this before I fully investigated our options”
“Would you have changed your mind if you’d known?”
She had to think about that a few seconds. “Possibly, but it doesn’t matter since we can’t do anything about it now. Besides, we still have twelve months to figure out how we’re going to end it.”
“Yeah, you’re right, unless you can’t tolerate me that long.”
She gave him a mock stern look. “That’s a strong possibility if you don’t finish those burgers. I’m suddenly so hungry I could eat the tablecloth.”
“No more slap and tickle?” he asked, clear disappointment in his tone.
She wanted to say definitely, but she hadn’t quite digested the divorce issue. “Let’s worry about dinner right now, okay?”
He stood and leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Sure thing, sweetheart.”
Something suddenly occurred to her. “Since it is your birthday, I should have cooked for you.”
He studied her a long moment before speaking again. “You know what I’d really like from you to make this day special?”
“Does it start with an ‘s’ and rhyme with vex?”
He shook his head. “No. I want you to tell me you believe that I didn’t know the annulment wasn’t going to work.”
“I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt.” And she hoped her faith wasn’t misplaced again. “I only wish we’d had more time to think things through before we rushed into this arrangement.”
“Unfortunately time wasn’t on our side. But I’ll try to make it up to you after dinner.”
That could create more problems from an emotional standpoint if she succumbed to her strong desire for him. “How are you going to do that?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
* * *
The sound of a sultry country ballad drew Paris from the kitchen back onto the deck. As the music filtered through the outdoor speakers, the sun had disappeared from the horizon, washing the sky in an orange glow, providing the perfect backdrop to the man leaning back against the railing. A cowboy knight wearing a crisp light blue shirt rolled up at the sleeves, slightly faded jeans and the usual boots, one substantial hand wrapped around a beer.
“Did you shower?” she asked as she approached Dallas, immediately catching a whiff of his clean-scented cologne.
“I wanted to get rid of the barbecue smells.”
“I really don’t mind that at all.” And she didn’t, though she still worried she’d made a mistake with their fake marriage. She worried she might make another if she didn’t keep her wits about her.
“Thanks for cleaning up the mess,” he said.
“After those great veggie burgers, it was the least I could do.”
A few moments of silence ticked off as they stood there steeped in palpable tension. Dallas shifted his weight from one leg to the other before setting the bottle atop the nearby table. “Let’s dance,” he said as he offered his hand to her.
Paris was plagued with a serious case of nerves. “I’m not very good. Not when it comes to country dancing.”
He pulled her gently into his arms. “You just have to hold on to me.”
And she did as they swayed in time to the tune, moving easily through the last of the song and onto the next, his palms roving softly over her back, her cheek resting against his shoulder.
She briefly wondered how many women had fallen under his spell. How many would have given anything to be in her shoes right now. That shouldn’t matter. After all, they were married, at least for a year until it all came to an end.
Maybe they could take the time to learn more about each other. Perhaps she should spend the months finding herself, without getting lost in him. But she felt lost right then as they moved closer, held each other tighter.
When Dallas paused, Paris lifted her head and met his mesmerizing blue eyes. “Mind if I kiss you?” he asked.
She found that odd. “You’ve never needed my permission before.”
“Yeah, but I do now since I didn’t keep my promise to you about the annulment.”
“It’s done, Dallas. We can’t go back and undo it. We can only move forward.”
“True. You didn’t answer my question.”
She did, but not with words, despite the lack of wisdom. Instead, she wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him. A soft, almost quiet kiss that seemed strangely emotional. The way newlyweds who had entered a real union would kiss. A kiss that took a drastic turn toward mutual need in a matter of moments.
Dallas broke the contact first and sighed. “I wish I didn’t want you so damn bad.”
In some ways she wished the same for herself. But life was short, and their time limited. She could reject his advances, or take another risk that would most definitely come with rewards. Foolish as it might be, she wanted to experience all that he had to offer, and suffer the possible consequences later. “Maybe we shouldn’t overthink this too much.”
He frowned. “I’m not following you.”
“Do you know what this divorce requirement means?”
“Yeah. I’m going to be padding my lawyer’s pockets even more.”
Evidently he was having a lapse in comprehension. “No. What it means for us.”
He grinned. “We don’t have to stop with only slappin’ and ticklin’?”
She did a little smiling, too. “Correct.”
His smile faded into a serious expression. “That’s a big step, Paris.”
A step she hadn’t planned to take, but... “As you’ve said, we’re both consenting adults and we’ll be spending a lot of time together. Since the consummation issue no longer exists, we have no reason not to let nature take its course.” And during the journey, she vowed to keep a good grip on her heart.
Taking her by the hand, he led her back to the table, claimed the bench across from her, folded his hands and gave her a somber look. “Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t want you to feel like you’re being pressured into something that makes you uncomfortable.”
Evidently he didn’t get it. “Let me put it to you this way. For the first thirty years of my life, I walked a straight line. I ignorantly thought if I followed all the rules, did what was expected, didn’t make waves, everything would be rosy. I learned a painful lesson when I realized that wasn’t always the case two years ago.”
“After your divorce?”
She
