Just Married (More than Friends) (5 page)

She brushed her hands down the silk of her skirt and refused to be held hostage to her feelings of inadequacy. This was her one and only wedding, damn it, and she knew better than to think she could get rid of Bridie Kerr before the crone had said her piece.

Her newly minted mother-in-law clasped her frigid hands around Mira’s upper arms, pulling her close to air kiss both her cheeks. She leaned even closer and whispered, “You’re welcome, my dear.”

Confusion must have been written all over her face. Before she could think of a response to such a bizarre statement, Bridie spoke again.

“Of course, nothing actually changes until you’ve given us a son. But this is a good start.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” A son? Cal had repeatedly told her he had no desire to ever have children. And with her history, she’d turned her biological clock off years ago.

“Never think my son will tell you everything. He always holds something back.” She straightened to the regal posture that always reminded Mira of a queen from a bygone era. As did her notion of children being a required chapter two in the book of marriage.

“Cal and I won’t be having children.” It might be too direct, but she didn’t care to debate the issue.

“You will.” She nodded. “Soon.”

Endometriosis had blocked that path years ago. She’d accepted it, and she didn’t care for it to be an ongoing conversation. “I’m not sure what you have planned, but I can’t get pregnant. And this isn’t really any of your business.”

Two lines appeared between the older woman’s drawn-on eyebrows. “You can’t have a child?”

“Not without a level of medical intervention I’m uncomfortable with.” She’d suffered through procedures to ease her symptoms, but the only thing that brought relief were the birth control pills that allowed freedom from the pain for a few months at a time.

“All the better. That way, we can ensure you have a boy.” She clasped her hands together as if a decision had been made.

Cal embraced her as if from nowhere, and she welcomed the rescue. “Why have you cornered my wife?” He squeezed her tighter as he gazed down at her, smiling as if all his dreams had just come true. “Wife. What do you think, doll? Should I start calling you that?”

She raised a brow at him, not sure she liked him using a term that meant nothing to him. He wasn’t a husband, she wasn’t a wife. They were just married. And now she wondered if he’d chosen her for the very reason that she couldn’t have children. Damn, she needed a drink.

“Congratulations, Callum.” Dirk the Dunce offered a hand. Cal let it hang there, limp in the air.

“Now, son, there is no need for rudeness.” Bridie patted Dirk on his shoulder. “I was welcoming Miranda to the family. Isn’t that what you’d want me to do?”

“This scene didn’t look welcoming from my angle. Let her be, Mother. It’s our wedding.”

“I was just caught off guard by how little you have shared with your wife. Does she even know why you had to rush into this marriage?”

Cal released her, lowering his head and his voice to a quiet growl. “Mira knows more about my inheritance than you do, or you wouldn’t be standing beside this trash.”

“Never assume what I know, Callum. As a woman, I think you should have told her that you don’t have the ability to change the estate until you’ve produced an heir. Women are not brood mares, son, no matter what your father may have thought.”

“Not to worry. I’ll never do what was done to me. I do hope you have a safe flight home.” Cal gripped Dirk’s arm and led him to the door, his mother trailing behind. The revelry of their friends hushed as the Kerrs made their exit.

Molly came toward Mira, offering up a glass of champagne. “Are you okay? This whole thing is so . . .”

“Perfect?” She laid the sarcasm on thick, then drained the flute, wondering if she could get the waiters to pour it into a pint glass. She rarely drank, but talking about infertility with your monster-in-law certainly called for it.

“Not the word I would have chosen. Unexpected, maybe?”

“To you and me both, sister.” She turned to look at her friend. “Who did you put your money on in the bet?”

“We already got married, let’s run away.” Cal stood behind Mira and whispered in her ear. He ran his hands up and down her bare arms, trying ease the tension still gnawing at him. He’d thought it was the wedding, or his mother’s surprise visit, but the wedding went better than he’d hoped and his mother had left.

Whenever their group of friends gathered together they fell into a fun vibe. Easy, happy, comfortable. Except this time everyone seemed to be looking at him sideways, conversations shifted whenever he neared, and every time he touched Mira he was acutely aware he’d never done it in public before.

She turned and looked up at him, hazel eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You don’t want to be alone with me right now. All I want to do is shake you until your brain rattles.”

Dave saved him from certain death by standing on a chair and clapping his hands. “Okay, now that the queen mother has left, I think Cal and Mira need to fill us in on this surprise party.”

Everyone that mattered in his life turned their gaze on him, including his bride. His skin prickled and his mind spun with what to say. He should have prepared some kind of explanation. But he’d been focused on getting Mira to say “I do.”

“Who wouldn’t want to marry Miranda? She’s fantastic.” Thank goodness she was facing him, or everyone would have been witness to her exaggerated eye roll.

Tina tugged her husband down from his perch. “We all agree Miranda is amazing. But you throw a surprise birthday party, not a surprise wedding.”

“I’m not much for tradition.” He smiled and hoped the third degree would stop.

“Says the man in the kilt.” Mira shook her head and turned back to their friends. “The truth is, we’ve been keeping things from all of you for a long while. Since first year, actually.”

“How long?” Helen placed her hands on her hips.

“Remember when I taught him to drive?” The group exchanged incredulous glances. “For goodness’ sake, I’m not some kind of hag.”

“It’s not that, Mira.” Helen tilted her head, staring at her as if she’d just announced she’d been to Mars and back. “It’s like you’re revising our history. I’ve set you up on dates, and Cal has, you know, been Cal. And your wedding kiss was perfunctory, not passionate.”

If he’d tried to actually kiss her, Mira would have bit him. She’d gone through with it, but she wasn’t happy about it. He cleared his throat. “This has gone off the rails. Let’s just say Mira and I have been working on our relationship for a long time. We kept it to ourselves because, well, we didn’t want judgments or opinions. And this conversation illustrates why. So, yes, we’re married. Be happy about it.”

Molly held her belly as she moved closer. “Guys, we’re all just a bit shocked. We love you both, and love you together. It’s just that we thought you two were so far in the friend zone, there was no spark.”

A laugh rumbled through him until Mira elbowed him in the ribs. Hard. He took a step back. She’d probably stomp her heel into his foot next.

“How the hell are you supposed to have a passionate kiss when you’re between Elvis and an audience? I’m sorry we didn’t tell you.” She sighed and shook her head. “Molly, I’m sorry we broke the shelf in your pantry. Helen, we do know how the flower girl baskets got dumped. And—”

“You’re the ones my dad heard having sex before my wedding!” Tina’s expression battled between humor and indignation. “He still thinks it was us. You were in a church, for goodness’ sake.”

Mira gave an exaggerated shrug. “He has a thing for this dress.”

“Does this mean you’re moving?” Molly rubbed her baby bump.

“No,” they answered in unison.

“We’re both keeping our own places,” Mira explained. “I know it’s not typical, but it works for us. We’re not changing anything, just making things official.”

Dave and Bert gave him the evil eye as the women hugged and whispered congratulations. He couldn’t blame them, if he’d had to watch Mira marry someone under dubious circumstances, he’d be suspicious too. Suspicious, and damn near homicidal.

“Blackjack or roulette?” Mira waved her cash in the air, the second glass of champagne silencing her anxieties. She’d deal with Cal, and his mother’s baby issues, later.

“You hate to gamble.” Molly looked at her sideways, but then, she was the only one still sober.

“This is payback for y’all not thinking Cal should marry me. I am going to take everything I won in your stupid bet, and gamble it all at once!”

Rob wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Why would we think you’d marry this lunk? I bet he’d hired a bride like in some movie.”

“Yes, I know.” Molly had filled her in on the speculation from a hired bride to a stripper. At least Dave had thought to mention her, even if it was only in jest.

Cal stepped behind her, his big hand covering the small of her back. “Let’s not wave money around, doll.”

“You’re my husband, not my keeper.” She reached for the train of her dress and undid the brooch. She let the fabric go, which he caught in his hand. “So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get drunk and hit the casino. Don’t wait up.”

It wasn’t until she made it to the elevator that she wished she’d grabbed her purse; she might need her room key or credit cards. She’d planned on betting all the money, but now she’d have to budget some for more champagne. Tina and Dave caught up to her as the elevator doors parted.

“Oh good,
you
can buy my drinks. Because it’s
my
wedding day.” She leaned against the back of the elevator and realized two glasses of champagne wasn’t adequate to get her drunk enough to deal with anything. She looked down at the diamond bigger than a marble Cal had put on her hand. She would have never chosen something so ostentatious or heavy or stunning.

“Sure thing, princess.” Tina stood next to her while Dave did his best to avoid eye contact in the mirrored walls. “Since we didn’t get to have a bachelorette party, it’s time for a bridal party.”

“How did you know?” she asked the back of Dave’s head. Molly said he’d been joking, but his posture told a different story.

He met her gaze in the mirrors. “I saw him kiss you goodbye at the airport.”

“When?” Public displays of affection were not their MO.

“Third year, when he went to Scotland. I was coming back from Toronto. I thought you’d both come to pick me up, until the kiss. Which was better than the one he gave you at your wedding.”

Her body jolted in recognition. Cal had gone over to convince his father Kentigern Castle was worth saving.

“Holy crap, Dave. You never told me that.” Tina had a hand on one hip, the other clutching her handbag.

“I didn’t know you then, and I didn’t think they were still at it.” The doors opened and he stepped out into the din of the casino floor. They followed him as he wove his way through slot machines to the bar. Dance music pulsed through them, a go-go dancer strutting around a pole in the middle of the bar. “Double Jim, neat.” He yelled toward the bartender, then turned back to them with a raised eyebrow.

“Champagne,” Tina said, taking her husband’s hand and squeezing.

“Pour mine into a pint glass.” Because it was her wedding, damn it, and she couldn’t bear to think about what that meant. She’d need more than the few sips in a flute if the alcohol had any chance of shutting her mind down. The only other thing that worked was sex, and she was so not going there with Cal right now.

The bartender balked at her request, so Dave leaned in to plead her case. No wonder he was such an amazing prosecutor. Her pint of bubbly was poured before anything else.

She took the glass and turned to survey the floor. The roulette table seemed crowded, but there were two bored blackjack dealers. She turned to tell Tina where she was headed and spied the rest of their party headed their way. Her groom looked especially annoyed. Perfect.

She raised her glass and shouted, “Blackjack!”

By the time she reached the empty table, the horde had gathered behind her. She set her bills on the table and took a long draw from her glass. Which gave her the hiccups.

Dave took the seat next to her and set down his winnings. “Just us,” he said to the dealer. “They already lost their money.”

Cards appeared and she held her breath, forcing the hiccups to go away. The dealer showed a ten. She’d planned on losing their money, but she’d hoped there would at least be some buildup. Poor Dave showed a four while she had a jack. She checked her other card, another jack.

“When in Vegas,” she said as she flipped over her card and pushed them apart. “Husband, you should pay for this one.” She grinned at the double meaning. To his credit, Cal ponied up the cash without protest. As he should. Everyone else had lost two hundred, he ought to be in the game.

“Newlyweds?” the dealer asked as he was forced to stay on seventeen while Dave busted.

“For almost an hour now.” Mira checked her cards and nearly spilled her bubbly. A jack and an ace in both hands.

“It really is your lucky day,” the dealer spoke as he counted out her winnings.

“No,” Cal rumbled behind her. He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her temple. “It’s mine.”

“Can you stand?” Cal carried Mira out of the elevator and toward the honeymoon suite.

“You’re supposed to carry me over the threshold.” She nuzzled deeper against his neck, and started kissing him there.

His steps faltered. It had been one thing when she’d done it in the elevator and he could lean against the wall. How was he supposed to think straight, let alone walk? And he had to figure out a way to get his keycard without dropping her.

“Doll, let’s get into the room, okay?” He released her legs and she slid down his body.

“Because you don’t want anyone to see you kiss me?” She backed up against the door, her gaze glassy and lost.

“I don’t want a video of my wedding night on the Internet.” He opened the door and she stumbled back. He grabbed her and lifted her into his arms again as he carried her inside. “Carrying the bride over the threshold is supposed to be symbolic, not necessary.”

She hid a yawn behind her hand. “I haven’t slept since you invited me to your wedding. Our wedding. I don’t even know anymore.”

Callum kicked the door to the suite closed and set Mira on her shaky legs. She wobbled in her heels, so he knelt down and helped her take them off. She gripped his shoulders to steady herself. He looked up at her and ran his palm up the length of her smooth calf.

“I am so angry at you.” She pushed her hand through his hair, the lights of the strip shining in the windows and shadowing her features.

“I know, doll.” He rose up to his knees, running his hands up her long legs as he went. “Let me make it up to you.”

“How? Are you going to tell everyone the truth?” The anger in her gaze disappeared, her hazel eyes wide and glistening.

“We are the truth. I want to be with you, and no one else.”

“But you don’t want to marry me. That’s just for show.” Her voice went quiet as she stared at the ceiling.

“No. If it was for show I would have hired someone.” He waited for her to look at him so she could see he meant what he said. “I chose you. I want you.”

“You want your inheritance. You never even considered a relationship with me before that was in jeopardy.”

He shook his head. “I never pushed for more because you wanted kids, and I didn’t want to keep you from that. You only told me a few months ago that you didn’t think you’d be able to have any. I’d figured we’d tell our friends about us soon. The next time we had a new godchild, most likely.”

Tension left her muscles, her shoulders relaxing for the first time since she stepped out of their shower. “So help me, Cal, if you are lying I will hurt you in painful and creative ways.”

“I have no doubt.” He pushed his hands higher, finding her hips bare. “Do you ever wear underwear?”

“At home. But we’ve ‘lost’ them before so I don’t bother around you.” The air quotes were back, as were the dimples in her smile.

“Very practical, Mrs. Kerr.” He moved his hand from under her skirt to the hidden zipper on the side of her dress.

“I’m not changing my name.” She lifted her arms as he slid the zipper down.

“I see, Ms. Rose.” The dress slid from her body in a hush, leaving her perfectly naked. He found nothing sexier than a woman who wore nothing beneath her clothes. He palmed her breasts, light glinting on the diamond in his ring.

It felt awkward and heavy on his finger, but he did like the way it looked as he traced the long curves of her lithe body.

“Cal, I have to tell you a secret.” She placed a hand on his shoulder for support. She hadn’t had much of the champagne she kept reordering as soon as her glass got warm, but then, she wasn’t a drinker.

“I can see your secrets from here.” In all the years he’d known her, he’d never seen her sloppy. Even in law school, she’d never had more than a couple. And now, after he’d plied her with waffles and enough water to drown a fish, she still had a groove going.

“You know what I did today?” She turned into him, vining her arms around his neck.

“Ordered enough champagne for fifty people?”

“It was free after I won a gazillion at blackjack. I’ve never gambled before.”

“It’s not usually like that.”

“I wasn’t talking about the casino.” She sighed, wearing an expression he hadn’t seen in years. Mira didn’t really do vulnerability. Neither did he. He’d bet she was the only one who’d ever seen it in him.

“I think we’re more of an investment. Guaranteed interest and huge dividends.”

She wrinkled her nose. “That is the worst analogy in the history of ever.”

“You’re welcome.” He tried to run his fingers through her hair, but got caught up in pins. He tried to remove them as delicately as possible, but really, there needed to be an instruction manual for such things.

“Uh, you want to pull my hair? Is that how you like it now?” She lifted her foot, rubbing the arch behind his knee.

He knew he wasn’t completely off the hook, but her wicked grin told him they were done talking about it tonight. “Damn it, wife. I’m trying to help you.”

“Oh, poor baby. Does my wanting to fuck you make this hard?” She gripped him through the wool of his kilt.

“Everything about you makes me hard.” With her lips puffing whispers behind his ear, he could hardly think. He pulled out what he hoped were the last of the pins and shook her hair loose.

“Mmm, if you like it then you should put a ring on it.” She nipped his earlobe. “Oh, you already did. And it’s huge.”

“You can handle it.” He shrugged off his jacket and started in on the buttons of his shirt.

She slapped his bare chest with the back of her free hand, the diamond scratching his skin.

“The ring, you perv. I can’t walk around with something like this on my hand. I’m not a Real Housewife.”

“If you take off yours, I’ll take off mine.” He discarded the shirt, then pulled her hand free and lifted his kilt.

“You’re really going to wear yours?” She flattened her palm against his chest, the lights of the strip reflecting off her diamond and her heavy lidded eyes. “That’s not very modern.”

“The way I’m feeling right now is positively primal.” He grabbed her hips, pulling her up against him.

“I want you.” She all but purred in his ear. “Lose the kilt.” She turned and sauntered back to the bedroom, showing him the tight ass she kept hidden behind her proper dresses and prim suits. The kind of ass that made his cock salute and want to take her for a ride.

He followed, dropping the rest of his clothes as he went. He didn’t want anything in his way. Hell, she’d be lucky if she made it to the pillows before he plowed into her.

In the bedroom she knelt on the bed, her long hair curling around her breasts like a goddamned Lady Godiva fantasy. His steps stuttered, realizing this was more than their standard orgasm exchange program. This was their first time as husband and wife, and no matter how they defined marriage, that mattered. Set the tone. Made him want to be better.

He walked to the side of the bed and fisted his hard cock. “What kind of game do you want to play, doll?”

“We’re playing married, aren’t we, Cal?” She twisted the diamond on her finger and blinked up at him in mock innocence.

“Oh, I see.” They’d never tried role play before, but everything was hot with Mira. He released himself and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll be gentle with my new bride.”

She swatted his hand away. “This isn’t the dark ages, Highlander. You wanted a modern marriage, and you know what that means.”

“I have no idea.” He pushed a hand through his hair. He needed to get off the eggshells he’d been walking on ever since he’d asked her to marry him. “Enlighten me.”

“Blow jobs are a once-a-year deal, on your birthday.” She counted her new rules on her fingers. “We’ll schedule sex for Wednesdays before the eleven o’clock news, unless I’m too tired. We’ll do it in the missionary position, with the lights off. And I don’t wax if you don’t.”

As if. He gripped his cock and pumped, pinning her with a stare and all but daring her to look down. He’d never known anyone more engaged during sex than Mira. She loved it; he secretly wondered if she loved it even more than he did. She’d always been able to surprise him in bed, but never like this.

“And one more thing,” she said, settling herself against the mountain of pillows. “We’ll sleep in separate bedrooms. You snore.”

“This is the honeymoon suite. There is one bed. And I plan on wearing it out.” Uncertainty sliced through him. She’d just described his biggest fear about marriage—that everything he loved about being with Mira would change. If he’d known he would lose his best friend over this, he would have let Dirk have the estate. Nothing was worth having Mira change.

“You can sleep on the chaise.”

“The only thing that chair is good for is getting comfortable while you ride me.”

“Not tonight, dear, I have a headache.” She rested her head against the pillows and closed her eyes. “Good night. Be a doll and get the lights, will you?”

She had him, right up until she started to laugh. “Come kiss me.”

She held out her arms for him and he moved into the embrace. His lips searched hers with a slow certainty, his hands cupping her face. She turned and kissed her way along the stubble of his jaw.

“Did you forget about my secret?” she whispered in his ear.

“Found it.” He reached between her legs and cupped her sex, damp with arousal.

“You’ll like it.” She tongued that spot between his ear and his neck that only she had ever bothered to find.

“It’s my favorite thing.” His middle finger slipped between her folds, leaving him with just a thread of control. Any other night, he’d have laid her down and been inside her within seconds.

“Mine too.” She rocked against his hand. “But that’s not my secret.”

He met her gaze. “Does that mean it’s mine?”

She gave a wicked come-and-get-it laugh. “No, but there is a position you can fill.”

He kissed her smile and laid her back on the bed. He followed her down, intending to ravish every inch of her. But she had other plans and rolled on top of him. She slid her legs to straddle him, her slick heat trapping his hard cock. He couldn’t hold back the groan.

“Shh.” She pressed her finger to his lips. “I’m trying to tell you something.”

“I’m trying to show you something.” He rocked his hips against her and she lost her balance, bracing herself against his shoulders. “Show, then tell.”

“When you do that, I wind up speaking in tongues.” She might be stalling, but he’d swear she was getting wetter for him.

He put his hand behind her neck and pulled her down for a kiss. “Speak to me with your tongue.”

She brushed her mouth against his, only to pull back and run the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip. She rocked against him and he gripped her hips to keep her still. No way was he going off before he was inside her. “You really don’t want to know?”

“Tell me quick, woman. I’m trying to get laid.”

She pushed up again, the ends of her hair tickling his chest. “I wasn’t going to let you marry someone else.”

“I was counting on that. I thought you’d offer yourself up as an option.” He pushed her hair from her shoulder and palmed her breast.

“I thought you’d ask me.” She made tiny circles with her hips, until he felt her swollen clit rubbing back and forth along the head of his cock. “In fact, I don’t think we can consummate this marriage until I’ve been properly proposed to.”

“Even when you’re drunk, you still speak lawyer.” He cupped her breasts and rubbed his thumbs across her nipples. She pulled her lip between her teeth the way she always did when she was trying to make it last. “Do you want me to propose, or do you want to come?”

“Fuck you.”

“I’m trying.” He laughed and she shot him a glare that said she was not at all impressed with his joke. Okay then. “Miranda Rose, will you be my wife?”

She grinned and picked up her pace. “What’s in it for me?”

“Besides my cock?”

“I can have that whenever I want. You’re easy.”

“Only for you.” He pulled up his knees to help her balance. “You’re not after my cock and you won’t take my name. What is it you want, woman?”

Something flashed across her face, an emotion he didn’t recognize, but before he could question it her features lit up with a wicked grin.

“I know what I want.” She climbed off him, the coolness of the air-conditioned room hitting him where her slick heat had been. She laid beside him on the bed. “I did you a favor today, so you owe me one.”

“At least.” He rolled toward her, letting his hand drift down to cup her sex.

“I want you once a month. No excuses.” She turned to him, lifting her leg over his.

“None from you either.” He ground the heel of his hand against her clit and curled a finger inside her. She gasped and grabbed his arm, so he pushed deeper until he found the perfect spot to make her eyelids flutter. “Now, answer me.”

“What was the question?” She leaned in, her hot lips on his neck. Hell, he almost forgot.

“Will you be my wife?”

“Oh yes. At least once a month.”

He withdrew his hand and slapped her ass, hard. Which made her laugh, as it always did. He covered her body with his, nestling into the cradle of her thighs. She felt so warm and welcoming beneath him, he doubted he’d ever want to go a week without her, let alone a month.

She lifted her head, nipping along his jaw line until he turned the tables and started kissing her with a lazy determination to make her beg. She had him and she knew it. It would be nice to know he had the same effect on her. Their mouths locked in a deep, wet passion that could have gone on forever except for small things like breathing and his cock demanding release.

She took his face in her hands, pressing her forehead to hers. “I need you inside me.”

Sexier words were never spoken. His cock found her entrance without any guidance and he pressed inside. Pleasure echoed through him with every inch. He pulled back a little, then pushed his way home.

She gasped and crossed her legs behind his back. She locked her gaze on him and he couldn’t look away as he rocked in and out of her. The intensity of it built past the point of comfort. This was something different, unexpected. Like they were breathing from the same lungs, blood pumping from the same heart.