by Blaire Edens
“I wouldn’t.”
“George promised he’d drop the custody motion if you called off the PI immediately.”
Clark took a sip of his drink and looked out the screen and into the yard. “Is that what you want me to do?”
“Keeping Louie is the most important thing.”
“Do you think George will keep his word?”
“He’s lied to me so many times, but in this case, I think he’ll keep his word because it means saving his own ass.”
“I only have a preliminary report from the investigator. If I fire him now, we may never know the full extent of George’s sticky fingers.”
Anna thought about it for a second. “What if he doesn’t drop the motion?”
Clark shrugged. “All of this could be for naught.”
She’d never been so confused, felt so pulled into two totally different directions. “But if I wait to see what else the PI digs up, I might lose my son.”
“Since the day of Louie’s birthday party, I’ve kept my word. You have to decide if you’re going to trust me or George.”
As much as she wanted to stay here with Clark, she had to take the surest bet. Louie was the most important thing in her life and she had to protect him first. “Call off the investigator.”
It was one of the most difficult decisions she’d ever made, and she’d probably be second-guessing herself for months, but in the end, she took the sure bet.
“Your wish is my command. But I’m going to miss the two of you.” He kissed her softly on the lips, and she could taste the sadness.
Anna kissed him back, savoring the emotional connection between them. Clark placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her closer. He deepened the kiss, and her heart began to race. Scared Louie might come out onto the porch at any moment, she pulled back. “I’ll never be able to thank you for everything you’ve done to help me.”
“You can try,” he said with a sad smile.
Chapter Fifteen
Anna was on her first cup of coffee when Louie came into the kitchen the next morning. Clark was still sleeping. While she was thankful her son was happy with the temporary living arrangement, she’d missed the one-on-one time.
“Morning, sunshine. The usual?” she asked.
Louie nodded and plopped into one of the chairs. “Guess what Clark and I are doing?”
Since it was summer break, Louie was dividing his time between the cabin and George’s house. Anna wanted George and Louie to have a good relationship, but she knew her ex-husband well enough to know it was only a matter of time until he broke Louie’s heart. Again.
Anna slid a bowl of cereal in front of her son. “What do you guys have planned?”
He took a big spoonful of Cheerios and looked up at Anna. His eyes were huge and filled with wonder. “He’s taking me camping. For a whole week.”
“Camping? When?”
“He’s looking at his schedule, but probably in August.”
Louie had been begging her to go camping for years. She kept putting him off because she’d never been herself and had no idea where to start. George refused to take him, choosing instead to focus on football. Louie didn’t even like football. He preferred baseball, but George told him that game was for sissies. He refused to honor the kid’s wishes not to spend nearly every Saturday in the fall at a football game.
“We’ll see, honey.”
“I can even take Chewy.”
“We’ll see, honey,” Anna repeated.
She wasn’t sure how the relationship between Clark and Louie was going to work in the future. Chewy’s future living arrangements also had to be nailed down.
Anna was ready to discuss the camping trip, yet another thing he hadn’t bothered to mention to her, until Clark walked into the kitchen, his hair still tousled from sleep. He wore plaid boxers and a ratty T-shirt. Anna took a deep breath. He looked terrific. She willed her heart to stop beating so fast. Willed herself to remember she was not going to fall in love with him.
It was too late for that. She’d already fallen. Hard.
“Morning, ” he said. His voice was gravelly and deep. Anna ignored the shivers of attraction on her arms.
“Morning,” she said without meeting his eye.
He placed a K-cup in the Keurig coffee pot and grabbed a mug. “What’s on the agenda for the day?”
“Louie’s headed to a friend’s house, and I have two houses to do in town. You?”
“Meetings, drawings. The usual.”
Anna checked the clock. “We don’t have to leave for another hour. Louie, why don’t you go play with Chewy? I already took him out for a walk, but he needs some playtime before he spends the day in his crate.”
Louie took his bowl to the sink. “Okay. I’ll be outside.”
After she heard the screened door slam, Anna turned to Clark. “We need to talk.”
“Okay,” he said. He took his mug from the coffeemaker and sat down at the kitchen table. “What’s on your mind?”
She sat across from him. Bit her lip. Unsure how to start the conversation. “We made a deal when Louie and I moved into the cabin, right?”
He nodded.
“And the deal was that this was a marriage in name only. No real emotion. No strings attached.”
Clark nodded again and took a loud sip of his coffee.
“Well…” Anna paused. “It’s just that I’m worried we’re all getting a little too attached to each other. You and Louie are really bonding, and I don’t want to it to break his heart when we move out.”
“Louie and I can still be friends afterward. Can’t we?”
“I hoped you’d say that.”
“Why not? I love that little guy. I don’t want to step out of his life just because he lives at a different address.”
There was no delicate way to put it, so Anna decided to lay it all on the table. “This is supposed to be a marriage of convenience. Sure, we have a lot of attraction, but neither one of us is looking for anything long term. I don’t want Louie to think it’s for real or forever.”
“Can you and I still be friends?”
Anna didn’t know how to answer his question. She couldn’t imagine her life without Clark. In the time they’d been together, he’d become more than just her lover. If she’d been able to trust any man, it would’ve been Clark, but she knew herself well enough to know that she couldn’t, not after her father. Not after George.
She’d missed the man of her dreams by marrying someone else first.
Being just friends would break her heart, but she couldn’t imagine her life totally without him, either. It was an impossible situation. “I hope that we can.”
“I want to be more than your friend.” The gleam in his eye communicated exactly what he meant. “We have chemistry. Lots and lots.”
Anna sighed. “That’s so not what I’m trying to talk to you about.”
Clark looked at the screened door. “Louie and the dog are outside.”
“That’s why I chose this moment to talk to you.”
“I’d rather explore chemistry than talk.”
Clearly, Clark wasn’t listening. Anna rose and walked to the sink, leaned her back against the counter, and tried again. “This is about making sure Louie’s heart doesn’t get destroyed.”
“You know I’d never hurt the boy.” His eyes had gone from playful to serious. “I promise you.”
“I know you’d never do it intentionally, but he’s sensitive.”
“I’ll be part of Louie’s life for as long as the two of you let me.”
Anna nodded. “As for us—”
Clark jumped from his seat and stood in front of her, his body pressed to hers. The temperature in the room rose at least twenty degrees. “This is how I feel about us,” he whispered. Their lips were almost touching. She felt his breath on her lips. The mischief was back, shimmering in his green eyes. “Louie’s outside.”
What the hell was this man doing to her?
When they’d entered this agreement, she’d convinced herself it was possible to keep any feelings that might arise compartmentalized, but now her brain was muddled and the only thing she could think of was the way Clark’s hands felt on her bare skin. The weight of his body on top of hers.
He nuzzled her neck and nibbled his way to her throat. “We can talk serious later. He won’t be back inside for at least ten minutes. Right now, I want you.”
He slid his fingers under the V-neck of her sleep shirt and took the weight of her naked breast in his palm. He used his thumb and forefinger to tease her nipple into a rock-hard diamond.
She moaned his name.
“Shh,” he cooed. “Follow me.” He took her hand and led her to the pantry. He gently pushed her inside against the shelves and closed the door behind him. “Want to place a bet on how fast I can make you come?”
“What are the stakes?”
His grin was dangerous. Sexy dangerous. “If you win, you take my credit card and pick out any outfit you want.” He paused and licked his lips. “And if I win, I get to watch you fix dinner. Naked.”
Anna liked the delicious tingle building within in her panties. It sounded like a win-win. The nights she’d spent with Clark had turned her into some kind of sex fiend. He’d unleashed something deep inside her, a side of herself she never knew existed.
She’d promised herself a dozen times she’d stop reacting to him. Turn down the heat. Keep her hands off him. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t resist him.
“Six minutes,” she said.
He raised one eyebrow. “I can make it happen in less than six.” He pushed several buttons on his wristwatch. “When I hit start, it’s on. I hope you’re ready to lose.”
“I hope you’ve got a high limit on the card.”
Clark pressed start.
In more ways than one.
His hands were under her sleep shirt in a fraction of a second. She loved the feel of his large hands on her thighs. She wrapped her leg around his waist and pulled him into her. “Time’s ticking,” she whispered in his ear.
“Just sit back and enjoy the ride,” he said in his deep Redhawk voice. She nearly came on the spot.
“I’m not losing this one. I want a shopping spree.”
“We’ll see about that,” he growled.
His hands skimmed her body. He cupped her breast and bent to nip at the nipple through the cotton fabric of her shirt. His other hand traced the line of her labia, dipping into the split with every few strokes.
Anna slid his boxers down, and he rubbed his dick against her clit. She threw her head back and moaned.
“Shhh,” he coaxed. “We don’t want Louie to hear.”
The need to be quiet made everything more erotic. Anna had never been naughty, but she was beginning to understand its appeal.
“Three more minutes,” he said. “Can you hold out?” He slid one finger into her and pressed his thumb on her clit. He made lazy circles, driving her just to the edge, then stopping before she could tumble over.
“I can hold out,” she said through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know,” he said. “You’re running pretty hot, and I like it.” He whispered the words against her neck. He nibbled his way down her neck and along her shoulder where her shirt was slipping off to the side. “You taste like honey. Mmmm.”
She liked it, too. Too much. Clark’s voice was a powerful aphrodisiac, and she felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge. She pulled back and tried to concentrate on anything but Clark’s magical fingers or the heat of his mouth. Everywhere.
“Stay with me, baby.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she said, but her voice was faint, breathless.
He rotated his hips against her and then he was inside her. Filling her. He began a slow, shallow rhythm, gradually thrusting deeper. Harder.
Anna could hold back no longer. She let go, felt her release flood every cell in her body. Just as she moaned her pleasure, Clark’s watch beeped. And then he came.
Perfect timing.
“I don’t care if I won the grand prize or not,” Anna said when she caught her breath. “That was fantastic.”
“Mmm,” Clark said. “That it was.”
…
On the drive to work, Clark tried to ignore the feelings racing through his body.
The sex in the panty had been great. More than great. Epic.
But that’s all it was. Sex. Chemistry. Heat.
He was trying to convince himself of that.
Anna had a choice. She could trust him and stay the course, or she could cave to George’s threats.
He had no idea when he’d hired a PI he’d end up cutting off his own nose to spite his face. He’d given her the perfect escape before he even realized that he didn’t want her to go.
Fuck.
Clark was falling for Anna.
Fallen. I’ve already fallen hard.
He was also crazy about Louie. If he could’ve handpicked a family to call his own, he’d have chosen them. Over the past few weeks, he’d started to believe again. Believe he could be a decent husband, a stand-in dad. Worth something.
In the time Anna and Louie had been in the cabin, he’d learned that he wasn’t the kind of man or husband his father was. He’d played with Louie, helped him with projects and learned how to discipline a child without being overbearing.
His relationship with Anna was so much deeper than he’d expected. He could see them together in the long term, but he didn’t know how to get there. She’d made up her mind. Instead of trusting him and his word, she’d decided to take George’s deal. She’d chosen fear over trust.
Soon, Anna and Louie would be headed back to the rental house, and the cabin would be empty. Just Clark and Chewy. While Chewy was an excellent puppy, his conversation skills were sorely lacking.
It didn’t sound very appealing.
Neither did an empty bed.
After that first night, she’d never gone back to her room. Even though they kept it from Louie, as soon as he was in bed each night, Anna would sneak into the master suite and into his bed.
He shivered. He loved the way Anna felt when he bumped into her in the middle of the night. Soft, curvy, warm. Just the thought of the way she tasted made him hard. The sheets would be a lot colder without her.
Clark needed to accept he’d made a deal and had to stick to it, but it was hard. Damn hard. He still had a little time to convince her that what had started as marriage of convenience had rapidly turned into the hottest, sweetest relationship he’d ever had. He had one card to play.
If Anna left too soon after she took George’s deal, he might file another motion. They had to stay together for at least a little while longer, and that might give Clark the time he needed to make her stay.
With everything pinging around in his head, he knew he wouldn’t be able to draw anything, so he decided to stop by Jake’s apartment. The only parking place was beside the van. Clark pulled the F-150 into the spot and tried to talk his dick into going back into parade rest.
Jake hadn’t returned a call or text in days. Before the accident, Clark wouldn’t have thought anything about it. It wouldn’t have been all that unusual. But since the accident, Jake rarely left the house. Rarely hung out with friends.
It didn’t take a psychologist to spot the obvious signs of deepening depression.
Clark hoped he’d be excited about the interview. All he had to do to land the job was show up and interview reasonably well. It was the perfect job for Jake. He could sit in the office, look over plans, and bid on jobs. The pay was decent, and the office was just down the street from Clark’s. He and Jake could meet for lunch. Hell, if it would make Jake feel better, Clark would go to the movies with him and take in a double feature.
After Clark rang the doorbell and got no answer, he resorted to banging on the metal door of the apartment. Still no answer. He took his cell from the clip on his belt and dialed. Voice
mail. Sent a text. Nothing.
Maybe Jake had gotten a friend to take him to one of his numerous doctor appointments.
Clark shook his head. Jake would’ve called him first.
He banged even harder on the door.
Nothing.
From the parking lot, he called Taylor. “Are you off today?”
“Yeah.” Dance music blasted in the background.
“I need a favor,” he said. “Run by Jake’s place. He’s not answering calls or texts.” Even though he and Jake had been best friends since kindergarten, Taylor could get him to talk when no one else could.
“I’ll stop by on my way home from the gym. Anything you want me to tell him?”
“Tell him he’s got a job interview at Beverly Heath on Wednesday at two. They’re looking for a new estimator, and as long as he interviews halfway decent, the job is his.”
“What if he doesn’t want a job?”
“This one is in construction. It’s the only thing that will make him feel normal again.”
“Shouldn’t he be the one to decide that?”
…
Anna had never been inside an adult store. She’d never bought any lingerie for herself, other than a nightgown with lace for her first wedding night. With George, she’d tried to avoid sex because he made her feel so cheap, so worthless. Sex with Clark was a totally different experience. It made her feel desirable, beautiful, and sexy.
For the first time, she loved her body, even with its imperfections.
She was becoming braver, more uninhibited, and she liked it.
The store was located just outside downtown Asheville in a strip mall. She sat in the parking lot for a long time, gathering her courage. She hoped like hell she didn’t see anyone she knew. At least she had a ring on her finger. A big one.
The only people who knew the marriage was fake were Taylor and Jake. Everyone else just assumed it had been the culmination of a whirlwind romance that had somehow slipped beneath the Franklyn radar. As if that were possible.
Anna couldn’t sit in the car much longer. She stared at the No Loitering sign and decided it was better to enter the adult store and buy something than to end up getting a ticket for cowardice.