Somebody pinch her please, just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming?
The first time Heart’s Match had revealed her groom’s name, Tilly hadn’t wasted time looking him up on Google, and the results had been…incredible, to say the least. So much so she had even emailed customer support, asking if there could have been some kind of mix-up.
In less than an hour, she had her reply, and it was straight from the horse’s mouth (or, in this case, the horse’s owner, which was Heart’s Match CEO Charlotte Carmichael).
No, you’re not mistaken. It’s indeed Logan Hardwall, the billionaire, and not Logan H. Walter, the insurance agent (not that there’s anything wrong with that), who’s your husband.
Suffice to say, finding out that her husband was one of the world’s most sought-after bachelors had her walking in a daze for days, and it was only when Billie had been admitted to the hospital, with the little girl’s name moved to the top of the recipient list, and all their medical expenses paid off by the billionaire – it was only then that it had really hit Tilly.
Logan Hardwall was for real.
And because she literally owed him for saving her sister’s life, Tilly had sworn to herself then and there that she would be whatever he wanted to be.
So do what you came here to do, Wakefield.
She gave him a tentative smile. “Logan then.”
Something flickered in the billionaire’s eyes at the sound of his name on her lips, but Tilly completely missed this, embroiled at that moment in an inner struggle. That she was being so uncharacteristically timid was beginning to grate on her, but a part of Tilly also couldn’t help thinking that was exactly how things should be.
Logan Hardwall might be her husband, but he was also the man that Billie’s future depended on. If being with him meant a lifetime of walking on eggshells, and that was what he wanted, so be it.
But what if it wasn’t?
Tilly took a deep breath.
Only one way to find out, wasn’t there?
Lifting her gaze back to his, she found the billionaire’s devastatingly handsome face inscrutable, and it was enough to have her courage wilt a little.
Think of Billie. You’re doing this for Billie. All for Billie.
So she summoned another smile, saying, “I thought you might be hungry, so I heated some food for you downstairs.” Tilly paused, thinking he’d say something, but when he didn’t, she felt obliged to add, “I also thought it was best to get this, um, started as early as possible.”
This, Logan supposed, being the charade they had put on. As far as everyone knew, Tilly was the live-in nanny that Devon’s wife had personally recommended, and from this arrangement, a carefully planned whirlwind romance would be born, with a wedding to follow after shortly. An admittedly elaborate and complex scheme, but completely necessary, since even the smallest hint of Tilly being a mail-order bride could jeopardize his guardianship over Liam.
“You’re right,” Logan said finally. “I abhor any waste of time, so it’s a good idea to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.”
The very sensible words brought her a measure of relief, and Tilly allowed herself to relax a little. He had been rather quiet for so long she had started wondering if she had angered him for some reason, and he would turn out to be some unreasonable, short-tempered jerk.
Smile just a little wider and more natural now, she asked, “Shall I wait for you downstairs?”
The billionaire nodded. “I’ll be down in five.”
“Okay.” As Tilly turned to walk away, she almost had a feeling that he was staring a little too intensely at the slight, involuntary sway of her hips. But since that would mean he found a girl like her a huge turn-on…
Yeah right. Get real, Tilly mentally chastised herself. Logan finding her tolerable was enough to begin with, and wishing for anything else beyond that was just her being greedy..
The tension only eased from Logan’s tightly coiled form when the door finally closed behind his nanny-slash-secret-bride, and he slowly let himself breathe normally again, now that there was no longer any reason to keep himself in check.
What the fuck was he going to do now?.
The whole time she had been standing there, big brown eyes unconsciously lapping him up like he was her personal ice cream, it had taken the billionaire everything not to do the same thing.
And the only reason he hadn’t was because he knew he wasn’t the fucking type to stop at lapping.
No fucking way.
He would lick and lap her up, then he would devour her. Completely. Thoroughly. Until every inch of her silky, supple flesh bore his bite mark.
His thoughts remained disturbingly on edge as he yanked a clean shirt out of his drawers, and he could only curse under his breath when he saw the rigid evidence of his arousal as he swapped his business trousers for a pair of lounge pants.