Cowboy Husband

Pleasure is ricocheting through me, that glorious countdown to the explosion. Will lifts me away from him for only a second. “You’re my filthy wife, aren’t you? My slutty little wife.”

His mouth crashes onto me again, and I’m so torn apart by the sensation that I can barely form words. “Yes.”

“Say it.” He freezes. I’m so close to finishing, to going over the edge that I moan. I move my hips to try to get closer to him, but it doesn’t work. He’s staring up at me expectantly, and I know that he won’t let me come until I say it. “I’m your filthy wife,” I say. It comes out breathless.

Will runs his tongue across me in one long, slow, lick, circling my clit until I come apart. Fiery pleasure rips through me, and I collapse down over him. He teases me with his mouth until I’m shaking, delicious bursts of pleasure accompanying every stroke. When the pleasure leaves, I’m panting and gasping. Will turns me over on the bed, stroking down my body with his hands before he kisses me. The taste of me is still on his tongue and it’s so strange and so fucking hot. “Maybe I’ll take you like that every morning,” he muses, lips now at my ear. “Or from behind. Or while you’re squirming underneath me. However it is, I plan on giving you thousands of orgasms in the future.”

I’m still blindsided by the idea that I’m bound to this man, even though the thought of thousands of orgasms doesn’t sound terrible.

“There are two bathrooms in the suite. You can use one and I’ll take the other,” he smirks, standing and showing off that gorgeous body and the fact that he’s fully hard again. “I’d offer to share, but I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

I nod, completely speechless. The view of his ass as he walks away toward the bathroom could win awards; it’s so good. God, what is happening right now? I flop back onto the bed and cover my face with my hands. Did I really get married? Is it legal? I mean, it’s a Vegas wedding. I didn’t think drunk marriages happened like this in real life. Only in romantic comedies and sitcoms. Couldn’t the people at the chapel or wherever the hell we got married tell that we were drunk? Or that I was drunk?

I get up and look around. My dress is tossed over a chair, which is different than what I remember, because the first time we had sex all our clothes ended up on the floor. There are the remnants of room service—champagne and fruit and what looks like part of a hamburger. I see my purse on the couch across the room and grab it. Fumbling around inside it, I pull out my phone. I don’t have the slightest clue what time it is.

Shit. It’s almost ten-thirty and I have approximately a million texts from Anna, Elizabeth, and Naomi, all asking whether I’m still alive and whether or not they should call the police. I hit Anna’s name and let it ring.

“Oh, good,” she answers. “You’re not dead.”

“Nope, not dead,” I say, trying to sound upbeat. “I just woke up a little while ago.”

She snickers. “Still with Mr. Delicious?”

“Yeah, he’s in the shower, where I’m about to be.”

“‘Okay. We’re thinking we’d have brunch at the place from yesterday before we head to the airport. You in?”

I nod even though she can’t see me. “Yeah. Let me get my shit together, and I’ll be there. Order me an omelette if I’m late.”

“Will do. See you in a few.”

I get myself into the shower and spend some time just resting under the flow of hot water. The ring sparkles in the stream of water. I keep searching my memory for any sign of this, for any of what must have led up to it, but there’s nothing. Just what feels like a blank space. It’s disconcerting. It’s even more disconcerting and saddening that I missed my own wedding. I spent so much time planning my wedding to Wyatt, and I never got to have that one, and now I wake up married to Will and it’s like I never got that wedding either. Maybe I cursed myself somehow. I smack the tiles in the shower. Again. And again. It feels good to let some of the anger out. Every time I think of him it’s there, and given the fact that we’d been together for almost three years, and all of those memories are mixed with him, he comes to mind a lot. I smack the wall again. Whatever happened last night, this can’t. We’ll have to deal with an annulment later, but I can’t be married to a man that I’ve known for less than twelve hours, no matter how good he happens to be in bed.

I towel off and put on my bra. I can’t seem to find my underwear though.

The memory comes flooding back of Will holding them to his nose and putting them in his pocket. Oh, well. I have more underwear at my hotel. I shimmy into my dress and head back out into the main room to find my high heels. Lots of firsts today: First time going commando in a dress, first time doing the walk of shame, first day of being married…

“I had this delivered last night, so you don’t have to wear the same clothes.” Will’s voice comes from behind me and I jump. When I turn, he’s smiling. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He’s holding a sundress on a hangar. It’s simple and pretty, a deep green that I actually think will look good on me. “Thanks,” I say, taking it from him.

I step into the bathroom to slip it on, and I hear his voice outside. “I thought it might be fun to go shopping today. Vegas is full of amazing stores, and I can’t imagine a better start to a honeymoon than spoiling you.”

The dress fits perfectly, and I fold up the other one so I can put it in my purse. I don’t meet his eyes as I head over to the couch and my shoes. “I can’t go shopping today. I’m meeting my friends for brunch in a few minutes and my flight home leaves this afternoon.” I feel an odd bubble of anxiety as I finish buckling my shoes and stand to face him. “This was a mistake. I had a really great time with you, but I don’t know you. I can’t be married to a man I haven’t even known for a day. This isn’t a movie. I’m sure that no chapel in the world would let people get married when they’re that drunk. This can be undone and we can both go back to our separate lives. I promise you don’t want to be married to me.” I take off the giant ring and hold it out towards him.

Will is quiet for a second before he takes a step toward me and takes my hand. He folds the ring inside my palm, refusing to take it. Then, repeating the gesture from last night when he met me, he lifts my hand to his lips. I can’t help but notice that freshly showered and in a new, light colored suit, he looks as tempting as ever. He reaches out with his other hand, pulling me close and tangling his hand in my hair. My body reacts before I can stop it, melting into the kiss he places on my lips. At first it’s chaste, nothing but lips on lips, but that doesn’t last long. He deepens the kiss, throwing all the passion from last night into it, and I find myself kissing him back, a moan coming from my throat.

I make myself break away from the kiss, but Will doesn’t let me go. “I know you don’t know me well, Sandy. But there is one thing you should know about me. I don’t ever do something that I’m not completely sure of. Not even if I’m so drunk I can’t stand up. So know this, I know you, or I know you enough to be absolutely sure that this is the right thing, so we’re halfway there. And I’m willing to spend every day for the rest of our lives making sure you know every part of me,” he smirks, “especially the naughty bits. So we’ll go to brunch together and you can grill me over mimosas.”

His speech stirs something deep in my gut. His absolute confidence that this not a mistake, there’s something mesmerizing about it. “You don’t have to come with me. And how can you be so sure about a person after only twelve hours? This kind of thing doesn’t happen in real life. I was with someone for two years and it turns out that I didn’t really know him at all.”

There’s a stormy look in his eyes. “I would never do that to you.”

Will turns away, and I look down at the carpet. Once upon a time, Wyatt had sworn that too. I thought we would be together forever. So much for that. “As for real life,” he says, picking up a packet of papers from the table, “I’m afraid we’re legit.”

He hands the papers to me, even though I already know wha

t they are. A freshly printed marriage license from the state of Nevada, with both of our names displayed prominently. And on one of the bottom lines, a scrawl that is unmistakably my signature, even if it’s a little messier than usual. “I don’t understand,” I say. “As much as you say you know me, you don’t. Not really. Why would you want to be married to a stranger? It’s easy to fix this.”

“I don’t want it fixed,” Will says simply.

“But why?”

The smile fades from his face, disappearing into something utterly sincere. “What do you feel when you look at me?” My eyes flicker to everything in the room but him, but everything reminds me of him, the unmade bed, the leftover food, his shirt still hanging off a chair.

“Sandy,” his fingers come gently under my chin and guide my face back to him. “What do you feel when you look at me?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I’m confused and anxious, but I’m still attracted to you.”

The faintest smile appears. “There’s something between us. We both knew it last night. This was always going to be more than just a one-night stand.” He pulls me in again, and I let him. His cheek presses against mine and his words are soft, comforting. “Forget about marriage for one second. Aside from that, I’m sure that I want to be with you. To have you know me, and for me to know you better. We both know that if I don’t come with you, you’ll disappear. Please, let me come with you. Let’s see where it goes before we end something that could be amazing.”

His words ease the knot of anxiety that had built up in my chest and I can breathe again. That I can do. Not a forever commitment. Not yet. Just seeing where it goes. Brunch. “Okay.”

4

The chic little restaurant where my friends and I have had breakfast the past few days is just a few blocks from Will’s hotel, but even this early, the Nevada sun is hot. I wish I had more comfortable shoes for the walk, but the dress that Will gave me is light and airy and keeps the heat from being too oppressive.

Before we left the hotel, Will asked that I still wear the ring, just to see how I feel about it. I agreed because the ring itself is gorgeous, and diamonds are, after all, a girl’s best friend. It shines so brightly in the desert sun that I’m convinced that everyone on the street is going to be blinded by it. I can’t stop glancing down at it, amazed that I like it so much. “You picked it,” Will says beside me, taking my hand. “I think it suits you, but it was entirely your choice.”

“I wish I remembered…” I say. I do wish that. I wish I remembered some of the happy frenzy that would have led to this strange situation. Then maybe I’d feel a little more joy instead of feeling mostly confused.

Will kisses my hand. “Maybe you will.”

“Maybe…”

He deftly changes the subject. “Are you flying home in coach?”

“Yes,” I say, making a face, and he laughs. “I’ll probably have someone leaning on me, mouth open, sleeping.”

“Well,” he says, a mischievous grin on his face, “I was going to offer to take you home on my private plane, if that’s something you’d be interested in. At the very least it’s better than being crammed into coach.”

I have to pick up my jaw off the sidewalk. “You have a private plane?”

“I have several.”

“So you’re a millionaire? I married a millionaire?” I give him a pointed look up and down, raising one eyebrow.

One side of his mouth curls up. “I’ve been lucky enough to be successful.”

“Seriously though, tell me.”

“I will,” he says, laughing, “but at the moment your friends have spotted us, and from the looks on their faces they expected you to be alone.”

I follow his gaze, and I see Anna, Elizabeth, and Naomi, all frozen mid-conversation. They’re not looking at me, they’re looking at Will. Not that I blame them in the least. In the light of day and not the dark atmosphere of the club he’s almost too perfect to be believed. A sudden prick of pride appears in my chest that he’s holding my hand, that he chose me. Where did that come from?

Their silence continues while we approach the table, and I sit down in the seat they saved for me while Will swipes a chair from a nearby table and sits beside me. “Morning, ladies,” he says, the perfect gentleman. All three of their gazes switch to me, and then Naomi bursts out laughing. “Damn, girl.”

Anna is laughing too. “I guess I understand why you woke up so late.”

I blush. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Though I feel a burst of moisture between my legs as I remember him holding me against his mouth. If I get up from this table and there’s a wet spot on the back of this new dress, I will never live it down. “Maybe Will was just being a gentleman and let me sleep in.”

“Oh,” Anna says. “Will. I thought it was Wilcox? Or is he so good that you can’t bring yourself to talk about his cock? I’m sorry, I mean his Cox.”

Totally surprising me, Will bursts out laughing. “I’ve actually never heard that one before. Congratulations.”

Anna makes a mock bow in her chair. Elizabeth still hasn’t said anything. She’s by far the shyest of us, even though we all know she can be wild when she has a few drinks. I know the idea of even having a one-night stand would be the farthest thing from her mind. Showing up to breakfast with him in tow, basically proving that you had sex, must be mildly mortifying. “You okay, Lizzie?” I ask, reaching for the glass in front of my plate, and she gasps.

Shit. I forgot that I had the ring on, and now her eyes are locked on it, and I hear the echoing gasps from my other friends. Not exactly the way I was planning on telling them.

Will takes my left hand and weaves his fingers through mine, keeping my hand, and the ring, face up and visible. “I suppose you can be the first to congratulate us.”

Naomi’s mouth is wide open. “Is that—”

“A wedding ring, yes,” Will finishes her question. “It happened last night.”

Anna looks at me, clearly wanting to ask what the hell is going on, but not wanting to in front of Will. He’s gone from being the object of teasing to an object of suspicion, and the atmosphere clearly indicates that.

Will clears his throat. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He presses a kiss to my cheek and leaves, wandering toward the rest room at the back of the restaurant.

As soon as he’s out of earshot, Naomi pounces. “When I said I wanted you to have a good time, this isn’t what I meant.”

“I know, I know,” I say. “I don’t remember it happening. I woke up and the ring was on my finger.”

“So why aren’t you at the chapel undoing it?” Anna asks, still unable to take her eyes off the ring.

I look at the ring too, sparkling bright like both a beacon and a warning. There’s a damn lighthouse on my finger. “He says he doesn’t want to fix it. He wants to stay married.”

“If he’s pressuring you to do that, I swear to god, Sandy—”

“He’s not, Anna,” I say, even though I can’t even believe I’m saying it. “He’s so sure, that I’m…intrigued.”

Naomi doesn’t look impressed. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” I say. “He asked that we put the whole being married thing aside and just see how it goes. Like…dating, I guess.”

“But you stay married while you do it?”

I nod, taking a sip of water. There’s a growing confidence in my voice, and I suddenly feel more comfortable. Talking it out with my friends, I can suddenly see the benefits. “Honestly, would it really be so bad?”

“It could be,” Elizabeth chimes in softly.

“Maybe,” I admit, I push through the anger that bubbles up at my next thought. “But it could also be great. I was with Wyatt for two years and I got blindsided. Maybe there’s something about gut instinct here that’s worth paying attention to you. And besides, even staying married for just the sex would be tempting.”

The smiles return to my friends’ faces. “T

hat good?” Naomi asks.

“Oh. My. God. You don’t even know.”

Anna bursts out laughing. “Well, one thing for sure is that you deserve some amazing sex.”

I can’t help myself from grinning. “I’m really confused,” I say honestly. “This isn’t something I wanted, and I can’t believe that it happened. But when he says he thinks there’s more between us than a one-night-stand, I believe him. So I’m going to give it a chance. What I need from you guys is for you to give him a chance too, but also tell me what you really think of him, once you get to know him a little better.”

They all look back and forth between each other before Elizabeth is the one to voice their consent. “We can do that.”

“But if he hurts you, I reserve the right to kick him in the balls,” Anna says.

I laugh, raising my glass to her. “I wouldn’t want anything less.”

The waiter appears and serves everyone their food, including the omelette that Anna ordered for me. Soon after, Will reappears. “Sorry,” Anna says to him. “We would have ordered you something if we knew you were coming.”

He waves a hand. “It was last minute. I can grab something on the plane. Speaking of which …” He reaches under the table and squeezes my knee, and my stomach flips at the casual way he touches me. “I already asked Sandy. I’ve offered to take her home on my private plane. You’re more than welcome to join us. It will likely be more comfortable.”

Naomi looks at me and raises an eyebrow like she’s chastising me for leaving out the fact that he’s rich. I can only shrug because I’ve barely processed that myself. “Hell yeah,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to see what one of those private planes is actually like.” The other two say yes as well.

“So, Will,” Anna says. “What do you do that lets you afford private jets?”

“I recently took over the family business.”

“Which is what?” she presses.

He smiles. “Hotels. My family and I own the Emerald hotel chain, and several others.”