Husband for Hire

He sighed. “Of course it is.”

“Then just be happy for me.”

She hung up the phone a minute later feeling lower than low. What a sincerely stupid thing she’d done, even if for what she thought were the right reasons.

After a minute of remorse, she sat up tall in her chair. She would get through the weekend and the lie somehow, because it mattered. She’d made her decision for good reasons, solid reasons. She couldn’t backpedal.

Except … now she had another tricky situation to deal with. She drummed her fingers on her desk, debating, and then finally called Gavin’s cell phone.

“We have a new complication,” she said.

“The first of many, I imagine,” he said drily. “What’s up?”

“I just talked to Eric. He’s looking forward to seeing pictures of our wedding.”

There was a long moment of pause. “Okay. You find the right dress to wear. I’ll take care of everything else. I’ll pick you up around noon on Sunday.”

For a woman used to making decisions herself, she gave in easily to his taking charge. “Thank you, Gavin. Thank you so much.”

“It’s something any good husband would do.”

She heard the smile in his voice. “What about your weekend plans?”

“I can be done by then. See you on Sunday.”

“Gavin,” she said in a hurry before he hung up—and before she lost her nerve.

“What?”

“If your plans include getting a haircut, please don’t.” She wanted to run her fingers through it, had been hoping for a chance while they were “married.”

She could almost hear him frown.

“I should look my best for our wedding photos,” he said. “They last a lifetime, you know.”

“I think it adds to your philanthropic, selfless-doctor look,” she said.

He laughed, soft and low, a sound that registered in her as if their bodies had been touching. She liked him too much. Way too much.

“I guess I can make that sacrifice for my wife.”

“Thank you,” she said, the phrase becoming all too common. “If there’s something you think of that I can do, you’ll let me know, right?”

“Look like a bride. I’ll handle the rest. And relax, okay? It’ll be fine.”

“Giving up control is hard for me,” she admitted.

“No kidding. Let go of the wheel, Becca. Control’s an illusion, anyway, so you might as well just have fun.”

Was that his philosophy? Was that why he was happy working temp jobs, not having a particular career? She wished she could be more like him. Well, a little more like him. She couldn’t give up the career she’d worked so hard for.

“You win,” she said. “Please keep track of your expenses.”

“See you later.” Then he hung up, without waiting for her to even say goodbye.

Becca looked around her office. If she had a window, she would’ve taken advantage of it to stare outside while she considered their conversation.

Look like a bride, he’d said. She took a mental tour of her closet, but nothing appropriate came to mind. She needed to shop. Normally she would ask Suki to go with her, but she didn’t want to involve anyone else, if possible. As it was, Eric would wonder why Suki hadn’t attended her best friend’s wedding.

A wedding without a honeymoon.

Somehow that didn’t seem quite fair.

She laughed, let herself relax as Gavin had pretty much ordered her to and then got down to work. After all, someone had to bring home the bacon in this marriage.

Chapter Four

“How did you find this place?” Becca asked as they pulled into a Lake Tahoe–area parking lot Sunday afternoon after a two-hour drive.

“On the internet,” Gavin answered, grateful that the outside of the Hearts Entwined Wedding Chapel matched the picture on the web. It was the newest chapel in the region, so he hoped it would be the nicest—and that the owners were discreet.

“So, they’re letting us just take pictures?” she asked. “How did you manage that?”

“Money always talks. For a couple hundred dollars I bought the ceremony, minus the legalities. Not expensive at all.” He turned off the ignition and faced her. She looked stunning in her off-white silk suit with the above-the-knee skirt and super-high heels, a fascinating contrast of sweet and sexy.

“I’ll reimburse you, of course.” She reached over and combed his hair with her fingers, startling him with the action. “There.” She let her hand drift away, but her gaze stayed locked with his. “You look very groomlike in your dark suit and white shirt. Very handsome.”

The moment turned too serious, or maybe too tense. It was hard to tell. To change the mood he reached into the backseat and pulled out a box. “Your bouquet.”

“For me?” Her eyes lit up, and her cheeks turned pink.

He’d genuinely surprised her, which made him happy he’d taken the time to do things right.

“Oh! It’s gorgeous!” She pressed her face into the pink-and-white rose bouquet and inhaled the fragrance. “You thought of everything. Thank you!”

Her happiness pleased him like nothing else had in so long. Because she was tempting enough to kiss, he had her pin a white-rose boutonniere on his lapel, her look of concentration making him smile.

When she was done she patted his chest then pulled back in a hurry, as if she’d overstepped.

“We need to look married,” he said, capturing her hands in his. “That means touching.”

“In front of other people, maybe. Not when it’s just us.”

“We need to get used to it so it’s normal for us, don’t you think?” He acknowledged it was just an excuse to touch her, but it still made sense for their purposes.

“You’re very sensible, Gavin.”

No, I’m actually all stirred up. He wondered what she would say to that. “Ready?” he asked.

She looked at the building and took a deep breath. “Ready.”

He held her hand as they went inside, the interior dark, with rich wood walls and silk-upholstered guest chairs. A floor-to-ceiling oil painting of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevadas held center stage, a beautiful backdrop for photographs to be taken during and after the ceremony.

“Mr. Callahan?” A slight man with white hair approached. “I’m Reverend Sorbo.”

“Thank you for fitting us in, Reverend. This is Ms. Sheridan.”

The man nodded. “Everything is ready for you. Please follow me.”

For the first photos, Gavin and Becca were posed as if reciting their vows, with the reverend in the background between them, then he said, “Rings?”

Becca shot a look at Gavin. “Oh, we don’t—”

“Of course we do,” he said, interrupting her. He dipped into his pocket and pulled out matching bands, each carved with swirls and dotted with diamond chips.

Her hand shook as he put her ring on her finger, the photographer coming up closer to capture the moment. Gavin found he was a little shaky, as well, and chalked it up to perpetuating the lie. Sometimes he was able to set all that aside, but putting a wedding ring on her brought it to the forefront. Marriage was supposed to be revered and respected.

“Next would be a kiss,” Reverend Sorbo said.

Gavin took her hands. Her eyes were so dark they seemed black. He leaned toward her, touched his lips to hers and felt them quiver. He heard the photographer take a couple of shots, then Gavin pulled back.

“You can do better than that, young man,” the reverend said with a chuckle. “A picture’s worth a thousand words, you know.”

“Are you game?” he whispered to Becca.

She nodded. He moved in closer. Then he bent her over his arm and held that pose for the camera. Startled, she looked surprised, then she laughed. Only then did he kiss her, kissing the smile off her face, savoring the taste of her, especially when she started kissing him back making that soft little moan….

Becca forgot everything but him, the way his lips felt, the comfort of his arms holding her securely, even the scent of the light cologne he wore.

Best … kisser … ever. The thought registered in her brain gradually, just as her need for him did, which didn’t slam into her but coiled slowly, attaching her to him with heat and desire—until he straightened, taking her with him. He kept his hands curved around her arms, waiting for her to stop wobbling before he released her.

“Much better,” the reverend said.

Becca and Gavin stood in front of the grand painting for an official wedding portrait, then they were handed a CD of their photos and sent on their way. In the car they simply sat for a few moments.

“I’ll get prints made,” Gavin said after a while.

“Okay.” She felt married. She shouldn’t, since they’d only hit the highlights of a normal ceremony, and they didn’t have a license. The usual steps of courtship, marriage proposal and real ceremony hadn’t happened, either….

Yet she felt married.

She sneaked a look at the ring on her finger.

“They’re on loan,” he said, starting the engine of the low, sleek sports car he seemed too comfortable with for it to be a rental. Another surprise.

“The rings are gorgeous.” Since he’d caught her looking, she held out her hand to better admire the band. “You really did think of everything.”

“Can I let you in on a secret?” he asked, smiling and angling toward her.

“I’m good at keeping secrets.”

“I found a wedding site online and followed their checklist.”

She found that incredibly sweet. Tempted to lay her hand along his hair and kiss him, she just smiled instead.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“My appetite has returned.” On cue, her stomach growled. She pressed a hand to it and laughed.

“We’re a little overdressed for the casinos.” He pulled out of the parking lot and headed south.

“Does anyone care about such things? We might stand out a bit, but I wouldn’t mind grabbing a bite to eat then feeding a slot machine. I feel lucky today.”

They left their wedding flowers in the car, but even the restaurant hostess seemed to recognize them as newlyweds and gave them a quiet corner booth. She took their drink orders before giving them a wink and walking away.

Becca wondered if she should stake Gavin some cash. Julia would’ve told him what his wages would be for the following weekend, but he’d also spent funds Becca needed, and wanted, to reimburse.

This was different, however. This would be a cash transaction.

Their server placed glasses of iced tea in front of them, and then took their orders for minestrone soup and BLT sandwiches.

“Do you gamble?” Becca asked Gavin when they were alone again.

“Rarely. I’ll be happy to stay with you while you play. Unless you’d rather be alone?”

“That would look strange, wouldn’t it, since we’re supposed to be newlyweds?” She sipped her tea. “So, I think I’ll set a limit of fifty dollars to lose.”

“Do you always lose?”

“I’ve only played a few times, mostly during bachelorette parties. I can’t remember ever going home with more than I had. How about you?”

“I tend to win, mostly,” he said with a shrug. “But I play blackjack not slots.”

Becca ran a finger along the drops of condensation on her glass. They’d talked about their childhoods on the drive up earlier, but she realized she’d talked a lot more than he had. Had that been a planned maneuver on his part?

“You said that you had sisters, Gavin. Older or younger?”

He pulled out his cell phone and brought up a photo with two women and a baby. “Dixie’s three years younger than me and Shana is five years younger. Dix recently got married. She and her husband are on their honeymoon.”

“And Shana?”

“She gets a lot of jobs through At Your Service. That’s her daughter, Emma, who’s about nine months old now.”

“Were you close as children?”

He tucked his phone back in his pocket. “Dix and I were when we were really young. Shana always marched to her own drummer. But all three of us had a kind of bond because our parents didn’t really parent. As siblings, we looked out for each other, and yet I can’t say we were close. Not like you and your brothers.”

“Your parents just let you raise yourselves?” She couldn’t imagine that. Hers had always been there for her—then her brothers had followed suit.

“Sort of. On one hand, they were extremely strict. They set down rules and expected us to follow them, but then they left us alone. If we got caught doing something we shouldn’t be doing, the punishment was swift and harsh. I learned not to get caught.”

Their lunch was served, the aroma enticing.

“I always got caught,” she said with a sigh. “Always. If my parents didn’t catch me, one of my brothers did. The freedom when I went away to college was heady. I stayed up too late, waited until the day before a paper was due before I wrote it and partied a lot. But by my sophomore year I’d seen the value in moderation. To a degree, anyway.” She grinned. She had loved the college environment. “Did you go to college?”

“Yes. But I was a nose-to-the-grindstone student. Plus I was always working. Between jobs, scholarships and grants, I graduated debt free.”

“That’s a big accomplishment. What’s your degree in?”

“Biology, with a minor in biochemistry.”

“That’s a tough curriculum.”

He shrugged. Gavin steered the conversation to how good the food was, but Becca recognized a diversion when she heard one.

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