neck. “Does this mean no more sex between us if we’re working together to find you a husband?” My voice was a rough murmur in her ear.
She pulled back, and her gaze dropped to my lips. “I haven’t found any potential candidates yet. So, while I’m searching for them, I don’t see any reason for us not to have sex. It’s actually a brilliant idea. I read somewhere that regular sex is great for your health. But that’s only if you want to.” She hastily added the last part.
“I definitely do.”
“But as soon as I find a possible candidate, we’ll stop having sex.” She nodded to herself and narrowed the distance between us. Any closer and our lips would be touching.
“Right. That would be the smart thing to do.”
I had no idea which of us removed the remaining distance between us. One second we were talking, the next our lips were moving together, teasing, tasting.
She opened her mouth, and my tongue stroked hers. I’d been dreaming about her kisses when I woke up, but that dream paled compared to reality.
She tasted like coffee and sweetness and Nala. She tasted like my version of heaven. I pulled her onto my lap to get that much closer to her, her knees straddling my thighs. Her sweet ass lightly pressed against my legs, and my cock sat up and took notice.
My hands slipped under the hem of her tank top and brushed the soft skin along her sides.
She deepened the kiss, and a soft moan escaped. From which one of us? I had no idea.
She pushed herself to her knees and ran her fingers through my hair, tugging on the strands. My cock responded. Christ, she’d fucking kill me if she wasn’t careful.
Not that I was complaining.
But while I might not have complained about that, the same couldn’t be said about the sudden rapping on my bedroom door.
Nala jerked away from me, almost losing her balance and toppling backward off my lap. My arms shot around her, steadying her.
The knock came again. “Eli? Eddie? Are you two in there? Breakfast is ready.”
I was still cursing myself for telling Mom that my fictitious girlfriend’s name was Edith. We sounded like a pair of freaky twins whenever she said our names together.
“Okay, we’ll be down in a minute,” I called out.
“You aren’t working on my future grandchild in there, are you?” She laughed under her breath, which was followed by her humming happily, the sound fading away.
I dropped my forehead against Nala’s shoulder and inhaled her sweet floral scent. “Christ, what the fuck am I supposed to do now?”
She caressed the nape of my neck, easing only slightly the building tension there. “I’m so sorry, Eli. That was my fault for catching the bouquet.”
I looked her squarely in the eye. “That wasn’t your fault. I was the one who lied to her and told her I had a girlfriend. I just didn’t expect that she would start planning our wedding so soon.” I snickered at Nala’s wide-eyed expression. “I was kidding. She’s not planning our wedding yet.”
Or at least I didn’t think she was.
The panic eased from Nala’s face. “What’s the plan once we leave Copper Creek? Are you still going to pretend we’re dating?”
I nodded. “It’s better that way. The good news is that once we’re home, only I’ll have to deal with her enthusiasm toward our fake relationship. You’ll be spared.”
Several hours later, I parked my truck in front of the house belonging to Pine Meadow Ranch. Only Jake and his brother, TJ, lived here now. Their younger brother, Noah, lived with his fiancé, Kate, in the house that used to belong to her grandmother, back when Kate lived in Beverly Hills.
Sophie also lived here.
As did TJ’s wife, Violet, and their two young sons.
“Wow, this place is incredible. It’s practically a mansion. I don’t suppose they have a butler?” Nala shot me a quick look, amusement crinkling the corners of her eyes.
She was wearing jeans and a tank top, and her spiral curls were hidden under a green headwrap.
If anything looked incredible, it was Nala.
“The last I heard, they don’t. But maybe that’s changed.”
We climbed from the truck, and I moved my seat forward so Spot could jump down.
Sophie was walking toward us from the direction of the stables. Maui, the black Lab, was walking alongside her, his tail wagging like crazy.
Spot decided Nala and I were too slow for his tastes and bounded over to his friend.
The two greeted each other and