Chapter 4
FOUR
Heath
I know I’ve made a mistake as soon as I shake her hand. Not because I bid on her or asked her to be my wife, but because it’s all fake.
I wasn’t looking for love when I went to that auction, but I think I may have stumbled across it.
Sienna is sweet, funny, and smart. She fits against me so perfectly. I love talking to her and wondering what she’ll say next.
I want to know everything about her. I want to make her fall in love with me, and I want her to marry me for real.
I tried to convince myself it was only lust at the auction, but the more time I spend with her, the more she slides under my defenses.
“Come on, I’ll give you the tour,” I say, pulling her to her feet.
She wobbles on those damn heels, and I bend, throwing her over my shoulder while I work on undoing all the buckles and pulling them off.
“Heath!” she gasps.
I suddenly realize she’s half-naked and I’ve thrown her over my shoulder like a caveman.
“Sorry,” I grunt, tugging off her other shoe and letting her slide down my body to her feet.
She looks a little dazed as I make sure she’s steady. I tuck her into my side as we head further into the house.
“Living room,” I say, waving my hand around the room as we leave.
She doesn’t say anything, just looks around with big eyes. I lead her into the kitchen, and her eyes widen even more.
“You cook?”
She nods. “Yeah. You?”
“Not much.”
“But you have this kitchen!”
“I’ve never been very good in the kitchen,” I admit.
She smiles. “We’ll work on that,” she says.
I like it when she says we. “Sounds good.”
I tug her around the house, showing her my office, the half bath on the first floor, and the bedrooms upstairs.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmurs.
I smile. “I’m glad you like it. I’ll have the movers get your things tomorrow.”
“What?”
“Movers. We need to have your things here before my family gets here.”
“Oh, right. I can pack up some things.”
I nod and show her to our room. “I’ll get your backpack from my car.”
Sienna looks around the room and wanders over to the window. I watch as she stares out at the dark forest and the moonlit lake.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I love the location.”
“Because you’re a grumpy loner?”
I grunt. “Is that what they’ve been saying in town?”
She shrugs. “Yeah. And that you’re cold and aloof.”
“I probably am,” I agree.
Sienna studies me before turning her gaze to the bed. She unzips my jacket and lets it slide off her arms. I watch as she folds it and sets it on the dresser.
She opens a dresser drawer and spins to face me. “This is your room.”
“Yes. We need to share. We need to get used to being around each other and acting like a couple.”
I’m impressed with how quickly I came up with that excuse. The truth is that I can’t imagine spending a night away from her. I want her in my bed. I want to fall asleep with her in my arms and wake up to her face next to mine in the morning.
“What about my virginity?”
I bite back a groan, shocked by the sudden shift in topic. Is she trying to kill me? I can’t talk to her about her virginity while she’s standing in our bedroom in barely there lingerie.
“I’ll get your things,” I say roughly, turning to head downstairs and out to the garage.
Jesus, I’m so screwed.
I grab her things and go back upstairs. By the time I step into our bedroom, Sienna has changed into one of my shirts and is climbing into bed.
I catch a glimpse of the white thong between her ass cheeks before she slips under the covers.
I bite my cheek, focusing on the pain so I don’t come in my pants from that sight alone.
“Hope you don’t mind,” Sienna says when she sees me in the doorway.
“No. Help yourself.” My voice sounds like gravel.
She gives me a weird look as I set her backpack on the dresser.
I come up with a plan as I shower and change.
We’ll go into town tomorrow for the marriage license, and we’ll practice being a couple.
Maybe I’ll be so good at it that she’ll fall for me, too.
By the time that my family leaves, she’ll have forgotten that this is supposed to be fake, and she’ll be mine.
With that plan in place, I crawl into bed next to Sienna. She’s already asleep, and I try not to wake her as I pull the covers over us.
She moans, rolling onto her side and throwing her leg over mine. I freeze. My hands want to reach for her. My cock leaks in my pajama pants, and I groan as she shifts against me.
Control yourself! I scream in my head.
Sienna rocks against me, letting out a breathy sigh, and I almost bust in my pants.
Fuck, this is going to be harder than I thought, I think as I lie next to her, willing my body to relax enough for me to get some rest.