The two-story brick house with twinkling white icicle lights lining the roof was so pretty, I legit wanted to cry. I’d somehow found myself married—in name only—to the perfect man, who lived in the perfect town, and owned the perfect house. Life really wasn’t fair sometimes. Handing me everything I’d ever dreamed of but only letting me keep it all for a few months.
“Don’t get out yet,” Christopher commanded as he parked in front of the garage, the passenger door lined up with the sidewalk leading to the front of the house.
I figured he wanted to clear the walkway so I wouldn’t slip in the snow. Sighing over how thoughtful he was, I watched him walk up to the house and open the door. Instead of grabbing a shovel, he stomped back over to my side of the SUV. Then he flung open the passenger door and leaned in to unbuckle my seat belt.
“Thank y—” My whisper turned into a yelp when he slid his hands under my butt and thighs to lift me out of the SUV. Twining my arms around his neck to hold on, I squealed, “What are you doing?”
He kicked the vehicle door shut and started to march toward the house. “Carrying my bride over the threshold.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” I murmured, holding on tight even though he was carrying me as though I weighed almost nothing. “It seems silly to honor marriage traditions when I’m not your real bride, and I’ll only be here long enough to save your town.”
His hold on me tightened as the front door slammed shut behind us. He didn’t explain the logic behind his actions. Instead, he remained silent while he stomped up the stairs and down the hall. I didn’t catch what most of the house looked like, but I did spot a vase filled with pretty flowers in a bedroom as we passed. I found it a little odd since Christopher didn’t seem like the kind of guy who kept flowers in his home, but I didn’t get the chance to ask him about it before he walked into what had to be the master bedroom and practically tossed me onto the mattress of the king-sized bed.
“What in the world are you doing?” I gasped, bouncing on the soft surface.
“Getting ready to consummate our marriage,” he rumbled, shocking the heck out of me as he followed me down and covered my body with his, snowy boots and all.
My head was spinning out of confusion and from having him so close. Since he’d been the one to insist on our marriage being in name only, I wondered if I’d misheard what he’d just said. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
His lips were so close to mine, they were almost touching when he whispered, “How about I show you instead?”
5
Christopher
My mouth crashed down onto Winter’s, and I felt my world finally right itself. She was my wife in our house, in our bed, and I was going to make her mine in every sense of the word.
She tasted like spiced apples and cinnamon, and I wondered if I’d encounter the same flavor everywhere. I was sure as fuck going to find out. Her velvety tongue tentatively touched mine, and I groaned as I put more of my weight on her, grinding my hard on into the apex of her thighs.
Her body felt soft beneath mine, but there was too much clothing between us. Holding onto her waist, I pulled her with me as I sat up, then set her on my lap to straddle me. Without breaking our kiss, I unzipped my coat, shrugged it off, and tossed it to the floor. Hers quickly followed as I toed off my boots. I was grateful for my long arms when I grasped the heels of her boots and yanked them off.
Words were definitely not my strong suit—I’d rather show than tell. So, I was loath to separate our mouths because I was sure Winter would ask questions. Ones I didn’t want to answer until she was irrevocably tied to me. I was sorely tempted to push down her jeans, free my cock, and take her right then and there.
But my wife deserved so much more than that. And I wanted to feel her bare skin rubbing against mine while I fucked her to completion. I tore my lips away. And as quickly as I could, I whipped my shirt over my head and chucked it before doing the same with hers.
I glanced at her beautiful face nervously, then felt immense satisfaction at the raw hunger in her eyes. She still seemed a little confused, but my instincts told me it was due to lack of experience, which made me incredibly happy.
“Are you a virgin, sugar?” I asked gently.
A pretty blush stained her cheeks, and she nodded.