Page 63 of Lucky Puck

“I think I gave you such fantastic orgasms that now you can’t get enough.” His grin is infectious, and I laugh at his teasing and gently swat his arm. Then I kiss him, without hesitation or second guessing or worry that I’m going to be rejected, and that’s a beautiful feeling. Especially when he kisses me back, gentle and warmly, like he means it, not out of lust, but maybe out of affection?

That’s how I feel, and that settles over me as we relax into a comfortable tangle, touching skin to skin, his hand stroking my belly absently, and I could swear I hear him whisper something like sweet dreams Brooks before I fall asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Five

BRODY

I’m surprised when I roll over and stretch to find a handful of warm soft flesh next to me, and then the realization that this is Bianca Brooks, my untouchable agent that I’m touching, sends a surge of heat to my morning wood.

She emits a small puff of air through her open mouth that sounds like a kitten snoring, and my automatic smile reaches deep inside me, getting under my skin so far I can feel it in my chest. Shaking my head, I turn away and force myself from the bed of temptation.

I’ve never been one to avoid trouble, or it hasn’t been my forte up until now, but Bianca Brooks is the kind of trouble I draw the line at.

Except last night, as I recall, there were no lines. Shit.

That was just fun, right? She gets it. She knows it wasn’t serious—she knows the marriage is fake and all that talk of romance and marriage was just… casual talk. Right?

I throw on some sweats and a t-shirt and quietly leave her to sleep. Although I can’t stop myself from glancing back at her lying in my bed because she looks so fucking adorable. And sexy, even asleep.

Clearly, I need coffee. So I clean up and head to the kitchen to get my good old-fashioned Mr. Coffee pot going.

Axbell shuffles past the kitchen, and I hear a thud. I turn to greet him, but I’m surprised to find him wearing a coat, standing in the open space between the kitchen and the entryway with three duffel bags sitting at his feet.

“Where are you going?”

“Dude, it’s obvious. I’m not going to room with you and your new bride. That would be… way more rude and stupid than I am.” He screws up his face. “You’re not suggesting I should stay?” The incredulousness in his voice makes it rise a few decibels.

“You know we’re not really…”

“Are you sure about that?”

I laugh because he’s being his goofy self.

“The way I see it, you might as well be for real. After last night⁠—”

At that moment, I stop listening to Ax because Brooks comes into view, her hair arranged in that sexy messy morning-after look, and her lips pouty and pink. She sashays down the hall in my robe, the V open enough to show a good look at her healthy cleavage, while her hips swing wide. Is she actually sashaying?

My eyes are riveted, and so are Axbell’s. I almost slap his head, but remember I’m an adult and this isn’t the locker room. Instead, he feels my death glare and looks away from Brooks in all her morning sex-goddess glory.

“You don’t have to leave, Axbell,” she says. Her expression is guilty as she glances at Ax’s bags. “This is your home. I’ll leave.” She avoids my eyes, and I think she means it.

“No way. I’m not going to break up a marriage,” he says. “Besides, I already called Windy and I’m moving in with him.”

“What the fuck?” I abandon my coffee and feel like I need a whiskey instead. “You’re moving in with Windy? I thought you couldn’t stand him.”

“I like him fine. It’s you who doesn’t like him because he gives you shit—I mean a hard time—and I know you think it’s because he’s jealous as fuck, and you’re probably right.” Ax shrugs. “Can’t say I blame him. Or you. Either way, I think he’s a good dude.”

“This is temporary.” I gesture at Brooks. I’m not crazy about losing my roommate because he’s my best friend on the team, especially since he’s leaving over his mistaken belief that I’m actually married in spite of my insistence that I’m not. But since he’s a grown-ass man and bigger than me, there doesn’t seem to be a damn thing I can do about it. Logic and reason don’t seem to be working.

“Ax, you know we’re not married, right?” Brooks sounds panicked, like she’s not sure herself anymore. Or that could be me caught up in pretend-land. “It’s not real. We never got a license or had a ceremony or—“ she waves her hands, then lowers her voice to a worrying tremble. “What about Brody? I can’t be responsible for his best friend leaving⁠—”

Ax puts up his hands, signaling her to stop, looking sympathetic. “How about if you have me over for pizza, one night a week? That way poor Brody won’t feel like he’s losing a friend.” He tosses me a smirk, and I aim a warning glare at him. I notice he didn’t acknowledge that my marriage to Brooks, or maybe I should call her Bianca after last night—is fake.

Bianca smiles, shaking Ax’s hand. “It’s a deal.”

Then it hits me that she’s looking out for me again, worried about coming between my friendship with Ax. The urge to give her a big hug waves over me.

“It’s a deal,” I agree, relieved she insists she should be the one to leave again. Not sure why that’s a problem—aside from the fact that it would put an end to our fake marriage, and the short-lived nature of it may raise eyebrows. May even cause some to think—correctly—that it was all a hoax. I might even lose the Cavalaro Motors sponsorship deal.