“Just tell me.”
“It seems there’s something else that rhinestone asshole failed to mention last night.” I hold my breath. He looks me straight in the eyes when he tells me, “Not only is our marriage very real, but we need to keep it that way for thirty days in order to claim the prize money.”
Travis
“Maisey? Oh shit.”
The words are hardly out of my mouth when she starts choking. I jump from my chair, tossing the papers onto the bed, and start rubbing her back, patting it a little as she works through the shock of what I just told her.
I haven’t even told her the rest yet.
“Are you okay?” I ask when she stops coughing.
“No.” She turns to me. Her face is red, her eyes wide with shock. “Of course I’m not okay. You seriously just told me that not only are we actually married, but we have tostaythat way for thirty days to get the prize?”
I nod and drop the rest of the bombshell. “Also, if we decide to forfeit the prize, it turns out we’ll have to reimburse them for the incurred expenses.” She narrows her eyes. “Like this suite.”
For a second, I think my little filly might actually pass out. But then she shakes her head, and when she looks at me again, there’s rage flaring in her eyes. “I’ll kill him.”
“Who? The?—”
“That lying bastard dressed up like some rhinestone rodeo clown.” Her passion, even if it’s fueled by anger, has my cock hard again. “And then I’m going to find my bitch of a stepsister and?—”
“Okay, tiger.” I wrap an arm around her and pull her to me. “Calm down. Losing your temper isn’t going to?—”
She pulls back and glares at me. “Did you just tell me tocalm down?”
I can’t help it; I laugh and pull her close again so she can’t hit me. “Okay, you’re right,” I say. “I guess I have a lot to learn about being a good husband. But I’ll have thirty days to get it right.”
“What?”
She yanks herself away from me so abruptly that I don’t have time to grab her before she jumps out of bed, and I get a full-frontal look at her delicious naked body. “We can’t stay married, Travis! That’s crazy. I mean, we… Oh my God.” She drops her head into her hands. “How much does a suite like this cost?”
“If I had to guess?” I suck in a breath. “Eight grand. Maybe ten.”
She crumples to the floor with a wail.
I hate seeing her so distraught, especially since I feel exactly the opposite of whatever she’s going through right now. I did my best to school my features when I read the thirty-day clause in the contract. Because, while it’s not at all what we were planning, I’m not mad about it. I’m not ready to give up my wife. Not yet. And thirty days… well, that’s plenty of time to show her that being married to me is a good thing.
But first, despite the poor choice of words, Iamgoing to need her to calm down.
“Maisey. Come on.” I crouch next to her on the floor and scoop her easily into my arms. “This isn’t that bad.” Her eyes pop open. “Really,” I add quickly. “I mean, we had fun together last night, right?” To make my point, I use the hand that’s resting on her ass to give her a little squeeze.
Instantly, her pupils dilate, proving my point. Our chemistry is off the charts.
“So, we keep the fun going for a little longer.” I shrug as if it’s no big deal. “You said yourself you haven’t been able to find a job in your field. You can come back to the ranch with me,” I continue, as if I’ve actually had time to think this through. I haven’t, but the more I talk, the more it makes sense. “It’s beautiful there,” I tell her. “You can spend your days looking for a job and exploring the ranch. And in the evenings, we can…” I squeeze her ass again, letting my fingers travel a little bit this time. “Sound good?”
She doesn’t immediately say no, which I take as a good sign. I set her on the bed again and sit next to her.
“I only have a few things with me.”
“Kali and Anna have lots of things,” I say. “They live at the ranch with my buddies,” I explain quickly. “They’re about your age and married to Cash and Wyatt.” The night before, I told her a little bit about Rock Creek Ranch, where I’d worked as a ranch hand my entire life, growing up with the Thorne brothers, who were all like brothers to me. “So you wouldn’t be alone out there, and?—”
“Can I paint?”
“Paint?”
She nods. “It’s kind of what I want to do,” she says with a shrug. “I mean, my degree is in art history, but what I’m really passionate about is creating.”
