by Rita Herron
Dammit. He was unaccustomed to being sent into shock by the mere presence of a woman. But ever since he'd crossed the Georgia state line with her, Kimberly Turner had been doing something irrational to him, something that definitely defied logic. Especially since he'd seen her more than a dozen times and had never had this reaction before.
It must be all the hoopla over the wedding. The mood and atmosphere were playing havoc with his good senses, and Kimberly's sexy body and mesmerizing eyes were completely bulldozing his brain.
"Hey, sweetheart," his mother called, breaking into his dazed state.
"Hi, Mom." He shifted, automatically moving toward Kimberly. "Hey, there."
Wariness settled in Kimberly's sea-blue eyes and without thinking about what he was doing, he descended the porch and swept her into his embrace. "I missed you, darlin'."
Without giving her time to reply, he lowered his mouth and claimed her lips, kissing her gently. He knew his mother was watching, but he didn’t care. Kimberly was actually trembling in his arms.
The latter realization both elated him and fueled his desire.
Then his mother cleared her throat and he pulled away, determined to get his libido under control. The engagement ring he had given Kimberly dug into his hand, reminding him of his lies.
He had to find out what had happened in his absence. Had his mother or Marilyn caught on to his ruse?
"Mercy, son, you'd better hurry up and set a date," his mother chided with a soft laugh.
He laughed, too, his senses aroused even more when he noticed Kimberly's lips were pink and swollen from his kiss. She was also blushing. The urge to kiss her again and see how far that blush would spread struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"How was the luncheon?" he asked, forcing himself to tear his gaze from Kimberly.
"Wonderful." His mother fanned her face with her hand. "All the women loved your bride-to-be."
An odd feeling of pride swelled in Austin's chest. "I told you they would."
Kimberly shrugged. "Yes, the luncheon was nice, Austin. Marilyn was very gracious."
Wariness tinged Kimberly's last words and his earlier concern resurfaced.
"Well, I don't know about you, dear, but I've got to change. And I need to get out of these pantyhose. They're practically melting to my skin." Mrs. McDane strode up the steps into the old farmhouse, muttering about the unbearable heat.
Austin wiped his forehead. It was hot. But it wasn't the temperature outside that had him sweating. It was the voluptuous woman standing in front of him in the fading afternoon sunlight.
"Would you like to take a walk?" Austin asked softly.
Kimberly bit down on her lip. "Sure, if we have time."
He nodded. "The rehearsal dinner's not until seven."
"Good. I'll need to change before we go."
"We need to talk," he said. "There's a pond down there." He pointed to a grassy clearing a few hundred yards past the barn, then slipped his hand through Kimberly's. Her small fingers felt warm pressed into his palm as he led her around the back of the house, then down a winding path through the woods.
"Is something wrong?" Kimberly whispered when he paused beneath a cluster of sycamore trees.
Yeah, I'm falling for you. Me the workaholic and you the cocktail waitress I had to pay to be my date.
"No." He framed her face with his hands then looked into her eyes. Her dark red lashes fluttered against her creamy cheeks and an innocent expression flickered in her eyes.
Could this woman be the same one who flirted with every guy in Atlanta?
She covered his hand with her own, pulling away slightly. "Austin, you said we needed to talk. What's wrong?"
He cleared this throat, unable to hide the huskiness in his voice when he spoke. "Did everything go okay today?"
She nodded. "If you're worried I slipped up, don't. So far, I think everyone believes your little charade."
He frowned at her choice of words, then started walking again, not stopping until they'd reached the clearing and he'd brushed off a large flat stone for them to sit on.
"This is beautiful," Kimberly said, her gaze roaming over the green hills and farmland.
So are you. "Yeah, it is," he said, swallowing back the words.
After all, Kimberly had given him no indication she wanted a personal relationship with him. He would be foolish to pursue it; they had nothing in common. Except a sexual attraction, which he wasn't sure she shared. Back at home Kimberly had looked right through him, as if he'd been nonexistent.
But now? Why did he feel this electricity between them?
"I never knew Virginia was so pretty." Kimberly stretched her legs in front of her, giving him a glimpse of her shapely calves and bare toes.
He leaned backwards on his elbows, feeling lazy and contented as he plucked a purple wildflower and handed it to her. "Yeah, I miss it sometimes."
She smiled, gazing at him with her soft blue eyes as she twirled the flower between her fingertips. "I can't imagine growing up here, with all this space, all the trees and land to run around on. It must have been wonderful."
"It was."
"And your family's so nice, all of them," she said with a sincerity that touched him.
"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty lucky." And I shouldn't be lying to them. Was that what she was thinking?
"What about you, Kimberly? Where did you grow up? Atlanta? The suburbs?"
She bit her lip again, a movement that made his eyes zero in on her mouth and want to kiss her.
"Outside the city in a little apartment," she said, averting her gaze. "Decatur. Why do you ask?"
He plucked a few strands of grass, letting them fall through his fingers. "My father was asking me all kinds of questions about you today." He sighed. "And I had no idea what to tell him. I guess I should have found out a few things about you on the trip here."
She looked at him warily. "Like what?"
He shrugged. "Oh, the normal stuff, your background, family."
She stiffened slightly, then seemed to realize it and let her shoulders fall. "What did you tell them?"
He laughed wryly. "I sidestepped everything. But maybe you'd better fill me in before tonight."
She nodded, seeming to accept his reasoning. "Okay, what is it you want to know?"
Why you're suddenly tearing me up inside, when at home I've seen you a dozen times before and there was no chemistry.
"Austin?"
"Yeah." He jerked his thoughts back to the conversation. "Oh, where do your folks live? Do you have any siblings?"
There went her shoulders again. "My parents are divorced," she said simply. "When I was three. My mom remarried a couple of times. I haven't seen my dad since."
"I'm sorry," he said, suddenly awkward.
She shrugged, her voice full of acceptance when she spoke. "It's okay. Lots of kids have it worse."
He swallowed, aware the sun was slowly fading behind the mountains in the distance. "Any siblings?"
A soft wind captured the tresses of her hair and lifted them, the whisper of sound almost drowning out the small breath she exhaled. He waited, wondering why she seemed so reluctant to share information about herself, then remembered the deal they'd made and that he'd chosen Kimberly because she was not the type to get personally involved.
He was obviously making her uneasy. She liked to have fun, probably wanted a party kind of guy, while he'd brought her home to his family, dumped her into a farmhouse that looked like a postcard.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then finally answered, "I have a sister."
He arched an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "Is she anything like you? 'Cause if she is, I think Philip's interested. He thinks you're a goddess."
A smile curved her lips, then she suddenly tilted her head back and laughed softly. "No, Austin, I'm sorry. She's absolutely nothing like me. Nothing at all."
Kimberly watched Austin's handsome features and tried to force her breathing back to no
rmal. His questions made her nervous, but it was the raw sexual appeal he radiated that made her lungs churn for air.
She wasn't lying when she said she was nothing like Marci. Marci would know what to do right now, how to entice this handsome man into her clutches. Whereas Kimberly could barely string together a coherent sentence, much less think of how to control the rocketing fever spinning her senses out of control every time he pinned her with that dark gaze, or whispered her name in that sexy drawl.
Except he thought he was talking to her sister.
"Marilyn told me about your past," she said, then could have kicked herself when his smile faded.
"Oh? What did she say?"
"Just that the two of you had dated." His posture went rigid but she continued. "And that you were a confirmed bachelor."
Austin raked a hand through his hair. "At least she got that part right."
Kimberly fought the unexplained disappointment that welled inside. "She also said she and Josh thought you might be upset with them." She studied his expression, wondering if it was true.
He shook his head. "Marilyn and I dated, and, yeah, I was surprised when they wound up together."
"Because you two were going together?"
"Well, yeah," he said in a throaty voice. Then he stood and squared his shoulders, and Kimberly wondered if he'd been betrayed by his best friend, if his silence was meant to cover up the feelings he still harbored for Marilyn.
"Is that why you asked me to pretend to be your fiancée? You didn't want them to think—"
"I didn't want them to think I was mad about them getting married," Austin confirmed, his voice tight. He gestured toward the rambling farmhouse. "I guess we'd better get back. We need to get ready for tonight."
Kimberly wrapped her arms around herself and dropped the flower to the ground. Austin's troubled voice sent goose bumps skating up her arms.
As they walked back to the house, the shades of twilight cast shadows on his chiseled jaw and his powerful masculinity seemed silhouetted by the mountain peaks spiking up behind him.
Austin seemed lost in thought, oblivious to her presence, and Kimberly studied his broad shoulders, the sexy swagger to his walk, dutifully ordering herself to guard her heart.
Because she wasn't the experienced sister.
She was the shy one who could easily fall for a sexy, virile man like Austin in a heart-stopping second.
And if she did, she'd end up getting trapped into loving someone who had no intentions of marriage.
Then her heart would wind up in shreds, just like the flower petals blowing in the wind.
Chapter 5
The shower water kicked on, and Austin fumbled with his shirt buttons, bombarded by fantasies of Kimberly's body, naked and dripping with warm water. He could see the soft mounds of her breasts and their rosy peaks glistening with moisture.
Having her things in his bathroom, the very one he'd used as a teenager and as a young man, made him all too aware of her scent and the fact that she was only a room away.
He'd never shared a bathroom with a woman and the sight of her feminine articles stacked on the sink, her pink toothbrush holder, strawberry scented lotion, and her flowered makeup case, touched a chord of longing that he hadn't known he'd possessed.
Hell. He had to stop this insane lust for Kimberly.
All he had to do was make it through tonight and tomorrow, and he and Kimberly could go home free. If he could keep his hands to himself, his mind focused on pulling off this farce, and his wild attraction to Kimberly in check, he'd return to his job, and his life would be back to a calm, orderly routine. Boring, but calm. Lonely, but calm. Sexless, but calm.
The shower kicked off and he groaned silently, the delectable scent of Kimberly's shampoo invading his senses. Just the thought of her lying in his bed tonight, the one where he'd lain as a teenager and dreamt of girls that weren't half as sexy as her, was going to be torture.
He forced himself to leave the room before he knocked on her door and tried to steal another kiss. Because one kiss would only make him crave another...
* * *
Kimberly dressed for the rehearsal dinner, taking great care to try and tame her wild red curls, but her unruly hair curled around her face and brushed her shoulders in disarray.
She'd taken her shower in record time, determined to ignore the sight of Austin's rumpled pajama bottoms lying on the floor. The steamy bathroom filled with his lingering scent had sparked a ridiculous surge of desire for his masculine presence.
Heaven help her, she'd scrubbed her teeth three times to erase the tantalizing flavor of that last kiss.
She mentally scolded herself, shoving the last vestiges of her lusty desires to the back of her mind as she slipped on a silky blue blouse and tucked it into the waist of her black taffeta skirt. Then she opened the bedroom door, bracing herself in case Austin decided to surprise her with another one of those sizzling kisses.
She knew he meant them to impress his brothers and lend credence to their charade, but if he kept it up much longer, she wasn't sure she could resist asking him for more. In private.
Where no one would benefit but her.
* * *
Austin listened with amusement to Rob's stepchildren all chattering at once and dancing around to a tape of nursery songs while he cradled April's baby girl in his arms.
The idea of the bachelor party had lost some of its appeal; he secretly wished he was spending the evening alone with Kimberly.
"You're good with the baby," his mother said, bustling in, wiping her hands on an apron.
The baby cooed and Austin blinked, momentarily blindsided when the baby's image blurred—its hair changed from wispy blond tendrils to curly red locks, its brown eyes to sea-blue ones like Kimberly's.
"You think you and Kimberly will start a family right away?" his mother asked.
"Huh?" He blinked the blond curls back into focus, and stared at his mother, his mouth gaping open in shock.
"You said Kimberly works at a children's center, so I assume she likes kids and wants a family."
He tried to formulate an answer, but an image of a pregnant Kimberly stole his thoughts. He imagined her wearing those ridiculous short shorts, her stomach round and protruding with that silver earring dangling from her bellybutton. Not exactly a motherly image.
But an oddly erotic one.
"I do want to have a family someday." Kimberly's soft voice saved him from a response, and he jerked his head sideways to see her standing in the doorway, looking almost ethereal in a deep blue silky blouse the color of her eyes. And those legs...encased in black stockings, showcased by a short black skirt, were a sight to die for.
"That's what I thought," his mother said with a grin. She patted his arm. "Kimberly is so sweet, Austin. I have such a good feeling about this marriage."
He swallowed, his tongue thick in his throat. Then he realized as she moved into the room, her hips swaying enticingly, that she was putting on an act. That she’d only said she wanted a family because she sensed that was what his mother wanted to hear.
He should give her an Academy Award.
"I love children, but Austin and I aren't in any hurry, are we?" She propped her curvaceous hip on the arm of the chair beside him. "We want a little time to ourselves first."
She leaned over, her red hair draping her shoulder like flames flickering off a wicked fire, and he inhaled her erotic scent.
Dammit. He’d say anything she wanted at that moment, especially if she kept looking at him as if she wanted to eat him up.
But instead of putting him on the spot, she simply smiled at him sweetly as if she'd meant what she'd said, then tickled the baby's chin. The tiny girl beamed and gripped Kimberly's finger playfully, making gurgling sounds. Austin was momentarily enraptured by the tender moment.
"You two ought to be going," his mother said, holding out her arms for the infant "You don't want to keep Josh and Marilyn waiting."
"You're righ
t, Mrs. McDane." Kimberly stood and smoothed down the hem of her skirt. His gaze traveled the length of her, then back up to her face, and he swore she blushed again.
What was it with Kimberly this weekend? Normally she fended off men's looks and advances with a quick comeback or a playful swat. Around his family, she was acting like a demure virgin.
The act again. He almost slapped his forehead at the realization. Damn, she was good. Either that or his wholesome family was making her reconsider her wild ways. Perhaps this weekend might make her rethink her lifestyle and she might settle down to a respectable kind of job.
The thought both unsettled and pleased him. Because if she did, he silently admitted, he'd definitely want to see her again. He might even change his workaholic ways... someday.
Austin searched his pockets for his car keys, surprised when Kimberly and his dad launched into a discussion of football. Must be all those sports bars she frequents with her dates, he thought, glumly.
The image sobered him immediately. "Come on, Kimberly, let's get this night over with."
His mother's forehead creased with concern, and Kimberly frowned, making him realize he'd sounded rude. "Sorry, guess these things make nervous."
His mother laughed. "Just think of it as a rehearsal for your own big day," his mother commented.
Austin’s knees buckled at the thought.
Then Kimberly aimed a heart-stopping smile at him, brushing his arm with her fingers as they walked out the door.
Good god, he thought, as he trailed after her. He had to find his sanity before his fake fiancée completely destroyed it.
* * *
The ride over was strained and silent, stretching Kimberly's nerves so raw she'd ended up biting her nails.
She was surprised Austin hadn't noticed the difference between Marci's inch-long hot-pink acrylics and her short, plain, unpolished nails. And the comment she'd made to Austin's mother about wanting a family—well, she did want one.
But Marci would never say something like that. Had she given herself away?
* * *
"Come on, man," Josh said, elbowing him. "You have to stand beside me and make sure I don't faint when it's time to say I do."