James Bravo's Shotgun Bride

by Christine Rimmer

  She really didn’t seem to want to get rid of him anymore. He decided to take that as a positive sign.

  When they were ready to leave the restaurant, he had to practically wrestle Devin to claim the check. But he pulled rank, being the groom and all. He paid the tab and they returned to the hospital, where they all went in to see Levi one more time that night.

  Addie’s granddad was cheerful and talkative. He had some color in his cheeks again. James smiled at the sound of that cackling laugh of his. If James’s marrying Addie had done that for the old miscreant, it was more than worth it as far as James was concerned.

  Levi said that the day had been one of the best of his life. “Because my girls are both married at last, I got two great-grandkids and another on the way. And it looks like I’ll live, after all.”

  Addie got kind of quiet then. James knew, by the way she pressed her lips together and avoided looking at Levi directly, that she remained angry with him for what he’d made her do.

  And Levi, being Levi, just couldn’t leave it alone. “Addie Anne, stop lookin’ like you sucked a giant lemon and give your old PawPaw a hug.”

  Silence. The old man and the pretty woman in the white lace dress stared each other down.

  Carmen cleared her throat. “Go on, Addie. Give him a hug.”

  Addie made a scoffing noise, but then she did step up closer to Levi’s bed, pressed her round cheek to his wrinkled one and then kissed him on the forehead. “I love you, PawPaw,” she said in a whisper as grim as her expression.

  For once, Levi had sense enough to leave it at that.

  * * *

  At a little after eight, Carmen insisted that the newlyweds should go back to the hotel. “Dev and I will be along eventually—don’t wait up, though. I’m not sure how late we’ll be.”

  Devin frowned. “I was kind of thinking we might— Ouch!” He sent Carmen a wounded glance. James couldn’t be sure, because he and Addie were on the other side of Levi’s bed from Addie’s sister and Devin, but it appeared that Carmen had kicked him to get his attention. Devin coughed into his fist and added, “You know what? Forget what I was thinking. You two go ahead.”

  James waited for Addie to object—and for Levi to make some joking comment that would get Addie angry all over again.

  But Addie just said, “Good idea. James, you ready to go?” She held out her hand. James took it happily. How long had he waited for her to reach for his hand?

  Too long.

  She bent to the bed and gave her grandfather one last kiss.

  The old man looked over her bright head and directly at James. “Proud to have you in the family, son.” He seemed completely sincere.

  James felt a stab of guilt that they weren’t giving Levi the marriage he’d bargained for. But really, why feel guilty for disappointing a master manipulator? James tamped down the self-reproach and answered, “Thanks, Levi. I’m a lucky, lucky man.”

  Addie laughed. It was a carefree sound. James drank it in, loving it, loving that she held his hand as tightly as he held hers. “Let’s go.” She pulled him through the door and out into the hallway.

  It was snowing again, but he’d left the quad cab in the underground hospital lot, so they took it back to the hotel.

  In their room, she ushered him ahead, shut and locked the door and followed him over to the side of the turned-back bed. She caught his hand and then gazed up at him, her cheeks flushed the prettiest pink.

  He dared to reach out and cradle her face with his free hand. Her scent teased him—flowery, a little tart, wonderfully sweet. “You’re a beautiful bride.”

  She sighed. Her breath smelled like apples, like the cinnamon tea she’d had after dinner. “We shared our first kiss today.” She said it softly, almost shyly.

  He couldn’t help smiling. He rubbed the back of his fingers along the silky side of her neck. That brought another sigh. He was becoming more and more certain that tonight would be a night he would never forget—the kind of night he’d given up on ever having with her. “I knew I would love the taste of your mouth. And I do.”

  She trembled a little. “I...well, I always told myself that I was never going to kiss you.”

  “I’m so glad you changed your mind.” He traced the line of her thick red-gold hair, where it fell along her plump cheek.

  “I don’t know. It never seemed safe to kiss you.”

  “Because I’m such a dangerous guy?” He ran his index finger down the slope of her pert little nose, loving the way it turned up at the tip. The texture of her skin pleased him immensely, so soft, so smooth, just begging for his touch.

  Those amber eyes looked enormous right then. Huge and shining, staring up at him. “You are dangerous to me.”

  “We should talk about that.”

  “Maybe someday—and it’s not that I haven’t wanted to kiss you. I have wanted to. So much. For such a very long time.”

  “We have a lot of missed kisses to make up for.”

  She shocked him by agreeing. “We do. And I have a question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “There’s a tiny white scar.” With a finger she brushed the tip of his chin. “Here. How did you get it?”

  “School-yard brawl with my half brother Quinn,” he said. “We had issues, back then, in the family, what with my father essentially having two wives—my mother, Sondra, and Quinn’s mom, Willow.”

  Addie nodded. “That must have been hard on you—all of you.” She didn’t ask him to explain any of it, and he wasn’t surprised. Pretty much everyone in Justice Creek had heard the old story.

  He said, “When we were kids, we resented each other, and we took sides. My mom’s kids against Willow’s kids.”

  “Even though what your parents did wasn’t their children’s fault?”

  “We had to get older and wiser to figure that out. In the meantime, when we were kids, sometimes we boys argued with our fists.”

  “But you all get along now?”

  “Yeah, we do. I like my family a lot.”

  “I’m glad. Family matters.”

  “It certainly does.” He traced the perfect shape of her ear and then caught her earlobe and rubbed it gently between his thumb and forefinger. She wore pearl studs, and the single pearl felt so hard and smooth against his thumb, in contrast to the velvety texture of her skin. He let himself imagine touching her all over, tracing every curve, pressing his lips to her most secret places.

  Making her moan for him.

  Making her beg.

  She started to say something.

  He interrupted her. “Kiss me again. Do it right now.”

  She caught her lower lip between her small, straight teeth. “I want to kiss you. I want to do more than kiss you.”

  “I’m up for that.” Oh, yes, he was. Already. Just from the feel of her skin and the look in her eyes and the shy, sexy way she called him dangerous.

  “It’s just that I...well, I didn’t plan ahead.” Her cheeks, already flushed, went deep red. “No condoms. And yeah, I’m already pregnant. But babies aren’t the only thing that should be considered. I believe in safe sex—I mean, if a person is going to have sex. I just, well, I didn’t realize how I would feel now, alone with you, you know? How much I would want us to have a real wedding night, after that wedding kiss, after standing up beside you in front of that pastor, after all of it, everything you’ve done, James. All the ways you’ve been about the best guy I’ve ever known.”

  Her words made an ache in the center of his chest to match the one growing beneath his fly. He pressed his hand to her cheek. Burning hot with her blush. Beautiful. “I bought some yesterday.”

  Impossible, but her eyes got even wider. “You did?”

  “After I bought the ring, I stopped in at a Walgreens. I didn’t really
think it would happen. But I knew I’d be an idiot not to be ready if it did.”

  She actually giggled. “I guess that makes me an idiot.”

  “No way. How could you plan ahead? You only made up your mind about this today.”

  “See?” She pointed her finger at the tip of his nose. “That. You are always doing that. Saying just the right thing when you really don’t have to.”

  He caught her pointing finger and kissed the tip of it. “I guess I should just accept my own wonderfulness.”

  “Yes, you should—and if you bought them, where are they?”

  He pressed his lips to the back of her hand. “In my briefcase.”

  “Go get them.”

  “You sure you’ll be all right if I leave you here alone?”

  She leaned up, brushed a kiss against his jaw and whispered, “You should hurry. I’m very impatient.”

  He swooped to catch her mouth and succeeded, if only briefly. “Don’t move.”

  “I won’t. Go.”

  His soft briefcase was braced against the wall by the door. He went to it, unzipped the center pocket, took out the box and brought it right back to her, dropping it on the nightstand and reaching for her.

  She laughed and stepped back. “Not so fast.”

  “Bossy woman.”

  A slow, naughty smile. “Take off your jacket.”

  He did, tossing it onto the bedside chair. “My turn.”

  She looked at him from under the fringe of dark eyelashes. “We’re taking turns?”

  “It’s only fair. Take off that dress.”

  Now she fluttered those eyelashes at him. “I might need help with the zipper.”

  “Turn around.”

  She did, showing him her back, smoothing her hair out of his way. Stepping right up, he took that zipper down and then couldn’t resist pressing his mouth to the sweet bump at the top of her spine, causing her to suck in a sharp breath that proved all over again she was every bit as into this as he was. She pulled her arms free of the snug lace sleeves.

  “Don’t,” he said.

  She stopped. “Don’t what?”

  “I want to see you.”

  She faced him again. “Like this?” At his nod, she took the dress down to her waist and then wiggled it off over her hips. It dropped around her ankles. She bent and scooped it up.

  “Give it to me.” She handed it over and he dropped it on top of his jacket.

  Now she stood before him in her shoes and white satin bra and lacy panties. And nothing else. Except for her earrings, a thin gold necklace and a lacy blue garter. She must have noted the direction of his gaze, because she pointed at the garter. “Something blue. I bought it when I bought the dress—which makes the dress something new.” She touched the delicate gold chain around her neck. “I borrowed this from Carmen. And the pearl earrings are Carm’s, too. They’re also old. They were my grandmother’s.”

  He reminded himself that they were married only because Levi had forced them into it, that she was having another guy’s baby and they’d agreed that they’d be together for only two months. Still, he was an old-fashioned guy at heart. It pleased him no end to think of her finding a way to observe a few wedding traditions.

  “It’s my turn, James.” That adorable dimple tucked itself into her soft cheek.

  “Don’t rush me.” He took his time admiring her, from the top of her strawberry head to the tips of her high-heeled shoes. So curvy and strong. “Perfect in every way.”

  “Thank you. And at this rate, we’ll be getting undressed all night long.”

  That didn’t sound like a bad idea to him at all. “What next?” he asked with real enthusiasm.

  “Your shoes and socks and tie and your shirt.”

  He didn’t argue, just jumped on one foot and then the other, getting rid of his shoes and socks. Off went the tie to join the clothes already on the chair. A minute later, the shirt landed there, too. “Shoes,” he instructed.

  She took them off and ordered, “Belt and pants.”

  He got rid of those and remarked with a groan, “Now I’m getting eager.”

  Her gaze wandered down to the front of his boxer briefs, and her smile brightened the dim corners of the lamp-lit room. “I can see that.”

  He commanded, “Bra, panties, garter.”

  “I will be naked,” she warned and shook a finger at him.

  “Looking forward to that.”

  Swiftly, with deft, no-nonsense movements that left his mouth dry and his body yearning, she reached behind her and undid the bra clasp, slipping the straps off her pretty shoulders and tossing the bit of satin at the chair. Damn. Her breasts were so pretty, round and full, tipped in soft pink the same color as her lips. Had his mouth gone dry a moment ago? No more. Now he was practically drooling. She slid down her panties, taking the garter with them, and kicked both away.

  That did it. He couldn’t live another second without having his hands on her. “Come here.” He reached for her.

  She danced back, giggling. “Boxer briefs.”

  He didn’t argue, just eased them over the part of him that was aching to get to her and shoved them off and away. “Come here.”

  She put her hands to her red cheeks. “Oh, James. You are handsome all over.”

  “I said, come here.”

  “And you keep calling me bossy.” She took off the gold chain and the earrings and set them on the nightstand. “There.”

  He couldn’t wait another second to get his hands on her, so he grabbed for her. That time, she let him catch her. Hauling her close, he pressed his mouth to her temple and breathed in the wonderful, sweet scent of her hair, drank in the feel of her silky skin pressing all along the front of him. Nothing had ever felt so good as Addie naked in his arms.

  She wrapped her arms around him, held him as hard and tight as he was holding her. And she whispered, her breath warm against his shoulder, “I don’t care what happens, how it all ends up. Because tonight I’m just...so glad. Glad that we’re right here, right now, you and me...”

  He captured her chin and tipped her face up. Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her deeply as he guided her down to the bed.

  She went willingly, clinging to his shoulders, her tongue meeting his, wrapping around it, eager and shy at once.

  He stroked a hand down the center of her. So much to touch. He could never, ever get enough.

  But damned if he wasn’t determined to try. He captured one sweet, round breast, teasing it, rubbing the pink nipple between his thumb and forefinger, drinking in her moan as she lifted her body up for him, offering him everything he’d thought never to hold.

  He kept on kissing her as his touch strayed lower, into the hollow just under her rib cage, her skin softer than ever there. And down, over her belly all the way to the neatly trimmed dark gold curls at the juncture of her strong thighs.

  She cried out when he parted her. He dipped a finger into her slick heat. He drank her cry as he touched her, stroking her, loving the way her body moved for him, the way she lifted into his touch.

  He wanted to taste her everywhere. So he let his mouth follow the path his hands had blazed, down and down. Gently, he guided her, lifting one sleek leg and easing under it, until he could settle between her open thighs.

  “James?” she asked, a little nervously. “James, are you sure you want to...?”

  “Shh,” he said. “I do, yes. I do...”

  With a sigh, she surrendered.

  And he kissed the sweet feminine heart of her. She tasted just right, salty and musky, so slick and so wet. He took his time with her, driving her higher, until she clutched his head and called his name as she went over.

  After that, well, yeah, he was eager, hurting even, to plunge into her softness. B
ut some things in life should be done right. This, his first time with Addie?

  This fell cleanly into the “do it right” category.

  He kissed his way back up her body, turned her to face him and gathered her tightly to him, with both of them on their sides. She reached down between them and wrapped her fingers around him.

  “You do that, no telling what will happen,” he warned in a growl.

  She pressed a sweet, hot kiss to the base of his throat, sticking out her naughty tongue and licking up the sweat that clung to his skin. “I love this, touching you. I’ve waited way too long to do this.”

  He groaned in approval—and then couldn’t resist razzing her a little. “Why did you wait so long?”

  “I’ve had enough man trouble in my life. I was determined not to go there again.” She wrapped her fingers tighter around him.

  Tight enough she made him groan again. He breathed carefully through his nose and cradled her cheek in his palm. “What do you mean, exactly, by man trouble? You never say.”

  She tried to look away. “Never mind.”

  He eased his thumb beneath her chin, holding her sweet face in place, waiting until she looked at him again. Then he said, “Whoever it was, just tell me. I’ll bust his face in for you.”

  She made a disapproving sound. “Really? Seriously? You want to talk about that now?” And then she stroked that hand of hers up and down the length of him, holding on wonderfully tight as she did it.

  What were they talking about? He forgot. He forgot everything but her name. “Addie...”

  “Shh.” She slowed her hand, rubbing, rotating her grip as she caressed him. It was pure agony, but in such a good way.

  In the end, he had to grab her wrist and hold her still. “This first time, I want to be with you. I want to be in you...”

  She pressed her lips to his throat, to his jaw, and finally she took his mouth, spearing her hot little tongue in, making him groan deep and hard, and then pulling back enough to gaze into his eyes as she continued to stroke him with that determined, clever hand. “However you want it, James, that’s how it will be.”

  “I love it when you pretend to be obedient.”