Stealing Hearts (Wild at Heart #1)

10. PAIGE

10

PAIGE

As I cling to Rhett for dear life, his mouth descends to mine in what I can only describe as the world’s best first kiss.

His lips are firm but soft, and his breath is minty. And he’s close enough that I can smell that amazing woodsy cologne I’ve always loved.

For those blissful ten seconds, the entire planet stops spinning, and I let out a quiet sigh.

If it wasn’t for his arm pressed to my back when he straightens me, I would slump to the floor.

When he finally lets go, I wobble and grab onto his arm.

Rhett leans over and whispers, “Shoulda warned you. I’m a good kisser.”

He looks so pleased with himself. “I should let you walk around for the rest of the day with lipstick on your face. Come here.” Arrogant bastard.

When he leans down, I’m struck by how handsome he is. I’ve always thought that, obviously, but right now, with that shit-eating grin on his face, his good looks are downright sinful. I grab his scruffy face and wipe away my gloss. As my thumb slides over his bottom lip, he nips it.

I gasp and let out an embarrassing giggle. His grin deepens, and my whole body heats.

Baylee’s flash yanks me out of his hypnotic gaze, almost blinding me, and I blink several times. Rhett and I agreed someone should take some pics to make this seem official, and my best friend offered.

Miss Frannie calls out, “May I present Mr. and Mrs. Rhett Walker.”

Fifteen-year-old me is ecstatic. She’s doing backflips down the aisle.

The real me knows that kiss was all for show. With Rhett’s banker sitting in the second row, of course my “husband” was going to play this up.

Aunt Syl yells, “Who wants to bet we get a visit from the stork in nine months?”

Everyone laughs except me and Rhett.

Because that would certainly throw a wrench in our plans.

As we step away from the podium, Rhett places his hand on the small of my back and leads me to Harlan and his wife.

“Y’all sure do make a pretty couple,” the older man says.

He looks vaguely familiar. I probably met him when I was a kid and don’t remember. Wild Heart is a small town, and I’d be surprised if there were many people I don’t know.

I shake his hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. I heard you and the Walkers go way back.”

“Sure do. I’ve known these boys my whole life, so you best be good to this one.”

Laughing, I nod. “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best.”

“You know, we’re gonna be neighbors. I just bought the property across the way from the Walker Ranch, so I’ll be seeing y’all around.”

Rhett’s brows lift. “You bought the Gibson property?”

Harlan nods. “Just a few months ago. They needed the money, and I figured, what the hell, maybe we’ll give this ranching thing a go. My son Jimmy thought we should diversify.”

“Well, holler if y’all need anything.” Rhett invites Harlan and his wife back to the ranch, and after a round of hugs from our friends, we head to his truck. I watch his brothers cram into Jace’s vehicle.

I wish one of them would join us. It would be nice to have someone to break the silence.

Holy crap. I just married Rhett freaking Walker. I glance down at the thin band on my finger, and it gives me a strange sense of nostalgia. I remember pretending to marry Rhett when I was little, walking down the dirt path behind my house and holding my hair brush like a bouquet. My ratty old teddy bear did a poor job standing in for the groom.

“You okay?” His deep voice startles me.

“Yeah.”

“Sorry about that kiss back there. Was it too much?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been married before. How did you kiss Amber?”

He thinks on that a moment. “Not like that. I just gave her a peck.”

Huh. Interesting. “Well, I think Harlan bought it. That’s all that matters, right?”

When he nods but doesn’t say anything, I start to worry. “Was my fake wedding announcement okay?”

He clears his throat. “It was fine.”

Fine? I thought he’d be excited about it. “Is there anything you need me to do at the reception besides moon over you and pretend I’m the happiest bride in town?”

“Just do what you’re doing.”

And then he’s silent again.

Okay then.

If any part of me was hoping that kiss would magically make Rhett fall in love with me, his silence sets me straight.

By the time we reach the ranch, I’m itching to get some space, but there are cars parked everywhere and people spill out of the house.

“I thought you said this was going to be a small reception?”

After he parks, he turns to me. “Paige, you announced our wedding in the Gazette . I’ve been getting calls all day from people inviting themselves over this evening.”

“What was I supposed to do? You told me to play up my part, so I did.” When he doesn’t say anything, I frown. “Did Irma or Ty call? Are they coming?”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping they would. After all the grief I got from Irma for having a crush on Rhett, I would relish this redemption, even if it won’t last long. And Ty? He’s still my brother, but I’m starting to think we’ll never be close. Not with Irma always yapping in his ear.

Rhett looks down in his lap, and I don’t even need him to open his mouth to hear that my family’s not coming.

I don’t know why I care. “Doesn’t matter.” I unlock my door and slide out.

“Wait,” he calls out after me, but I’m already on my way to the house. Except the gravel on the driveway and my shoes don’t like each other, so I have to slow down to keep my balance. My ankle is starting to hurt, but I love these sandals. They’re so elegant. Plus, I don’t have anything else to wear besides flip-flops or sneakers.

Rhett catches up to me with a grunt, then lifts me into his arms.

“What are you doing?”

He motions to the front door, which we’re approaching. “Carrying you over the threshold. You know, one of those time-honored wedding traditions.”

“Oh. Yeah. Okay.” A thrill shoots through me at how easily he carries me. The man doesn’t even break a sweat.

When we reach the house, he pauses. “Listen, in case I haven’t told you yet, I’m really grateful for what you’re doing. Thank you.”

His gruff voice makes chills break out along my arms. I turn to look at him, which is a mistake because we’re almost nose to nose. But I don’t want to be that girl who loses her mind over him. I can’t be that girl again. Going through that almost broke me the first time. So I give him a big, fake smile and ignore how easy it would be to maul him in this position. “No problem. Does this mean I get to eat now?”

He chuckles. “Come on, wife. Let’s get you fed.”

Wife?!

I let out a pathetic little sigh of delight. That sounded good. Too good.

When we open the door, everyone yells congratulations. I’m almost embarrassed by how many people came out. My third-grade teacher is here, my middle school librarian, the woman who owns my favorite coffee shop, and a few other locals who look familiar.

Rhett sets me down gently, but keeps his arm around my shoulders. I lean into him and smile at our guests.

He whispers, “By the way, you look gorgeous in that dress. If we were really getting married, I’d be a lucky man.”

I swallow, hating that those words hurt, but I mask it with another fake smile and snark, “Too bad you can only look and not touch.” I give him a saucy wink and make my way over to the beverage table, where I hope we have something stronger than beer because I’m going to need it.

After I pour a seven and seven, I make the rounds, saying hi to people I haven’t seen in years. While I visited home a few times since I went to college, I hated all the gossip, so I mostly stayed at my house or with Baylee and didn’t venture out much.

The patio doors open, and my eyes widen when I see picnic tables full of food and even a cake. Since Rhett is surrounded by well-wishers, I beeline it over to Jace and Beau, who are wolfing down hors d’oeuvres. “Where did y’all get the money for all of this?” I hiss. “I thought we were supposed to be frugal.”

“Like that ring you bought our brother?” Beau asks with a smirk.

“I felt bad giving him something cheap.” I shrug. “The jeweler gave me a line of credit.” Beau closes his eyes like he thinks I’m an idiot. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll pay it off once I start working. It wasn’t that much.”

Actually, it cost way more than I wanted to spend, but seeing how I’ll probably never get married again, I wanted to pretend for one day.

Aunt Syl waves me over, and she makes me and Rhett hug for a photo in front of some twinkle lights.

Who put up twinkle lights? It’s so romantic with the sun setting along the hills in the background. The sky is awash with red and purple and orange. I could sit out here all night and stare at the incredible horizon. I eye the fire pit that’s surrounded by old Adirondack chairs. I make a mental note to curl up there one night to read.

Someone grabs a glass and taps it with a fork, and suddenly everyone’s doing it.

“Kiss her, stupid,” old Mr. Valero yells at Rhett.

I laugh and turn to my new husband. Trying to delay the inevitable, I smooth my hands over his suit jacket. “I didn’t know you owned a suit. I’ve only seen you in jeans and t-shirts. You clean up nicely, husband .”

Rhett frowns, then leans down and pecks me on the mouth, and Mr. Valero groans. “Not like that, dumbass. Kiss her with some gumption.”

I chuckle and put my hands up on Rhett’s shoulders. “It’s okay. Do your worst.” Lowering my voice, I whisper, “You’re good to go. I swear I won’t fall madly in love with you.”

That makes his frown deepen for some reason. I’m about to push up on my toes when he leans down to whisper, “Don’t put weight on your ankle. I got you.” Then cradles the back of my head and pulls me to his hard chest.

This time, he nips my bottom lip, making me gasp, and then uses that opening to slide his tongue across mine.

The kiss lasts a second. Barely a heartbeat of time.

And yet my whole body lights up like I’m a holiday display at Christmas time.

Our guests cheer, and I cling to his big, hard body.

Aunt Syl shouts, “Rhett Walker is officially off the market, ladies!” And everyone laughs.

“Hell, yes, he’s off the market,” I yell playfully, and the laughter grows. I wink at Rhett so he knows I’m just messing around. Though if I’m feeling possessive of him, I’ll never admit it. When I spot the three-tier cake again, I point at it. “Can we smash the cake in each other’s faces? I’ve always wanted to do that.”

He chuckles. “Whatever you want, wife .”

Baylee makes us pose for photos. We munch on pizza and wings, and I eventually reach for a beer because I don’t want to hurl later. But the best part is when we cut the cake.

Rhett and I stand armed with vanilla cake that’s filled with custard and smells amazing. “Don’t get this on my dress, or I’ll hurt you.”

We both start to feed each other, and just as I’m about to take a bite out of his hand, he gets a glint in his eye, but I beat him to it and smash my slice in his face. Screaming with laughter, I turn around, but he wraps his arms around me, lifts me off the ground, holds me to his chest, and smears it across my cheek before he shoves a piece in my mouth.

I’m laughing so hard, I almost choke.

Especially when I slide down his body, and I’m greeted with something else that’s really hard.

Good Lord, he’s built like a bull. My eyes widen as I realize what’s pressed up against my back.

“Shit,” he grumbles. “Sorry.” He pulls away, but keeps his hand on my shoulder, probably to buy himself a minute.

Why can’t I ride Rhett later? I’m so bummed I won’t get to enjoy his incredible body tonight, I could stomp. “Didn’t know foot-longs were on the menu,” I say under my breath.

After a few more photos, we wipe our faces.

As it starts to get dark, someone cranks a stereo through the open windows of the house. Mav hops up on a picnic table and yells, “Let’s get the happy couple out here for a dance!” He jumps down and half-tackles Rhett, who laughs.

Ryan Hunt’s newest hit, an enchanting love song about his wife, blares through the quiet night. I take a deep breath when Rhett grabs my hand and leads me across the backyard to the concrete patio.

When he pulls me into his arms, Mav starts barking like an idiot. Baylee elbows him in the gut, and I laugh. If anyone in our group of friends was going to get married, I always thought it would be them, but based on the sexy little blonde following him around, that’s not happening anytime soon.

As Rhett and I sway, I try to keep from pressing against him, but it’s difficult because I have to lean up to hold his shoulders.

He had a rock-hard erection earlier.

The intrusive thought makes my heart speed up, but I remind myself it was just his body reacting to having me rub against him, nothing more.

I finally brave a look at my husband.

He’s already staring at me. “How’s your ankle?”

His dark eyes have the thickest lashes. All the men in this family have beautiful eyes, and if this was real, I wouldn’t feel so conflicted about losing myself in their depths.

“Hurts a little, but the alcohol helps.”

“We’ll get you off your feet after this. Get you a bag of ice.”

“I’ll be fine.” As much as I’m enjoying being this close to him, I’m looking forward to getting away from him later tonight. Too much of Rhett is a bad thing. I need some solid boundaries if I’m going to survive the next few months with my heart intact.

Was I being honest with him about not being able to fall in love? To an extent. I’ve never come close to being in love with any of my boyfriends, and I’ve tried.

Do I think I could fall in love with Rhett? All too easily, which is why I’m hoping my heart can stay aloof like it always does.

When the song is over, Aunt Sylvia comes up to us, dangling something off her finger. “These are the keys to Love Bird cabin next to Firefly Lake. It’s yours for the weekend. It’s my wedding gift to you and Rhett. Y’all deserve a little honeymoon.”

What the fresh hell? That cabin is where all the local couples go to “reconnect.” It’s supposed to be super romantic.

“That’s so sweet of you, Syl. You shouldn’t have.” I hug her and try to mask my alarm. “You’ve already done so much.”

“Nonsense.” She smirks. “I have ulterior motives. I want those grandbabies.”

What are the odds that cabin has two bedrooms?