21. Reese
Reese
Daylight faded as the sun set behind the mountain peaks. I stepped outside into the small, fenced-in backyard and slipped my phone from my pocket. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of what looked like a cherry tree, and a startled flock of quail took to the air, disappearing over the fence.
I brought up Gunnar’s number and hit send.
“Yeah,” he answered.
“Just checking in. Client’s belongings arrived, so thanks for that.”
“No problem.”
“Any issues on your end?”
“Got a request for you from a previous client. I told them I didn’t know when you’d be available.”
“Not sure at this point.”
“Does your client have the budget for this? Especially if it drags on?”
It wasn’t the first time we’d taken on a client who needed help but couldn’t pay. I still hesitated before answering. “No.”
“I see.”
“I can cover the expenses. It’s not an issue.”
“I’m sure you can. Money tends to pile up when you never spend it, you cheap-ass.”
I chuckled. “I’m not cheap. I just don’t need much.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen your house.”
“Any rumblings from your contacts about Mayhem?”
“Not so far. Getting her out was the right call. Now she’s just a random member’s missing baby mama. The club won’t give a shit.”
“Probably not. Although her mom might.”
“True. She has contact with her mom?”
“A little. It actually might help. I’m hoping her mom will inadvertently give us some warning if the asshole gets wind of where they are. She might try to intervene—convince Summer to cooperate.”
“And she might tell you when the ex gives up.”
“Exactly.”
“All right, man. I doubt I’ll hear anything useful, but if I do, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.”
I ended the call just as the back door opened, and Summer stepped outside.
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah. Just checking in with my partner. Nothing new on his end. You haven’t heard from your mom again, have you?”
“No. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
“Hard to say right now.”
She took a few steps across the concrete patio. “Can we talk about something?”
“Sure. What?”
“Our fake marriage.”
My brow furrowed. “What about it?”
“I think we need to be more convincing when we’re in public. The town went from talking about the return of Reese Haven to our marital problems.”
“We have marital problems?”
“According to the gossip line, we do. You heard what your aunt said. And I’ve heard whispers, too. One of my coworkers heard we aren’t married but we’re pretending to be because I’m in witness protection.”
“That’s a little too close to the truth.”
“Exactly. It’s not that I think Mayhem is going to hear a bunch of small-town rumors from thousands of miles away. But your aunt didn’t even realize I was with you when we were at the farmers’ market. If we’re going to pretend to be a couple, we should probably do a better job of selling it.”
I glanced away, like suddenly she was too bright to look at directly, and my body reminded me there were a lot of married-couple things I would have loved to do with Summer. But that was a very bad idea.
And not what she was getting at, anyway.
“What do you think we should do?” I asked.
She took a deep breath. “Hear me out. What if we practice? Here, where no one’s watching.”
I swallowed hard. Practice. Here. She didn’t mean that, but man she was stirring up some serious temptations.
My eyes flicked to the back window.
“He’s in bed. After all that tree climbing and ice cream, he’s wiped.”
“All right. What do you need me to do?”
“For one thing, you stiffen up whenever I get near you.” She moved closer, and sure enough, my spine straightened, my back tightening. “See? I don’t have cooties. You don’t need to be afraid to get close to me.”
Taking a deep breath, I let my shoulders relax.
“Better.” She shifted so she stood next to me, and her arm brushed mine. The sensation was electric. “There, now hold my hand.”
I slipped her hand into mine. Hers was warm and soft. Pleasant. She twined our fingers together, and I squeezed. She squeezed back and leaned her cheek against my arm.
“Okay.” She let go. “That was easy, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Now, maybe practice touching my arm or my back. You know, the way a husband would touch his wife.”
I suppressed the low growl that tried to crawl up my throat. It would have been so much easier if I wasn’t so attracted to her. Pretending when it was actually pretend would have been one thing. But touching her like she was my wife with my inner caveman trying to take control was another.
Fuck, it was hard.
And so was I.
But I was a man with self-control. So, I put a hand on the small of her back and gave her a caress. Applying gentle pressure, I led her forward, as if we were walking somewhere together. She followed my touch, turning with me and stopping when I did.
Giving in slightly, I indulged in sliding my hand up her back and across her shoulders, drawing her against me. After all, it was her idea. I shifted her so she faced me and ran my hands up and down her arms. She tilted her chin up, and for a moment, I got lost in her brilliant blue eyes.
“That’s good.” Her voice was a breathy whisper.
“Does it feel like you’re my wife?”
Her lips parted, and she nodded.
Instinct took over, and I slid my hands around her waist. She draped her arms around my neck. My heart beat hard, and I hoped she didn’t get any closer, or she was going to feel every bit of what she was doing to me.
“Maybe we should, um…” She rubbed her lips together. “In case we need to at some point.”
“Get it over with?”
“Yeah. It seems like it would be easier to kiss for the first time when no one’s watching.”
My eyes flicked to the back window again. It would figure that Nate would appear when I was about to kiss his mom. But no one was there.
We didn’t have to do it. We could play the part of a married couple without ever kissing in public. I needed to let go. Step back. Keep my distance. If I kissed her, I’d have to live with the knowledge of what she felt like.
“I don’t mind.” Her voice was quiet. “It’s not a big deal. We’re just pretending.”
Right. Just pretending.
Leaning in, I pressed my lips to hers and tried not to groan. Her mouth was soft and pliable, and a burst of heat flowed through my veins.
That’s enough, Reese. You kissed her. Pull away.
She let out the slightest whimper and I was done.
Fuck it.
Winding my arms around her, I pulled her tight against me. I brushed my tongue along her lips, and she opened for me, tilting her head so I could take the kiss deep. Our tongues slid against each other, velvety soft, and her mouth was warm and wet.
I didn’t stop, kissing her like she was the oxygen I needed to live. Devouring her like she was mine.
But she wasn’t.
I let go, dropping my arms and pulling away abruptly. She gasped and took a step back. Breathing hard, I kept my eyes on the ground. I couldn’t look at her. If I did, I’d crack.
Or maybe I already had.
“Sorry,” I said.
“No.” She hesitated. “It’s fine. That was good.”
It wasn’t just good. It was fucking intoxicating.
My head swam and the visceral memory of my mouth tangled with hers burned hot. I resisted the urge to lick my lips to get another taste of her.
If I did, I might kiss her again. And I couldn’t do that.
I couldn’t make her a promise I wouldn’t be able to keep.
She brushed her hair back from her face, and her voice was still breathy. “Mission accomplished, I guess.”
“Yeah. We’re good?”
“We’re good.” She seemed to be collecting herself, taking a deep breath and fussing with her hair. “I’m sure a little well-placed PDA will convince everyone we’re married.”
I nodded again.
She opened her mouth as if to say more, but closed it again, turning to head inside instead.
Closing my eyes, I licked my lips, savoring the taste of her.
I wanted to grab her. Pull her tight against me and devour her mouth.
Then devour the rest of her.
But I didn’t. I held back, knowing it was the right thing to do. The only thing I could do.