Husband for Hire (4 page)

“H
ow 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 bach
elorette 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.

“You said you worked in a hospital before this. What did you do?”

He had taken a bite of sandwich, so he didn't
answer right away. “Whatever needed doing. You could find me in the lab or radiology or even the O.R.”

An answer but not an answer, she noticed. “Are you looking for work now?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I needed a break.”

Short answers, no eye contact. He didn't want to talk about it. She ate in silence for a while, and then couldn't stand it any longer.

“Why are you working for At Your Service?” she asked as they finished up.

“As I told you, I'm between jobs, and my sister knew it. When this position came up, she thought I'd get a kick out of it. I did some acting in high school. She thought that qualified me.”

“Do you live in Sacramento?”

“San Francisco.” He picked up the check the server put on the table before Becca could grab it.

“You're commuting all the way from there?” It was an hour-and-a-half drive, too long to make twice a day.

He stood instead of answering. “Come on. Let's see how lucky you are.”

He wouldn't let her pay for the meal, but took her hand and headed up the escalator to the casino. At the top she stopped him, raising her voice over the din of the machines. “Answer me, please. Are you
planning on commuting from San Francisco every day?”

“No.” He looked amused.

“Where will you stay?”

“I have a place available.” He tugged her toward the nearest bank of slot machines.

“I'm on to you, Gavin Callahan.”

His brows went up. “Are you? In what way?”

“You didn't really answer me. Oh, you uttered a sentence about having a place available, but that could mean anything. I suspect you've taken a hotel room. I can't have you doing that.” Especially not when he seemed to already be foregoing pay to help her during the week. “You're sneaky, you know?”

He laughed. She loved the sound. But she wasn't going to be swayed by it. “You can stay with me. It'll be easier, anyway. First thing tomorrow, you can buy a bed for the guest room and have it delivered. I'll sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Thanks, but it's unnecessary. Julia always has house-sitting jobs available, so even if I wanted to stay with you, I couldn't.”

“Oh. Okay.” Disappointment hit her full force. The idea of having him around at night had been far too appealing.

“Come on. Try your luck.” Before she could even think about arguing, he fed a twenty-dollar bill into the nearest machine and patted the chair seat for her to sit down.

It happened on the eighth pull—Triple, Triple,
Triple. Jackpot! The sound of coins dropping in digitally reproduced beeps seemed almost musical. “How much did I win?” she asked, too excited to figure it out.

“Fifteen hundred.”

“I told you I was feeling lucky!” she shouted above the noise around them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. After a moment, his arms came around her, his fingertips grazing the upper curve of her rear, an incredibly arousing touch that made her catch her breath. She let go reluctantly when a casino employee appeared to handle the payout.

“For expenses,” Becca said, folding all the bills in half. She tried to slip the wad into his suit pocket but it was stitched shut. He saw her dilemma and cocked his head at her in challenge. His only open pockets were those in his pants.

Becca loved challenges, thrived on them, in fact— in business. But the I-dare-you look in his eyes made her bold. She leaned against him, searched blindly for a pocket and tucked the bills inside, making sure they went to the bottom….

Gavin sucked in a breath, in one sense pleased at her forwardness and yet also aware they were taking a risk that was probably unwise. Yes, they needed to seem married, but if they continued at this rate, they'd hit fever pitch about the time her brothers got to town. If that happened, he and Becca would either be all over each other, or so frustrated they'd be arguing about every little thing.