McFarlane's Perfect Bride

by Christine Rimmer

  CJ stared at the floor. Finally, he sighed. “Okay, Dad.”

  Connor nodded. “Good, then.” Tori and Jerilyn were looking uncomfortable. In Tori’s hazel eyes, he saw again all the ways their fake engagement could cause more problems than it would solve. He put on a cheerful tone. “So. You two want to come with us, to pick out the ring? We can all go out to dinner afterward.”

  Jerilyn was already shaking her head. “Oh, no. You guys have to do that alone.”

  Connor laughed. “What? That’s some kind of requirement?”

  “Well, yeah. It’s a totally romantic moment, choosing a ring. You don’t need us there for that.”

  Connor happened to glance at CJ, who made a big show of shrugging and shaking his head. “Don’t ask me. I know nothing about that stuff.”

  Jerilyn held firm. “I do. You two should choose the ring together, just the two of you.” And she added with a glowing smile, “Plus, well, my dad and I are having dinner together tonight. Sunday dinner, as a family, we both agreed.”

  So it was decided that the teenagers would continue with their afternoon, as planned. And Tori and Connor would make a quick trip to Bozeman.

  Ten minutes later, the kids were on their way to Main Street and the park nearby and Tori and Connor were in the SUV, headed out of town.

  She sent him a glance across the console. “Just think. If we weren’t pretending to be engaged, we could be having wild sex right now. Instead, we’re off to buy a ring that will probably cost you a whole lot more than you want to spend.”

  He held her gaze for an extra second before turning his eyes back to the road. “This won’t take long at all. I think we can fit in the wild sex when we get back to your house.”

  She tried to stifle a laugh. “Oh. Well. I’m so relieved to hear that.”

  “I knew you would be. And as to the ring, whatever it costs, you’re worth it.”

  She chuckled, and then grew serious. “You realize, don’t you, that already CJ’s imagining his new life here in Montana—year-round?”

  “I made it clear to him that he’s going back to school.”

  She spoke softly. “I know you did. But that doesn’t mean you’ve heard the last of it from him. Now he’s got it in his head that you might make a permanent home here in town, he’s going to keep trying to get you to agree that he should live here with you.”

  He captured her hand, brought it to his lips. “It’s going to work out fine. You’ll see.”

  “I sincerely hope so.”

  They found a jewelry store that was not only open on Sunday, it also had a really nice selection of engagement diamonds.

  As Connor expected she might, Tori tried to choose something inexpensive and plain.

  He wouldn’t let her. “Don’t forget my rep as a rich corporate shark—I say that one.” The ring he indicated had a giant princess-cut stone surrounded by lots of tiny pavé diamonds. More pavé diamonds, channel-cut, glittered in the platinum band.

  Tori’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that’s much too extravagant.”

  Connor sent the jeweler a wry smile. “She wants to try it on.”

  “Yes, of course.” The jeweler beamed back at him, dollar signs shining in his eyes.

  “Connor. No. Really.”

  “Now, now.” The jeweler clucked his tongue. “You must at least try it on.” He winked at Connor as he took her hand and slid the gorgeous rock onto her finger. “Ah. Yes. It’s beautiful on you. Just exquisite.”

  “She loves it,” Connor said. “We’ll take it.”

  “Oh, Connor—”

  He didn’t even let her get started. “No more discussion. It’s settled.” He passed the jeweler his credit card.

  Tori looked down at the ring—and then up at him again. “I knew you would do this. You are much too extravagant. You realize that, don’t you?”

  He framed her face. “Not extravagant in the least. My perfect bride deserves the perfect ring.”

  And then he kissed her. She smiled against his lips and for a moment or two, he almost found himself believing that they really were a couple in love, that the ring on her finger meant the start of a lifetime—their lifetime, together.

  But it didn’t, of course. And he needed to remember that.

  Tori tried not to spend the whole drive home admiring the ring.

  She tried to remember that the ring might be real, but the engagement wasn’t. That the gorgeous diamond he’d just put on her finger was only for show and she would be returning it at the end of August. That she must keep her head, above all. Not get too attached. To the ring.

  Or to him.

  At her house, he shut and locked the front door behind them. And then he took her in his strong arms, claiming her mouth in a kiss that lasted forever and made her doubts fly away. He peeled off her clothes and his own, leaving a trail of shirts and shoes and jeans and underwear as he waltzed her backward to her bedroom door.

  By the side of bed, he clasped her bare shoulders and guided her down so she sat on the edge. Holding her gaze, he sank to his knees.

  With tender hands, so gentle and slow, he eased her thighs apart. And he kissed her, deeply, there at the heart of her womanhood, a long, wet, lovely kiss, a kiss that was so intimate, it was almost beyond bearing.

  But, oh, she did bear it. She reveled in it. She clutched his dark head, her fingers buried in the silky strands of his hair. And she offered herself, shamelessly, completely, without holding back.

  When her climax rushed over her, he went on kissing her, drawing the last drop of pleasure from the sweet, endless pulsing, making the fulfillment go on and on.

  And then, after that, when he rose up above her and came down across the white sheets with her, she lay dazed and limp beneath his expert caresses, only wanting more of him. Wanting everything.

  All he would give her.

  All the pleasure, all the excitement, all the pure joy they would share in this too-brief summer allotted to them.

  He kissed her breasts, her belly. And then slowly, his soft lips trailed back up again, along the center of her body. He kissed her throat, scraped his teeth along the curve of her chin. And then, at last, he claimed her mouth. She tasted her own desire on his lips, musky and hot.

  Consumed by his burning kiss, she was vaguely aware that he reached out and pulled open the drawer in the nightstand. He lifted his mouth from hers.

  She groaned and tried to pull him back.

  He whispered, “Wait…”

  Wait?

  She did not want to wait.

  With another groan—one of protest, this time, she opened her eyes. And understood.

  With amazing, swift dexterity, he had a condom out and ready. He rolled it down over himself.

  “Now?” she whispered on a pleading note.

  He granted her a slow smile. “Now.”

  “Come here, then. Hurry.” She moaned again, reaching for him, tugging at his hard shoulders, urging him to come to her.

  And he did, he covered her, all corded muscle and burning heat. She reached down between them, encircling him, loving the way he groaned against her lips when she touched him, when she guided him into her, lifting her body up, offering him everything.

  He took what she gave, took her. And she was ready, so wet and eager. Primed to accept him. He slid in as though he were made for her, made to be with her.

  When he moved, she went with him, taking the cues his body gave her, answering back in kind. Wrapping her legs around his lean hips, holding on so tight, she felt for a moment that they were one body, so fully joined there was no separating them.

  She cried out when she reached the finish, her body pulsing around him. And he joined her. They rode the wave of completion together. The whole world narrowed down to a hot pinpoint of searing light and pleasure. She rode the light, up and over, to the edge of fulfillment, and then finally over, with a long sigh, into limp satisfaction.

  Connor relaxed, too, on top of her. They were both sweating, br
eathing hard. She kept her arms and legs wrapped around him for the longest time, wishing she would never have to let him go.

  He didn’t want to leave her. But it was almost five.

  Reluctantly, he eased his body to the side. He kissed her sweat-damp shoulder. “I have to go…”

  She touched his hair, brushed a finger over his cheek. “I know.”

  “Want to have dinner at my house with me and CJ?”

  She lifted up on an elbow and braced her head on her hand. Her face was sweetly flushed. Even the freckles on her nose were slightly pink. And her strawberry hair was wild, tangled.

  He thought he’d never seen anyone so sexy in his life.

  “It’s tempting,” she said. “But you two need a little guy time now and then. You’ve been gone most of the week.”

  He leaned close, stole one last quick kiss. “I guess you’re right.”

  She frowned. “But I was thinking…”

  “About?”

  “Tomorrow. You said your ex-wife was coming, supposedly to pick up CJ, in the morning.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you want me to be there?”

  He chuckled. And not really with humor. “You think you’re up for that? Jennifer can be a complete bitch when she’s not happy about a situation.”

  “It’s okay. I can take it. I’m a teacher, remember? I’m used to smiling sincerely no matter what, staying diplomatic and upbeat in the most uncomfortable situations. And, well, if I met her, she and I might just hit it off. Maybe she would rethink her unreasonable demands.”

  “Seriously, Tori. You don’t know Jennifer.”

  “In any case, it wouldn’t hurt for her to see that I really exist and I’m relatively harmless, would it?”

  Actually, he thought it was a great idea. At least in theory. “If you’re volunteering, I’m more than happy to accept the support. But I warn you, it could get ugly.”

  “I can take it.”

  He kissed her again. “And you have to promise that no matter what she says to you, no matter how rude she is, you won’t let her change your mind about you and me.”

  She put on a very solemn expression. “I promise, Connor. I will be your bogus fiancée until the end of August, no matter what your ex-wife does tomorrow morning.”

  “Excellent.” He kissed her again and wished he could linger.

  But she pulled away. “Go on, now. Have your evening with CJ.”

  He dragged himself up and out of her bed. Then he followed the trail of clothing that led out toward the entry area, separating his from hers and getting dressed as he went.

  She pulled on a robe and joined him at the door. “What time tomorrow?”

  “Jennifer didn’t give an exact time. Just another of her techniques to keep everyone off-balance. Be there at nine?” He waited for her nod. “I’ll call you if she shows up earlier than that.”

  CJ was already at the house when Connor arrived. They had dinner together. CJ talked about Jerilyn, about his job at the Hopping H.

  “I got paid Friday,” he announced with pride.

  Connor gazed across the table at him and felt real satisfaction at their progress in the past few weeks. His son was doing better. And he was also growing up.

  It wouldn’t be too many more years before CJ was old enough to make his own decisions, about his future. About the kind of life he wanted to lead.

  And it was Connor’s job to make sure CJ had the tools and abilities he needed to enjoy a successful, productive, reasonably happy adult life.

  “When will you and Ms. Jones get married?” CJ wanted to know.

  “We haven’t decided yet.”

  “Did you get her a ring?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Is it a nice one?”

  “I think so. And she seems pleased with it.”

  “Well, Dad. Cool.”

  “After dinner, I was thinking we would look through the books you brought with you, kind of get you focused on your studies again, review what you see as your strengths, where you’re caught up. And where you need work.”

  CJ groaned. But it was a good-natured sound. “Do we have to?”

  “It’ll give Tori a starting point for your first tutoring session tomorrow.”

  CJ ate a big bite of the meat loaf Gerda had prepared for them. He chewed and swallowed, took a gulp of his milk and set the glass down firmly. “Yeah. I think you’re right, Dad. Something to start with. That would be a good thing.”

  They worked for three hours that night, going through the schoolbooks from the year before, marking the points where CJ needed more work. They went online and got copies of his grades, so that Tori could see which classes he was weak in.

  At ten, they knocked off. CJ put the books away and then came to sit next to Connor on the end of the bed.

  “Dad? Do I have to be here when Mom comes tomorrow?”

  Connor completely understood his son’s apprehension. But there was no getting out of dealing with Jennifer—for either of them. “Yeah. You need to talk to her. You need to tell her how you feel, what you want.”

  CJ made a low sound. “Like she’ll listen.”

  “Respectfully,” Connor reminded him.

  “I know, Dad. I remember.”

  Connor wanted to hug him. But he’d never been physically demonstrative with CJ. Would it freak the kid out if suddenly Connor started with the hugs?

  It kind of freaked Connor out, to think about it.

  He settled for firmly clasping his son’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine.”

  CJ snorted. “Come on, Dad. You know Mom. She wants things her way, always has. It’s not exactly gonna be fine.”

  “She does love you,” Connor said, and wished the words didn’t sound so weak. CJ only grunted. Connor added, “You’ll get through it.”

  “Yeah.” CJ spoke in the affirmative—but he was shaking his head. “I guess I will.”

  “Tori will be here when your mother comes.”

  “Why?”

  Connor had no idea what his son was thinking. He asked cautiously, “Does that bother you, if Tori’s here?”

  “No, Dad. It’s only…that could be weird.”

  “Maybe. But Tori says she can handle it. And I think it’s a good thing. For your mother to meet my fiancée, to see that we’re, all of us, moving on with our lives.” His fiancée. So quickly, the lie was getting to be second nature. He kept having to remind himself that it was a lie, to draw the line in his mind, between the roles he and Tori played and their real relationship, which was amazing.

  But not destined to last.

  “Dad?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You kind of spaced out there for a minute. You okay?”

  Connor shook himself. “I’m fine.” He got up from the edge of the bed and went to the open door. “Good night.”

  “Night, Dad.”

  Tori was up and dressed and ready to go by seven the next morning. She wanted to be able to head for Connor’s instantly if his ex should show up before nine.

  But the phone didn’t ring.

  At nine on the dot, she stood at Connor’s door. He opened it and pulled her inside before she even had a chance to ring the bell.

  He kissed her. One of those kisses. The kind that stole her breath and curled her toes and reminded her of all the lovely things he did to her when they were alone in bed.

  Eventually, with great reluctance, she pulled away. “Where’s CJ?”

  “In his room.”

  “Your ex-wife…?”

  “Not here yet. Tea? I think Gerda has some around here somewhere.”

  “Yes. All right. Tea.” Tea would be good. Something to do with her hands—to keep them from reaching for him.

  She followed him into the kitchen, which had everything a gourmet cook might desire: gleaming granite counters, custom cabinets, name-brand stainless-steel appliances. He heated a mug of water in the microwave and stuck a tea bag in it.

  “Thank you.�
� She put her hands around the cup, taking comfort from the warmth of it.

  There was coffee already made. He was pouring a cup for himself when the doorbell rang.

  Connor set the half-filled mug on the counter and put the pot back on the heating pad. “Well. I guess this is it.”

  Her stomach lurched. But she answered with a smile. “Yes. I think so.”

  They went back down the central hallway together. She detoured to the living room as they passed it. “I’ll wait here. Don’t want to overwhelm her at the door.” He gave her a nod and continued on to the entry.

  Tori perched on a chair in his big, well-furnished living room. She heard the door open, and then a woman’s voice—tight, controlled. Connor said something.

  And then two sets of footsteps approached.

  Connor and a beautiful, very angry-looking blonde appeared in the doorway to the hall. “Jennifer, my fiancée, Tori Jones.”

  The blonde dismissed her with a look and said to Connor, “Is CJ ready? I want to get going right away.”

  Tori kept her smile in place as she rose. “It’s so great to finally meet you.”

  Jennifer granted her an icy glance. “Yes, well.” And instantly turned back to Connor. “CJ. Where is he?”

  Connor shrugged. “In his room.”

  “Take me to him. Now.”

  “Sure. This way.” Connor sent her a rueful look over his shoulder as he and Jennifer left the doorway.

  Tori waited, too nervous to sit back down, until he returned a couple of minutes later.

  “Gee,” she said when he entered the living room. “That went well.”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “Sorry. Really.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I volunteered to come, remember? And I still think it’s good, that she’s met me, that I’m…real to her, you know?”

  “Yeah. I guess so.”

  She frowned. “So…what now?”

  “I don’t know. We wait, for a few minutes anyway. Give CJ his chance to say what he needs to say.”