Chapter 13
Jax alternated between tugging at his cuffs, sliding a finger under his collar, and adjusting his tie.
He couldn't breathe, a vice slowly but surely constricting his chest until the simple act of dragging in a breath hurt.
"Relax." Murray slapped him on the back, annoyingly chipper.
"I am," he said through gritted teeth, glancing at the door and his watch for the umpteenth time.
"She'll be here." Murray straightened and smoothed the lapels of his tux. "Though it's not too late to change your mind." He winked. "You make a run for it, I'll take care of the damsel in distress."
Jax's scathing glare made Murray laugh. "You're a riot but I wish you'd shut the hell up."
Murray's laughter subdued to smothered chuckles. "Why? Nervous?"
"Hardly."
Jax usually took everything in his stride, from occupational health and safety officers threatening to close his mine if he didn't comply with their outrageous demands, to weepy secretaries pining for their outback lovers who vanished without a trace.
He'd dealt with the trauma of his dad's trial and the resultant fallout, when mates he'd gone to school and uni with had turned their collective backs on him.
He'd coped with his elegant, classy mother doing the unthinkable in assisting his dad in his underhand dealings before absconding like a thief into the night.
He'd handled moving across the country and taking over a mine with no previous experience bar a stint at a merchant bank, and he'd handled the isolation, dust storms, and cyclones.
Handling a wife for as long as it took to wrap up a few business deals?
Easy.
"Good, because here she comes." Murray nodded towards the door, his inane grin annoying Jax as much as the leap of his pulse.
He shouldn't be looking forward to seeing Ruby this much.
They were two pragmatic individuals doing whatever it took to achieve their respective goals.
Tell that to his gut, instantly tightening at the sight of her, resplendent in a calf-length, off-white dress with thin straps, her hair a glorious muss of curls, and those striking green eyes accentuated by lashings of makeup.
As they locked gazes across the small room, he could've sworn his heart twanged.
Damn.
He strode down the aisle, for want of a better word, to greet her.
Aware of curious eyes upon them—Murray, the celebrant, and her cousin staring daggers at him—he slid an arm around her waist, drew her close, and kissed her.
He'd aimed for a brief, perfunctory greeting, but the moment his lips touched hers he couldn't help himself. Increasing pressure, demanding entrance, delighting in the jolt to his libido as her tongue snaked around his.
She tasted of mint and strawberries, sweet and succulent, and he lost himself in the seductive charms of his soon-to-be wife.
Wife.
Marriage.
For better or worse.
He couldn't have imagined a more affective douse for his rising passion, and if Murray hadn't cleared his throat he would've stopped anyway.
Ruby stared at him, her eyes so wide and luminous a guy could lose it completely if he looked into them long enough.
The tip of her tongue darted out to sweep along her lower lip. Savouring his kiss or checking for damage, considering he'd practically ravaged her?
It was the damndest thing, having no control around her. For a guy who prided himself on staying in control, always, he made a mockery of his restraint every time they touched.
It begged the question, how fucking mind-blowing would it be when they went all the way?
They might've postponed the honeymoon—to never—but no way would he forgo a wedding night.
He intended on making it one to remember.
"You're supposed to wait until you say I do before you get to that part," Murray said, breaking the tension, and Jax blinked, clueless as to how long he'd been staring at Ruby.
Her lips curved in a knowing smile, as if she knew exactly the effect she had on him, and revelled in the power.
Desperate to regain the upper hand, he ducked to whisper in her ear. "You're stunning, and that's some dress, but don't get comfortable."
Her lips brushed his ear lobe. "Why?"
"Because with what I've got planned for later, you won't be wearing it long."
Her stifled moan shot straight to his cock and he straightened before he couldn’t stand in front of the celebrant and witnesses.
With Ruby's hand in his, he led her to the front of the room, aware of little but her palm in his, her subtle berry fragrance, and her clear, strong voice as she recited vows.
He interjected at all the right moments, following the celebrant's cues, binding himself in matrimony to Ruby Seaborn.
While their fake marriage wouldn't last long, for a long, drawn-out moment after he said, "I do" he almost wished circumstances were different.
"You may now kiss your bride," the celebrant announced with a beatific smile.
"They've already done that part."
Everyone chuckled at Murray's quip and this time he kept the kiss short and sweet. Because he knew the next time they French kissed he wouldn't be able to stop until he had her hot and panting and pliant beneath him, begging for more.
After the ceremony, Opal sidled up to them, her speculative gaze swinging between them. "I was wrong about you two."
Ruby shot him a hesitant glance he didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
Opal patted Ruby's cheek. "Anyone can see you two are crazy about each other. Be happy."
He intended to be.
As soon as he got his luscious new bride naked.