The Surrogate Husband Read online

  Papers were stacked in multiple piles on and around her desk. How was she able to work in such a cluttered space?

  After his years in the Marines, including two in Operational Risk Management, he preferred his workspace to be more organized, but she managed to run a successful business, so the disorganization was obviously working for her.

  She leaned over to turn on a desk lamp and gave him a peek at her cleavage. And her tattoo of a script L over her heart. He admired her sleek arms, creamy shoulders, and full breasts. What did she taste like? He was close enough to kiss the smooth white skin of her neck.

  Great, soon he’d have a full-blown hard-on. He couldn’t do this, not with her. Ignoring the pull of arousal, he stepped back and buttoned his suit jacket.

  “I know I printed out those payroll records.” She glanced at him. “I could email them to you if you’re in a hurry.”

  “Or I can come back for them later.”

  “I’d hate for you to have to make another trip.”

  “The office is only ten minutes away. And right on my way to…” He was sure he’d told her he lived on the other side of town, not in South Beach.

  Think.

  “The place where I usually get lunch.”

  Sitting in her desk chair, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry, Dex. My mother never should have asked you to be my husband for my uncle’s wedding. That was way out of line. Let’s just forget about it.”

  He genuinely wanted to fix the mess her mom had gotten her into, but spending too much time in close proximity to Lucy would be too difficult. Which was precisely why he ought to keep his distance from her, and why he shouldn’t even consider her mother’s request that he play her husband during their relative’s wedding. But from what Michelle had told him, Lucy had no one else who could carry it off. If he didn’t do it, a little old lady would get her heart broken. “Sure, whatever you say. Good luck with the situation.”

  She smiled up at him and those lovely blue eyes sparkled like a tropical ocean. “Thanks.”

  He cleared his throat then took a sip of his coffee. “So you found someone else to play your husband?” Maybe she had a boyfriend she’d asked. He only hoped she was more cautious with her choices in boyfriends than she was with her motorcycle riding.

  His jaw automatically clenched. Not that he had any right to be jealous, but damn it, he was. Which was completely illogical. He had no claim on her. Lucy was obviously a strong, independent woman who made all her own decisions.

  The cloud of frustration returned to her expression, and he wished he could hold and comfort her. “No, that role is still up for grabs,” she said. “I’ll have to think of another plan, huh? I’m embarrassed that my mother put me in this position. You know that Mom’s really not a dishonest person, but my Great Aunt Beverly is more than an aunt to us.” When she combed her fingers through her hair, he glimpsed an inch-long jagged scar next to her ear. Looked like she’d had stitches.

  From one reckless decision or another?

  Pointing to the spot, he asked, “What happened there?” Then hoped he wasn’t prying.

  She touched the scar and grinned. “Oh, that. Some kid on the playground thought he could bully my little sister.”

  “Awfully risky to stand between her and a bully, wasn’t it?”

  She shook her hair forward to cover the area. “His scar’s bigger. Trust me.”

  Not surprising that she’d stood up for her sister, but she could have gotten hurt a lot worse. “Sorry, none of my business.”

  She waved away his apology. “No worries. I’ve got way bigger things on my mind.”

  “Like the wedding?”

  “I’ll figure it out.” But her frown persisted. “Actually, I really hate to ask, but since you offered…” Clasping her hands as if in prayer, she eyed him. “All night I racked my brain, but I couldn’t come up with anyone else who could be my husband. And now that the major embarrassment of my mother asking you is out of the way… I’d owe you big time if you’d help me out with this.”

  She seemed like the kind of person who was more comfortable being the one to give aid, rather than ask for it, so this had to be tough for her. Having recently looked over her tax records from the past few years, he was well aware that she gave more than her share to kids’ charities, probably every one that asked. Playing her husband for a few hours would mean being close to her. But it was out of the question. He couldn’t get risk getting caught by anyone from Bass Financial.

  “Of course.” Damn it. Obviously his sex drive had decided to answer for him.

  She tilted her head to the side and stared at him for a long moment as if she’d never seen him before. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

  He gulped. After serving in the United States Marine Corps for three years and facing down countless enemies out to kill him, the idea of being fake-married to one beautiful vixen shouldn’t throw him. He tried for his best nonchalant shrug. “Sure.”

  “Oh wow, that would be great.” She leapt out of her chair to hug him, squashing his cup between them.

  Hot coffee splashed over his abdomen and down the front of his suit. He jumped backward, hoping to keep Lucy from getting burned.

  “Oh, no. I’m so sorry.” She took his now half-empty cup and set it on her desk, then grabbed a stack of crumpled napkins that looked like she’d used them for yesterday’s lunch and blotted his jacket. “We’ve got to get this off you before you get burned.” The liquid heat dissipated in a few seconds, but he couldn’t say the same for the match she’d lit to his libido.

  “It’s fine.”

  Lucy opened his jacket, then started on his shirt.

  “Actually, I think the coffee seeped into my pants.” He winked at her. But in truth, feeling her touch was both heaven and hell. Much as he wanted her, he couldn’t allow himself to go there.

  “Very funny.” Her cheeks turned pink, and she wouldn’t meet his eyes, but he thought she’d grinned for a brief moment. Using her black-tipped fingernails, she worked the buttons free and pulled his shirt out of his trousers. She was so close that he felt the heat of her skin, inhaled her scent with every breath.

  He let her help him with his jacket, but when she began to take his shirt, he did it himself. Standing there so near her, shirtless and smelling of coffee, he held perfectly still, staring down at her. His chest expanded with a breath.

  He wanted to take her in his arms, throw caution to the wind. She blinked up at him, her lips slightly parted. Every hour of every day he did what was best for everyone else. For once, he wanted to do what felt right for the moment.

  Now was his chance to kiss her. To hell with the consequences.

  …

  Holy cow. Was Dex about to… Lucy swallowed hard, then backed away. She could have sworn he was about to kiss her, which would have been a terrible idea.

  Yet her mouth watered as she patted restaurant napkins to his wet pants. Without the starched shirt, she saw that his shoulders were as well-muscled as a power lifter’s, and his chest was chiseled and smooth. She could hardly breathe for a few seconds as she considered what other yummy surprises might be hiding under his clothes.

  Lowering her gaze to his groin, she found a very impressive bulge. Maybe she should have taken him up on the invitation to get him out of his pants. But all too quickly he turned away, crouching to wipe up the coffee from the hardwood floor.

  She brushed past him, then hurried to the bathroom in the back of the store for paper towels and to cool down, checking her reflection in the mirror. Pink splotches covered her nose and cheeks, thanks to the rosacea she’d inherited from her father. It wasn’t only red wine and spicy foods that set off the condition, but heat as well, both external and internal. And her private parts were definitely warming up after seeing some of Dex’s assets.

  She fanned herself, then went to help him finish cleaning up.

  She found him using napkins to blot the liquid from his shirt. After he did, he wen
t to put it back on. “No, that’s still wet and stained. God, I’m so sorry. I was just excited.”

  “I still am.” He captured her stare and held it.

  What had he meant by that? Hell, what had she? She licked her suddenly dry lips. “I’ll pay to have your suit cleaned, and the shirt.”

  He shook his head. “No you won’t. It was an accident. But I have another appointment soon so I’ll have to wear it as it is.”

  “I feel awful.” But she couldn’t deny she was enjoying the view of him shirtless. “Let me at least wash the stain off your shirt in the bathroom. I have lingerie detergent and a blow dryer under the sink, so you won’t have to walk around in wet clothes.”

  The front door chimed. “Excuse me a second.” She headed to the sales floor where three women were already looking around.

  “I called about speaking with Lucy to plan my sister’s bridal shower,” the youngest-looking one said.

  Lucy glanced toward her office then back at the women. “I’ll be right with you. Feel free to pick out some items for the wish list.”

  Dex came out from behind the curtain with his shirt in hand and headed to the bathroom.

  One of the women let out a soft gasp. “Be still my heart,” she said, softly enough that he might not have been able to hear. “What a hottie. Is he like a stripper or something? Can we hire him for the bridal shower?”

  Lucy chuckled at the thought. “Um, no. He owns an accounting firm.”

  The women exchanged amused glances. “He should be a stripper with a body like that,” one of them murmured. “He can audit me any time he wants.”

  Something tugged at Lucy’s gut. She realized her jaw was clenched.

  “Hell yes,” another agreed. “He’s got all the right assets.” They all laughed.

  Thankfully, Dex had already shut the restroom door.

  Too bad that he was hot as sin. Trying to ignore the images that kept flashing in her head of those pecs and biceps, she immersed herself in helping the women plan the lingerie party they would hold at the store in a few weeks.

  But she had a hard time keeping her thoughts from Dex and the ruse they were hopefully going to pull off. Far back as Lucy could remember, no one had ever been able to pull anything over on her aunt. She gulped. Way too late to come clean now. This had to work.

  The rest of her relatives would have to be clued in before Lucy brought Dex to meet Bev. Not to mention that Dex would have to be briefed on family goings-on to carry off his role.

  She prayed it wasn’t a mistake to ask him to play her husband. She’d hate to put their working relationship at risk in any way.

  When Dex finally emerged from the bathroom, he was fully dressed, looking just as perfect as he had before she’d spilled coffee all over him. Lucy excused herself, then met him in the office. “I’m so sorry about your clothes. You’re sure you still want to go to my uncle’s wedding with me?” Part of her wished he’d back out, but where would that leave her?

  What a great smile he had, all straight, white teeth and sexy lips. Unlike the guys she normally dated, he was clean-shaven, which was a nice change over that smattering of stubble a lot of men sported. Her stomach did a little flip-flop. Uh oh. Being attracted to Dex the whole time would be way more than she bargained for.

  He headed to the door, and Lucy followed.

  “Are we sure that his suit isn’t one of those tear-away numbers?” one of the customers whispered to her friend, loud enough that Lucy heard, and apparently so had Dex, judging by his amused grin.

  The bride-to-be’s sister took a step toward him. “Are you leaving already?” She twirled a long red curl around her finger. “We could use a guy’s opinion on some lingerie. I’d be happy to try it on for you.”

  Something inside Lucy wanted to tackle her. Could she blame the woman, though? No denying Dex’s hotness.

  “Sorry, but I’m a married man. My wife wouldn’t understand.” He shrugged at the redhead then winked at Lucy. “I’ll call you later, honey.”

  Her face heated again as all three ladies frowned at her. What if she had the same reaction to his close proximity when they were around her aunt? If her cheeks flushed every time Dex came near, Aunt Bev might wonder what the hell was going on. Or it might make the ruse more convincing.

  After he’d left, she wondered if he was the right choice to play her husband for the wedding. After Lucy had broken her engagement to Richard, the only guys Bev had seen her with were her usual fare of tatted-up surfers, rockers, and other societal misfits. Would her aunt buy that she’d go for someone like Dex? Even after only knowing him by phone and email for only six weeks, she could tell he was logical and neat and orderly, everything a normal woman could hope for. But she was far from normal.

  How many girls had been raised by a man who was so anal that he’d spanked his daughters because they hadn’t put their clothes in the proper drawer, or their books on the right shelf? Of course, she knew Dex wasn’t cruel like her father had been, but she couldn’t help the comparison.

  Yet Dex seemed to have so many similar traits. Which was plenty of reason to keep him at arms’ length. Another one being that she was terrified of marrying anyone. Her mother had always said that her father had swept her off her feet, and then had changed abruptly right after their honeymoon, and not for the better. She just prayed her aunt would believe they belonged together.

  It wasn’t like she had anyone else willing to do the job, though.

  “Your husband is a total hottie,” the bride’s sister said.

  Lucy considered confessing that they were only friends and weren’t actually married, but one of the others spoke up before she could.

  “Yeah, he is. If I had a man like that, I wouldn’t let him go anywhere without a shirt. For that matter, I wouldn’t let him out of the bedroom.”

  Lucy imagined what it would be like to make love with Dex, to run her hands over his muscled shoulders and his six-pack abs. Heat settled in all the right places.

  Stop it!

  All the fears she tried to keep so well hidden threatened to bubble to the surface.

  “I’d have never pictured you married to a guy like him,” the third woman said.

  The others agreed.

  Damn. If people who didn’t know her at all had trouble believing she had a romantic relationship with Dex, would Aunt Bev, who knew her better than most people, doubt her story?

  This could be a big problem.

  Chapter Three

  Lucy was in her office at the store a week later when she heard her mother gasp out front. She shot out there and found her mom standing next to a huge flower arrangement. “What’s wrong?”

  A uniformed delivery man set the vase full of irises on the counter.

  Lucy opened the cash drawer and took out a five for the man before he left. “You think they’re from Jack?” she asked her mom. Had she missed her mother and stepfather’s anniversary? But Mom’s birthday wasn’t for another two months, so that wasn’t it.

  “Irises are your favorite flower, sweetheart, not mine.” She handed Lucy a tiny envelope with her name written on it.

  Lucy tore it open and read.

  Lovely flowers for my lovely wife.

  —Dex

  Her whole body seemed to lighten, as if it were filled with air. But it wasn’t real. He was merely playing the role of a good husband. She schooled the disappointment from her expression.

  “Well?” Her mother craned her neck toward the note, so Lucy slipped it into the plastic holder.

  “They’re from Dex,” she told her. “And don’t get all excited. It’s all for Aunt Bev’s benefit.” Bev would be arriving in Miami tomorrow.

  Her mom raised an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

  The door chimed, and Dex came in.

  “You’re making my husband look bad,” Mom told him.

  He grinned at Lucy as he glanced at the flowers on the counter. “Newlyweds do things like send flowers, right? How’s your afternoon
going?”

  She’d never admit that his handsome face and beautiful bouquet were the best things that had happened to her all day. “Fine. These are lovely. Thank you. How did you know irises are my favorite?”

  He glanced at her mother, who turned away, but not before Lucy had glimpsed the guilt written all over her face.

  “They’re exotic, like you,” he said.

  She absolutely refused to take his flirtation seriously. But shoring up the subterfuge right before Aunt Bev arrived was a smart idea, she had to admit. Her aunt was very intuitive. Right before Lucy had given Richard the boot, Bev had come for a visit, and she’d known right away that something was wrong between them, even before Lucy’s own mother had.

  She looked at Dex and pretended he was her lover, just trying on the feeling. A lover who’d sent her a bouquet of her favorite flowers for no reason. Warmth spread through her. “So what brings you here? I mean, other than brightening my day with those flowers?”

  “Oh, right.” He picked up his briefcase from the counter. “I have a question about the computer you just replaced for the store. I need to know when you purchased the old one, for the depreciation schedule. And I’d like to get the make and model for my records.”

  A question he could have called about or emailed her. She couldn’t get too used to his attentions. After the wedding, things had to go back to normal between them. It was for the best. “I’ll have to check. All that info is at home.”

  He just stood there a moment, staring at her, as if he…wanted to kiss her. Or was that her projecting?

  Thankfully the phone rang, which gave her an excuse to walk away. Until her mother grabbed it.

  “Hi, Aunt Bev,” her mother said into the phone. “We’re all so excited to see you tomorrow.”

  She held her hand over the phone. “Lucy, she wants to speak to you.”

  “Excuse me,” she said to Dex as she took the handset. “Hi Aunt Bev.”

  “Lucy, darling, I wanted to make sure your new husband will be at the wedding this weekend. I’m so excited to meet him.”