From that point on, everything happened in a blur. Cole lifting her off of his lap, the two of them walking over to the counter hand in hand to fill out the paperwork, realizing that they both lived in San Francisco as they wrote out their addresses; listening to the officiant say, "Do you, Cole Taylor, take Anna Davis to be your lawfully wedded wife," hearing Cole say "I do" in his low, rough voice; realizing she was being asked, "Will you, Anna Davis, take Cole Taylor to be your lawfully wedded husband?" and the words "I do" coming before she could let herself second-guess them; sliding the platinum band onto Cole's ring finger; watching Cole slide the diamond ring onto her left hand as the words "I now pronounce you husband and wife" were spoken...
...and then kissing the stranger she'd just married.
* * *
Cole didn't want to ever stop kissing Anna. She was addictive, her taste, the feel of her soft curves, the breathy sounds of pleasure she made as he swept his tongue against hers and nipped at her full lower lip. Unfortunately, making out with his new wife to the sound of a throat clearing--loudly and repeatedly--wasn't exactly what he had in mind for his wedding night.
Not that he'd ever thought about his wedding night.
Or ever pictured himself with a new wife.
His heart rate kicked up, the ring Anna had put on his finger feeling strange as the officiant said, "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor."
Anna leaned closer into him as if she were trying to keep herself from falling. Fuck, he felt the same way even though getting hitched had been his idea, the perfect way to make sure Anna stayed with him at least long enough to meet his grandmother. And make her final wish come true.
Guilt knocked around inside his chest. At the same time, his dick was so hard he could pull it out and pound nails with it.
"Thank you," Anna replied to the officiant and the witness, whom Cole guessed were probably a married couple themselves.
"You're very welcome, honey." She lowered her voice. "I shouldn't be saying this, but after thirty years of owning Cupid's, we've seen our fair share of couples come through our doors. Enough to know which ones are going to make it, and which aren't."
He could feel Anna's intake of breath against his chest. "You can tell just from looking at the couple?"
Shit. Why hadn't he dragged her out of the chapel as soon as the rings were on? If this woman told Anna that their marriage was doomed--not thirty seconds after closing the deal--
Cole was going to be pissed. There were plenty of half-crippled football players out there who could vouch for the fact that it was never a good idea to piss off Cole Taylor.
"Oh yes. We certainly can," the woman affirmed. "I can tell that you two are going to be among the lucky ones."
"We are?"
He would have laughed at the surprise in Anna's voice if he hadn't been more than a little insulted by it. Why the hell had she married him if she didn't think it was going to work out? He was the only one in this "relationship" with an ulterior motive, wasn't he?
She couldn't be that good an actress, could she? Hell, she was all but dripping innocence, and hadn't so much as reacted to learning his full name. Then again, for such an innocent girl, it hadn't exactly taken a hell of a lot of work to convince her to marry him.
Suspicion began to ride him as the woman said, "So many couples come in here on a spur-of-the-moment decision and just don't have what it takes to make it. But you two." She beamed at them. "I can almost see your bond. Strong and true. Real love. But you don't want to spend your wedding night gabbing with an old lady. Not when I can see how much you both are looking forward to celebrating your marriage."
Anna blushed furiously at the woman's comment, but for Cole it was a welcome splash of truth. The true love stuff was all bullshit. But the woman was dead right about one thing.
If his c**k got any harder, he was going to bust a zipper. He wanted Anna, and he wanted her now.
He took her hand in his. He'd never been a big hand-holder before now, not even with long-time girlfriends, but holding her hand in his felt so right, so natural. He led her out of the chapel and down the back streets he'd learned as a kid, back to the hotel.
The warm night air was a shock after the air-conditioned chapel, especially considering Cole already felt overheated. Not just because he'd gotten hitched. But because holding Anna close like this did something strange to his insides.
Taking the back door he used when he was trying to go unnoticed, they got on the special elevator that went up to the Wynn's penthouse. The doors were closing as she said, "Wait a minute. The button for my floor isn't on here." She frowned at the elevator wall. "Why is there only one button on this?"
He put in his key and turned it before pressing the button. "This elevator only goes to my suite. And someone can get your things later."
Still clearly confused, she said, "It will just take me a few minutes to get them myself."
But Cole was all out of patience. He'd wanted her from the first second he'd set eyes on her. He'd been burning for her from the first taste, the first touch. Their wedding had pushed him way the hell past the point of reason.
Five more minutes to get her things wasn't an option.
Circling her waist with his hands, he dragged her into him.
"I don't want to wait a few minutes, Anna. I want to have sex with my wife." He all but growled the final word. "Now."
Chapter Four
"I want to have sex with my wife."
Wife. She was a wife.
Cole's wife.
How she wished the words, Oh no, what have I done? were coming out of Carrie Underwood's mouth right now via stereo speakers, instead of right between Anna's ears.
At least, she thought with barely repressed hysteria, unlike the character in the country song, Anna knew Cole's last name.
Even if she didn't know much else.
Anna's legs went weak. She needed to sit down, preferably with her head between her legs and a brown paper bag over her mouth and nose.
But even though her legs had decided not to bother holding her up anymore, she wasn't in any danger of falling. Not with Cole's hands gripping her tightly around her waist, holding her so close it was almost as if he didn't want to give her any room to think or breathe.
Or change her mind...and start running.
Desire was dark and possessive on his face as he said, "Do you have any idea what you do to me, Anna?"
By the end of the sentence, he'd lowered his head so that the final words were barely more than a hot breath against her mouth. But instead of another one of those drugging kisses that took away her breath and swept her up into him, his mouth was gentle against hers.