3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys (16 page)

Her head turned away from him, and then she went rigid. "Oh, no!"

"What?" He looked around, half expecting to see someone standing in the living room entrance, but it was empty. "It's almost eight o'clock!"

"So? You're usually working this late. Don't tell me you have a hot date."

Though, looking down at her, passion stamped on her like a brand, he didn't think it was such a far-off possibility.

She looked sexy enough to have six guys lined up on a string. "You could say that."

His heart slammed into his chest. No way was he letting her go out with someone else. "Call and cancel."

"Are you jealous?" She looked at him as though he was a strange new species of insect, all curiosity and wide eyes.

"We're engaged. You can't go out with another man, and while we're on the subject, I don't believe in open marriages."

Her expression turned to one of outrage. "I don't either. What an awful thing to suggest!"

"Then no date."

She smirked. "I can't cancel this one."

"Like hell—"

"It's to babysit my sister's little girl."

"Your sister has a baby?"

"Yes. She's got a husband, too, and they're up here from Texas, visiting my parents. Tonight, they're all going to attend the local symphony."

"And you're supposed to watch the kid."

"Right. They should be here any minute."

The doorbell rang.

He could not believe his luck. "It looks like they just arrived."

She wasn't listening. She was too busy trying to shove him off of her. He helped her out by getting up.

"Thanks." She grabbed for her T-shirt and yanked it on over her head. Inside out.

He tugged on the tag attached to the collar. "I think this is supposed to go on the inside."

She frowned. "Shoot!" She was taking it off and reversing it as she crossed the living room.

The doorbell pealed again. Carter grabbed his borrowed T-shirt, saw it was a dead loss and figured her brother had probably left more than one shirt behind.

He went looking. He found the guest room in the first room he tried. He'd like to see where she slept, but that would have to wait.

Sure enough, there were some more clothes in the top drawer of a tallboy dresser standing against one wall. He found a plain white T-shirt and pulled it on.

It fit a little more loosely than the first one.

Daisy breathed a sigh of relief that Carter had decided to make himself scarce and save her awkward explanations with her sister and brother-in-law. Not that explaining a runaway marriage was going to be easy, but that was later, not now, when she was still reeling from shock and unfulfilled sexual desire.

Bella handed Daisy the diaper bag while her husband laid the baby in the portable crib they'd brought along. "She should sleep the whole time we're gone, but if she doesn't, there are two bottles in the diaper bag." She pulled two short, plastic baby bottles out of one of the cavernous side pockets to the bag. "They should probably go in the fridge."

"I'll take those."

Daisy and Bella both spun toward the doorway at the sound of Carter's voice.

He'd pitched it low, evidently having heard that her niece was sleeping.

He'd found another shirt, was her first thought on the sight of him.
Oh, crap,
was her second.

Sure enough, Bella's mouth formed in a surprised O while Jake came over from tucking his baby girl in to size Carter up.

He put his hand out, "Jake Barton." Carter shook the other man's hand. "Carter Sloane."

"The
Carter Sloane?" Bella asked, her shock obvious.

"I only know one Carter Sloane," Daisy answered before Carter could open his mouth. "What's your boss doing here?"

"Technically, even though he owns the company I work for, he's not my boss."

Bella gave her that I-can't-believe-you'd-worry-about-a-little-thing-like-that look. "Regardless, what is he doing here? You said you were taking the night off."

"I am."

"My being here has nothing to do with Sloane Electronics," Carter smoothly inserted.

That wasn't strictly true either, but this time Daisy kept her mouth shut.

Bella eyed Carter's clothes with avid interest. "Is this like a date, or something?"

Little sisters could be the very devil. Daisy glared at her willowy sister to absolutely no effect.

Bella was too busy eyeing Carter.

He slid his arm around Daisy's shoulders. "Or something. We're engaged."

Nerves exploded inside her like a bomb detonated by Carter's admission. She was in for it now.

Bella staggered back a step. "But we didn't even know she was dating you." She turned to her husband. "Did we?"

"No." Jake wore his usual taciturn expression.

It changed only when he looked at his wife. Daisy would give a lot to have that kind of impact on Carter.

Carter kissed the top of Daisy's head. "It's all been pretty sudden."

"It must have been. She doesn't even have a ring." Bella sounded scandalized by the fact, and it was all Daisy could do not to laugh.

Trust her little sister to worry about something like that in the face of such a shocking revelation.

"She does. I hadn't given it to her yet because my proposal didn't exactly go as I'd planned."

It was Daisy's turn to be stunned. Her head snapped around to look at him. "I have a ring?"

He smiled indulgently at her, just like a real fiancée. "Oh, yeah."

He dropped his arm from around her shoulders to take her hand in his and then slid the most gorgeous diamond ring she'd ever seen on her third finger.

"It's…" She swallowed, inexplicably unable to speak.

"Gorgeous." Bella managed to infuse her whisper with the sense she had shouted the word. "Wow. You've got good taste in jewelry as well as women, Mr.

Sloane."

"Carter. We're going to be related before long." The epitome of confident charm, he smiled at Bella.

Daisy didn't know about her sister, but her own insides were turning to mush from all that male charisma.

"It's going to be hard not to tell Mom and Dad when we see them at the theater."

Jake stepped forward and took his wife's arm. "Speaking of, we'd best be on our way, sweetheart."

Bella groaned. "I'd rather stay and hear details."

"Later."

Bella and Jake left, her sister giving last minute instructions on care for the baby interspersed with exclamations about Daisy's forthcoming marriage right up until Jake started the car engine.

Daisy walked back into the house with Carter's arm once again around her. She led him into the kitchen where they stored the baby bottles in the fridge. "Are you hungry? We haven't had dinner."

"Are you offering to cook?"

"I made a Crock-Pot of beef stew yesterday. I can zap some in the microwave and make some toast to go with it. Biscuits would take too long to be worth it this late, I think."

"I'll make the toast. You heat the stew."

She watched in surprise as he went in search of bread. Before long he had four pieces of toast going, and she had to remind herself to get a move on with the stew.

"I can't believe you told my sister."

"Were you going to try to keep it a secret?"

"No, of course not. I just thought it would be easier to explain a quicky Vegas wedding after the fact, rather than before. Mom is going to kick up a fuss about not being there."

"Who said anything about Vegas?"

She closed the microwave door on a bowl with enough stew to feed her and Carter and turned the appliance on before turning to face him. He leaned against the counter with an air of relaxation she was far from feeling.

"I didn't mean Vegas literally. It's just that we're not going to have a regular wedding."

"Why not?"

Was he serious?

"For one, I don't want one. I have no desire to be the center of attention with a bunch of rich people trying to mingle with my friends and family. I still remember Bella's wedding, and it was awful."

"Jake's friends overwhelmed you, I take it?"

She nodded, feeling stupid. "I don't like big gatherings like that. Is that going to be a problem for you?"

Carter hadn't done a lot of socializing since coming back from New York, but maybe he wanted to.

"No. I don't like big groups either. Sometimes a man in my position can't avoid them, but I have no problem with having a small wedding. Just my family and yours."

"You want your mother there?"

The toaster popped open, and Carter turned away to butter the bread. "Sure.

Don't you want your family there?"

"I guess, but that would mean Bella coming back for it."

"Or we could get married before she leaves."

"But that's next week." Shock upon shock coursed through her, and he stood there slicing toast as if they were discussing the weather.

"We can file for the marriage license tomorrow and pick it up on Monday. We can get married Tuesday."

"You want to get married in four days?"

He laid the toast on two small plates she'd pulled from the cupboard. "I'd rather get married tonight, but I can wait four days."

They weren't exactly marrying for normal reasons, even if he did want the marriage to be a regular one. There was no reason for a long engagement, and for all she knew the will had some sort of stipulation on how long he had to be married before the five year anniversary.

When she asked about it, Carter shook his head. "No. Nothing like that, but, Daisy, I want you, and four days is going to feel like four years as it is."

"But you don't have to wait. We could buy condoms tonight, and after my sister picks up the baby… " She let her voice trail off when he shook his head.

"You've gone without sex for six years. That's got to mean something."

"I told you. I didn't really mind about that." She'd wanted only one man in six years, but he'd been completely out of her league. Carter Sloane. Now she got to have him, and she didn't want to wait four hours, much less four days.

"Daisy, did you have sex before you were married?"

Heat scorched into her cheeks. "What difference does that make?"

"Honey, I'm going to be your husband. You can tell me intimate stuff like this without blushing."

Right. "You didn't answer me."

"It matters. Now tell me."

"No." The microwave dinged, and she pulled the stew out. "I didn't have a lover before I got married."

And what she'd had after marriage had been really dismal. If she and Carter hadn't shared such an amazingly passionate kiss in her office and later on her couch, she would be really worried about this marriage for the sake of sex and fulfilling a will thing.

"So, basically, you've made love with one man, and he was a dud, or you wouldn't have been so convinced you weren't all that sexual, right?"

She gritted her teeth and nodded. He didn't have to put it like that, truth or not.

"So, you deserve a wedding night to end all wedding nights, and I'm just the man to give it to you."

She would have accused him of gross arrogance if she hadn't been a second away from melting to the kitchen floor in a puddle from the sensual promise in his eyes.

The next three days were torture for Daisy. Carter insisted on taking her to meet his mother. Mrs. Sloane had been accepting of her son's marriage plans, but by no means warm toward her daughter-in-law to be. Since she knew about the will and the implications of Carter remaining unmarried, that made sense, but it had been very uncomfortable for Daisy.

If that wasn't bad enough, Daisy's own mother and her sister insisted on helping her pick out her wedding gown. They'd argued over the color until they found a tea-length gown in antique lace that fit her like a dream. Both women thought it was beautiful and gave it a thumbs-up. Daisy felt naked from the waist up wearing it.

At least she had more cleavage showing than with any other dress or shirt she owned. She'd even been forced to buy a new bra because of the low-cut bodice.

She'd agreed to it only because one more hour of shopping with two women who were intent on prizing the details of Daisy's supposed secret courtship with Carter out of her would have driven her stark staring bonkers She refused to lie to her mother and sister and told them as much of the truth as she could.

She'd loved Carter for years, and when he started showing an interest in her, she'd gone under without taking an extra breath of air.

Bella understood because she'd married Jake very soon after meeting him.

Daisy's mother had been more skeptical, but she wanted her daughter's happiness, and a person would have to be blind not to realize Daisy was happy.

Carter seemed pretty pleased with the deal himself, and that added to Daisy's sense of joy.

He wanted to marry her.

He really did.

Even if it was just to get her into bed and keep her there, at least it was personal, and he wasn't looking to get something from her like her first husband.

He wanted her.

He could have married anyone, and he'd chosen her. She couldn't quite figure out why yet, but his ardor was unquestionable. Why he wanted plain Daisy Jackson to the exclusion of all other women, she didn't know, but she didn't care either.

It was a reality she was more than happy to live with.

Daisy was organizing her closet to make room for Carter's things when the doorbell rang.

She jogged down the stairs to answer it. Carter waited on her front porch, a wolfish expression in his eyes that was beginning to make her nervous.

He'd worn that exact expression every single time they'd seen each other in the past three days, and that had been quite often. Not only had there been dinner with his mother, but he dropped into her office several times throughout the day.