Page 23 of Worth the Vow

“Consider it a honeymoon,” I say, deadpan.

I expect a retort, but am surprised by complete silence. Casting a glance out of the corner of my eye, I find Kate staring at me in shock.

“What?” I ask.

“Do you think that’s funny?” she hisses.

“No?”

“Why do you have to be such an asshole, Dominic? Why? I’ve never done anything to you. You’ve looked down on me from the moment we met, and I never understood why. You know what? I can’t do this. Turn the car around,” she shouts. I’m confused by her anger as I exit the interstate, slowing to stop at a traffic light, so I don’t immediately react when she rips off her seatbelt and opens her door.

“What the fuck?” I say in disbelief. “Katharine, get back in the fucking car!”

“No!” she shouts, stomping toward the intersection.

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter as I whip my car to the side and put it in park, quickly climbing out after her. “Dammit, Kate, get back here!”

Kate whirls around to face me. “Did you seriously just call me Kate? Right now? This is when you decide to do that? You have some nerve, Dominic Santo! You really do think you are God’s gift, don’t you? I swear, one of these days —”

I’m kissing her before I realize what I’m doing.

I’m kissing her because I barely heard a word she said. All I could think about was how her cheeks reddened as she yelled at me, and with her dress dipped low across her chest, I could see that the red covers the tops of her breasts, and all I can think about now is how I wonder if that red goes down her body. Does her skin pinken when she comes? Does her entire body taste like cherries too? I find myself turning Kate to push her against the side of my car, deepening the kiss that I know I shouldn’t have initiated but I’m powerless to stop. When her lips part and she sighs in my mouth, I groan in return. Grabbing a handful of her hair, I yank her head to the side as my tongue slides against hers. I feel a shiver course up her spine as my fingers tighten in her hair, and I’m all too aware of how hard I’m pulling. I thought she might have been kidding when she blurted out that she liked getting her hair pulled, but apparently Kate is honest when she rambles. This sweet and sunshiney spitfire might like a little pain with her pleasure, which makes my cock twitch harder against my boxer briefs.

Only two kisses with Kate, and I already know it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s a breath of fresh mountain air. A peace I didn’t know existed. I feel every inch of her body as it presses against mine. Her softness and mind-numbing curves against my harsh lines. Kate shimmies against me, subconsciously seeking what I know she doesn’t want, but needs from me, and I groan as she comes into contact with my growing length.

Kate breaks away from my mouth, but her hands grip my shirt tightly, holding me against her. Our breaths exhale in unison as we both pant, and I open my eyes to look into hers. Irises so blown out her eyes appear black, and I know she’s as affected as me. Our chemistry is off-the-charts, which means our agreed upon marriage could get messy incredibly quickly.

“What are we doing, Dominic?” Kate breathes, her voice so quiet I almost don’t hear her.

“I don’t know,” I admit, dropping my forehead to hers. I wish I wasn’t this attracted to her. Maybe it’s just a one-time thing. Maybe it’s just because it’s been so long since I’ve been with a woman. Maybe if I fucked her … once, or maybe twice … I’d get it out of my system. “Why did you get so mad at me just now?”

She lets out a shaky exhale. “This all happened so fast, and you’re joking about taking a honeymoon with your fake wife for whom you have zero feelings, and I’m supposed to just go along with this sham. Then you kiss me like you care, and I don’t know how to process that.”

“I do care,” I respond defensively. “I don’t want you to be hurting, or sad, or alone.”

“We ca — we can’t do this. It muddies the water. I don’t want to worry about everything like this,” she whispers. “You’re my boss, and you’re helping me out by becoming my … my …”

“Husband,” I supply, chuckling at her inability to say the word.

“Yes. That.”

“You can say the word, you know.”

“I don’t see why.”

“At some point, you’ll have to introduce me, Katharine.” Her eyes narrow subtly, and I know we’re back on the same page. The page where, by just existing, I can antagonize Kate with her name.

“That won’t be necessary. We’re hardly ever in the same public place,” she says haughtily. Realizing she’s still gripping my shirt, she lets go and pushes me backward, then steps around me to get back in my car.

I laugh openly as I round the hood to get in behind the wheel. Kate has failed to remember how often we’re with my family. Since I can’t get relief by fucking her, I’ll continue to irritate her just by being in her presence.

“Are you sure we aren’t breaking the law?” Kate whispers as we sit outside the judge’s chambers.

“Fairly sure.”

“That does not give me much confidence, Dominic,” she hisses.

“I’ve researched it,” I tell her quietly. “There are a lot of gray areas. I don’t think it’s completely illegal, but probably best to leave details out of it.”

---