His Temporary Wife (The Brides of Sunflower Falls #2)

Chapter 2

two

Melody’s arms itched. She would have blamed it on the sweater she was wearing, but it was made of the fanciest merino wool and cashmere. Plus, she’d worn it many times since her mother had given it to her as a Christmas gift five years ago and had never had a reaction to it. No, she was missing her puppy.

It wasn’t like she’d never spent a night away from Button, but this was the first time since Button had come to live with her full-time. And she was spending two nights away from her. She looked over at the man relaxing in the passenger seat.

For him. Glanced down at his lap. Well, parts of him.

She shook her head and returned her attention to the road. If she couldn’t be honest with herself, then she was no better than her dad. She didn’t want to be honest with herself in this case, though, which made it all that much worse.

Because she didn’t want to be a liar—and worse—like her dad, she forced herself to list the things she liked about Tony and not include the amazing sex .

One, he made her laugh. It always gave her a shock because she didn’t want to admit that someone as attractive as him could also have a perfect-for-her sense of humor.

Two, he gave her space when she requested it. He’d sometimes try to charm his way into staying, but he was never a dick about it.

Three, he was good for her ego. Every time he asked her to marry him, it gave her a thrill. Even though she didn’t believe he was being serious about it.

Four, he was great with Button and Button liked him back. Dogs, even puppies, knew when someone wasn’t a good person, and she trusted dog instincts a hell of a lot more than her own when it came to men.

Five, it was like she’d known him in a previous life. From the day they’d first met, she felt a connection to him she couldn’t explain as she definitely had never met him before he’d come to Sunflower Falls.

All of it had germinated a little bloom of hope in her that she might be a person who could be in a supportive relationship that was about more than the banging. That bloom was so fragile she wanted to hide it away, keep it under lock and key. If she gave in and let it fully grow, she didn’t think she’d survive its destruction.

“You want me to drive for a bit?”

She glanced over at him. “Why would I want you to drive?”

“Because you keep looking over at me. I thought that was you being subtle.”

She snorted. “When have I ever been subtle around you?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tony reach over. Moments later, his fingertips trailed down from her ear to the collar of her sweater. She did her best not to shiver, but knew she hadn’t been successful when he grinned. “I do appreciate your lack of subtlety in certain areas of our relationship.”

“You’re not exactly subtle yourself.”

He shrugged. “Subtlety has its place and time.”

She thought he was going to say something else, but he stayed quiet and looked out the front window. They’d taken the more scenic route after passing through Rochester, and there wasn’t much to see but farmland and some trees.

“Thanks for agreeing to this.”

She frowned and glanced over at him. “What do you mean?”

He reached over again, this time resting his hand on her thigh and giving it a squeeze. “I want to celebrate you. You don’t let me do that.”

“Why? I can celebrate myself.”

He squeezed again. “You don’t always have to. I’m sure other people want the opportunity to celebrate you.”

Her frown deepened. “That’s what birthdays are for.”

She felt his fingers begin stroking her inner thigh. “Since your birthday’s in March, I haven’t been around for one of those. But I bet that you’ve never once let Ana plan one of your birthdays, have you?”

Squeezing her thighs together, and trapping his wandering fingers between them, she looked over at him and licked her lips. Of course he would play the best friend card. Ana probably knew her best out of anyone in the world, but Melody also felt more comfortable ensuring she had the experiences that she wanted rather than relying on anyone else to set them up. “I know what I want. Is that a crime? ”

Tony grinned at her. “Not in my book. But I also know what it is you want that you’re not willing to tell yourself.”

He might think he did, but there was no way he knew her that well so she brazened it out. “Is it kinky?”

His laughter filled the car and a small part of her heart she worked hard to keep hidden. “No. But we can explore that any time you’d like.”

She waved her hand. “If it’s not kinky, then I don’t need to know about it this weekend, do I?”

He pulled his hand from her thighs, grabbing her hand. Brought it to his mouth, and kissed her knuckles. “How about a bet?”

“What is it with you and bets? You’re always betting on things.” And if he wasn’t betting, he was negotiating. She wondered if he’d been a lawyer in his life before coming to Sunflower Falls.

He kissed her knuckles again, this time added in some light licks. Which put her in mind of other places she’d prefer him to be licking.

She realized she’d started letting the truck drift toward the shoulder and corrected course. This was why the idea of road head had always seemed like a bad idea to her. She pulled her hand away from him. “No licking while I’m driving.”

“Right. Safety first. I’d rather spend my time with you this weekend in bed and not on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck.”

She tried to remember what they’d been talking about and then decided that it wasn’t worth the effort. Whatever it was would come up again or it wouldn’t.

“It’s about another hour until we get there. We haven’t talked about what to do while we’re there.”

He winked at her. “I’m fine with staying in bed.”

She snorted. “You would be. I haven’t been there in years, but the boat tours can be fun.”

“No one special to come with?”

“I told you, I can celebrate myself. That also means I can take trips and do a lot of things on my own.”

He twisted in his seat and leaned back against the passenger door. The weight of his gaze felt like a heavy blanket she wasn’t sure felt comforting. “What?”

“To go back to that earlier conversation point, why do you feel like you always have to do things on your own or be the one to plan everything?”

Scowling, she tried not to shift in her seat like she had back in second grade and her teacher was asking where her homework assignment was. Not like she could say that her dad had gotten drunk and used it to light a fire in the fireplace.

“Does there have to be a reason?”

“Little tip for you, Melody. One thing I’ve learned in my many years…”

She snorted. “Many years? What are you? The elderly man on the mountain? You’re not even thirty-five.”

“My skin care routine thanks you. No, I’m thirty-six.”

She looked him dead in the eye and then rolled hers. “Like that’s a huge difference.”

He pointed at her. “That. That right there.”

“What?”

“You deflect, evade, and distract. At least you try anytime someone gets too close to something deeper.”

She slowed for the reduced speed limit as they entered the next town. “I thought this weekend was supposed to be just about fun and sex. And not necessarily in that order. Not an interrogation.”

“It can be about fun and sex. But, Melody, I can always tell when you’re hiding something. When anyone’s hiding something. They always answer a question with a question. If you don’t want to tell me something, be honest about it. That’s all I ask.”

Silence filled the car, and Melody tried to find a better grip on the steering wheel as her palms had become sweaty. “Look. I just…” She licked her lips as words failed. Danger signs with skulls and bones and do not enter signs flared up in her mind. “Fun. Can we just focus on some fun?”

He leaned over and brushed his lips against her cheek. “Absolutely.”

She closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. One more hour.

Two hours later, they were being led into a corner suite that had a fucking jacuzzi just sitting in the corner of the windows overlooking the Niagara River and the Falls. The concierge—because of course Tony had somehow gotten the concierge to guide them—pointed out the various features of the room, and then quietly slipped out.

She tossed her purse on the bed. Waved at the jacuzzi and the entire room. “I didn’t bring my swimsuit.”

He walked over and settled his hands on her hips. She hated how good, how calming, it felt to be in his embrace. Feeling this good from his touch could lead her down the road to relying on him, and she never wanted to feel reliant on a man to make her feel this way.

“There’s nothing saying you can’t go in without a suit.”

She leaned back so she could see if he was being serious. “ I’m sure their cleaning staff is excellent, but I have no idea what previous residents of this room got up to in there.”

He waggled his brows at her like he was one of those smarmy cartoon pick up artists. “Probably the same thing we can get up to in there.”

She pushed hard enough against his chest that he took a step back. Thanks to working in construction and taking regular self-defense classes because both Eric and Uncle Stef wanted to make sure she could handle herself alone on a site, she knew what move to use and could put power behind it. But Tony wasn’t a lightweight. He was easily a half-foot taller than her, and his clothes disguised a body that was ripped in all the most delicious places.

“Let’s make it a bet.”

“Ew. No.”

He moved back against her and crowded her up against the bed. It was either wrap her arms around his waist or sit down.

She wrapped her arms around his waist.

He cradled her head in his hands and began working his magic fingers in the best head massage she’d ever had. A moan slipped from between her lips. Shaking her head, she managed to get words out. “No. No bet.”

“Fine. The jacuzzi is off the table. But how about another bet?”

She leaned back enough to look at him. There was something in his gaze that had yellow flags waving in her brain. “What?”

“We have fun together, right?”

“Yeah.”

“What if we could have fun together forever?”

He leaned in and began kissing his way down her neck. The feeling of his lips pressing against and then lightly sucking at her skin, had her brain shorting out. “What… what do you mean?”

“How about we go, now, and get a marriage license? And if I can’t convince you in twenty-four hours to use it, we just toss it away. But if I can show you the best time of your life, we get married?”

When he bit down on the spot where her shoulder and neck joined, she almost melted into a puddle of need. Grasping for words, she latched onto the one thing that had tickled her mind. “Why twenty-four hours?”

He nibbled on her skin before answering. “That’s the waiting period for New York.”

“You researched marriage licenses?”

He pulled back enough so that his eyes met hers and the seriousness in them had her shivering. “I am never joking when I ask you to marry me.”

“But…”

His diabolical fingers slipped down the front of the leggings she’d worn for the drive. He could have gone in for the kill, but instead he tortured her. He stroked the skin where her lower abs met her pubic area. Just brushing back and forth. Back and forth. Until she reached the point where she tried to grab his hand and push his fingers into her.

Guiding his hand through the fabric of her leggings was impossible, and her own fingers got tangled when she tried to stuff her hand inside them.

“What do you say? Is it a bet?” He began inching his fingers down. Closer to where she craved their touch.

“Just fuck me.”

He laughed, and his breath puffed against her neck, triggering another wave of shivering desire .

“Not until you agree to the bet.”

“That’s coercive.”

He scraped his teeth against her neck, and she swore she had a mini-orgasm from the move.

“Hmmmm. You’re right. I’ll fuck you no matter what. Mini bet. If I can get you to agree that I’ve just given you the best orgasm ever, you’ll agree to the marriage bet?”

His fingers were millimeters from where she desperately needed them. She tilted her hips forward, but he flowed with the movement, keeping her on edge.

She grabbed his face and pulled him down for a kiss. “No bet. But if you give me the best time of my life, I might consider doing a test run of the concept with you. I’m not marriage material, Tony. You may not want me as a wife once you’ve got me. Now give me what I want.”

He growled. “I may not always give you what you want, Melody, but I’ll always give you what you need. And you are marriage material. You’re mine.”

Ignoring the treacherous emotions those words conjured up, she pressed her lips against his. If there was anyone who could convince her to try marriage, it might actually be Tony. And she was scared he might actually convince her. Giving her heart fully over to him and having something happen would break her.

He nipped at her lips. “Lie back down, baby.”

“Make me.”

“You are the most contrary person.”

“But you love that, don’t you?”

She felt a sudden pressure from his fingertips, but it eased as he began petting her once again. “I do. God help me, but I do.”

The deeper tone of his words confused her. She pulled back a bit, but he followed, and kissed her, taking command of her mouth as he slipped his fingers lower. He began a slow, relentless circling of her clitoris, and she moaned.

The steady pressure never wavered even as her nerves began to shimmer with sensation.

“Tony.”

He didn’t answer with words, but moved to kneel before her. Stripped her leggings down along with her panties. She reached for his shoulders, but he brushed her hands away before she could grab hold.

Hooking his hand under one thigh, he brought it up and over his shoulder. Leaving her fully exposed to him. He didn’t let her dwell on the unusual position. The first press of his lips against her sex wasn’t a gentle kiss. No, it was a cupping of her clit and a strong, steady suck.

“Unf.” She grabbed for whatever she could clutch, which ended up being hanks of his hair.

He curved one of his palms around her ass and stroked the strip of skin where her other cheek met her thigh with his fingers.

His touches felt both forbidden and lightly teasing at the same time. “Tony…”

The pressure from his fingers increased, and he moved them closer to her core. He continued the strong, steady suck of her clit, only briefly pausing to draw in air.

When his fingers finally entered her, the angle had her awkwardly hunching over him to ease the pressure, but not so far away to disconnect from his mouth.

She wanted to wrap her body around him and never leave this pleasure zone.

Without warning, he pulled her hips forward, sending her off-balance. She landed on the bed, her hips and legs in the air, with his mouth still attached to her clit and his fingers buried in her pussy.

“Tony…” She tried to figure out where to put her one leg, but before she completely lost control of things he pulled his fingers from where they were working magic and guided her free leg to his shoulder.

With both legs now anchored, she could use the leverage to press harder against his mouth. But the moment she tried, the slick material of the bedspread had her slipping back on her shoulders.

Tony hummed against her clit. Probably in warning, but it only made her eyes roll back as hot pleasure radiated out through her entire body. He hummed again, and Melody realized how much deeper and weightier the orgasm that was building was. Her lack of ability to control the situation, the unfamiliar environment, Tony’s dedicated attention to her clit all combined to send her mentally to a place she’d never contemplated.

Moments later, a dark rainbow exploded in her mind and her body bowed up from the intense pleasure as the orgasm hit.

She heard Tony’s voice, and only then realized that his mouth was no longer attached to her clit. Shudders began wracking her body as it overloaded with sensations.

The slick comforter against her back contrasted with the slightly rough skin of Tony’s palms rubbing up and down her body. Unable to concentrate on anything, she drifted off with the waves still buffeting her nervous system.

When she became aware of Tony’s hard body—naked body—pressed against her, and his breath washing against her ear as he murmured nonsense that sounded suspiciously like the word “mine”, she had no idea how much time had passed. The view outside the window showed there was still daylight out, which meant it couldn’t have been too much time.

Enjoying the feeling of Tony’s skin against hers, she shifted and wrapped her legs around his hips, aligning his cock against her core. The feeling was delicious, especially as they’d never been bare skin-to-bare skin like this before. Not that he’d get inside her bare. She knew better.

“Mmmmm.” Tony moved his head and bit down again on the base of her neck.

Arching her head back, she threaded her fingers through her hair. “More. Not inside. But I want to feel you on me.”

He paused, then groaned and began grinding against her. After only a few strokes that had her reconsidering her “no entrance without a condom” policy, she orgasmed again.

Even as another, harder wave from that one hit her, she felt Tony stiffen against her and the splash of hot release just above her pussy.

This time she clearly heard the one word he uttered, “mine”, before she drifted off again. Because, damn it. He’d been right. This had definitely been one of the best times of her life.

Melody wondered if she needed a dress to go get a marriage license.