HisMarriageBargain (14 page)

She was beautiful even first thing in the morning, with her
hair all a mess and wearing only her tattoos. He needed to take a full
inventory of them, but later. For now, he was intent on drawing her pleasure
out for as long as possible.

Sammi lay back down, this time wedging his shoulders between
her spread legs. He parted her folds and gently pulled the clitoral hood with
its accompanying jewelry back, leaving her exposed. In this position, most
women were coy, a little shy at the vulnerability, but not Autumn. She watched
him, her lower lip caught between her teeth, and dared him with her gaze to
prove her wrong. She owned her sexuality wholeheartedly and he respected that.

He blew on her pussy and felt her muscles clench under his
palms. If he needed to stroke her back to orgasm he would. He licked her clit,
flicking it gently with his tongue while he thrust two fingers into her
channel. Autumn shifted a little on the bed, but her response was less than before.
Since sucking seemed to work so well, he wrapped his lips around the tiny bud
and drew it farther out.

“Oh—oh!”

Sammi wanted to chuckle at the way her reaction escalated to
shifting hips and arched back. He worked his fingers in and out, twisting as he
went to vary the sensation. She seemed to appreciate it.

“Sammi,” she panted and dug her hands into his hair. “Sammi.”

Autumn wasn’t good with waiting. He decided to spare her a
little and allowed her to pull him up her body. He trailed kisses over her
mound, up her stomach and between her breasts.

She rolled away from him and dug in the box next to his side
of the bed that was serving as a nightstand. There was a box of condoms in
there they’d bought at a gas station. He reached over her and took the packet
from her. The plastic ripped and he had the latex rolled on in a matter of
seconds.

Autumn watched him over her shoulder, her hips swinging from
side to side, taunting him.

He wanted her badly. This was about showing her he could do
more than fuck her quick and dirty, but now that he was about to penetrate her,
he didn’t know how long his control would last.

Sammi grasped her hips and pulled her shrieking toward him.
She giggled, turned and knelt with her elbows on the bed. He positioned his
cock at her entrance and slid deep. She was so slick. Autumn groaned with him
and thrust back, driving him deeper until he was fully seated.

Her skin was so soft everywhere he touched. With effort, he
forced his grip to relax and stroked her as he pulled out and pushed in slowly.
She hugged his dick so tight each position, no matter where they were, felt
great.

Autumn pushed back harder, faster, urging him to take them
to the precipice and over. He could play her way. The pace increased, the sound
of her moans of pleasure and the squeaking mattress filled the room. But he
wanted more.

Sammi pulled out. He needed to see her face.

“What are—?” Autumn’s question was cut off as he flipped her
over and pushed her knees apart all in one move. She yelped in surprise, but
moved with him, locking her ankles around his waist. She grasped his cock and
guided him to her entrance.

They locked gazes as he thrust harder and faster than
before. Autumn’s eyes were large and the little noises she made every time they
joined urged him onward. He saw the moment she exploded from the inside out.
She gasped and her eyes unfocused. Her inner muscles tightened around him.

Sammi pistoned in and out, her orgasm rolling on and on
until her brow creased and her eyes drifted closed in an almost pained
expression. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she clenched him.

“Oh Sammi, oh god—I love you.”

What the—?

His orgasm erupted and it was hot.

They collapsed into the mattress, holding each other.

The last five seconds replayed in his head.

Autumn loved him.

* * * * *

Autumn tapped the surface of the reception desk. Pandora had
taken Carly to pick up her new car, specially equipped to be operated by hands
alone, and it was Kellie’s night off. Which meant Autumn was alone with the one
person who was the angriest with her.

She sighed and grabbed her phone. Twitter was dead at 9:30
p.m. on a Wednesday, and Facebook was just a running diary of what people were
eating.

Her text message inbox was notably empty. Sammi hadn’t said
anything to her since this morning when he’d left, and she missed him already.

Autumn had said she loved him, and it was the truth.

She’d fallen hard and fast. Not everyone did. Sammi wasn’t
the first man she’d sprung those three words on prematurely. In the heat of
passion she couldn’t keep it to herself. But he hadn’t even acknowledged it,
and that was what hurt the most.

Maybe she needed to reach out to him.

She tapped out a quick text asking how his day was and put
the phone down. There was no way she would stare at it, waiting on pins and
needles for a reply that might not come. Instead, she stared at the digital
clock in the corner of the computer screen. Only thirty minutes until they
closed and freedom.

The phone chimed and she snatched it up. Carly’s name popped
up with a new text.

Hey girl! Sorry about the late reply. Here’s a pic of the
new wheels!

The accompanying image was of a new model Ford Mustang in
silver with the setting sun gleaming off the exterior. It showed a little wear
since it was a used car that had been donated and altered for a paralyzed
driver, but it was still a nicer ride than what Autumn had.

That is so cool! You have to drive me around tomorrow.

She grinned as she hit Send. Maybe they could swing by and
get takeout from the restaurant Jacob, Carly’s crush, worked at. It would be a
great chance to show off the car a little, and Jacob always made Carly glow.
She’d had a rough year, but Autumn had hope things would get better. Carly was
getting a car, the next step was her own place and independence from her
less-than-supportive parents. Maybe she’d be able to really take charge of her
life again.

Again the phone chimed, but it wasn’t Carly’s name.

Sammi.

Evening sunshine. Spent the day in meetings. Can’t stop
thinking about you this morning.

Autumn clenched her teeth. What about this morning? Did he
mean when she told him she loved him? Or the sex? What kind of a vague message
was that? If she could reach through the phone and strangle him… What was she
supposed to say to that?

Yeah? What part was your favorite?

She sent the message and forced herself to take a deep
breath. The phone chimed almost immediately, this time with a reply from Carly
agreeing to take her on a ride. Autumn was too distracted to make a coherent
response, so she didn’t even try.

Mary stood from where she’d been sitting at her station
sketching and made her way to the back office. The cold shoulder was going to
give Autumn frostbite. Guilt ate at her, but what was she supposed to do? How
did she fix this?

The phone chime made her jump and she almost couldn’t click
the message icon from the rush of nerves making her hands shake.

When you were naked, helpless and trying to make me fuck
you.

Oh, he was good.

Autumn squirmed, her grin spreading. Sex with Sammi ranked
way up there with chocolate, Dr Pepper and her favorite lip gloss.

If he wasn’t ready to talk about her admission from the
morning she could handle that. Sammi had a lot going on. Like his health. Just
thinking about it zapped her horny happy dance, reminding her that what they
shared was limited. If he had a week or a year left though, he still deserved
to be loved, and if that wasn’t enough time for him to love her back that was
okay. She didn’t know how it would be, but somehow she’d make it so.

Autumn sent two texts back-to-back.

You know what I liked the most?

When you sucked my clit.

Maybe she could catch Sammi before he went to sleep and they
could have a replay of the morning. She always slept better after sex, and
after walking on eggshells all day she needed a good night’s rest.

The reply was almost immediate. She grinned and clicked the
new message.

Damn. You’re making me hard.

That was an invitation if she ever saw one. Autumn glanced
at the clock. Fifteen minutes to go. She could breeze through the closing
routine and make it to the house in the next forty-five minutes.

I’m not sorry at all.

Autumn left her phone on the counter, went to her station
and packed up her things. Her phone went off, but she resisted checking it in
favor of heading into the office.

“Hey, Mary, do you need me to help count out the till?” She
rested her shoulder against the door.

Mary’s desk faced the wall next to the door, but she never
once looked in Autumn’s direction. The deposit bag was sealed and everything
written up, which was unusual because they always signed off on it together.

“Nope,” Mary said after a moment’s pause.

“Anything else I can do to help?” She added an extra sweet
twist to her voice.

“No. Go on and head home. I’ll lock up.”

Autumn’s first impulse was to run and grab her things and
get the hell out of Dodge, but she knew better. After all the things that had happened
with Pandora two years before, they’d instituted a shop policy that no one left
alone at the end of the night. There were periods during the day that it
couldn’t be helped with only two in the shop, but they were most concerned
about the late nights.

“I’ll wait for you out front. We can walk out together.”
Autumn headed back to the desk. She didn’t expect Mary to reply. Hell, the
woman had hardly spoken two dozen words to her, not that Mary’s lack of
conversation was remarkable. She’d never chatted to Autumn like the other
girls. They were friends, but they’d never been close, not like Autumn was with
the others.

Autumn caved and grabbed her phone, but only had a text from
Pandora asking about her first appointment of the day.

Nothing from Sammi.

The next ten minutes dragged by. She wasn’t willing to
bombard Sammi with more texts. She’d be home soon enough and then she could do
whatever she wanted to him. But finally Mary announced she was ready to lock up
and they walked out into the sweltering Texas night and got in their respective
cars.

Autumn was able to shave a few minutes off the half-hour
drive, her excitement bubbling as the house came into view, the exterior lit
with accent lighting, showing off the improvements Sammi had made to the
property. She pulled up in the driveway instead of going through the hassle to
get the car in the garage. For some reason her remote refused to work when she
pressed it. She gathered her things and made herself walk calmly to the front
door.

“Sammi, I’m home,” she called as she shut and locked the
door.

Silence greeted her. Not even the TV was on.

“Sammi?”

She walked through the foyer and into the family room. All
the lights were on, but no one was home. All her excitement fizzled. Where was
her husband?

Biomechanical—These tattoos feature the melding of
biology and robotic parts. Veins can be fused to tubes, muscles and cogs. It is
very detailed design work, often placed on muscular parts of the body.

Sammi turned his phone on silent and quickly adjusted the
crotch of his trousers while his mother’s back was turned. He wouldn’t be the
first man to have an unfortunate erection in front of a parent, but at his age
it should be avoidable. He was a damn adult, but thinking about Autumn’s sexy
body, the way she’d sighed and moaned…

He gritted his teeth. Those thoughts were not helping.

His mother finally selected a TV channel and let the remote
rest on a side table. What he’d meant to be a quick run by his mother’s house
to apologize again for being gone and not telling her had morphed into dinner.
And desert. And now tea. Always with the tea.

She frowned at the still full cup. “Sammi, drink your tea.
It’s good for you.”

He’d drunk several already. The bitter taste would stick
with him until tomorrow. Still, he picked up the cup and forced the grimace off
his face.

“That’s a good boy.” She patted his shoulder in a show of
motherly affection that was rare these days before sinking into her chair. She
studied him for several long moments, her eyes two dark gems, glittering in the
low light. “Your secretary called me today and said I should ask you if there’s
anything you want to tell me. Hm?”

Sammi almost coughed on the tea. Of course his secretary
would call his mother. Christine’s mother and Tamara were friends and it wasn’t
the first time Christine had ratted him out. This was by far the worst. He set
the cup down carefully and patted his left pocket, where his wedding ring made
a hard circle against his thigh.

He’d noticed that evening that there was a slightly pale
ring around his finger already.

It was easy to think he could keep his marriage to Autumn
separate from the rest of his life when they were on St. Maarten and when this
whole scheme had been in his head, because reality was so distant. Now he was
in the thick of it and he knew keeping Autumn from Mother wasn’t going to
happen. He should have taken the wedding band off that first day at the office
if he really meant to be secretive, but it had escaped his mind.

And did he really want to keep his wife a secret?

Sammi took a deep breath and placed his hands on the table.

“What have you done, Samuel? Spit it out.”

“I got married.” Those simple words were as difficult to say
to his mother as rolling boulders. He couldn’t take them back, and they would
change the rest of his life, however short that may be.

Her brows rose and she stared at him.

Sammi picked at the linen napkin in his lap. How did mothers
reduce grown men to nervous, fidgeting boys with a look? It was damn annoying.

“Excuse me?” she finally said.

“I got married to a friend of mine. It wasn’t planned. We
decided last week it’s what we wanted.” Lying through his teeth wasn’t Sammi’s
strong point. Maybe she’d believe him?

“Who is she? Who is her family? Do I know her?” The more his
mother spoke, the higher and louder her voice became.

“No, you don’t know her or her family.”

When he told her Autumn wasn’t Jewish, that she wasn’t from
a family that hailed from a Jewish background, Mother would lose her shit. But
he’d known going in this was a possibility.

“Why are you just now telling me this? Why haven’t I met
her?” She banged the table with her hand. His mother was more likely to get
angry than shed tears, one small thing for which he was grateful. Isaac’s
mother was a weeper and even Sammi couldn’t hold out against her when she got that
watery look in her eyes.

“I asked her to run away with me, Mom.” Sammi shrugged and
tossed back the last of the tea.

“I will meet her this weekend.” If anything, his mother’s
features were sharper, predatory.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Putting Autumn and his
mother in the same room was a recipe for disaster.

“Samuel, I am your mother and you will respect me in this.
Did you even have a proper ceremony?”

“Yes, we had a ceremony.”

“Bring her over for Shabbat.”

“No,” he blurted. He cleared his throat. Shabbat was the
Jewish day of rest, which began Friday at sundown and ended Saturday at
nightfall. Sammi hadn’t participated in the traditions in ages, but he wasn’t
above using a formal get-together to avoid his mother for another day. “No, I’m
supposed to go to Shabbat in Plano with some friends.” The idea sounded worse
spoken aloud. Why couldn’t people leave him alone? “I need to go, Mom. We’ll
get together and have lunch. How about Sunday?”

“Very well.” Outwardly she was serene, but Sammi had no doubt
on the inside she was boiling mad. Persian mothers were not to be crossed.

He stood and pressed a kiss to her cheek. This wasn’t going
to end well, but he couldn’t put the brakes on it. Not unless Autumn and he
suddenly moved to Israel or something, and he wasn’t willing to move. He beat a
hasty retreat from the house. It was nearly 11:00 p.m. and he was feeling the
early-morning antics now, and not in the best manner.

As he pulled out of the driveway he activated his Bluetooth.
“Call Isaac.”

The phone rang and rang. At the last second the line picked
up.

“You’d better be about to kick the bucket,” Isaac growled.

“You’re already in bed?” He glanced at the clock. Okay, it
was on the late side, but not too bad.

“It’s none of your business what I was doing. What do you
want?” Isaac sighed.

Sammi sighed. “I told Mom about Autumn.”

“Fuck.”

“She wants to meet her.”

“Not a good idea.”

“I know. She said to bring Autumn for Shabbat.”

“Even worse.”

“Are Michael and Aaron still hosting Shabbat for everyone?”
Michael and Aaron were from a well-to-do Jewish family on the north side of
town who hosted a Shabbat dinner for the younger movers and shakers in the
community. It was a small circle, but attending there would be a good excuse to
put off his mother for a few days. The downside was that the entire group was a
bunch of greedy bastards and socialite mean girls. But it was one night.

“Their sister is technically the hostess, but yeah. Sammi, I
don’t think putting Autumn in a room with that group is a good idea.” Isaac’s
voice was serious, as if he were giving legal advice, not social. “Where are
you?”

“Driving home from Mom’s.”

“Dude, you just got married and you aren’t home with your
wife?”

“You know my mom.”

“And between us, I’ve seen Autumn.”

A white-hot spike of jealousy pierced Sammi in the chest.
Exactly what had gone on when they went dress shopping? He shook his head. That
wasn’t Isaac. He’d never been as wild as Sammi. In fact, the thought that Isaac
would ever stray from Ester was ludicrous. Clearly Sammi needed sleep.

“I’m almost home,” Sammi said.

“At eleven. Hope you’re bringing flowers or something.”

“Autumn just got off work, man. I’m home. Let’s make Friday
happen.” With Isaac and Ester there, it wouldn’t be that bad. They could
insulate her from the rest of the group.

“You’re on your own Friday. We’re visiting Ester’s family in
Austin.”

“Shit. I’ll have to catch up with you later then.” He hit
the steering wheel with his palm. There went that great idea.

“For sure. Later, man.”

Sammi parked next to Autumn’s car. Maybe it was wrong, but
he wished she’d parked in the garage. The car was so old. He needed to get her
a new one. Maybe he’d talk to her about upgrading to something more reliable.
But not this week. Between getting pummeled by his mother and everyone else
this coming weekend, he’d want to relax.

Perhaps they could just leave for the weekend. Forget it
all.

He got out of his SUV, feeling the full weight of the day on
his shoulders. His steps dragged as he approached the front door and pushed it
open.

The house was completely dark. Was Autumn already asleep?

“Autumn?” He locked the door behind him and peeked into the
rooms on either side of the foyer.

Nothing.

He proceeded through the house all the way to the bedroom.
The bathroom light was on but the door partially closed, letting in only enough
illumination for him to see the Autumn-shaped lump in the bed.

“Autumn?” He leaned against the door, perplexed. Why had she
come home and gone straight to bed?

She twisted around and peeked at him. “Hey.”

“I thought you’d still be awake.”

“Nope.” Autumn rolled back onto her side, wordlessly
dismissing him.

He wasn’t entirely ready to go to bed. An hour spent vegging
in front of the TV was ideal, but maybe next time. Sammi quietly undressed and
went through his nightly routine, all to silence from Autumn’s side of the bed.

It didn’t take a genius to get that she was upset. As far as
why, that was anyone’s guess.

Sammi slipped into bed, but still not a peep from her.

“You’re pissed at me?” he asked.

Autumn rolled over to face him, the bathroom light falling
on her face. “Yes. I am.”

“About?”

She pushed her hair away from her face in a gesture he was
coming to read as frustration. “I’m confused about what you want from me. Where
have you been?”

“Dinner with my mother.” How could she be upset at him for
that?

“You were at your mother’s sexting me and didn’t even think
to mention you wouldn’t be home until way late?”

“You work until ten.” What was her problem?

“And it’s almost eleven thirty.” She pushed up into a sitting
position and crossed her legs.

“Do I have a curfew?” He didn’t understand why she was so
angry with him, but he was beginning to get irritated with her. What did she
expect of him?

“No, but it would be nice to at least know what you’re
doing.”

“I was having dinner with my mother. I don’t see what your
problem is.”

“Telling me what the fuck is going on. This is a
relationship. I care about what you’re doing and coming home to an empty house
wasn’t what I expected.”

“I don’t need someone to keep tabs on me.” He already had a
mother who did that.

“No, you just need someone to play house with. I get it.
Maybe you should have made your expectations clearer in your contract.” She
flung the blanket over her lap at him and stormed out of the bedroom.

Sammi watched Autumn disappear into the relative darkness of
the house. He could hear her stomping across the hardwood clear to the garage.
Was she leaving? His lungs froze and he held his breath. Her footsteps grew
louder then softer.

She was pacing.

He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. Was this
really about him coming home late? Or was she upset about this morning’s
admission?

People said a lot of things during sex. Premature
declarations of love were one of the more common. He’d heard one or two before
today, but the difference was that even he knew Autumn’s was genuine. She was
an all-in sort of girl, which he’d reaped the benefits of since St. Maarten.
Autumn’s passion was one of the traits he admired about her.

But he didn’t love her.

He cared for her. Wanted the best for her. Enjoyed her
company. But love? He didn’t have the time left to find out if love was on the
table for them, and if that was a problem it would be better to know now. He
didn’t want to toy with Autumn’s affections. The point of laying the whole deal
out to her in the beginning was to ensure they both knew the expectations. And
then they’d had sex, which hadn’t been part of the agreement.

Life was messy, and sex made it more complicated. But he
didn’t regret one moment he’d spent in her body.

Sammi got out of bed, swaying on his feet. His stomach
gurgled and ached.

Unlike Autumn, he flipped the lights on in the bedroom, den,
kitchen and finally found her in the dining room staring out the window in
nothing but a flimsy tank top and panties, her back to him and her hair tied up
in a knot.

“Are you really upset I wasn’t here tonight? Or are you mad
about this morning?” He stayed across the room, not wanting to crowd her too
much when she’d run from him in the first place.

“I thought the texts were foreplay. So yeah, when I got here
and you weren’t here, and you didn’t reply or call me back, I got pissed.” She
rubbed her arms but kept her back to him. “I get that this is a relationship
that serves a purpose to you. For me I can’t keep those kinds of boundaries. I
feel things.”

“I know.” He padded forward until their bodies almost
touched. She had to sense how close he was. Slowly he wrapped his arms around
her shoulders and waist, pulling her back against his chest. “To be honest, I
haven’t looked at my phone in a while and I had to stop because I was sitting
across from my mother. She’s not the type to find an erection amusing.”

Autumn relaxed by degrees and sputtered in laughter. “I
don’t think any mother would.”

“About this morning, I just…I care for you. I would never
have proposed this arrangement if I didn’t.” How did he let her down gently?

Autumn turned in his arms until she faced him. “It’s okay to
say you don’t love me back. I don’t expect you to.”

“I doubt that.”

“I’m not the smartest crayon in the box, but I know I fall
in love fast. Not everyone else does.” Whatever bravery she’d found to hold his
gaze faltered and she studied the holes in his t-shirt. “And you never asked me
to love you. Only marry you.”

“I can’t say that I will or will not develop feelings for
you—”

“But you don’t have them right now.” Autumn tipped her head
back and stared him down. “It’s okay.”

What did he say to that?

“I can promise to communicate better. How’s that?” Sammi did
have to remember that marrying her didn’t mean he only got the fun, bikini-clad
sexpot. He also got the day-to-day stuff.