A Smart Choice: Arranged Marriage Romance Read online

  "Yeah," Jaime seems far less willing to kiss and make up than Kyle does, "Last time we saw Steph she was crying into a pint of Ben and Jerry's swearing off men forever, next thing we know she's in a hotel room in Half Moon Bay letting all her calls go to voicemail."

  "Tell us everything," Kyle slides into position next to Jaime on the sofa with an enthusiastic grin and takes a swig of his own beer.

  I think I'll get along with this guy just fine, but Jaime has a serious case of resting bitch face-- oh wait, no. That's not her resting face, she's going out of her way to scowl at me.

  I tell them. Everything. I spill my guts to these strangers that are Steph's best friends in the world, making sure I don't skip the parts I should have made sure to tell Stephany.

  By the time Stephany comes through her own front door looking like she's about to raise hell, I'm pretty sure Kyle's in love with me himself and even Jaime's expression has softened.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" Stephany's eyes bore into me.

  Before I can answer, her attention is on her friends, "Why would you let him in here? Why are you talking to him?"

  "You need to get out of my house," she turns back to me and spits out with a finger pointing at the open door, "Get out of my life."

  I stand and start to stammer some shit about letting me explain myself when suddenly both Kyle and Jaime are standing in front of me, cutting me off.

  "You need to just listen to him, Stephany!" Jaime's tone is lecturing.

  "Sweetie, do not fuck this up," Kyle pleas.

  The anger on Stephany's face drops and gets replaced with utter confusion, "What the fuck?" Her attention is off of me for the time being while she tries to figure her friends out.

  "Do you not remember Friday night?" Stephany sounds exasperated, "He was a total dick to me." She makes eye contact with Jaime, "You told me I should forget I ever met him."

  I watch Jaime sigh and even from where I'm standing behind her I know she rolled her eyes, "And where have you been for the last 24 hours?"

  My eyes go back to watch Stephany blush as her eyes flicker over my face and then land on the floor somewhere near Kyle's feet.

  "Uh huh," Jaime says sarcastically with her hands on her hips, "That's what I thought. So don't try holding anything I said when you were a snot filled mess with a bottle of wine crying about how you were never going to find a man who loved you for you against me."

  "Oh my Gawd, Stephs!" Kyle is every bit as dramatic as I'd expected from Stephany's description of him, but he's on my side and right now I need people on my side, "Devon is so in love with you, sweetie, you need to just give him a chance."

  OK, maybe there's such a thing as too much on my side. I shift uncomfortably from foot to foot. I could done without being outed by the L word.

  Even if it is true.

  I watch Stephany's face hopefully as she considers Kyle's pleas.

  Her eyes meet mine over the heads of her friends. I'm taller than Kyle by at least 2 inches. I see something flash in those hazel eyes of hers, something that has become familiar in just a few short hours of being with her. Something I can't live with out now that I've seen it.

  For a second my heart lifts, I know I'm holding my breath but I blame Kyle's drama queen act for being contagious.

  Then her shoulders slump and her head shakes back and forth, "I just can not with you people right now," she says more to herself than to any of us as she heads for one of the back rooms.

  Chapter 19

  Stephany

  I know I'm not going to get away with running into my room and hiding. Kyle will be in here before I even get the door locked, so I don't bother. I just drop my purse on the floor and fall onto my bed, burying my head under the pillows.

  When I hear the door open and close and the weight of someone sitting on the foot of the mattress, I wait for Kyle to launch into the Oscar-worthy speech I'm sure he's been preparing since I walked in.

  Kyle is my best friend, we've been friends since elementary school, I love him dearly, but the man has some serious stars in his eyes when it comes to love and romance. He's such a sucker for a happy ending sometimes he just refuses to see reality.

  I'm surprise to hear Jaime's voice instead.

  "So you know I've never been on board with your whole matchmaker matchmaker make me a match thing, right?"

  Jaime is the other half of Kyle's glass half full take on life. My college roommate turned life long friend has serious disillusionment issues.

  Despite the angry, frustrated tears sliding out of my eyes under the stack of pillows I've burrowed into, I can't help but crack a smile.

  It's true. Jaime thought hiring a matchmaker was insane. A total waste of money and an overall bad idea.

  "But you begged and pleaded and bribed and threatened me and played every single friend card you had in your hand to get me to agree to be part of this team that your Raven person needed to help you find a husband, right?"

  I nod my head under the pillows. And if everything had gone according to plan and Jaime and Kyle had done the interviews and been the one choosing for me, I'm sure it would have gone better. Maybe it would have taken longer, but I wouldn't be in tears and considering starting my cat collection for the second time in one weekend.

  Jaime's hand lands on my ankle and squeezes, "So I have no idea where you went after Devon dropped you off at your car, because that man has been in your living room pouring his heart out for the last 2 hours."

  She's probably waiting for me to come out of my pillow cave, but I'm not ready yet.

  "Kyle is crushing on your fiance so hard," Jaime's smile is audible and I move my head just enough to let some fresh air in, "And poor Devon is out there all alone with him right now, you really need to go save the man."

  "Kyle can have him," I sniffle.

  Jaime laughs, "Yeeahh, I don't think Devon's into that-- you did tell him Kyle's gay, right?"

  Now I laugh, how could I not mention that? I mean, Kyle's awesome but when it comes to gay guys, it's like he picked a persona off a "how to be a stereotypical gay dude" chart when he was 10 and modeled his life after it.

  "It is one of his most endearing qualities," I say in a muffled voice.

  "Well, your incredibly straight boyfriend is handling it pretty well."

  "Has Kyle been flirting?" Not that it matters how Devon gets along with my besties. He's not staying. Not in my house or in my life.

  Kyle can be a jerk sometimes, he likes to toy with straight guys. Not in a way that oversteps boundaries-- he's cooler than that-- but he does like to watch guys squirm. Flirt with them and see how they take it.

  Honestly, if Devon throws a punch at him or starts calling him names, that would make everything so much easier. It would be a deal breaker for me and my friends.

  As if on cue, the unmistakable sound of deep male voices erupts in laughter from the front room. Great, Kyle and Devon seem to be getting along just fine. Really, that shouldn't fill me with warmth the way it does.

  Jaime listens to the laughter and answers, "A little bit, you knew he wasn't going to be able to look at Devon without making some sort of offer, right?"

  I wiggle a little farther out from under the pillows.

  "Steph," Jaime catches my eyes now that I'm not entirely buried, "That man is hawt!" she whispers conspiratorially.

  I can't help but crack a bit of a smile. If she only knew how hot he really is. All those tattoos hiding under that chambray shirt, the one piercing he says he only keeps because it hurt so bad he won't take it out. The filthy things he says when he's fuc..." I feel myself blushing so I shove my head back under the pillows.

  There's no way I'm ever going to have orgasms like that again in my life. Or feel as alive with anyone else. Or sleep as comfortably next to anyone.

  I stifle the groan of agony as new tears slide out of my eyes.

  Jaime's hand pats my ankle, "OK, I get it, so he wasn't on Raven's client list exactly by choice. He didn't fly
out here to meet you with his heart all a flutter with joy and expectation.

  "This isn't fitting into the picture you and Kyle had drawn in your heads. But Steph, this guy is head over heels for you."

  I sniff and look out at her again, this time with curiosity.

  "This is not the guy you described when you got home on Friday night, this guy is-- whew," she waves her free hand to fan her face, "he's into you."

  "He only wants a wife so he can take over the company, Jaims," I explain meekly as I finally pull my head out from under the pillows, "getting married wasn't even his idea, it's not what he wants to do. He just wants a business arrangement so that he can become president of the Foundation."

  Jaime gives me a look that tells me I'm being naive, "Yeah, that's what he said."

  I'm surprised he told them. I thought if he was trying to win them over, he'd have lied through his perfectly straight teeth.

  "He told us all about how he got in this spot, what he thought he was agreeing to, what he thought he was looking for." She gives me a hard look and goes on before I can answer, "and then he told us about how that all changed when he met you."

  "Looks like you fell for charming Devon too," I close my eyes and sink my head into the pillow.

  "Yeah, well, in case you haven't noticed, that man in your living room is rich and good looking and if I remember correctly, I think you might have mentioned hung like a moose in one of your texts?"

  I snort. I'd rather not be reminded of that right now.

  "If he really just wanted a marriage of convenience, he didn't need to go through a fancy match maker to find a woman willing to sign up for that.

  "Why did you take off out of town with him, Stephany? You went to Raven's office yesterday to tell her you weren't interested, what changed?"

  What did change?

  I remember Raven's quiet confidence in Devon. The way she assured me that even though he didn't know it, he really was looking for the real thing. I can still see the way he was looking at me when I noticed it was him at the door.

  The way he's been looking at me ever since.

  A ripple of heat slides through my body.

  This morning we talked about getting married. We talked about how hard it would be to keep his mom and his aunt from taking over the planning, about what kind of ring I wanted, about relocating. And babies.

  I still remember the way he blushed at breakfast, admitting that every time he's deep inside me all he can think about is knocking me up. How he feels like our bodies were made to make babies together.

  I'll just keep that one to myself. Jaime doesn't need to know everything.

  "I don't know," I answer her, "Raven talked me into giving him another chance, and then he showed up at her office before I left."

  "And you didn't just go have coffee with him somewhere, Steph, you disappeared overnight and the only real information we got was that you were OK and 'enjoying sex on the beach and not in a bar.' "

  Oh gosh, I really did text that to Kyle last night, didn't I?

  "Stephany," Jaime says in her serious voice, "you wanted me and Kyle to pick a husband for you and we did. We like Devon. We want Devon.

  "I'm sorry that your whole arranged marriage thing didn't turn out to make falling in love any easier, but that man out there is in love with you and if you didn't have feeling for him too, you wouldn't be so traumatized by finding out he didn't start on the same page you did."

  "Jaims--"

  Her hand flies up and she gives me that narrow eyed look again, "I'm taking Kyle and we're going to find something to eat, all you have are Tiscuits."

  "And peanut butter," I add.

  "Really? You think you still have peanut butter? We've been here all weekend."

  Jaime gets up and comes around the side of the bed to give me a hug before heading for the door, "I'm serious, Stephany, work this out. You paid a lot of money to skip the heartache-- so skip it, already."

  She leaves, closing my bedroom door behind her. I hear her and Kyle talking to Devon in the front room for awhile and then the sound of the front door closing.

  The house is quiet and for a minute I think Devon left with them.

  I sink into my pillows and stare at the ceiling.

  And then I hear the light knock on my door.

  Chapter 20

  Devon

  I open the door slowly and peek around the edge, half expecting her to throw something. She's just lying on her back in the middle of the bed. Her head is on the pillows and her arm is over her eyes.

  She doesn't say a word when I walk in.

  I go ahead and shut the door behind me, even though we have the house to ourselves now.

  Stephany doesn't acknowledge me but I watch the subtle signs in her body that I've had a chance to learn. The way the color spreads up from her chest into her cheeks, the way the rise and fall of her breathing picks up, moving those perfect tits in way that makes it fucking impossible not to watch.

  It's not like I don't know what marriage is about, like it never occurred to me that I might find a woman I want to settle down with someday. I know it's going to be work, and I know there are going to be arguments-- hell, real fights even-- and Steph and I are getting off on a rough start.

  The whole point of the match maker thing was supposed to ease that process, instead it sort of had the opposite effect in our case.

  I don't care about all that now. If everything hadn't happened exactly the way it did, I wouldn't have met Stephany. She'd never have given me a chance to prove that I could be what she needs, that I can be the husband she's looking for.

  I pull my hand through my hair, trying to figure it all out. I have to tell her everything and make her believe me. She already gave me one second chance, I'm pushing my luck expecting another one, but damn if I don't have to try.

  How do I make her understand that she's everything now?

  "I'm staying," I finally say. It's not much but I hope it's enough to start this conversation in the right direction.

  "I can tell," Stephany says quietly from under her arm.

  "No, Steph," I soften my voice and move closer to her, standing beside her bed and looking down at her, "I meant I'm going to stay out here in California."

  It's so damn hard not to touch her. My hand itches to reach out and rest on her stomach, to smooth over her shoulders and caress her arms.

  Dammit, I'm already used to having her. To thinking she's mine and that I have a right to touch her when I fucking want to. And right now I want to.

  I want to touch her because she's so fucking gorgeous I can't look at her without wanting her, but right now I just want to pull her into my arms. I want to hold her tight up against me and stroke her dark hair and promise her that everything's going to work out just fine.

  "Why would you stay out here, Devon?" Stephany moves her arm and I can see her eye peeking out from the crook of her elbow. She looks like she's been crying and it guts me to know that I had anything to do with that.

  "Because of you, Babydoll. I'm staying because of you."

  I sit on the side of the bed next to her half expecting her to move away when our bodies make contact. She doesn't and I take that as a good sign, a damn good sign.

  "Why would you stay for me?" She asks. Her sweet voice is something between a sob and that breathy sound she makes when I touch her body just right.

  "Because you're everything, Stephany," I can't hold back. I turn and cage her in between my arms so that my face is inches away from her.

  This is important goddammit, Stephany needs to know how I feel about her, needs to understand that I'm not letting her go. Not now. Now that I've had her, I'll never be able to go back to life without her.

  Her arm comes off her forehead and her hands go to my shoulders, pushing me back but I'm not giving.

  "Listen to me," my eyes lock onto hers and my heart clenches hard at the pain and fear I see in them, "I don't give a fuck about the fucking Foundation," I manage to grin
d out carefully, working hard to keep my voice low and even so I don't sound like a mad man even if that is how I'm feeling.

  "Anyone can run it. Uncle Randy can run it forever for all I care. I don't need to take over the place. Hell! I don't need to work there at all."

  "Devon," I watch her forehead etch with lines, her voice more concerned now than angry, "You waited a long time to become president, you have plans for the Foundation-- good plans-- you can't just let your uncle get richer off of the money coming in that's supposed to help people who really need it."

  She manages to wiggle up so that she's sitting against the head board. Her reaction isn't what I fucking want to hear and desperation surges through me. I follow her, pinning her in close so she has nowhere left to go.

  I search her eyes for some sign that I didn't imagine the whole thing, I swear to God this morning we were talking about wedding plans, and now she's acting like she's shocked to hear that I want to be with her.

  My eyes rake down her body, less sexual than longing. They land on her stomach and it feels like something's tearing open inside me.

  Stephany's a curvy girl, lush tits and ass that look great in anything she puts on and better when it's off. Her stomach isn't completely flat, there's a swell to it that feels fucking amazing when I lay my hand over it and right now when I look down at her something about the way her long shirt is pulled up around her waist so I can see every dip and valley of her lower body in those stretchy leggings she's been wearing reminds me of how much cum I've pumped into her since yesterday.

  I wasn't fucking joking, all that shit about knocking her up-- that wasn't just pillow talk. I meant every word. Something about Stephany gets my inner caveman all riled up and all I want to do is get my cock inside her and fill her up with my babies.

  She said she's not on the pill anymore. What if there's a baby in there right now? Something we made together out of us because of the connection we have with each other?

  I can't help it, my hand goes to her involuntarily and rests lightly on the softness of her middle.