“It doesn’t matter, because there won’t be a next time.”
“Are you saying they fired you? They can’t fire you because you married me. Tell me exactly what happened.”
“Stop, Gage. I didn’t get fired. What’s happened is, they’ve assigned your files to another person and now I’ve got his clients. I understand where the company is coming from, though. To be honest, with everything else going on in our lives, my working so closely with you on your rigs is probably not the best idea.”
“I guess that’s not so bad. What did they say when you told them about getting a green card?”
“I didn’t say anything. I just said I’ll being applying to stay in the States on a permanent basis. I didn’t really want to say, ‘Oh, hey, I’m married now and can get a green card.’ You know what everyone is going to think.”
“What?”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. Was he really so vague as to not get what she was hinting at? “The only reason we got married was so that I could become a permanent resident of the US. And even though that’s the truth, it’s really not a good idea to blab that out to everyone.”
“I suppose, but what difference does it make why we got married? It’s no one’s business but ours. Our lives are the ones affected by the marriage. Not your bosses.”
“It’s the business of the Immigration Department, though. I did some reading up online about what we have to do to get my permanent residency. They really scrutinize applications that are marriage-based. Seems they’ve found that a lot of the marriages are shams—done just to get a green card.”
“Wonder how long it took them to figure that one out,” Gage said. “What steps do we have to take to prove that we aren’t doing exactly what we’re really doing?”
“This is wrong.” She got up and started pacing around the kitchen. “This is all wrong!” she blurted out. “We shouldn’t be doing this. I don’t want to be deported or sent to jail for fraud. We shouldn’t have gotten married. We can just get an annulment and everything will be okay. I’ll go back to Australia, and when the year is up I’ll sell you the land. You can do whatever you want with it. Yes, that’s a good pl—”
Arms landed around her and her words were swallowed as Gage kissed her. His lips sipped at hers while his hands rubbed up and down her back in a soothing motion. She moaned as his teeth nipped at her bottom lip, encouraging her to open up for him. She couldn’t deny him because, with his kiss, she was forgetting everything that swirled around in her mind: the mess they’d landed themselves into and how they were going to get out of it. All she could think about was feeling his bare skin beneath her hands.
She tugged at his shirt, releasing it from his pants. Finally, she could touch him. His skin was smooth and hot beneath her fingertips. She moved a little closer to him, feeling the evidence of his desire for her.
“I want you, Charlotte. How can you say this is wrong?”
His words were like a bucket of cold water on her, and she pulled her mouth away from his. How had she almost lost her mind again?
“What am I thinking? We really shouldn’t be doing this, Gage.”
Everything overwhelmed her, and she needed space. Without saying another word, she turned and walked out of the room. She needed to think.
CHAPTER 13
Gage, aroused and confused, watched Charlotte’s retreating back. There appeared to be something more going on than her not working with his company anymore. It looked like she was having regrets about the marriage.
Hell, he’d had a couple of moments that day when he’d seen the ring on his finger and he’d asked himself whether he’d lost his mind. But then he remembered the end prize, and he believed the end justified the means. He’d also expected her to come home bursting with news on how to go about getting her green card.
He took a seat on the couch in the living room. Immediately, Oil Slick jumped up on his lap and did a couple of circles before curling up and settling in. He rubbed her soft fur, surprised at how quickly he’d come to enjoy the cat’s company—not something he’d share just yet with Gavin.
“So, what do you think is up with Charlotte, Oil Slick? Should I go see what’s wrong, or should I give her some space?”
The cat looked up at him with what looked like a Duh, of course you need to go talk to her look on her face.
He shook his head. If Gavin or Grayson could see him now, they’d think he’d lost his mind. But Oil Slick did have a point. He needed to talk to Charlotte to get to the bottom of the issues going on within her.
He set the cat down on the couch and made his way toward the room Charlotte had taken for her own. He had wanted to suggest she share the master suite with him, but he didn’t think she’d like the idea, regardless of the fact that he’d seen the desire burning in her eyes on their wedding night. He knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Just like she’d wanted him not ten minutes ago.
He knocked on the door. “Charlotte, can I come in?”
“I want to be alone right now, Gage.”
He rested his head on the wooden door frame. Any sane man would walk away and leave her to her thoughts. That was what she wanted, after all.
To hell with it. This wouldn’t be his first insane decision. Throwing caution to the wind, he opened the door.
Charlotte sat in the middle of the bed, an open suitcase lying next to her. Gage didn’t know if she was packing or unpacking her things.
“I thought I told you I wanted to be alone.”
He walked over and sat down next to her, not touching her but close enough that he could if he wanted to. “I know, Red. But as you should know by now, I’m not that good at following instructions.”
He was pleased to see his comment brought out a smile on her face.
“This is true.”
The next instant a flash of black landed on the bed next to him. Oil Slick proceeded to walk across his legs until she was close enough to head-butt Charlotte for a pat.
He went to pick the cat up, but a hand halted his action.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
He nodded and left the cat where it was. The silence stretched between them. He wanted to come right out and ask her about her visa, since it was a good bet that was the issue with Charlotte’s restlessness that evening. Instead, he let the quiet drag on until he couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Talk to me, Charlotte. Tell me what’s bothering you. A problem shared is a problem halved, as Dad would say.”
“Did you ever imagine yourself getting married?”
The question threw him. It was the last thing he expected to hear from her, but it highlighted his suspicion that she was having second thoughts about what they’d done over the weekend.
He needed to word his response carefully. “I thought one day I would get married. Even have kids.”
“But I’m guessing marrying someone so they could just get their permanent residency wasn’t really one of the ways of doing it.”
“It may not have been how I expected it to happen, but we’re married now. There’s no point in complaining about it. And don’t forget, I get something out of it, as well.”
“Maybe.”
Gage’s frustration level was growing higher with every passing second. Charlotte had never been wishy-washy in their dealings on a work level. She hadn’t even been wishy-washy last night or on their wedding night, when she’d flat-out told him she wanted some space to herself. So why now?
“For God’s sake, don’t go all soap-opera dramatic on me again. Give it to me straight.”
“Fine, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She took a deep breath while continuing to stroke Oil Slick, whose purring was a clear indication she was one happy cat. At least someone was. “It looks like I may be able to get a temporary green card.”
“That’s great. Why were you so worried about telling me that? It’s good news, isn’t it?”
“Sort of. After two years of marriage, I can then apply to replace
the temporary one with a permanent card.”
“So what’s the big deal? Instead of being married for one year and then splitting up, we stay married another year and you get your card. Once it’s all sorted out, then we can split up.”
“Did you hear what I said, Gage? We have to be married for two years, not just one.”
Okay, so maybe that might not have been what they’d planned on, but it didn’t really matter to him.
“One year, two years. It’s all relative. We’ll be busy that second year with the land. Still doesn’t sound too difficult to me.”
“You’d think it would be that easy, wouldn’t you? Stay married for two years instead of one. But it’s not that simple, Gage. Our marriage is going to be scrutinized to ensure it’s not fake. That it’s not a marriage of convenience just to get a green card. But it is. That’s exactly what our marriage is. We are essentially committing fraud. If the Immigration Department finds out that we are lying, I’ll probably never be allowed back into the States again. And I’ve no idea what will happen to you. You may have to go to jail. I’m not sure that’s a risk I want to take—with you or me. We should get our marriage annulled like I said earlier. It will be easier for both of us.”
He sat quietly, trying to process all the information Charlotte had just dumped into his lap. Ever since she’d mentioned that marriage reality show, he’d thought that marrying her would be the perfect way to solve Charlotte’s problem. And also get what he wanted—access to the land in twelve months’ time or earlier if he could somehow convince Charlotte to change her stance. Plus, the immigration website had made it seem so easy. Huh. Did the people on the show that started them on this journey have to go through the same process she’d just mentioned? Or was the TV show sufficient for the immigration department to believe the marriages were real?
His dislike of research was coming back to bite him in the ass.
He twisted the wedding ring on his finger. His assistant knew about his marriage because she’d helped him with the flight arrangements and other necessary details. But he hadn’t even told his brothers yet. Did he want to remove the ring? Admit he’d made yet another mistake?
No.
Marrying Charlotte wasn’t a mistake. He wouldn’t let it be a mistake.
“I take it by your silence you’re seriously considering my suggestion of an annulment.”
He transferred his gaze from his wedding ring to Charlotte. Her eyes, normally vibrant with life and laughter, were dull and sad, and he hated to see them that way.
Gage reached out and ran a finger down her soft cheek. “No.” He leaned closer to her. “No, I’m not considering it. I don’t want an annulment. I need to stay married to you, Charlotte Cooper. We’ll sort everything out, and we’ll convince everyone around us that we are in love and that our marriage is real. Including the federal immigration people.”
He closed the distance between them and kissed her once again. He cupped the back of her neck, holding her close to him as he caressed her lips, his body igniting with fire for her once again. It seemed he only had to touch her and he wanted her. He could think of nothing better than spending each night with Charlotte in his arms. Waking her up each morning with a kiss on the neck. Traveling together to work. Hell, they could even discuss the state of the industry and how best to protect the environment while still achieving his oil-pumping goals before hell froze over.
“Ouch,” she mumbled against his lips.
Charlotte broke the contact between them as she jumped up. “Dammit, Oil Slick, get your claws out of me.”
The cat leaped to the ground and stalked out of the room with its tail swishing from side to side in annoyance. Gage laughed. “I swear, that cat is an old enemy of mine who has been sent back to torment me.”
“You have a lot of enemies? Do I need to be worried?”
Her comment boosted his confidence. She was going to stick with their plan.
“Nope, you don’t have to be worried.”
“Good to know.”
He reached out and took hold of her hand again. “So, are we good, Red? We’ll stick with our plan?”
“Umm, maybe,” she murmured before glancing back to the bed where, if his annoying feline hadn’t interrupted them, they could’ve been on the way to making love right this moment. Gage’s cock hardened even more at the thought and ached to be released.
He ran a hand through his hair, thinking a cold shower was a necessity right at that moment. “I’ll leave you to unpack. But before I go, I want to say one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Nothing changes. Understand? I made you a promise to help you get your green card, and I won’t go back on that.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded and walked out the door. At the end of the day, he was the winner. Not only did he have a beautiful wife, but now he had also access to an oil-rich piece of land. And considering the terms of their marriage were changing with regard to the length of time they stayed together, he could make a little amendment, too. He would adjust his own plans. Instead of waiting until after the marriage ended to get the land surveyed to find out how much oil was there, he would see if he could arrange it within the next couple of weeks. He’d already given the surveyor some preliminary information, which the surveyor had confirmed receipt of just before they’d left for Vegas. He’d just tell him to proceed with it now. It would be noninvasive, and Charlotte would never have to know.
CHAPTER 14
It was Saturday morning, and Charlotte had been a married woman for one week. She still slept by herself, and at the moment she and Gage were more roommates than husband and wife.
They hadn’t talked anymore about her obtaining a green card or the process they would have to go through. She had found the name of a good immigration lawyer, but there was no way she was planning on contacting him until she was confident that she and Gage could present a united front and give the lawyer no doubts that they loved each other.
Her stomach plummeted at the thought of trying to fake being in love with Gage—not because she found him repulsive. It was just the opposite. The problem was, it would be easy to fall for Gage. He’d been nothing but the ultimate gentleman. He was being attentive and sweet, making sure she had everything she needed. And at the end of each night, he would give her a kiss on the forehead and head to his room.
His actions confused her.
“Hey, you want to take a drive?”
She yelped in fright. “My goodness, Gage, you could’ve at least knocked.” She hadn’t expected Gage to be up at almost eight in the morning. She figured he’d be one who slept in on the weekend. “I could’ve been changing or coming out of the bathroom in a towel.”
Gage walked into her room, a first since the night she’d had her meltdown about the visa and the situation they now found themselves in. “Sorry. I’ll remember next time. But, if you need help changing or drying off I’ll be more than willing to help.”
“Umm tempting as you may think that might be, not going to happen. So what do you want?”
“I thought we could spend the weekend down at Sweet Ridge. I haven’t spoken to Gavin or Grayson since we got married. I figured it would be best if we told them our news face-to-face and together. You know, present a united front.”
He hadn’t spoken to his brothers about their marriage? She hadn’t thought to ask him about it even though they’d Skyped her parents the other night and informed them. The initial surprise and worried looks on her parents’ faces had concerned her. If they couldn’t convince her parents, the people who knew her the best, they were in love and happy, how could they convince the immigration department? She needn’t have worried. Gage had been super-attentive, and she hoped his actions and her reactions to him had been enough to convince her parents they had a genuine relationship. It had taken everything in her not to jump every time he touched her during their call. And it wasn’t because she didn’t like his touch. She found that at tim
es, she wanted more little brushes against her arm or his arm around her waist. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d told herself it was a business arrangement, nothing else. The fact that her parents hadn’t e-mailed her at all since the call confirmed to her that they’d convinced them all was well in their marriage. But could they fool Gavin and Grayson and the good folk of Sweet Ridge?
She studied Gage as he stood leaning against the chest of drawers. He looked relaxed, but she could see the slight tension in his shoulders, as if he expected her to turn him down. After everything he’d done for her, it wasn’t too much to ask her to do this one thing for him.
“That sounds like fun. Where are we going to stay?”
“That’s the best part. I thought we’d stay at the house on the land. What do you think?”
“I love that idea. But we’ll need to get some sleeping bags and air mattresses. From memory I don’t think there are any beds there.” Charlotte couldn’t contain her excitement at the idea of spending time in the house. Although knowing that she wouldn’t be able to follow through with her plans of making it a holiday house dimmed the glow a little. But what did it matter? For the next few months, at least, they could make regular visits and she could clean the place up. Give it a fresh coat of paint on the inside and outside. She could always hope that when the survey had been completed in a year’s time, it would show there wasn’t a lot of oil on the property and then Gage wouldn’t drill there after all.
“By the time we get packed and sorted out, we’ll be able to stop at a camping store and pick up the necessary things. Can you recall whether there was a refrigerator in the kitchen?”
“I can’t remember. But if there’s not, we should be able to pick up a small one from Walmart that will serve us for the time being.”
“That works. How long will it take you to pack a bag?”
“I can be done in thirty minutes.”
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