Page 61 of Vegas Baby

“The number one rule in negotiation, never show your cards to the opposition.”

Unfastening the belt of her robe to reveal the slinky pink silk chemise, she allowed the fabric to part, her breasts swelling, asking for his touch. “Number one rule of seduction, always show your assets for maximum impact.”

The rumble of his laughter blanketed her. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” she twisted in her seat, leg raised to straddle his hips, but the limb felt weighted down, as if the entire universe rested on her shoulders. A yawn hit her out of nowhere and she plopped back onto the cushion.

“Raina?” Howler asked, a tinge of panic in the question.

“I’m sorry,” she said, unexpected tears flooding her eyes. She wanted to follow through with her taunt but her body had other ideas. “Can I have a rain check?”

“Any time.” He cupped the back of her neck and caressed her lips in a soft play of sympathy. She closed her eyes, drinking in his caring and understanding. If anyone had asked her three months ago if she thought him capable of such tenderness, she would have laughed in their face. She hadn’t really known him at all. And now she was falling in love with him, and in turn, breaking the first article of their contract by doing so.

Could he ever love her back?

He stretched out on the chaise next to her, arm about her waist. Staring at the fireplace, Raina reveled in the comfort of his body, the rise and fall of his chest.

“Hamilton Hamilton is going to be a handful, I know it,” Howler said, rubbing his thumb along the tender skin of her wrist.

A smile curved her lips, her eyelids growing even more heavy. “Would you think I’m crazy to admit I kind of like the name Hamilton for a boy?”

“Kind of. But what if we named him Hamilton Ashton, then he could be Hamilton-Ashton-Ashton-Hamilton.”

Laughter pushed from her throat. She arched her neck and and met his amused regard. “How about we stick with Ash.”

He pressed his lips together, and nodded. “Darling and Ash.”

“No Darling,” she countered.

“Yes, dear.” His warm chuckle settled into her soul.

Raina snuggled into the cushions, her heart aching for an entirely different reason. Tuck the pain into the deep recesses of your brain, because of all the outrageous things you’ve done in your life, falling in love with him is by far the most foolish

She broke every vow she’d ever made to never fall for a man like her father, a man scared to commit. Except lying next to Howler, she realized if she had the chance to do it all over again, she would.

Howler leaned against the countertop in Grams’s kitchen, palms resting on the rounded lip. Raina was in the cabin still asleep. He glanced outside towards the building, resisting the pull to join her but the pregnancy was hard on her and she needed sleep. He sure would be glad when the illness ended, for her sake.

Grams sliced peaches for a pie and he stole a slice. “As much as I love your pie, you don’t have to bake for me.”

“I’m not baking the pie for you. I’m baking it for Raina. She likes pie.”

“I take it you like Raina,” he asked, popping the fruit into his mouth. It was a rhetorical question and they both knew it.

“Yes, I do, but what I think isn’t important. As long as you love her, it’s all that matters.”

“See that’s the thing.” He shifted his foot and cleared his throat. He’d debated if she should be honest or allow the lie to continue but he couldn’t keep fooling Grams, nor himself. There was a chance this marriage wouldn’t work out. So far, they’d gotten along but it was new and having sex complicated things the same way Raina had predicted. “Raina and I have an arranged marriage.”

Her smile fell, and she frowned. “Arranged marriage like in a matchmaker arranged marriage?”

“It’s based on the concept, yes. We were both drinking and made this stupid bet. We got married and she’s pregnant.”

Grams hand hit the edge of the bowl and the metal container almost fell off the edge. He snatched it up and set it back down. “You got a girl pregnant and married her?”

He shook his head. “No, we got married and she became pregnant on the same night. Instead of getting the divorce, we decided to see if we could make it work.”

She dumped the cut-up peaches into the bowl and washed her hands. “Boy, you’re full of surprises. Married and with a baby on the way. I…I…I’m speechless.”

“Tell me about it. I wanted to tell you the truth in case it doesn’t work out. We have an agreement and we’re giving it until the baby is born to see if we can make it work.” He pulled down the flour container from the top shelf and placed it on her workspace.

---