“Wait, let me finish. I’m not trying to pressure you. I know I’m springing this on you all at once. And I know you had a bad experience with your first husband. But, what if we keep this marriage under our hats and don’t pursue a divorce right away? Give me some time—say three months—to convince you to stay married. If it doesn’t work, we’ll end it, with no hard feelings.”
“I… I don’t know…”
He moved one hand and laid it on the side of her face. “May I?” He swallowed the thick emotion that bubbled from inside. “May I touch your face? I want to see you… really see you.”
She gave silent assent with a nod, and he moved his other hand to her face. His fingers gently traced the lines of her jaw. He let his hands move across her cheeks and felt her brows, her eyelids, her delicate nose. Then his fingers trailed across her quivering lips and down her chin to her neck. Her pulse throbbed under his fingertips.
“Beautiful,” he rasped, a rapturous feeling swelling until his chest felt it might burst open. “You’re even more lovely than I thought.”
He bent to capture her lips with his. Though he tried to hold back, he felt like a starving man. Never had he wanted a woman the way he craved her. As he deepened the kiss, she responded, her breaths coming faster.
Thud, thud, thud, thud. A deafening pounding on the front door made both of them jump. Bran sprang to his feet, his face burning hot, as if he’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Branson what’s going on?” Cole’s muffled voice came through the door. “Carina’s getting suspicious. Finn sent me to find you.”
“Coming!” Bran answered, counting the twenty-three steps to the front door before he flung it open. “Why didn’t Finn call me?”
Cole stepped inside. “Said he tried to call, but you didn’t answer. He’s on a roll at the craps table. He didn’t want to stop, so I volunteered to come.”
“How did I miss his call?” Branson retrieved his cell from his pocket and discovered the phone was set to silent. A quick check of his call record revealed several missed calls, one of them from Fordham. “Thought I had it on vibrate.”
“Where’s Stephanie?” Cole asked.
“She’s in the bedroom.”
“Maybe I should come back some other time.” With a humorous lilt, Cole raised his voice for Steph to hear. “I’ll leave you two alone so you can finish… whatever it was you were doing.”
“I’m on top of the covers,” Steph shouted. “Fully clothed.”
“That’s enough, Cole,” Branson growled, trying to listen to Fordham’s message.
“We weren’t doing anything. See?” Steph’s voice came from the bedroom door, and Branson heard the soft thumping of Steph hopping across the carpet. At least she wasn’t putting weight on her bad ankle.
Cole let out a long whistle. “You look gorgeous, Stephanie.”
Bran hung up, having found it impossible to concentrate on Fordham’s voice. He’d have to listen later.
“Thank you, Cole,” she said. “Sweet of you to say that. I have to admit, with Carina around, I can’t help feeling frumpy, especially when I’m limping around with this stupid cast on my foot.”
“Trust me,” Cole replied. “No one will be looking at your feet. That dress is stunning on you.”
Branson felt an insane impulse to punch his so-called friend in the gut. A friendly punch, just hard enough to make him double over and wish he’d never flirted with his wife. Never mind that Cole didn’t know they were married. And forget that Stephanie hadn’t agreed to stay that way. For the moment, she belonged to him, even if it was a secret.
“I think she’s stunning all the time.” Bran let his indignation show. “She’s just as beautiful without the fancy dress on.”
He realized his mistake the moment the words left his mouth.
“Too much information, my friend.” Cole pounded him on the back, guffawing so loud he sounded like he was dying of the whooping cough. “I won’t even ask how you know.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Bran mumbled.
“Cole, did you say Carina’s upset?” Steph piped in, changing the uncomfortable subject. “We should probably hurry and get down there.”
“Want me to bring you these crutches?” Cole’s voice came from the wall beside the front door, where Steph had leaned them when she came inside.
“I’ll take them to her,” Bran snapped, striding to Cole and holding out his hands. He not only wanted to keep Cole away from Stephanie, but he also needed a chance to speak to her. To settle things.
“Here you go.” Cole handed Bran the crutches, but added in a low tone, for Bran’s ears only. “Be careful. You’re giving off protective vibes, my friend. Might be confusing to Stephanie. I’d hate to see her feelings hurt any more than they already are.”