The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,85

really going to break up with me tonight?”

She shook her head slowly. “No. You’re going to break up with me.” Tears filled her eyes and she stood. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I want the rest of our time together to be happy.”

He stood and pulled her into his arms. They had so many strikes against them, but he still held on to a slender thread of hope. “Okay.”

She forced a smile. “So for today, let’s pretend like we have forever and avoid thinking about what happens tonight. Happy memories. Agreed?”

He smiled softly at her. “Yes.”

She grabbed his hand and tugged, her smile turning genuine and playful. “Now come take a shower with me.”

“Okay, but I’m warning you now that I like really hot water.”

Her eyes twinkled with wicked delight. “No cold showers for you. I can live with that. But I don’t think you’ll need one today.”

He laughed, but his heart was still aching, reminding him that there were plenty of cold showers in his foreseeable future.

At first he thought it might be impossible to recapture their earlier playfulness, but it slipped back on easily when he was with her. They took turns washing each other, laughing about Josh confusing her shower gel for conditioner, then kissed until the water turned cold. Megan shrieked, still in the process of shaving her legs. He teased her, saying pioneer women had shaved in less favorable conditions, and she ordered him to get out.

“You know that you’re actually doing me a favor, right?” he laughed. “I already told you how I feel about cold showers.”

“Well, in that case, I insist you stay.”

He laughed and stepped to the back of the tub.

She looked up in surprise, her wet hair hanging in her face. “You’re actually going to stay?”

“I take my fake marriage vows very seriously, Megan Vandemeer. Your wish is my command.” He grinned and crossed his arms, pressing his back against the wall to keep out of the way of the stream of cool water.

She chuckled and returned her attention to shaving. The sight of her nude form bent over her long legs stirred him again. Good God, how many times could he have sex in a twenty-four-hour period?

She giggled. “I wasn’t aware that marriage vows included staying in cold showers.”

“My fake marriage vows contain many unconventional promises.”

Her gaze returned to him, stopping mid-stroke with her razor. “And what would those be?”

He shrugged, grimacing with mock apology. “You’d have to marry me to find out.”

She finished with her leg and stood up, turning toward him with a seductive look in her eyes.

God, he wanted her.

Her eyes dropped down to his growing erection, then shot back up to his face. “Your vows include cold showers?” Her voice was deeper, thick with desire.

“Possibly.”

She placed her hand on his chest and looked up into his eyes, but the teasing glint in her gaze told him it wasn’t foreplay. “Then you won’t mind this.”

Before he realized what she was doing, she grabbed the detachable showerhead off the wall and sprayed him with cold water.

He yelled and tried to jump out of the tub, but she grabbed his arm, laughing. “I thought your vows included taking cold showers with me.”

“Then after we exchange our fake marriage vows, I’ll be happy to comply. I can’t give up the milk before the wedding,” he laughed. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t need to buy the cow.”

She broke into giggles. “I bought a water buffalo last Christmas through Heifer International, so technically I already own one.”

He pulled the shower handle from her with one hand and pulled her to his chest with the other. “Then that would make you a bovine bigamist, Ms. Vandemeer.”

She eyed the shower nozzle, which Josh had pointed toward the tile wall. “What are you going to do with that?”

He waggled his eyebrows. “If I were an eye for an eye type of guy, I’d hold you down and spray you.”

“And if you weren’t . . . ?” A hopeful look crossed her face.

“I guess you’ll never find out.” He turned the water on her for a couple of seconds until she shrieked. Then, still holding her, he turned her sideways and reached for the faucet, turning off the water but leaving the showerhead dangling from the wall.

“You’ll pay for that,” she said between giggles.

He pressed her back against the tile and kissed her, playfulness turning to passion. Releasing the hold on her wrist, he pressed his palm against hers, interlacing their fingers. He pushed her