The Surrogate Husband Read online

  She wiped away a surprise tear. Didn’t matter that she knew exactly where her commitment issues had originated. They were there, nonetheless.

  Dex’s eyes slowly opened. He stretched then gave her that sexy smile, the one that stole her breath away every time. “Can’t sleep?”

  “Sorry. Did I wake you?”

  He shrugged. “I guess we’re getting tuned in to each other.”

  They were. Something that rarely happened to her with guys. Or never.

  “What’s on your mind?” His voice was as gentle as a caress.

  “I was thinking about all the times we moved when I was growing up. Niki and I left a lot of friends along the way.”

  His expression grew serious, and caring. “It’s hard to count on anyone but yourself when the people in your life keep going away. But you know what?”

  “What?”

  He grazed his thumb over her cheek. “You don’t have to be all alone. I’ve been thinking about this, and we have to end this charade here.” Rolling toward her, he kissed her forehead, then her lips. “What we’ve started is…it deserves more time and exploration after we go home to Miami.”

  Her heart pounded, her hands grew slick with sweat. “You’re not afraid? Not even after Caroline?”

  He gave her a small, sad smile. “Oh, I’m afraid. But I’m just choosing not to think about that when I’m with you.”

  Maybe it was time she stopped running from the hurts of her childhood. She didn’t want Dex to be a flash in the pan of her love life. He wasn’t the type of guy to run out on her, but she wasn’t yet ready to agree to anything more than this.

  For a moment, she was too choked-up to speak. Her throat felt stuffed with cotton. “It scares me.”

  “I know. But we can take it a week at a time, a day at a time, or hell, an hour at a time. It’s not like someone’s telling us to get married tonight or anything. Well, no one besides Bev.”

  She laughed. “Not anymore.” She walked her fingers down the middle of his chest and along those incredible abs.

  He covered her hand with his. “Please don’t stop there.”

  Moving her fingers lower, she felt the evidence of his arousal. “You’re bad.”

  “You’re right.”

  She closed her fist around him. He let out a whooshed breath. For the first time in years, she considered the possibility of keeping a guy around for more than a date or two. Because Dex wasn’t just any man. She’d surrounded herself with guys who were so easy to forget, she hardly noticed when they disappeared from her life.

  Dex was different. He hadn’t been put off by her fear of water. Nor had he merely ignored it. Instead, he’d done everything in his power to ease her worry and help her conquer the demons on her own. No other man had ever cared enough to go to bat for her like that.

  Might be nice to have a man to cook for, and be with a guy she didn’t have to kick out of her apartment after a few nights together. Someone to go to events with, or to do nothing but read the Sunday paper or take a walk in the park. Maybe he was the end of the loneliness.

  Losing Dex would definitely leave a huge void, but could she handle it if things blew up in her face? She swallowed hard. “I just don’t know, Dex.”

  Disappointment clouded his expression. “Fine, I’ll wait for your answer.” He propped himself up on one elbow and shifted his leg over hers. Then he traced the seam of her lips with his tongue. He kissed her mouth, her neck, her shoulders. His hands were on her, touching her everywhere, engaging and awakening all her senses.

  When she reached for him again he took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Let me touch you.”

  A rush of delight spread through her. All her previous lovers had been after their own gratification way more than hers. But Dex seemed just as interested in her pleasure—if not more—than his own.

  He moved down on the bed and settled between her legs. Her breaths grew ragged as he licked, tantalized, and teased her. Every touch singed her sensitive flesh, drawing her closer and closer to nirvana.

  Fisting her hands in the covers, she neared the precipice of bliss. She held her breath as she detonated in a rhapsody of joy. Wave after wonderful wave of pleasure filled her body, lifted her to the highest high.

  She arched her back, writhing on the mattress as her man gave her all he had. Her body vibrated with the ecstasy. Dex rolled her over and eased inside her. Holding her by her hips, he claimed her in a primitive, primal way. Every thrust was heaven, each stroke taking her closer and closer to renewed satisfaction.

  She moved with him, stroke for stroke. They were so in sync, as if they were made for that very moment. Her climax hit with ferocity. Every cell in her body exploded in delight. She rode the tide, let it carry her away to infinity.

  Dex’s pace increased, he thrust hard and deep. He let out a broken gasp that had become familiar to her the past couple of days. She shared in his pleasure, tightened around him, wringing him for every last morsel of rapture.

  Dotting her back with kisses, he held her close for several minutes, their hearts pounding in tandem. She’d never felt so connected to another human being. Sure, she was scared, but she was also intrigued by the prospect of a real relationship. Could she, or couldn’t she?

  She wished she knew.

  Chapter Eleven

  Dex pulled Lucy against him. He didn’t want the moment to end. And he certainly didn’t want to let the specter of Johnny Bass enter his mind, as it kept threatening to do. He pushed all thoughts of Bass Financial out of his head. “Do you want to move this party to the bath?”

  There was that sparkle in Lucy’s eyes. A little mischief and a lot of exuberance. “Yeah. I’m sure everyone else is still sleeping.”

  He threw on a pair of shorts just in case they ran into any of her family on the way. “There are two bathrooms on this floor. We can hog one for a while.”

  She grabbed one of his T-shirts and pulled it over her head. Damn, she looked hot with those long, luscious legs and her hair all mussed.

  He took her arm and reeled her in for a kiss. “I love it when you wear my clothes.”

  “I like the way they smell of you. But I don’t think I’d love it if you wore mine.” She chuckled, then picked up two towels from the rack.

  Easing open the door, he glanced both ways, then held her hand. They padded to the end of the hall and closed themselves in the bathroom. Lucy turned on the water then poured in some pink bubble bath into the big tub as he stopped the drain.

  After she stripped off his shirt, she went to work on the buttons of his shorts. “I see someone’s ready for round two, hmm?”

  He let her undress him then they stepped into the tub. Lucy squeezed some liquid soap onto a washcloth, then began gently washing him.

  All he could think about were the euphoric sensations that surrounded him—the strawberry scent of her hair, the sights of her beautiful body all wet and slick with lather, the feel of her hands on him, scrubbing and rubbing and lingering in all the right places.

  She pinned him with a stare, her eyes smoky with wanting. “What do you say we dry off, then go back to our room?”

  He relieved her of the washcloth and set it aside. “What do you say I make love to you right here and now?” Without waiting for her answer, he pulled himself out of the water and sat on the ledge. “Come here.”

  She stood, moved toward him, head cocked to the side, bottom lip caught between her teeth. Sexy as sin. Climbing onto his lap, she hooked her hands behind his head.

  He held her by the waist as she rocked over him. Damn, he’d never wanted a woman so much. He kissed the dip of her throat, tasted her damp skin. Each touch set off sparks. The more he had of her, the greedier he grew for more.

  Licking and kissing, he explored her everywhere. His blood roared in his ears as he held on to the razor-thin edge of his control.

  She moaned as he pushed inside her then took his time giving her everything. He wanted to see her face, to watch her enjo
yment with each breath. And she didn’t let him down. She detonated in incoherent gasps. Her body writhed, and her face relaxed with perfect gratification. Finally, he allowed himself to let go and he emptied himself inside her.

  He planned to make love to her every day, as long as she’d have him. Each time, he’d claim a piece of her heart. Maybe soon he’d have enough to convince her to keep him around longer than a week at a time.

  When they returned to their room, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. He sat on the fainting couch and watched her dress in shorts and a tank top. Then she opened a dresser drawer and took out a pair of short athletic socks.

  “Going somewhere?” He stretched, fighting the urge to nap.

  “I feel like running. I’ll probably eat a ton at the reception today. Gotta burn it off somehow. Want to come?” She pulled her long hair into a ponytail.

  “I could think of a better way to expend a whole lot of calories.”

  She rolled her eyes. “We just did.”

  “Sure, I’ll join you.” As he put on shorts and a T-shirt, he considered what it would be like to do this on a regular basis. To exercise with her, make love to her, be around her family. And bring her home to his.

  With any luck, he could convince her to quit engaging in dangerous pursuits like bungee jumping and riding her motorcycle too damn fast.

  “Ready?” She set her hands on her hips.

  He tied his shoes. “Yep.” He followed her out front, then took the lead as they ran past beautiful lakeside vistas and pastoral farms.

  But the beauty of the landscape wasn’t their real life any more than their fake marriage. As much as he yearned to believe everything would fall into place when they got back to Miami, the doubts were creeping back, full force.

  Would she even agree to date him when they returned home, like a real couple? And if so, how would she take it if he asked her to keep their relationship under wraps for a while. Just long enough for him to find her a good CPA in another company.

  “Slow down, Mr. Tough Guy.” Her voice was breathless, just as it was after sex.

  He ran in a circle to allow her to catch up. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you were such a slow-poke.”

  When she reached him, she swatted at him. “Watch it, or I’ll have to get out my leather whip.”

  “Promises, promises.” He fell in line beside her, adjusting his pace to match hers.

  Aside from being the sexiest woman he’d ever met, she was also funny and sweet and interesting to be with. She was definitely worthy of way more than a fling.

  If he could just convince her how great they could be together, and then get through the next couple of weeks without Johnny learning the truth, they’d be golden. Once the merger was done, Dex would be part-owner of the company, and way more bulletproof than he was now. As a board member, he couldn’t be fired for violating the boss’s rules, but pissing off Johnny wouldn’t do Dex or his father any good. Hopefully he could finally talk some sense into Johnny about loosening up some of his draconian policies.

  …

  “Welcome.” Lucy’s mother ushered yet another wedding guest into the foyer. “I’m the groom’s sister, Michelle, and this is my husband, Jack. There are refreshments in the dining room and on the back porch. Gifts and cards can be left in the parlor. Please make yourself at home.”

  Dex wondered how she kept her sunny smile after repeating the same greeting to person after person after person. She’d instructed him to keep the flow moving in the right direction and to bar anyone from going upstairs where the bride was getting ready for her big moment.

  The ceremony was supposed to take place in half an hour, at noon, and it seemed as if the inn was already bursting at the seams. Another couple crossed the threshold into the entryway. And they were familiar.

  Uh oh. He recognized the middle-aged woman from the holiday party Johnny had thrown a few months earlier. Damn it. Just what he needed—a client of Bass Financial.

  Maybe the woman wouldn’t recognize him, but he couldn’t take the chance. While the couple spoke with Michelle at the door, he headed the opposite direction toward the kitchen.

  One of the catering company’s bartenders was filling champagne glasses on a tray at the island.

  “Mind if I steal one of those?” Dex asked the young man.

  “Help yourself.”

  “Thanks.” He took a glass, then drank half the contents in a single sip. After the server left, Dex glanced out the window at the growing crowd on the back porch. He should be able to avoid the client in such a large group.

  Ducking into the hallway outside the kitchen, he glimpsed a wisp of purple fabric and the scent of Ben Gay outside Bev’s room.

  “Yes, do have they eight double cabins for the Christmas sailing?” Bev’s voice. “Only 5 percent down to hold the lot of them, hmm?”

  What was she up to now?

  He stood perfectly still and listened, knowing he shouldn’t be eavesdropping. But he couldn’t help himself. If Bev was planning another family outing that might very well involve him, he had to give Lucy a heads-up. They couldn’t just keep pretending to be a married couple every time her aunt decided to plan a vacation.

  “That’s the seven-night cruise to Mexico… Yes, here’s my credit card information.”

  Rubbing the bridge of his noise, he huffed. Lucy and her mother were going to have to tell Bev the truth sooner or later. Maybe they could think of a way to ease into it.

  Not that he’d mind sharing a cabin on the high seas with Lucy, but dragging the subterfuge on indefinitely was just plain wrong.

  He headed toward the porch in search of Lucy, careful to avoid the woman he’d recognized as a Bass client.

  “There you are.” Lucy appeared in the doorway. The flowing green dress was the most covered-up he’d ever seen her, but God, she was gorgeous. “Mom said you ran out on your duties.”

  Taking her hands, he pulled her against him for a kiss. “I missed you. You’re beautiful. Isn’t it supposed to be taboo to outshine the bride?”

  She glanced down at her dress. “You like this? Definitely not my usual style, but I thought I should tone down for the wedding.”

  “Lucy, nothing could tone down your beauty.”

  Color rose to her cheeks. “That’s very sweet. But you know what I mean.” She picked up his champagne glass and helped herself to a sip. “I can’t believe we’ll be leaving tonight. It’ll be a relief not to have to pretend anymore.”

  His gut clenched. “Does that mean you regret marrying me?”

  She wrapped her arms around his middle. “It means I’m not a very good liar. But no, I don’t regret anything I did with you.”

  “Good.” Maybe now she would be open to more. He could only hope.

  Logan came bounding into the room in his typical hyper state. “It’s almost time for Grandpa’s wedding. And I get to be the ring bear.”

  Laughing, she lifted him into her arms. “Ring bearer. Which is a very important job. They can’t get married without you.”

  The boy’s face lit up. “Really?”

  She nodded. “So you have to do your job well, okay?”

  He gave her a solemn smile. “I’ll be the best ring bear ever. When you and Dex get married, I want to be the ring bear for you, too.

  Her eyes widened for a moment.

  Logan pointed at Dex. “I like that boy now.”

  Lucy tousled his hair. “Yeah, I kinda like him, too.”

  As the child ran from the room, Dex put his arm around Lucy and pulled her aside. “May I have a word with you?”

  She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. “Can it wait until after the ceremony? Trisha sent me in search of something blue.”

  What he knew of Bev, she was likely to share the news of the cruise she’d booked during the reception. The idea of perpetuating the lies was starting to get to him, both his lie to Johnny and Lucy’s to her aunt. “I guess it can wait, but as soon as the ceremony is over, I
want to speak to you privately.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Sounds important.”

  “It is. Very.” He had to find a way to tell her about the situation with Johnny’s company and what that meant to the two of them. And they’d have to tackle the problem of how to come clean to her aunt.

  If they were going to have a future together, they had to start building the foundation not on dishonesty, but on the truth.

  …

  After delivering the baby-blue handkerchief she’d borrowed for Tricia, Lucy found Aunt Bev sitting on a wingback chair near the front door wearing a pale purple dress with a hideously large flower of the same fabric below her shoulder. Where in the world had she found lavender pantyhose?

  Lucy gave her a kiss and caught a whiff of Ben Gay. “Aren’t you extra pretty today?”

  Her mom and Niki both wore nervous expressions. What was going on?

  “Everything okay?” she asked them.

  Her mother put on a big smile that didn’t ring true. “Aunt Bev just gave us some great news.”

  “Yes,” Bev said. “I have a surprise.”

  Oh no.

  So far, Aunt Bev’s surprises hadn’t boded well for them. She glanced at Dex, and he frowned at her. Did he know something she didn’t?

  He eliminated the distance between them then draped his arm over her shoulder. “Don’t keep us in suspense, Bev.”

  She glanced up at him, then at Lucy. “I was going to wait until after the wedding, but what the heck. This has been such a wonderful vacation. It got me to thinking. I realized that the people I love most in the world aren’t back home in Wisconsin.” She pointed at Dex. “And now you’re one of those people.”

  Uh oh.

  Lucy glanced at her mother and sister and her fears were confirmed. Mom was rubbing her forehead, and Niki chewed at her beige-painted fingernails.

  Please let this not be what I suspect.

  “Monday morning I plan to contact a real-estate person,” Aunt Bev was saying. “I’m sure there are loads of independent living facilities in South Florida.”

  Lord, it was true. Lucy’s stomach roiled but she pasted on a smile. “S-so you’re moving here?”