“Wow,” she said weakly, adjusting the headpiece so she could see. It felt heavy and awkward on her head, but she tried to ignore it and smile as though she wasn’t going to throw up. It was like the first night on stage at the Gold Coast, but with cake.
“Taylor. Mom. What’s this all about?” Teague asked, his smile tight but showing lots of teeth. He looked like a shark. “I thought we were having a small family dinner.”
“Well, since you didn’t have a traditional wedding we decided you needed a little party to let all your friends celebrate with you.” Marian moved in and hugged Risa, her cool lips brushing against her cheek. She linked their arms together and guided them over to where the cake was now surrounded by a mass of smiling people. “You can’t deprive us of the joy of celebrating your marriage.”
“What Mother means is that she decided to have a party so all the old biddies will stop wagging their tongues about you showing up with a wife no one ever heard of.” Taylor winked at Risa as she continued. “Here in the South we celebrate our crazy and our scandal so nobody else can use it against us.”
“Mary-Taylor,” Marian sighed.
“It’s true. The best defense is offense, and your new BFFs decided you needed to be offensive.”
Marian shook her head at Risa, rolling her eyes at her daughter’s explanation. “My dear friends Dolly Cantrell and Sissy Landon agreed that we couldn’t let you head back to Las Vegas without giving you a big Elliott welcome. Especially since we don’t know how long it’s going to take you to move back here.”
Ah, that. Another lie she had to keep straight. Teague had told his family Risa had to return to Vegas to sell her house and they weren’t sure when she would get back. They’d agreed to let a little time pass and then break the news that the marriage was done due to distance issues et cetera. Risa was going to disappear and he was fairly certain that once the marriage was over, if he played the heartbroken groom, the good people of Elliott would never openly talk about it again, at least not when he was around.
Teague had it all under control.
“Can I get everyone’s attention?” Lucky Landon stepped up and handed them each a glass of champagne and turned to face the crowd of guests. Jack Cantrell and Beck Sutherland, Teague’s two other best friends, and Jack’s wife, Michaela, flanked him. “Now, I don’t know if anyone was more surprised than I was when Teague showed up with a wife. I mean, who would have thought that this asshole would have snagged such a gorgeous, smart woman like Risa?”
“Well, so far you boys have all married up!” Someone shouted from the back and the whole crowd broke into laughter.
“True enough.” Lucky lifted his glass and boomed out, “To Risa and Teague!”
The crowd echoed his toast loudly and Risa took a sip of the bubbly, taking a quick peek at her husband. Teague was smiling, his face the picture of newlywed bliss, but the arm he had draped around her waist was stiff and tense. In spite of the lovefest he was as uncomfortable with the spectacle as she was.
“You okay?” Teague leaned in to murmur in her ear.
“What?”
“You were looking at me…” He cocked his head to the side, examining her face for the answer. “You had this sad look on your face.”
Risa took another sip of her bubbly, focusing on the golden liquid swirling in her long-stemmed glass. Damn straight she was sad—goddamn furious was more accurate. What would it be like to have this for real? A husband? A family? A wide circle of friends? She’d been stupid and foolish, and now this kind of life was so far out of her grasp she wanted to scream. If she got out of the mess with Big Tony she was going to make this happen for herself.
“What would I have to be sad about?”
Teague opened his mouth to say something when the distinctive sound of metal silverware tapping against glass started in one corner of the room.
Lucky leaned over to them and whispered loudly, “You’re supposed to kiss each other when that happens.”
Risa’s head whipped up to meet Teague’s gaze and she cursed the sweep of heat along her cheekbones. She didn’t need a mirror to know her pale skin was flushed and cherry red on her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if it was the attention from the crowd that had her reacting this way or if it was the dip of Teague’s gaze to her mouth that had her overheating. He returned his eyes to look into her own and she knew the answer to the question—it was all Teague. Damn.
Teague quirked an eyebrow at her, his silent request for permission to kiss her shorting out the part of her brain that processed the word “no.”
He took her dumbfounded silence for agreement because suddenly he was kissing her. Unlike the lip-lock in his room earlier today, this one was slow, sweet, and sexy enough to make her toes curl in her peep-toe pumps. Teague retreated a little and Risa leaned in, chasing his mouth with her own without even thinking about it.
And man was he a good kisser.
The man kissed as if he’d saved up all that banked fire and passion and poured it into every press of their mouths and every dip of seeking tongues. And that fire burned hotter than the sun on her beloved Nevada desert—scorching her down to the marrow.
With a groan so low that only she could hear it, Teague released her mouth and her eyes fluttered open slowly. When had she closed them and when had she wrapped her arms around his neck? His hands coasted over her back to her waist while he looked down at her, his face more shell-shocked than cocky this time. Her heart was pounding in her chest and Risa squirmed uneasily at her own reaction. Teague was winded and his chest rose and fell quickly. It was only a small consolation that he’d also been knocked off his feet by that kiss.
“Holy shit,” he whispered unsteadily when they broke apart. The room erupted in catcalls and whistles around them.
“I know, right?” Risa choked out.
“We are going to talk about that later tonight,” he growled into her ear and she couldn’t decide if it was a threat or a promise.
The next few moments were spent hugging total strangers and accepting their congratulations and wishes for a long and happy marriage. These people were so nice, and Risa found it was becoming harder to quiet the voice in her head that scolded her for lying to them. She didn’t deserve their kindness.
“Teague, come down here and hug my neck.” A woman in her midsixties with hair dyed a black that Elvis would admire from the grave reached up and squeezed Teague so hard he grunted a little at the impact. Easing back from the embrace, he kissed her cheek, looking down at her with real affection.
“Mrs. Hilton. Thank you for coming,” he said.
“I had to come see this snazzy wife everyone was talking about.” She reached over and grabbed Risa’s hand and squeezed. “And you are very beautiful, honey.”
“Thank you.”
“So, my dear, do you really sell sex toys?”
“What?” Risa forced down the sip of champagne she had in her mouth hoping it went down the correct pipe. Talk about getting right down to it. “Umm…they are high-end marital aids. Yes, I do.”
Mrs. Hilton leaned in, her eyes full of mischief that had Risa smiling in spite of her shock. “Can you have one of those parties while you’re here?”
“I’m sorry. I’m leaving tomorrow morning,” she said.
“Don’t you have a website? I thought Marian said you had a website.”
“I do.”
“Well, then let’s have one of those catalog parties like the candle and cooking stuff people. I’ve got my iPad.”
“Right now?” Risa asked
“Why not? I’ve always wanted to buy some stuff like that, but I didn’t know where to start. You’re Teague’s wife so I trust you not to put me on a mailing list for some dirty magazines.”
Risa paused. The businesswoman in her was screaming that this was an almost guaranteed sale while the other part of her was wondering how normal it was to have a sex toy party at your wedding reception. She’d forgotten Teague was standing beside her until he l
Mrs. Hilton was having none of that. “Teague Elliott, do you think that more mature women don’t have needs?”
“I don’t think about it at all, actually,” he said, his skin a little paler than usual. “And I really hope the visual I just got from this entire conversation doesn’t cause brain damage.”
“Well, then scoot.” Mrs. Hilton shooed him away with a flick of her wrist and grabbed Risa by the arm to lead her away. “Go and have a beer with the other boys and I’ll take care of your wife.”
“Good idea. I’m out.” Teague raised his hands in surrender. “I’m going to have a beer with the guys. Send up a flare if you need help,” he said before turning to head over to where his buddies were all seated in a booth.
Risa watched him walk away. She couldn’t help herself. He walked with a runner’s grace, with long strides and muscle moving underneath the tailored lines of his clothes.
“Now, that’s the look of a newlywed,” Mrs. Hilton sighed and practically purred like the animals on her shirt.
“I like him,” Risa answered before she realized what she was saying.
“That’s good.” Her companion nudged her and smiled. “I’ve been married for almost forty years and believe me, you’ll need that foundation. Don’t get me wrong, the sex is always important but you need to like and respect each other too, unless you never plan to come out of the bedroom.”
That sounded good. Forty years. Friends and lovers. Maybe she’d have it one day.
But for now she had a sex toy party to throw for the fine ladies of Elliott.
She turned to Mrs. Hilton and smiled. “Why don’t I show you a few things that might keep you in the bedroom a little while longer?”
…
“Your wife just sold my mother a vibrator and a set of sensual massage oils,” Lucky said as he plopped down into the booth and slid a beer across the table to the three men seated there.
Teague, Jack, and Beck all turned to where Risa stood by a group of women, discussing the different products she offered as she navigated around Mrs. Hilton’s iPad. She was radiant, glowing with her excitement about talking shop, and the women were all giggling and drinking more of the champagne. His prediction was that there would be lots of happy husbands in Elliott soon and a few hurting heads tomorrow morning.
“So, tell me how this happened,” Jack asked.
In a total stall move, Teague lifted his beer to his lips and took a huge drink before placing it on the table. He looked around the booth—their booth—and faced the “you’ve got to be kidding me” expressions on Beck’s, Lucky’s, and Jack’s faces.
“I have no fucking idea. I got drunk and got married.” He looked at Lucky, who broke into laughter, which shook the table and rattled their beer bottles. Teague kicked Lucky under the table. “Could you please not be an ass here? I’m in deep shit.”
“Hey, genius, we figured that out already. The whole town figured it out.” Beck snorted, his eyes rolling over the rim of his beer bottle as he took a sip of the foamy brew. “They’re just playing along to help your mom out. She’s had a rough year.”
“Yep. My mom came right out and asked your mother about it and that’s when they cooked up the idea for this party,” Lucky said. “My mom, Aunt Dolly, and your mom have gotten pretty tight. There was no way they were going to let this pass without making sure everybody thought you and Risa were legit.”
“For the next eighteen days we will be,” Teague said, knowing he was going to explain it all. These guys were his best friends. “In eighteen days our annulment will be final and my buddy in Vegas will wipe it from the records.”
Silence descended on the group.
Jack was the first to speak. “Not Big Tony? You didn’t ask him, did you?”
“Hell no.” Teague sent up a prayer of thanks that he didn’t have to ask that guy to help him out. “I called in a huge favor with a guy in the local court system.” He paused, finally voicing what had been hovering in the back of his mind since Risa had shown up on his doorstep. “I’m not entirely sure that Tony didn’t have something to do with it.”
“With the marriage?” Lucky asked.
“With the marriage, Risa, everything.”
“Shit,” Jack said.
Teague took another long swallow from his beer, thinking over the extent of his problem. “You know what I want to do with my career. I can’t have this kind of thing in my past.”
“Marrying a chorus girl,” Beck said.
“Who sells sex toys,” Lucky added.
“Getting drunk off my ass and marrying a girl I didn’t know,” Teague said, trying hard to keep the frustration out of his voice. They made it sound like he just wanted to get rid of her because of what she did, when that was small potatoes when you looked at the bigger picture. Risa really wasn’t the problem. “No one is going to back a guy, forget vote for him, who did something like that.”
“But she seems really cool,” Beck said. “And she’s smokin’. Please tell me you’re tappin’ that.”
Teague ignored the last question. “No argument there, but that’s no reason to stay married to a woman I don’t know.”
“So why don’t you get to know her?” Jack asked and Teague groaned. Lucky was the joker and Beck was crazy, but Jack was the quiet, thoughtful one of the group and he rarely barged into your life and gave advice unless he thought it was important. This was clearly one of those times. “You don’t do stuff like this. So I’m thinking that if you did then there’s something about Risa that made it happen. She got you to a place where ‘the plan’ wasn’t controlling you.”
“That was the Jose Cuervo,” he said, hating where this talk was going. “Or it might have been Big Tony. I’m not ruling him out. I turned down his job offer so maybe he’s pissed and is sending me a message. I just don’t know.”
“Maybe it was the woman you haven’t been able to stop looking at all night,” Jack said.
Teague took another swig from his bottle. “Thinking a woman is hot or admiring her sense of humor and business skill is not a love connection. So can we stop with the Dr. Phil moments? I need your help.”
That got their attention.
“What do you need?” Jack leaned forward, ready to leap the minute he knew how high.
“I need you to run a background check on Risa.”
“What? No way.”
“Hear me out. There’s something going on with her that she won’t tell me about. She owes money to someone and she works for Big Tony. I think she might be in over her head.”
“Do you think she was part of whatever Big Tony might have done to you?” Jack asked, his face like stone with his disapproval at Teague’s request.
Teague paused at the question, not sure of his answer but going with his gut. “I don’t think so.”
“You just going with your gut on this one?” Lucky asked.
Teague nodded.
“He’s sleeping with her,” Beck stated.
“I’m not sleeping with her.”
“But you want to.”
“Yes.” Teague considered lying but it was pointless since they’d all know it wasn’t true. “But that isn’t why I can’t believe she’d be a part of something. There’s just something about her… I can’t explain it.”
“So your gut isn’t currently clouded by what’s going on between the sheets? Thank God for that.” Jack groaned, rubbing his face with his hand.
“I need to be sure. So run the check for me?”
“Fine,” Jack said.
Teague was stalled from continuing the conversation by a call from the other side of the diner. Turning, he saw his mother and Sissy Landon waving him over.
“They want you to go cut the cake.” Beck slid out of the booth to allow him to exit. “Don’t smash it in her face. That will get you no newlywed nooky later.”
Ignoring whatever comments Jack and Lucky felt they needed to add, he wove his way through the tables until he reached Risa and the cake. She was smiling at him, her eyes telling him that she had enjoyed hanging out with the ladies.
“Having fun?” he asked.
“Yes. I am.” Her lips pursed together in the cutest bow as she tried to hold back the giggle that eventually escaped. “This has been the craziest wedding reception I’ve ever attended.”
Teague slid his hand to her hip, squeezing lightly there and drawing her a little closer. Guilt washed over him when he thought of what he’d just asked Jack to do. But as sweet as she was, he didn’t know her and he needed to protect his future. His gut told him that someone who’d fly across the country to tell you this news in person and then stick around to help you out with your family wouldn’t be in bed with Big Tony. But he’d been fooled before and he couldn’t afford not to know the truth.
They might be acting a part, but they couldn’t fake this attraction. This was real. This was something that alcohol or even Big Tony couldn’t maneuver. Yes, he might have a million questions when it came to Risa Clay, but none of them were about how she made him feel.
The forgotten crowd in the diner began to call out.
“Give him a real kiss, Risa!”
Laughing, she leaned up and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
“Is that how newlyweds kiss?”
“Teague, you can do better than that!”
“Kiss him!”
Teague glanced over her shoulder, noting the smiles of his family and friends, and finally back to Risa.
What the hell. A smirk pulled at the edge of his lips. “The audience wants an encore.”
Risa lifted her face, slowly closing the distance between their mouths. She licked her lips as her eyes flickered down and he involuntarily swept his tongue across his lip in invitation. The first press of their mouths together was electric. He couldn’t help himself; he lightly nipped her bottom lip and instantly the kiss turned hotter, wetter. Teague groaned and reached out to grasp her hips, his fingers lightly digging into her flesh, tugging her closer. His mouth slanted over hers and his tongue stroked past her lips, only delving in enough to whet his appetite for more. Risa’s fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt, dragging him closer as their kiss lingered.
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