Lady Be Good (Wynette, Texas #2)(93)

“I think,” she said, “it’s time for me to take off yours.”

He gazed down at her, took another nibble. “All right.”

She shot to her knees, and her fingers flew to the fastener at his fly. But before she could open it, he stilled her hand with his own. “Just remember what I said about getting married.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She brushed his fingers away and pulled on the tab. A moment later, she was nearly speechless.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll take our time.”

Her mouth felt dry as she stared down at him. “I’m not exactly worried. Astonished is more like it.”

He chuckled, then shed the rest of his clothes. She tossed aside her dress and bra until the only thing left between them was a flesh-colored thong. He slipped his thumb beneath it and pulled it off. “Lay back in the pillows, sweetheart. I’m going to love you.”

A sigh slipped through her lips. She couldn’t ever remember feeling so safe.

As the minutes ticked by, she discovered new things about Dex. He liked to inspect everything. Thoroughly. To evaluate, measure, and caress. And his curiosity seemed just about insatiable.

She also discovered he had amazing powers of concentration, that he wasn’t the slightest bit fastidious, and that he didn’t grow bored easily. A less pleasant discovery was the pleasure he took in making a woman beg.

“Please, Dex . . . no more. Oh, please . . .”

“Soon, sweetheart. Soon.”

When he finally worked himself inside her—announcing his intentions first in language that was thrillingly graphic—she discovered that they fit together just fine. His last announcement, however, was the one that sent her over the moon.

“I’m going to come inside you.”

Moments later, she discovered that Dex was a man of his word.





Chapter 21

Kenny couldn’t believe he’d fallen asleep, but one minute Emma was yapping at him, and the next thing he knew, the wheels were bouncing against the tarmac as the plane set down in Vegas. The fact that he hadn’t made it into bed the night before must be why he’d slept so peacefully.

And then he remembered. He was on his way to get married to the bossiest woman he’d ever met. He groaned.

Her forehead scrunched as she looked over at him, and he watched her mouth begin to open.

“Not one word.” He closed his eyes.

She made this huffy sound, but she didn’t say anything.

As soon as they were off the plane, he steered her past all the slot machines that were a staple at the Vegas airport and toward the Avis counter. It was nearly midnight, but it didn’t take long before he had a car and they were on their way into town.

That’s when she started talking again, and nothing he said would hold her off.

“. . . certain we can work this out. . . . And once Dallie learns the truth. . . . then I can catch a morning flight to London. . . no reason on earth for us to get . . .” On and on she went, and, as she spoke, gusts from the car’s air conditioner sent wisps of butterscotch curl flying around her head. A tendril came to rest on the tip of that small, sweet nose. She brushed it aside, her mouth still moving. “. . . the whole idea is absurd . . . difficult for me to understand . . . and the notion you have about rescuing me . . .”

He’d been heading for a hotel along the Strip, but, instead, he whipped into the driveway of a pink-and-white-stucco wedding chapel where a red neon bell flickered back and forth in the front window. He pulled into one of four parking places, then turned off the ignition. There was a small flower garden near the walk, guarded by a chipped plaster elf.

“Kenny!”

He couldn’t stand to listen to any more talking about things he had no answers for, so he dragged her into his arms and smothered her mouth with his own. As their kiss caught fire, it occurred to him that this whole situation might turn out all right if they spent most of their time like this, but, try as he might, he couldn’t convince himself it would be that easy.

A bony, middle-aged woman with spiked blond hair and red glasses met them at the door. Not long after, they were standing inside a white lattice arbor covered with dusty silk roses and getting ready to speak their vows. He hadn’t thought about Emma’s wedding ring, but it was a full-service chapel and, for an additional fee, he was provided with one.

Lady E looked like she was going to cry again. “Kenny, I really don’t think—”

He kissed the rest of what she wanted to say right out of her, and the ceremony began. As the woman in the red glasses started in on the Dearly Beloveds, he began to feel as if he were standing outside himself looking on—horrified at what he was doing, but helpless to stop it. And Emma’s small, uncertain responses didn’t sound anything like her normal storm-the-barricades speech. He squeezed her hand to give her confidence, or maybe to steal some for himself. What in the hell did he think he was doing?

By the time they got back in the car, they were both shaking. “That was awful.” Emma shuddered.

“It’s over. We don’t ever have to think about it again.”

“We can get a divorce. If it’s this easy to get married, it has to be just as easy to get a divorce.”

“We’d need to fly to Mexico, and I’m too tired.” He started the car.