A Little Naughty: A small-town, marriage of convenience romance. (Be Still) by Tia Louise

Author:Tia Louise [Louise, Tia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: TLM Productions LLC
Published: 2024-03-13T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

JEMIMA

The world goes completely silent.

The wind isn’t blowing. There are no frogs croaking. Even the bugs seem to go still.

I’m standing in the middle of an empty field after another mind-blowing round of hot sex, waiting for Raif Jones to answer me.

Baby, just say yes…

His brow lowers, and his lips part as if he’ll say something. Then they close again, and he blinks a few times. His eyes hold mine, which I appreciate, but I can see he’s completely confused.

“Are you serious?” It’s a gentle question, which I also appreciate. “You want to get married?”

“Just for a little while.” My heart beats fast as I try to explain. “I’m trying to adopt Nikki, you see, and it would be so much easier if I were married. Like it’s nearly impossible if you’re single, but if you’re single like me, it’s even worse. We don’t have to do a big wedding, and I’ll be happy to sign a prenup⁠—”

“Prenups are for rich people.” He’s still frowning, but I’m encouraged he’s not coming back with an emphatic no.

“I’ll be a good wife, I promise. I won’t nag you or ask you to do things you don’t want to do.”

His brow relaxes, and it almost seems like he’ll laugh. The fist of panic in my throat starts to unfurl, and I figure I should lay it all out on the table.

“Nikki’s nine, so she’s pretty self-sufficient. I’ll take care of everything when it comes to her, so you don’t have to worry about a thing⁠—”

“I don’t mind helping.”

Warmth fills my chest, and I kind of love him for that.

“I can’t cook, but I’d be willing to take lessons. Adam’s a great cook, so maybe he could teach me?”

That seems to piss him off. “I’ll teach you how to cook if you want to learn.”

“Are you a good cook?”

“No.”

“But…”

“I don’t need Adam Stone teaching my wife to do anything.”

I press my lips together, fighting a little squeal. “Okay.”

He called me his wife.

Sort of.

“Speaking of the Stones, what will they think about this?”

“They probably won’t like it.”

He nods, but I’m moving fast. “Is that a yes? I know it’s crazy, but it’s only for a little while—three months tops—and I promise not to make your life miserable…”

“I can’t imagine you’d ever make my life miserable.” He reaches for my waist, pulling my body flush with his. “But what about me? You don’t know anything about me.”

Resting my hands on his chest, I look up at him. “I know a lot about you. I’ve been interviewing you for almost two weeks.”

“What do you know?” His eyebrow arches, and I internally sigh.

He’s so sexy.

“For starters, you have an entrepreneurial spirit.”

“Big word.”

“You’re a good son, a problem solver… a dependable worker, and you know how to treat a lady.” I count them off on my fingers.

“It’s true, but that’s not enough to marry a man.”

He’s right. I think about what else I know about him.

“You’re a bad boy.” I study my hands resting on his chest. “My momma used to say never fall in love with a bad man, because he’ll beat you.

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