Chapter 11
Strip For The Stray
“So… what happened to nothing going on between you and Charlie, huh?” Walker asks with a smug grin.
“Things changed,” I mutter, stabbing my steak a little too aggressively.
After we finished at the courthouse, Ma insisted on taking everyone to Prickly Pear to celebrate. Because of course, in our family, what was supposed to be a secret ceremony ends with us parading through town while everyone congratulates us with visibly perplexed expressions.
Not that I give a damn what anyone thinks, except Charlie. I haven’t had a second alone with her since my family crashed our wedding, but she seemed happy to have her friends there, so I’m glad they showed up.
“I’m not buying it.” Walker shoots me a skeptical look. “You’re meticulous to a fault. There’s no way you decided to just up and marry her after you found out she was pregnant with your baby.”
I set my fork down, and cross a leg over my knee, leaning back in my seat. “Drop it, Walker.”
“You’re avoiding the question, and I’m going to enjoy giving you hell when you finally admit the truth.” He takes a swig of his beer, appearing far too pleased with himself. “It’s the least I can do for all the shit you gave me over Birdie.”
I did give him a hard time when I found out he was making weekly trips to the feed store and dropping thousands just for an excuse to spend five minutes alone with her.
Then he announced they were dating out of the blue, and I knew there was more to the story.
Turns out I was right. It started as a fake relationship, at least on Birdie’s side.
Walker, on the other hand, had been gone for her from day one.
Sounds familiar.
Yeah, I’ve wanted Charlie for years too. But unlike Walker, I relied on avoidance and cold responses to keep my distance. What I failed to account for was Charlie giving back as good as she got, turning every conversation into a tension-filled sparring match that left me wanting her more than ever.
My gaze drifts across the table to where she’s seated between Briar and Birdie. Her head is tipped back in laughter, and the brightness in her eyes steals the breath from my lungs.
She’s pure temptation in that lace dress that dips just enough to hint at her cleavage. I remember exactly how full and round her breasts are, and the breathy moans that fell from her lips when I tugged her nipple between my teeth.
Too bad our wedding night isn’t going to resemble anything close to what we shared the night of Walker and Birdie’s big day.
“I’ll take you giving Charlie googly eyes over the constant bickering,” Walker says, clapping me on the back. “Your constant arguing was exhausting.”
I bark out a humorless laugh. “Don’t let her cheerful mood fool you. She isn’t capable of not sparring with me, even if she wanted to. And I have it on good authority that she’s not about to start playing nice anytime soon.”
Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she doubles down after today.
She’ll be more guarded than ever, determined to make it clear this marriage is strictly transactional.
Too bad for her, I’ve never been one to back away from a challenge, especially when it comes in the form of a stubborn redhead who gives me a run for my money.
When I glance back at Charlie, she’s staring at me.
She flashes me an unexpected smile and lifts her hand to show off the diamond on her left ring finger.
Thankfully, no one has told her it belonged to my grandmother, so she assumes it’s just a meaningless ring I picked up at the local jeweler.
I plan to keep it that way until I’m confident the truth—that I’ve wanted more with her for a long time—won’t make her spiral.
“I’m getting whiplash,” Walker tells me, scratching his forehead. “Are you actually into each other or is this all about doing what’s best for the baby?”
“Both,” I answer without missing a beat.
He tilts his head, frowning. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t have to. As far as everyone is concerned, Charlie is having my baby, we’re married, and our situation is permanent.”
He takes another pull from his beer, eyeing me skeptically over the rim. “Does she know that?”
I steal another glance at Charlie. “She will.”
Walker leans back in his chair, hat drawn low, a lazy smile tugging at his mouth. “Guess I’ll just sit back and enjoy the show. Either this turns into a love story for the ages or a train wreck that’ll divide the whole town. Not sure which scenario I’m rooting for more,” he adds with a wink.
“Appreciate the support,” I grunt.
He tips his bottle in my direction. “That’s what brothers are for.”
It’s past nine when we get to Charlie’s place—our place now, I suppose.
I’d rather be at my loft on the ranch, but I want her to be comfortable with our new living arrangement.
If that means staying in her space for a while, I’ll happily oblige.
Besides, judging by how packed her shop is, she doesn’t exactly travel light.
We park in a designated space on Main Street next to her red SUV, and I follow her around the back of the building, my duffel bag slung over my shoulder.
“Where the hell are the lights?” I grumble, squinting into the dim alley.
Charlie turns on her phone’s flashlight. “The landlord didn’t install any. He said it wasn’t necessary since the customers use the front entrance.”
I’m not sure who her landlord is, but I plan to find out and give them a piece of my mind for putting my wife in unnecessary danger.
Holy shit.
It hits me that we’re legally bound together for better or worse.
I’m hoping the better outweighs the worse, though Charlie’s determination to keep her distance may prove to complicate things.
I’m prepared to show her how good things could be between us with a little effort.
Let’s just hope she doesn’t smother me with a pillow or take me out in this unlit alley before I get the chance.
“Why don’t you use the front entrance then?” I question.
Charlie slows, navigating around a tall stack of boxes. “There’s a rear door with stairs up to the apartment. I use it so I don’t have to go through the shop after hours.”
“Sounds reckless if you ask me,” I mutter.
“Good thing I didn’t ask,” she fires back.
I clench my hand, resisting the urge to push the issue further. The last thing I need is to fuel her stubbornness and give her a reason to do something reckless, like walking around here alone in the dark.
“If you’re going to keep using the alley, I’m going to install a few—”
Charlie’s sudden shriek cuts me off. The alley goes black as her phone clatters to the ground, and she ducks behind me, fisting my shirt.
“We had a deal, mister. You’d better stay where you are,” she hisses into the void.
I bristle, ready to confront whoever’s been harassing Charlie. I fish my phone out of my pocket and switch the flashlight on as I slide my arm around her waist, tugging her tight against me as I scan the shadows for threats.
Relief hits when I find the alley empty, but I do a double take on my second sweep when I spot a tabby cat perched on a nearby dumpster. Its eyes glow in the flashlight beam before it leaps down and prowls toward us.
“No,” Charlie warns sternly. “Don’t you dare come any closer. You promised.” The cat flicks its ears and keeps coming, paying her no mind.
Charlie lets out a squeak and darts behind me again, using me as a human shield. Meanwhile, the cat drops to its haunches in front of me, rubbing its head against my shin with a loud purr.
I scan the rest of the alley before looking back at the cat. “Just so we’re clear, you’re terrified of the cat and not its scary owner waiting to jump out from behind the dumpsters and murder us, right?” I ask Charlie.
“Hilarious,” she deadpans, inching farther behind me.
“I’m allergic, and this furry freeloader showed up at my door begging for scraps.
Despite the risk of ballooning up like a pufferfish, I still gave him several cans of tuna.
All I asked was that he bother literally anyone else the next time he got hungry. ”
I lift my duffel out of the cat’s reach. “And did he?”
“Did he what?”
“Land himself a new meal ticket?”
“Obviously not, since the little gremlin showed up again, determined to send me into anaphylactic shock,” Charlie says, exasperated.
“I literally gave him directions to the best scraps in town, but he’s clearly got zero survival skills since he came straight back.
Too bad for him, I’m all out of tuna.” I glance over my shoulder just in time to see her stick her tongue out at the cat.
My lips twitch upward. “We’re picking fights with strays now? Noted.”
I swear I can feel her sharpened gaze on me. “Watch it, mister, or you’ll be camping out here with your new buddy. Actually, that’s a brilliant idea since you’re basically a walking fur magnet, and we’d have to incinerate your clothes before you set foot inside.”
I wonder how Charlie handles visiting Birdie at her place with all the kittens she takes in. She’s constantly got a new litter, and I can’t imagine how Charlie manages to avoid an allergic reaction when she’s over there.
Her furry stalker takes advantage of our distraction and zips around me, heading straight for Charlie.
I’m pretty sure he just wants affection, but the way Charlie shouts, you’d think he was staging a full-scale attack.
Thankfully, the shops and restaurants in the area are closed for the night, so no neighbors come running to check on the commotion.
I stand, spinning around just as Charlie desperately dodges the cat and launches herself into my arms. She collides with my chest, her hands locking around my neck and her legs wrapping around my waist.
I’m acutely aware of her soft breasts pressed to my chest and how perfectly she fits against me, clinging tight like I’m the only one who can protect her from the cat swatting at my boots.
“If you wanted to start the honeymoon early, all you had to do was ask,” I taunt.