himself to laugh instead of swear, he shook his head. “Forget it, Megan. This is a real marriage we’re trying on, and sex is a healthy, normal part of it.”
“It’s too distracting,” she protested. “I couldn’t even think straight when you and I were—” her hand waved back and forth through the air between them “—on the bed. And I’m talking about changing the plans for the rest of my life. I need to be able to think.”
His brow furrowed. “You’ll have plenty of time to think, sweetheart. How about I promise not to ‘distract’ you when we’re discussing something important?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure your concession is going to be enough. When we’re together...even kissing...Connor, I can’t think enough to tell you to stop when my future is on the line.”
Okay, grinning like a fool probably wasn’t sending the best message, but damn, he liked what he was hearing. “You seemed to manage it pretty well...and more than once.”
“Barely!”
“Have I mentioned how happy I am you married me?”
“Connor, I’m serious—”
“I’m serious too,” he said, following her off the bed and taking her shoulders in his hands. “As far as getting pregnant goes, obviously we’ll wait until you’re confident this is the life you want. But sex? Not a chance. I’m going to seduce you, Megan.”
“I’ll say no,” she whispered, her eyes already drifting to his mouth.
“Fair warning—” his thumb moved to the pale pink line where her bottom lip became skin “—if you do, I’ll stop.”
She nodded, closing her eyes when the motion caused him to stroke across that bit of sensitive flesh. So pretty.
“I know you will.”
Her eyes opened, and this time she looked him over from damp head to precariously situated towel to toe and back again, as though steeling herself against temptation.
This was his wife!
The muscles in her throat moved up and down as she swallowed. Twice. Then those gorgeous blue pools blinked up at him, determination doing its downright best to put in a showing.
“I can resist you.”
Connor gave in to the slow grin pushing at his lips. “You can try.”
“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR ever-loving mind?” Jeff demanded, his outrage reaching through the phone as clearly as if the man himself had crawled through the line to grab him and shake.
“Would you believe out of my mind, over the moon and totally in love?” Connor asked, shouldering his carry-on as he left the airport newsstand.
“No” was Jeff’s flat, less-than-amused reply.
“Yeah, well, you’re right.” Sidestepping a couple locked in a passionate embrace, he scanned the gates and checked his watch. “I’m perfectly sane. Grounded, with my feet planted firmly in reality, and married to a gorgeous, sexy, intelligent woman who happens to be everything I’m looking for in a wife.”
“Wow, I didn’t realize you were looking for a gold-digging brainwasher, Connor, or I’d have pointed out the throngs of them throwing themselves at your feet for the last decade. What the hell happened, man. Did she drug you?”
Connor’s jaw tightened, his teeth grinding down.
He’d known what people would think. The conclusions they’d draw. And he’d told himself he didn’t care. That neither of them would. Hell, Megan wasn’t afraid to fly in the face of convention any more than he was. But just as at the wedding, that protective instinct had him ready to throw down over those disparaging comments.
“Not even close. In fact, I suppose the case could be made I actually drugged her.”
There she was. Back from the coffee bar, a tray loaded with a couple of roadies and a pastry bag in one hand, a laptop backpack hanging from the other. He slowed his steps, preferring to get this cleared up out of earshot.
“Um...Connor, what are you talking about?”
“I let her drink too much and she ended up blacking out most of the night.”
“Let me guess,” came Jeff’s dry reply. “She remembered the part about getting married, though.”
“Yeah, but unfortunately she didn’t remember why she’d thought it was such a great idea at the time. Took some effort on my part to remind her. Even now, she’s still on the fence, but she’s willing to give it a chance. We’re on our way to Denver to pack her things.”
“You’re serious?”
He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Jeff’s voice squeak that way, and the sound of it pushed the smile he’d started this call with back to his lips.
“As a heart attack. You’ll have to take my word for it, but, Jeff, I know her. And I like her a hell of a lot.”
Then because he simply couldn’t pass on the opportunity to goad an old friend when the opportunity was right there, he added, “Back on the horse, like you said.”
“Speaking of... Does she know about Caro?”
“She does. I told her the first night.” He cleared his throat and looked out over the tarmac. “Then again yesterday.” He’d been damn lucky she’d asked him about any serious relationships during their refresher course in Know Thy Mate. Caroline had been the dead-last thing on his mind, and something told him it wouldn’t exactly have fostered the trust they were building if he hadn’t gotten that tidbit on the table. And even now, he realized there were details he should fill in. Specifics that didn’t actually change anything, but—hell, Megan’s capitulation in giving this marriage a try had been a close thing. Too close. He wasn’t willing to risk some unfortunate chronology putting her off, at least not until they were on more solid ground.
“Can’t believe you didn’t introduce us yesterday. I want to meet this woman...now that I know she didn’t drag you down the aisle at knifepoint,” Jeff clarified.
Connor grinned and started walking again, raising a hand when Megan turned his way, her too-wide smile doing too many things to him at once.
“Soon. For now, I’m ready to get her home.”
“Good to hear it. But I want details. Start at the beginning.”
“You’d been gone about thirty seconds when the ‘gymnast’ shows up at the table, with this whopper of a line.”
“The gymnast? Dude!”
Megan met him halfway and, apparently having overheard the last bit, arched an amused brow. Leaning toward the phone, she piped in, “I’m not a gymnast.”
Connor ducked and dropped a quick kiss at her
