Married in Name Only

by Jules Bennett

  He released the robe and palmed her breasts as she laced her fingers through his hair. She scooted forward on the cool tabletop and locked her ankles behind his back.

  His hands fell away and she felt him fidgeting between her legs followed by the sound of his zipper. He circled her waist with his large, strong hands and stared into her eyes as he joined their bodies.

  Paisley cried out as her body arched, her head dropping back. Lucas slid a hand around to the small of her back for support as he pumped his hips and murmured something she couldn’t make out.

  His lips grazed over her breasts, along her neck, and she tipped her head back so he could take her lips. Her fingertips dug into his shoulders and she gripped the fabric of his shirt, wishing he would’ve removed it so she could fully touch him.

  “Paisley,” he murmured.

  Hearing her name on his lips, seeing that tightening of his jaw as if he was barely holding on to his control, had her body spiraling out of control. She tightened all around him and let the moment consume her.

  Seconds later, Lucas tightened his hold on her waist and dropped his head to the crook in her neck. Paisley ran her hands over his shoulders, to his neck, and into his hair, cradling him as his pleasure took hold.

  After several moments, when their bodies settled, only their breathing filled the space. Paisley wondered if she’d made a mistake letting him in so soon. She hadn’t made him grovel too much and she was pretty sure she hadn’t even made him use the four and a half minutes.

  She’d always been weak where Lucas was concerned, but now she had to figure out how to handle this. Yes, she wanted him, but she had to trust him.

  * * *

  “Don’t start having doubts.”

  Lucas felt her pulling away. Oh, not physically. She was still wrapped all around him. Emotionally and mentally, she was already rewinding and trying to come up with something to say and some way to protect herself.

  “This can work,” he added. “I know I made a mistake that could cost me everything, but I’m here to tell you that I won’t put anything above you ever again.”

  He eased back and smoothed the hair away from her face. The thought of letting her go hurt him to a level he couldn’t describe and didn’t want to comprehend. He didn’t even want to go there in his own mind because he was going to do anything in his power to show her he was in love with her.

  “I’ll buy you a wedding dress.” The words were out before he thought twice, but then he realized she deserved so much more. “Any dress. I don’t care if it’s hand-beaded, or whatever that expensive one was, or if you want to recycle that lace thing. I want to give you the wedding of your dreams.”

  Paisley laughed. “I’m never wearing that jumpsuit again and you put so much money in my business account, I don’t need you to buy me anything.”

  He’d put that money in her account because he didn’t want her to worry about finances even for a second. He’d secretly contacted the jilted bride and he knew the insane wedding gown had ultimately been paid for in full after he’d reminded the customer she was in breach of contract.

  If Paisley ultimately decided to leave him, Lucas would be absolutely devastated, but he still wanted to provide a solid security for her and pave a smooth path in her life.

  Paisley sighed. “I can’t keep that money, you know. And great sex won’t fix our problems.”

  Lucas took a half step back and adjusted his pants, but left them unbuttoned. He eased the silky robe back up her arms and covered her breasts.

  “I swear I did not come here for sex.” He wanted her to know she was so much more to him. “You’re everything to me. I’m here because I wanted to fix your hurt, if that’s even possible. I know I did damage, but tell me what I can do to make it right. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  Paisley bit on her bottom lip as her eyes darted away. She eased off the table, causing him to take another step back to give her space. Lucas watched as she righted her robe, but the silence was absolutely maddening.

  He had nobody to be angry with but himself, but he couldn’t go back in time and have a redo. At this point, all he could hope to accomplish was to get through to Paisley that he really did have good intentions, he just executed everything the wrong way.

  “Family is everything to me,” he told her. “I wanted vengeance for my father. I had been waiting for the right opportunity to get back at Sterling, so when he went to jail, I was thinking that would have to suffice, though I had nothing to do with that. But then you walked in and my first thought was, what if it’s true? What if you do belong to him? I won’t lie, I wanted you in my bed. I was more than eager to have you all to myself while I investigated.”

  Paisley crossed her arms over her chest, but didn’t make a move to step away or shut him out. Lucas took that as a good sign and kept going.

  “But then you moved in,” he said. “Having you in my space, even with the yellow throw pillows and those pictures you call art, I realized I wanted all of that there because that’s who you are. I wasn’t still hung up on some young love. I was falling for the woman you are now.”

  Her eyes misted and she glanced down, but Lucas took his hand and lifted her attention back to him.

  “Don’t hide from me,” he said. “When you feel something, anything, I want you to share it with me. And I’ll do the same. There’s nothing I want to do alone anymore. Tell me you’ll think about us, think about not leaving for good. I’m willing to start over, I’m willing—”

  “Shut up.”

  Lucas froze. “Excuse me?”

  Paisley blinked, causing a tear to slide down her cheek. “I told myself to let you grovel for a long time, but I can’t handle it anymore.”

  She’d told herself...

  What the hell?

  Lucas framed her face and swiped at the tear with the pad of his thumb. “Did I grovel long enough?”

  Paisley shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. But I needed a break.”

  He kissed her lips, quickly, softly. “I’ll spend the rest of my life groveling if you give me the chance. Let’s make this a real marriage and start a family.”

  She smiled. For the first time since he’d set foot in the door, she offered a true, genuine smile.

  “I wouldn’t have let you in, let alone had sex with you, if I didn’t want to give you another chance.”

  Paisley’s delicate arms came up around his neck and Lucas wasted no time in pulling her closer. “I don’t deserve you,” he murmured.

  “You don’t,” she agreed with a laugh. “But we’re legally bound, so you’re stuck with me.”

  “Fine by me.” He nipped at her lips once again. “I believe you said something about a shower earlier. Do you have room for one more?”

  “In my shower and in my heart.”

  Lucas swept her up into his arms and carried her up to the second floor. This next chapter of his life was going to be the best yet. He may not have gotten revenge like he’d wanted, but he got something so much more fulfilling. He had the only woman he’d ever loved and soon, they’d have their own family.

  Nothing compared to that.

  Epilogue

  Angela swept into the café and weaved her way through the tables. Lavinia sat in the back and lifted a hand to wave Angela over.

  “So sorry I’m late,” Angela said as she pulled her chair out. “Traffic was a nightmare.”

  The waiter came by and Angela ordered a water as she set her bag beneath the table and took a seat. She inhaled deeply and stared across the table at her friend.

  “It’s so good to see you,” Angela stated. “We don’t do lunch often enough.”

  “We don’t,” Lavinia agreed. “So much has been going on with your dad and then there’s that body that has still not been identified. Everything is so crazy lately.”

  Angela c
ringed. “I can’t even wrap my mind around that poor person who died. I mean, they had a family somewhere that is no doubt wondering where their loved one is. Nobody deserves to just...”

  “I know,” Lavinia muttered her agreement.

  The waiter came back with water and took their order before leaving them alone again.

  “On a brighter note,” Lavinia said. “You’re absolutely beaming. Something must be going right for you.”

  Angela pulled the cloth napkin from the table and smoothed it over her lap. “You could say that. With all the upheaval in my life, Ryder and I have decided to get away from it all and take a trip. Just the two of us. We really need the time alone to just reset.”

  Lavinia gasped. “Oh, my. You are one strong woman. I admire that. I don’t know what I’d do if the man I was dating was rumored to have fathered my brother.”

  Angela stilled, and her heart clenched as the breath caught in her throat. “What?”

  “You haven’t heard?” Lavinia asked, her eyes wide.

  She took a sip of her water and leaned forward as she spoke lower. “Ryder is rumored to have had an affair with your mother and he’s actually Roarke’s father, not Sterling.”

  Angela gripped her napkin in her lap, suddenly feeling quite nauseated. The affairs were nothing new, but she hadn’t heard the most damning rumor. No doubt Lavinia, the town gossip, was all too eager to share the tidbits she knew.

  This couldn’t be true. There was no way Ryder was Roarke’s father. That couldn’t be. There had to be some mistake.

  Angela couldn’t even gather all her thoughts that were swirling through her head. She needed to talk to her father; she needed to talk to Ryder.

  “Angela, darling. Are you all right?” Lavinia asked. “I truly thought you’d heard. When I spoke with Sterling the other day, he acted as if this was public knowledge.”

  “You spoke to my father about this?” Angela asked. She tossed the napkin onto the table. “I have to go. We’ll do lunch another time.”

  “Don’t go,” Lavinia pleaded. “Sit down and we can talk. You shouldn’t drive when you’re upset.”

  Upset? That didn’t even come close to what she was feeling. Upset was scuffing your favorite shoe. Finding out your boyfriend might have slept with your mother was sickening...it was destroying.

  “I’m not too upset to drive,” Angela retorted. “I’m determined to find out the truth.”

  She turned, nearly knocking over a waiter with a tray of food, and fled out the door. There was no way in hell she could stay in a relationship with Ryder if this was true.

  How had he overlooked the fact he’d had a relationship with her mother? That was something he definitely should’ve brought up when they started getting closer.

  Angela’s hands shook as she started her car. She gripped the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. She forced herself to breath slowly in and out, trying to remain calm, but the attempt was in vain. There was no calming down from this.

  She couldn’t even wrap her mind fully around what she wanted to say to Ryder, but she knew one thing, there would be no romantic getaway for them.

  * * *

  What will happen when Angela confronts

  Ryder with what she’s learned?

  Keep reading Texas Cattleman’s Club: Houston

  to find out!

  Off Limits Lovers by Reese Ryan,

  Available August 2019!

  ***

  And don’t miss a single installment of the entire

  Texas Cattleman’s Club: Houston series:

  Hot Texas Nights

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Janice Maynard

  Wild Ride Rancher

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Maureen Child

  That Night in Texas by Joss Wood

  Rancher in Her Bed

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Joanne Rock

  Married in Name Only

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Jules Bennett

  Off Limits Lovers by Reese Ryan,

  available August 2019

  Texas-Sized Scandal

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Katherine Garbera,

  available September 2019

  Tangled with a Texan

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Yvonne Lindsay,

  available October 2019

  Hot Holiday Rancher

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Catherine Mann,

  available November 2019

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Red Hot Rancher by Maureen Child.

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  Red Hot Rancher

  by Maureen Child

  One

  “She’s back.”

  “She who?” Caden Hale looked up at his foreman, Jack Franklin. No one knew him better than Jack, which was why Caden was surprised to see the man now.

  Everyone on the ranch knew not to disturb Caden when he was engulfed by the dreaded paperwork needed to keep the Double H ranch running. Caden would much rather be out in the corral or riding fence-line, checking for breaks. Hell, to be honest, he’d rather be in the stables, mucking out stalls. But at least once a week, he was forced to sentence himself to hours behind the desk that had once been his father’s.

  Jack stood opposite that desk now and the foreman’s expression was a weird mixture of dread and shock. Caden braced himself, leaning back in the chair, tapping one finger against the desktop.

  Caden didn’t have a clue who could have put that look on his oldest friend’s face. He and Jack had been pals since grade school and when Caden took over the family ranch ten years ago, Jack had come on board, too. Usually, the man was unshakable. Not today.

  “Come on, Jack. What’s going on? You look like somebody died.”

  “Not yet,” his friend muttered, then swept off his Stetson, curled his fingers around the brim and tapped the hat against his upper thigh.

  Caden straightened in the chair, leaned both forearms on the desk and stared at his friend. “Just spit it out. Who the hell are you talking about and why should I care?”

  “You shouldn’t care,” Jack said. “But you will.”

  “Enough. Just tell me.”

  “It’s Emma, Caden,” Jack told him flatly. “Emma Williams is back.”

  And just like th
at, the day went from annoying to a crap-fest. Caden’s chest was tight, and he didn’t even notice how hard he was clenching his teeth until his jaw ached in response. Deliberately, he took a long, deep breath and willed the sudden tension in his body to drain away.

  Damned if he’d let a woman he hadn’t seen or spoken to in five long years get under his skin. And yet, he had to admit, just the mention of her name had done it. Caden closed his eyes briefly to fight the wave of tangled emotions rising up inside him. Anger and betrayal were tied for first place, but the rest weren’t far behind. Lust, the remnants of a love he thought would live forever and just enough pleasure to worry him.

  Emma was back.

  Why? For how long?

  And damn it, why did he care? He hadn’t spoken to her in five years. She’d tried to call a few times, but he’d never answered. Why the hell should he?

  “Did you see her?” he finally asked.

  “No,” Jack said with a sharp shake of his head. “Gwen did. She was in town this morning, getting some groceries. Saw Emma wandering the aisles. Caden,” he added, “she had a baby with her.”

  Another sucker punch and now breathing was becoming a hell of a lot harder than it should have been. A baby? She’d had a baby while she was gone? With who? Was the baby’s father here with them? “Damn it.”

  “Yeah,” Jack said. “When Gwen told me I knew this wasn’t going to go well.”

  “Good call.”

  Caden exhaled roughly, hoping to ease the raging tide of conflicting emotions rising inside him. Yeah, he was still furious over how Emma had ended things between them, but through it all, there was a hot, thick wave of need he’d never been able to shake. Just thinking about Emma Williams was enough to make his body hard as stone and his mind an empty cavern. Which was why, he reminded himself, he’d tried to avoid all thought of her for the past five years. It was only in his dreams that she came back to haunt him. Every damn night.

  “Did Gwen talk to her?” Jack’s wife knew everything that had happened between Caden and Emma. Hell, everyone for miles around knew the story. It’s what happened in a small town.