Not Husband Material (Billionaire's Contract Duet 1)

And who would I be then? An ex-billionaire. I balled my hand into a fist. That wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t fail. And I wouldn’t fail at this marriage.

This was a smart move. I was marrying a smart girl. She was beautiful and sexy. And she didn’t want anything from me other than the baby. It was as close as I could get to finding the perfect business partner.

I turned my head as I heard her heels on the hardwood behind me. The innkeeper drew the doors open and Evie floated toward me. Holy fuck.

She wasn’t supposed to look like that. She wasn’t supposed to look like an angel. Like a goddess. A dangerous combination of sweet and sexy. Her stride was slow and graceful. She had touched up her makeup and her skin glowed. Her hair was pulled to the side and cascaded down her shoulder, held in place with a rhinestone clip. The seriousness of the ceremony suddenly punched me in the stomach. Evie didn’t look like a woman playing dress up. She looked like a bride. My bride.

“Evie,” I growled.

“You like it?” She lowered her long lashes. “If this is the only time I ever do this, I wanted to wear white. Once.”

“Yeah. Yeah. I get it.” I felt bad for trying to talk her into doing this in jeans and riding boots. She was an exquisite bride.

If it hadn’t been for the minister, I would have told her every dirty thought in my mind. How I wanted to lay her down in front of the fire, push that white mini-dress up to her hips and drink every drop of her until she screamed my name. Then I’d bury myself inside her. I’d rip the crystal beads from her breasts and suck her tits. I’d flip her over and take her from behind. The way we both liked it. But that would have to wait until after the ceremony. I tried to settle my cock. Calm it down before she realized how hard a simple white cocktail dress had made me. How she had flipped this ceremony upside down for me.

The minister yawned. “Shall we get started?”

“Wait, wait,” Jan Hughes was next to us. She was the elopement coordinator as well as our only witness. Right now, she was also the acting wedding photographer. She claimed to be a jack of all trades. It was necessary in her line of work.

“I need a shot of this. When the groom first sees the bride is a special moment.” She held up the camera and moved the lens until she was happy with the focus. “Beautiful. Ok. Go ahead.”

Evie stood across from me. Her eyes sparkled. She held a small bouquet of white roses. Jan had given them to her when we arrived. She had pinned a single rose to my jacket.

“I have to say I’ve only performed a few weddings this early in the morning.” The minister lit a few tapered candles on the mantle. It was now 2:30.

“It’s fine, Randy,” Jan hushed him. “We do elopements.” She looked at me. “This is exactly what we do.”

“I’m only mentioning the time,” he argued.

I had paid extra for them to accommodate us. Jan was eager to take the money.

I knew that Randy was talking, but I wasn’t listening to his stories about a couple of teens who eloped. The woman in front of me was gorgeous, and she was about to become my wife. Not in the true sense, but no matter what happened, I’d be linked to Evie the rest of my life. She could live wherever she wanted. Do whatever she wanted. Live out her career dreams. Raise the kid however she liked.

But tonight, we would be tied together forever. It might have started in the tiny corner booth at Bella’s, but it was becoming real now as we exchanged vows in the Magnolia Inn.

They weren’t vows abou

t love, or even about friendship. We had chosen the non-religious, least romantic package in the binder. Keeping it simple and legal was the goal. There was no reason to complicate our arrangement.

We repeated the words Randy spoke.

“You may kiss the bride,” the minister announced after we both pledged to uphold the bond of our marriage.

I heard Jan snap more pictures.

Finally, I could pretend there wasn’t anyone else in the room. The minister had given me permission to kiss my wife. When he saw the way I kissed Evie, he probably wished he hadn’t.

My arms wrapped around her and I crashed my lips into hers. She purred as I kissed the corners of her mouth and my tongue danced against hers.

The minister cleared his throat. “Congratulations. A long and happy union to you.”

“Congratulations, you two.” Jan was somewhere next to him.

I tangled my hands in Evie’s hair. She tasted like cinnamon and champagne. I could get drunk again off her lips. Fuck. I needed to take her to the bridal suite now.

She slowly pushed against my chest. “Thank you,” she murmured to Randy and Jan as they left the room.

We had a moment alone. “We did it,” she whispered. “We’re married.”