slid them on my face.

  I sashayed into the living room, ruffling my hair as I walked, tempting him with a silly walk. There was no way this was his thing. But I wanted to see how far I could play the charade.

  “See? Nothing that exciting,” I teased.

  “That’s where you’re fucking wrong,” he growled walking two paces toward me before he crushed me with a kiss. His hands tangled in my hair, tipping my lips upward.

  The power surged through my body. I unwrapped myself from him and slid to my knees.

  “What are you doing, Evie?”

  I stared at him through the glasses while I unbuckled his belt and pushed his charcoal pants to his ankles. I worked the black boxer briefs over his legs until his cock sprung free. I blinked at how huge it was in the daylight.

  “Evie,” he groaned.

  I licked my lips. “I want you,” I whispered.

  I fisted his shaft in my hand, groaning at how silky and soft he felt in my grasp. How could something so hard and solid feel so good?

  My tongue extended, flicking over the head. I sighed when a drop of pre-cum beaded at my command.

  I trailed the throbbing vein along his cock and lapped at his balls. I sat back on my heels, knowing everything was agonizing pleasure for him. I cupped his balls and took the tip of his wide head on my lips and kissed it, sucking lightly.

  “I think you should sit for this,” I teased.

  Jeremy walked backward until he was on the couch. I positioned myself between his legs.