Chapter Twenty-Four
SHAUNA TRIED TO convince herself she wasn’t tired as she got ready for work Friday morning, though she’d only slept a few hours thanks to her now husband, Mr. Wicked Kisser.
Every time she’d closed her eyes she’d seen flashes of him.
She looked down at her beautiful rings, still shocked they’d gone through with the wedding.
She might have thought she’d dreamed up the whole incredible evening if Conroy hadn’t sent them the pictures shortly after they’d gotten home last night.
She’d never seen herself so happy or so pretty, and Zander?
Her pulse quickened just thinking about the way he’d looked at her when she’d walked down the aisle, but seeing it in pictures had cemented the image into her memory.
She’d forever remember their heart-thundering glances that had stoked the desire brewing between them nearly to the point of combustion.
And she’d definitely never forget that toe-curling, soul-rocking kiss. God, that kiss…
The kiss I initiated in front of his entire family.
She still couldn’t believe she’d done that, but it had felt like a now-or-never moment, and she hadn’t wanted there to be a never.
The trouble was, she hadn’t known kisses like that existed.
How could a single kiss make her knees weaken and her entire body tingle and burn?
How could one kiss, a first kiss, leave her loneliest parts begging for more?
It wasn’t just the way he looked at her or that smoldering kiss that was turning her into a hot mess.
It was everything about him, from the way he made her feel safe enough to let her guard down to how he held nothing back, making her laugh by swooping her off her feet one second and sending her up in flames the next with those piercing blue eyes and a soft-spoken promise.
All kidding aside, thank you for trusting me.
I’ll try my best to be the kind of husband you deserve.
Zander Wicked possessed the rare and innate ability to ruin a girl for all others with an intimacy that didn’t require physical touch. He needed a neon blinking light on his forehead that read Warning! This man will ruin you for life.
And leave you wanting more.
So much more.
She finished dressing, and as she put on her boots, she thought about the moment she’d seen her initials tattooed on his finger.
The sight had stolen her breath, but it was their connection, that buzz of electricity and the bone-deep ache to kiss him again, that had sent her world spinning.
She cringed with the memory of being unable to string a sentence together before escaping into her bedroom.
Maybe Zander didn’t notice her foray into Flusterville.
Yeah, right.
The man didn’t miss a thing.
She needed to get over it. What’s done was done, and there was no undoing it.
She would write off that embarrassing escape as a blip on their radar screen and write off their kiss—the best kiss I’ve ever had—as temporary madness, and move on.
At least she’d have the next twenty-four hours to figure out how to do that before she’d see him again.
She slid the rings off her finger and tucked them into her jewelry box, surprised to miss the feel of them.
Trying to ignore that sensation, she grabbed her keys and pocketed her phone, thinking about the tattoo on his finger.
Last night, when she couldn’t sleep, she’d googled sfz, just to be sure it really was a musical abbreviation.
It was, but it still looked like a monogram made just for her.
After that revelation, she’d downloaded the book Madigan and the girls were reading for their book club and had begun reading it in hopes of turning her brain off.
It hadn’t helped her sleep. The story was steeped with sexual tension…
and she couldn’t wait to get back to it.
As she opened her bedroom door, she was surprised to hear the sound of Zander’s guitar. Her pulse spiked. She thought he’d be at work by now.
She followed the scent of something delicious down the hall and found a visual feast. Zander was sitting on the couch in the living room, shirtless, with his broad, muscular back to her, playing the guitar.
Her eyes locked on the Family tattoo on his back, with all those roots snaking through the letters, and Madigan’s words came back to her.
She’s one of us now, and we’re keeping her after the divorce.
Shauna had been so overwhelmed after the way Zander’s family stepped up for him and how they’d accepted her with open arms, even if some were cautious, she hadn’t allowed herself to think Madigan had meant what she’d said.
But maybe if she and Zander made it through these next few months unscathed, she could remain friends with him and Madigan and the girls.
“Good morning,” she said. “I thought you’d be at work by now.”
He turned, a warm smile stretching across his face like he was genuinely happy to see her, and boy did that feel good. “Morning, Angel.” He set his guitar on the couch. “I told them I’d be a little late. I wanted to start our new life right and see my gorgeous wife off to work.”
Her thoughts stumbled over what he’d said, and she got even more distracted as he pushed to his feet. His worn jeans hung low on his hips, bringing back the image of him naked, and her traitorous body forgot all about her fatigue, getting wired and restless all over again.
Nonono.
She tried to will those thoughts out of her head.
She needed to think of him like one of the guys at the firehouse.
How many times had she seen them walking around half-dressed?
But they don’t have rock-hard abs I could wash my clothes on, and I’ve never wanted to kiss any of them so badly, I got hot and bothered just thinking about it.
As the thought hit, her mind tiptoed back to what he’d said about going into work late for her.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said. “I can get myself off.”
His smile turned salacious. “Well, I can help with that, too.”
A rush of heat washed through her, and for a brief, tantalizing moment, she allowed herself to toy with the idea. But as her body screamed yes, her rational brain took hold. She had too much riding on this to screw it up. “I’m good, thanks. I need to go to work.”
“Just trying to be a good husband.” He picked up a small paper bag and a to-go cup from the coffee table and carried them over to her.
“I made you a breakfast…” His brows knitted, and his jaw clenched.
He held up the bag, staring at it for a beat before saying, “Burrito. It’s got eggs, cheese, sausage, and a few veggies thrown in for good measure.
It should still be warm, and coffee just the way you like it, with enough creamer to drown in. ”
She sighed inwardly. How was her heart supposed to survive this man? Nobody had ever taken care of her like this before. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to do all of this,” she said as he handed them to her. “I could’ve grabbed coffee at Cumby’s or the firehouse.”
“I stopped by Cumby’s on the way home the other day. You can’t go there anymore.”
“Why not?”
“There’s a wanted poster with your picture on it for creamer hoarding. It would be embarrassing if I had to bail my new wife out of jail.”
There was no suppressing her smile.
“Damn, darlin’. Seeing those dimples is the best way to start a morning.”
She laughed softly. “You don’t have to be a superhero husband. You’re already the best one I’ve ever had.”
“And I aim to keep it that way.”
Their gazes held for a beat longer than usual, awareness skimming through her entire body. “I’d better get to work. Please tell your family how much I appreciate everything they did for us.”
He opened the door and said, “I’ll walk you out.”
She was about to say he didn’t need to when his hand landed on her lower back, and he said, “They’re your family now, too, darlin’.”
That hit so deeply, she almost let herself believe it.
SHAUNA SAT ON the ambulance bumper reading on her phone, trying to sneak in a few more chapters before she had to cook dinner for the crew.
Madigan had sent a group text earlier, trying to schedule a time she and the girls could get together for lunch, and Shauna had mentioned that she’d started the book.
Everyone had commented about different parts of the story, being careful not to give away spoilers, which whetted her whistle for upcoming chapters.
Coordinating so many people’s schedules wasn’t easy, and they still hadn’t confirmed a date to get together, but she was having fun texting and looking forward to seeing them again.
She tried to tune out the guys as she read.
It had been quiet until they’d rolled out of the firehouse giving each other a hard time and trying to rope her into their banter.
She’d been keeping her distance, figuring out how to tell them about her new marital status.
Earlier, when Lance had said she looked tired, he’d asked what she’d been up to last night and had immediately started teasing her about having gone on a date.
Not that they had any reason to believe that, but they’d been in prime heckling form all day.
When she and Zander were swapping silly cat videos and funny marriage videos earlier, the guys had accused her of sexting because they said she’d looked too happy.
She wasn’t about to follow that up with a marriage reveal.
And then there was Cap. He’d been giving her knowing looks all day, but she knew he’d keep her secret until she was ready to share it. Even if it took a couple of weeks.
“She hasn’t blinked in five minutes,” Mike said, inching closer to her.
“Is she breathing?” Trey asked.
“She’s in a book coma,” Paul said. “I recognize the signs.”