Make-Believe Marriage

by CA Quigg

  I sat on the king-sized bed tapping at my laptop and catching up on any work I'd missed.

  "She likes you," I reassured. "Believe me, if she didn't we'd already be on our way back to Sundown Sands."

  "Next we have to convince your sisters. What if they hate me for stealing their big brother. For not asking them to be bridesmaids? Jesus, this is a mess."

  I was responsible for this. If I hadn't forced her to marry me, she would still be at home, in a place she knew with people who loved her.

  "I'm sorry." I set down my laptop and went to her.

  "What for?"

  "Sorry for bringing you here," I said kneeling in front of her. "For making you marry me when you didn't want to."

  "I could have said no. It wasn't like you marched me down the aisle with a gun at my back."

  "What you've done for me I can never repay. If you want, I'll talk to my lawyer about what else I can do to get a green card. It's not too late to get a civil annulment." I didn't know those words were going to come out of my mouth until I'd said them, but if it was what Lizzie wanted, I would look into having our marriage annulled.

  "Are you fucking joking? After everything I've done for you, you're going to get rid of me already? I've lied to everyone I love I've put my reputation on the line so that you could get a fucking green card. Don't you dare do this to me. We're staying married for three years as agreed. I can't go back home and tell everyone I've lost another husband. I can't tell my mom you've changed your mind."

  I ran my fingers through my hair. "You're right. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. It's just...I can see how miserable you are and it's my fault."

  She laughed, and her eyes came to life. "I was miserable before you showed up. Being with you doesn't make me any more miserable. Being with you makes me happy. Happier than I've been in a while. This is an adventure I'd never have gone on otherwise. I'm worried about going to prison and everyone finding out I lied, but for this, for you, I'll do it. I'm falling-"

  "Don't say it, Lizzie. We agreed that wouldn't happen. I can't give that back to you. I don't know how."

  This was exactly what I didn't want. She was in love with me. I should have seen it. Should have read it in her eyes. Should have seen it in the way she stopped correcting me on the use of her name.

  My heart thudded and my mouth dried. How did I think I'd get away with this without Lizzie falling in love with me?

  "What kind of number did Louise pull on you? And I thought I was fucked up."

  "I'll tell you someday, but not now. Come on," I said. "If you're going to meet the rest of my family, we'd better get ready."

  She didn't look at me, and I was glad because I didn't want to see the hurt in her eyes. The hurt I'd put there. I was a gobshite of the highest degree. She didn't deserve this, and I didn't deserve her.

  ****

  Cars lined the street. My mother must have invited everyone she knew. Streamers decorated the outside of the house along with white balloons with "just married" printed on them. Give my mother an inch, and she'd take ten miles.

  "I thought it was only going to be your sisters," Lizzie said, looking up and down the street. "It sounds and looks like the whole of Dublin is here."

  "When my mother gets an idea in her head, nothing can stop her. She's like a hurricane bent on destruction. We can get in the car now. Drive to the airport and leave."

  Bree poked her head out the front door. There was no escaping now.

  "Looks like that idea isn't going to work," Lizzie said. "I want to get this over with."

  Chapter 25

  Elizabeth

  The second I stepped out of the car, a tall, slim woman whisked me into the house. She looked as if she was twenty with pitch black hair streaked with red and had the bluest eyes I had ever seen. The smile on her face was warm and welcoming and showed a perfect set of white teeth.

  "I'm Bree, Caden's little sister. You gave us all a bit of a shock. When mam told me, I wondered if hell had frozen over." Her words came out a mile a minute, and I had to concentrate to keep up with her. "You're very welcome to our family." She pulled me into a warm hug and kissed my cheek. "Anyone who can get my brother down the aisle must have a bit of magic about them."

  I laughed, immediately at ease with Bree.

  "Come meet everyone else," she said.

  I glanced behind looking for Caden to come to my rescue, but someone had waylaid him by the garden fence. A bottle of beer had been thrust into his hand, and a sheepish smile curved his lips. He looked at me as if to say, 'there's nothing I can do.'

  "I'd love to meet your other sister," I said to Bree.

  "Don't worry. You're about to meet every member of our family." She drew me into the bright, open-planned and packed living room.

  "Look who I found-Mrs. Caden Gallagher." Bree's voice rang around the room, and everyone stopped what they were doing to gawk at me.

  Fire heated my cheeks, and I would have been fine had the ground opened up and sucked me under. I badly needed my calming oils. An arm I'd grown to know well, snaked around my waist, and I was thankful to finally have Caden by my side. He handed me a glass of champagne and kissed my cheek.

  "Would you ever give her five minutes to catch her breath," he said to Bree.

  "Sure she's grand, aren't you, Elizabeth."

  "Yes, I'm good. Grand . Never better."

  "See," Bree said, triumphantly. "I'll take care of her and introduce her to everyone. Keegan is in the kitchen making cocktail concoctions." She turned her attention to me. "She's dying to get a look at you."

  Caden's dad clinked a spoon against a glass of champagne. "If everyone can shut their traps for a minute, I'd like to say something."

  The murmuring guests stopped talking and turned to face Artur. "Yesterday, our son Caden gave his mother and me the shock of our lives when he introduced us to his wife. I said, 'You're having a laugh,' he says, 'I'm not.' We were bloody shocked as you can imagine, and didn't we give Elizabeth the wrong impression." He looked at me and raised his glass. "Elizabeth, you can now consider yourself our daughter. If that big eejit gives you any trouble, give us a call, and we'll sort him out. We can see how happy you make him and even though Cait didn't get to buy a new hat, happiness and love are all that matters. To Elizabeth and Caden."

  Everyone held up their glasses, and said, "To Elizabeth and Caden."

  I wanted to be part of this family for the rest of my life, but I wouldn't be. I swallowed back my sadness and tears and took a sip of champagne which tasted like guilt with a dash of lies and disappointment.

  A blonde who was the replica of Bree walked up to us.

  "I'm Keegan," she said, giving a nervous smile. "We could barely believe it, could we, Bree?"

  "It shocked us all," Bree agreed. "What was the wedding like? Was it fabulous and fancy?"

  When Bree stopped to catch her breath, Keegan continued, "I bet you were gorgeous don't you think so, Bree?"

  I smiled and my sisters-in-law and tried to keep up with their rapid-fire conversation. It would take a while to get used to how fast they spoke.

  "It's about time he moved on from Louise," Bree said.

  I didn't miss the eye daggers Keegan threw her sister.

  "How about a top up?" Bree asked, taking my glass.

  "Sure," I said. If someone didn't tell me what had happened between Louise and Caden, I would have to do some serious snooping.

  The rest of the night passed by in a blur of meeting new people and telling our story repeatedly. And with each pass, we added more details.

  Caden's sisters looked after me like mother hens and bombarded me with questions at every opportunity. By the end of the night, I had two more sisters to go with my other five.

  They said they'd visit when they could, and I wished that was something that could have happened.

  ****

 
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the elevator wall. Caden wound a hand around my waist and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

  "See, it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be."

  "You have a great family."

  "I do," he agreed.

  He trailed soft kisses over my jaw and down the length of my neck, and when he reached the spot where my neck and shoulder met, he bit, sending shivers down my spine. His actions left no doubt in my mind about where the night was headed.

  He kissed my lips, and at first, he used no pressure but soon it turned hot and demanding. His tongue swept my mouth, and he tangled his fingers in my hair, pulling me to him. He lowered his hands and massaged my ass through my dress, thrusting his already hard cock against me.

  When he broke away, both of us gasped for breath.

  Chapter 26

  Elizabeth

  If we didn't get naked within the next minute, I would combust. I didn't even give him the chance to close the hotel room door before I pounced.

  "In a hurry?" he asked.

  "If you hadn't spent the last ten minutes teasing the hell out of me in the elevator, I wouldn't be in such a rush to get your clothes off."

  I unbuckled his belt and unsnapped the top button of his jeans.

  "What if I want to take it nice and slow. What if I wanted to tease you even more?"

  "You wouldn't dare." My gaze fell to the bulge between his legs, and I smiled. "Are you sure you want to take things slow?"

  "Very sure," he said and began unbuttoning his shirt, "but we can still get naked."

  I laughed. "You and me naked does not slow sex make."

  "Try it."

  My tongue flicked out over my lower lip. "Two can play games." I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him onto one of the chairs in the corner of the room.

  "What do you have in mind?"

  "Oh, I don't know. Maybe I want to do a little teasing of my own."

  "I'm intrigued."

  "You should be." I parted my legs and placed my hands on my hips. "Take your clothes off."

  Caden raised an eyebrow but did as I asked without question. He toed off his shoes and socks, followed by his jeans and shirt.

  His hard cock tented the tight, black fabric of his boxers and my hand ached to palm his length. But, no, not yet, if he wanted to draw things out, then that's what he'd get.

  I'd make him sorry for teasing me so mercilessly in the first place.

  I sat on the bed, kicked off my heels and stepped out of my dress. When I was in nothing but my red lingerie, I sauntered over to him.

  "Nice," Caden said, his voice gruff."You wore my favorite color."

  I reached up and caressed my breasts through the lacy material. My nipples beaded through the thin fabric. "Would you like to touch?"

  "What do you think?"

  "I think you would." I continued to caress myself and moved my hands to my stomach where I rested them on my pelvic bone. I didn't know what I enjoyed more, the look on his face as he watched me touch myself or teasing myself by teasing him.

  "What about here?" I asked and ran my thumbs under the thread thin strings holding my panties together. "Would you like to touch me here?"

  Caden cleared his throat. "I think I'd like you to touch you there." Was that a dare I heard in his voice?

  "And why's that?"

  "I want you to show me how you like to be touched."

  I drew in a long shaky breath. Acting brave and being brave were two very different things. "You already know how I liked to be touched."

  "Show me."

  "Okay," I said, showing the bravado I didn't feel.

  I went to him and placed my feet either side of his. Reaching around my back, I unhooked my bra and threw it to the floor. My breasts fell in thankful freedom, and a sigh of satisfaction puffed from my slightly parted lips.

  Caden reached a hand out to caress me, but I slapped his hand away.

  "I'll decide when you get to touch."

  My breasts ached to be massaged and held by his strong hands. But this anticipation turned me on too much to stop and give into what we both wanted.

  "Are you going to give me a lap dance?" Caden asked. His eyes looked ravenous. "It'll be my first one."

  I leaned over and placed my hands on the back of the chair, and lowered my head until my lips brushed against his ear. "You're telling me on all the boys nights you've had, you've never gone to a strip club?"

  "I didn't say I'd never been to a strip club. I said I'd never had a lap dance."

  My nipples brushed against the downy hair covering his chest, and he jerked, but then he clenched his hands into fists. I could tell he was forcing himself not to move or react, even though the alpha beating inside of him wanted nothing more than to throw me on the bed and fuck me.

  "Then I'll make sure this is something you'll never forget."

  I ran my hands down his bare chest, loving the feel of his honed muscles beneath my fingers. I paused at his nipples to pinch each one, and when I reached the waistband of his boxers, I pulled it back and brushed my fingertips over the broad head of his hard cock.

  A groan spilled from his mouth, and he moved his head until it was cradled between my breasts. I slid down his body until I was on my knees and traced my fingernails across his hard abs, down the front of his thighs and up again.

  "Since when did you become such a tease?"

  "Payback's a bitch."

  "Do you have any other talents you'd like to share with me."

  I toyed with the waistband of his boxers and yanked them down. "You'll have to wait and see."

  In one swift movement, he pulled me up until our lips were in line.

  "I don't think I want to wait."

  His mouth devoured mine and our tongues danced and dueled for dominance. Neither of us surrendering, neither of us backing down both of us giving and taking.

  He grabbed my wrists, and held them behind my back, maneuvering me until my calve muscles hit against the bed.

  He released my wrists. "Sit."

  I did as I was told and sat on the mattress. He knelt between my legs and placed my feet on top of his thighs.

  "You want to play games?"

  "That depends on what the game is." The tribal-like beat between my legs was almost unbearable, and it took all of my willpower not to beg him to fuck me.

  He kissed his way up my legs, and when he met the apex of my thighs, he inhaled deeply, as if what he smelled was the sweetest of fragrances. He nudged the soaked panties aside, and the rough pads of his thumbs massaged my swollen folds. The sensations assaulting my body left me dizzy, and I didn't know if this was real, or if I was dreaming.