The Troublemaker

by Cathryn Fox

  “Nothing,” she says, brushing off my question as her hands go to my chest for a slow exploration. She touches me lightly, tracing my nipple before moving on to the grooves in my stomach.

  “I love your abs,” she murmurs.

  I laugh. “Good, now tell me what’s wrong.”

  She shrugs. “It’s just…I can’t get a loan, and my trust fund is being held captive by my father.”

  “You have a trust fund?”

  She cringes like that makes her a bad person. “Yeah. Left to me by my grandfather. That sounds awful doesn’t it?”

  “Kinsley, there’s nothing wrong with a trust fund. I set one up for my sister ages ago. Sometimes we need a little help.”

  “The thing is though, Cason, I didn’t follow in my family’s footsteps, and they sort of disowned me. Everyone except my grandmother.”

  Anger rips through me, and my body tightens. “That’s pretty fucking shitty.”

  Her head jerks up at the harshness in my words.

  “You think so?”

  “Yeah, I think so. You’re their goddamn daughter. They should be happy for you. Cooking is your passion. Anyone can see that. Why would they want you to spend the rest of your life doing something you don’t want to do? You only get one shot at this life, you know. You should be doing what makes you happy.”

  She smiles at me, so bright and startling, so full of gratitude, it seeps under my skin, and my throat tightens.

  “Funny, that’s what I said to myself. Those exact words were the reason I quit school and bought an old truck.”

  I touch her face, lightly brush my thumb over her flushed cheek. “Beautiful and smart.”

  She puts her head on my chest, and goes quiet for a moment. I grab the soap and start washing her up. “I really like that you see this my way. No one else seems to.”

  “So, what’s going on with your trust fund?”

  “I wish I could do what I want without it, but with no collateral or co-signer, and a truck that is rolling on four tires because I shoot up a prayer every night, I can’t get a loan. My father won’t sign my trust fund over until I can prove I’m stable and not going to blow it on piercings or tattoos. Crazy.”

  “It is crazy, and I happen to love your tattoos and piercings. They represent who you are, and you should always be true to yourself, Kins.”

  “You always say the right things,” she says, and my heart misses a beat.

  A half-laugh half-snort crawls out of my throat. “You’re the only one who’s ever said that to me. Normally, I say all the wrong things.”

  “Maybe it’s because we’re friends,” she says. “We both know what’s going on here isn’t about more.”

  My stomach drops at the reminder. Why? Oh, maybe some part of me wants to try to work things out with Kinsley. We’re good now, but if we delved into a deeper relationship would I be able to give her what she wanted, say the things she needed to hear?

  “Yeah, maybe. What do you need to do to prove you’re stable?”

  She laughs. “Oh, I don’t know, remove my piercings, cover my tattoos, dye my hair back. Get married and stay married for at least thirty days.”

  I nod at that. “Too bad last night’s ceremony was fake. That would have helped you out quite a bit.” I move her around, until the hot spray washes the soap from her body.

  “Well it was, and marriage is definitely not in my future, so I have to figure out some other way.” Once we’re both rinsed off, I grab a big fluffy towel and wrap her in it. I scoop her up and she yelps in surprise.

  “Ohmigod, remember last night when you carried me through the door and over threshold of the room, because we were married and about to consummate.”

  “Vaguely,” I say, and she laughs.

  “That was fun.”

  “That’s what Vegas is all about.”

  She frowns. “We’re supposed to meet the others for brunch and a tour of Red Rock Canyon.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “I wish we didn’t have to go.”

  “Really?” Kinsley says. “I don’t want to go either. Do you think they’d be upset if we blew them off?”

  “Probably not,” I say. “They did see us putting back the tequila.”

  “I was thinking then, maybe we can stay in this bed. The only thing I want to blow off is you,” she says and takes my cock into her small hand. She gives me a light squeeze and I groan, loudly. “I’ll text Jules,” she says. “I have a feeling she thinks there is something going on between us anyway, and since she’s been trying to set me up for ages, she’ll be happy to think we’re spending the day in bed.”

  I set her down and her towel falls from her gorgeous, lush body as she goes in search of her purse.

  “I didn’t realize she was trying to set you up.”

  “Probably because I refuse every time?”

  “How come?” I ask and sit on the edge of the bed.

  She looks at me over her shoulder. “You were right when you said my ex did a number on me.”

  “I’m sorry, Kins.” She pulls out her phone and sits on the other side of the bed, across from me.

  “I honestly dodged a bullet, Cason. He was an asshole and was only with me to get ahead in my father’s firm.”

  “I’m going to find his sorry ass and beat it.”

  She laughs. “See, you do say all the right things, but no, you are not going to do that. He’s in the past, and I’m over him.”

  I eye her as she averts her gaze and slides her finger across the screen. “But…”

  “Why is it I can’t get anything by you?”

  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but like you said, we’re friends, and if you want to talk, I’m here. You’re over him, but you’re not over something.”

  “You’re right.” She runs her fingers through her damp hair. “He told me I was nothing special. That I was chubby and lucky to have him. That I wasn’t the kind of girl guys were attracted to, and no one would ever stay with me for any length of time.”

  “Motherfucker,” I say and clench my fists. “I am going to kill him, Kinsley.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  I frown at her as realization dawns. “Wait, you don’t believe that, do you?”

  “I don’t know, Cason. I’m not—”

  Before she can even get the words out, I’m on my feet, crossing to the other side of the bed. I kneel down in front of her. I might not always say the right things, but actions speak louder than words anyway. I lean in and press my lips to hers. My kisses are slow, leisurely, a gentle reintroduction to her body. How any man could call this woman chubby is beyond me. She’s plump and curvy and goddammit, I want to sink my teeth into her again, to show her just how desirable and special she really is.

  “Cason,” she murmurs when my mouth leaves hers to travel to that sensitive spot on her neck. I pepper her with hot, wet, open mouthed kisses until she’s moaning and chanting my name. Jesus, I love hearing it on her lips.

  “So beautiful,” I murmur and take one full breast into my mouth for a deep taste. Her hands go around my head, and she holds me to her, like she’s afraid her ex was right and I might just flee.

  I pay homage to one breast and then the other, as I widen her legs even more, making room for myself. My dick throbs, so eager to be inside her again, but he’s going to have to wait. I need to worship every inch of her delectable body, and leave no doubt in her mind she’s a sexy goddess and any man would be blessed to have her. Right now, I’m the luckiest goddamn man in the universe to be here with her like this.

  Her nipple plops from my mouth, and her eyes are glazed over when I inch back to see her.

  “Cason,” she says.

  “I’m here, Kins. I’m not going anywhere.” I give her shoulders a little nudge and she falls backward on the bed, her legs dangling over the edge. I pick up her thighs and place them over my shoulders and she goes up on her elbows to watch.

  “This pussy,” I say as I part her damp f
olds. “The sweetest, sexiest pussy I’ve ever seen.” Heat colors her neck and cheeks a sexy pink, and I lick at her, swirl my tongue through her hot arousal until she’s writhing beneath me. “I want to spend the day right here, Kins. Right here with your sweet pussy, giving you orgasm after orgasm.” She moans, and drops back onto the bed, her fingers fisting the sheets, as I eat at her like a man starved, and put a finger inside her. Unbelievable how much I want her, really, considering the amount of times I was inside her last night.

  Her sex squeezes my finger, and I move it in and out, the way she likes. I lightly stroke her bundle of nerves inside, and press my lips to her clit. I drag my teeth over it, and her moans grow louder.

  “Yeah, that’s it,” I say, wanting her to let go of past hurts and blossom beneath my touch. A girl like her needs to know her worth, needs to be with a man who can help her understand and appreciate her value. Just the way she is. She doesn’t need to change a thing about herself, not for her family or for any man. Goddammit that pisses me off, but I’ll give it more consideration later. Right now all I want to do is get lost in the taste of her as I bring her to climax.

  I put another finger inside her and her muscles slowly start to spasm, but I don’t want her to fall over the edge just yet. I am so not done with her. I finger fuck her a few more times, and she moves and shifts and bangs against my mouth. I love everything about this. I put my tongue high inside her and place my thumb over her clit. I circle it, and she growls with frustration. I chuckle at her neediness, and like how much she wants this from me.

  “Need something, babe?” I ask.

  “Yes, I need you,” she says. It’s not the answer I expected. Here I thought she’d say she needed to orgasm, but she said she needed me.

  Don’t read too much into that Cason.

  “Tell me what you need,” I say and run my tongue from the bottom of her hot pussy to where my thumb is applying a light amount of pressure.

  “I need you inside me, Cason. I want your mouth on my body and your cock in my pussy,” she says, and my heart thumps a little harder against my chest.

  “I’ll give you what you want, Kins.”

  “Yesss,” she hisses and I switch things up again, putting my fingers back inside her and taking her clit into my mouth. I eat at her, and finger fuck her, until she’s panting, and then I change the pressure and rhythm, until she’s crying out my name, her head tossing back and forth. That first sweet clench around my fingers is pure bliss—for the both of us. I swear to God, it’s as good for me as it is for her. Her hot cum drips down her thighs, and I put my mouth right there, to lap up every last delectable drop. She continues to spasm around my fingers, and I hold still inside her, to give her something to clench around.

  Her spasm stops and she reaches for me, a desperation about her as she pulls me on top of her. “Cason, your cock, please.”

  My entire body is quaking as I nod, quickly slide on a condom and fall back over her. I kiss her deeply, my cock at her opening, but I want her differently this time. I want her to ride me.

  I stand up, and take her with me. Her eyes are a bit confused, until I sit on the edge of the bed, with her on my lap.

  “Oh, yes,” she says.

  I let her shimmy back a bit so she can rest her knees on the bed, and I lift her over my cock, which is poised and aimed as I bring her back down onto it. A gasp catches in her throat as I fill her completely, and lean in to lick her hard nipples as she rotates her hips and stimulates her core with every inch of my dick.

  “So damn good,” she murmurs, and I grab her hips to take control of the movement. I move her on my cock, lift her up and down and gyrate her body until I’m a fucking goner.

  “Kins,” I murmur and she bends forward to find my mouth. I piston into her faster. Hard blunt strokes that bring on her second orgasm. Her mouth opens, her eyes latched on mine, and we just stare at each other, open and honest as we give in to the pleasure tearing through our bodies.

  “Fuck,” I say as I climax high inside of her, for the first time in my life wishing there was no condom so I could feel skin on skin as her hot juices poured from her body.

  Her breasts press against me as she puts her arms around my body to hold on tight. I pant and gasp and struggle for air with each spurt, and once I’m depleted and she stops clenching, I put my head on her shoulder and wrap my arms around her, squeezing her to me.

  We stay like that for a long time, neither speaking, lost in our own thoughts as we regulate our breathing.

  “We’ll never be able to hide this from the others,” she says, and I inch back to see the sated smile on her mouth.

  “One look at us and they’ll know we’ve been fucking all night.”

  “Yeah, then they’ll all make a big deal out of it, when it’s not a big deal at all,” she says with a laugh.

  Her words shouldn’t sting, they shouldn’t feel like a punch to the gut, but somehow they do. Wanting to keep things light, she obviously does, too, I move my hips, my near flaccid cock still inside her and say, “Well there was something big.”

  She laughs hard, like my joke has taken the weight of the world off her shoulder. “Okay, big. I’ll give you that,” she says and makes a move to climb off me. I grip her hips to help her, and she makes a trip to the bathroom as I dispose of the condom. My stomach takes that moment to growl. I tug on my boxer shorts, and reach for the phone to order us in some food.

  She comes back into the room, her body warm and flush, and so inviting. Her purse catches her eyes, and she bends, presenting me with her ass. That’s not a smart move on her part, unless she wants me to ravish her like that.

  “What’s this?” she says.

  As I hit the button for room service, she pulls a sheet of paper from her purse and opens it. Her face pales slightly as she reads it and her eyes are as big as saucers when they meet mine. What the hell is on that paper that has her so spooked?

  “Um, Cason. I think we have a problem. A big one.”

  8

  Kinsley

  “What are you talking about?” he asks and I hand over the paper with shaky fingers.

  “We, ah, kind of did a thing.” A big thing. A horrible thing. A thing that we need to undo before anyone finds out. God, I was the one who suggested we put the honeymoon suite to good use, and this is the last thing he wants. Is he going to hate me? Will this come between our friendship?

  He reads the marriage license, and while a part of me is praying it’s not true, that it’s just part of the ruse last night, there is another part that knows it’s absolutely real. I might not be a lawyer, but I do know a legally binding contract when I see one—sober.

  “No fucking way,” he says and grips his hair and tugs. “This isn’t real…” His eyes lift, lock on mine. “Is it?”

  “I actually think it is,” I say, and twist my fingers together, the knot in my stomach so tight, I can hardly breathe. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Holy fuck, Kins,” he says with a snort. “People really do go wild in Vegas.”

  As my mind goes back to last night to piece things together, I realize I’m still naked. Feeling exposed in far too many ways, I grab a robe from the bathroom, slide it over my shoulders and sink down on the edge of the bed where Cason is still reading the paper. Maybe he thinks if he stares at it long enough, the words will change or it’ll spontaneously combust. I don’t have that kind of luck.

  “It has our signatures,” he says. “I didn’t know your middle name was Elizabeth.”

  “Ohmigod, is that what you’re taking from this?” I ask, my voice bordering on hysteria.

  He frowns like he’s in deep thought. “Wait, are you going to take Callaghan for your last name or keep Palmer? Or maybe you want to hyphenate. Although Kinsley Elizabeth Palmer Callaghan really is a mouthful.”

  Speaking of mouths, mine is practically on the floor. Why is he acting so cavalier? We just got married for God’s sake. Why isn’t he freaking out, too? “Cason,” I say. “What
are you doing?”

  “I don’t know. Sometimes I ramble and just say the wrong things. Especially when I’m a little thrown off.” He shakes the paper. “Or a lot.”

  Ah, okay, now I’m getting a glimpse into the Cason who sometimes says the wrong things. “This is serious, Cason.”

  “Sorry. I’m just…hey, it’s okay,” he says when he sees my tightening shoulders. But it’s not just my shoulders reacting negatively to this distressing news. My damn hands are shaking, and I’m on the brink of tears.

  “Cason, if my family ever got wind of this, they’d never, ever forgive me, and my trust fund would instantly be absorbed into their estate.” I stand and start to pace. “An impromptu wedding with a friend, after too much tequila, yeah, that just screams I’m adulting and nailing it.”

  He folds the paper and sets it on the nightstand. He goes so quiet, and for a minute I think he might have fallen asleep while sitting up.

  “We’re really married, Kins,” he finally says, his voice a low, soft whisper. “Consummated it, too, numerous times. I guess there is only one thing we can do now.”

  “Get it annulled,” I say at the exact time he says, “Stay married for thirty days.”

  Wide-eyed, we both stare at each other, our addled brains working to process what the other just said.

  “We can’t do that,” I say. “This isn’t real. We’re friends.”

  “Yeah, but look at it this way. I’m not interested in a long-term relationship with anyone, so it’s not like this will be holding me back from finding someone I want to get serious with, and maybe for thirty days, we can pretend, and you can get your trust fund.”

  He stands and puts his hands on my arms. He gives a little squeeze, but I’m definitely not reassured. “No way, I could never ask you to do that. I won’t.”

  “You didn’t ask. I offered, and we’re already married, Kins. All we’d have to do is pretend it’s a real one.”

  “This is insane.” I tug on my hair, and take deep gulping breaths. “We’d never be able to pull it off.”