Relief is the first emotion that washes over me when I hear that Fern doesn’t sell her body for money. The second is confusion. Why would Wilder sign me up for the mail-order bride program? And why did Fern let me do that to her? I glance away from my brother to a shocked-looking Fern.
“If you’ll excuse me, could I use your bathroom, Wayan?” Fern’s beautiful face is a bright shade of pink.
“Sure, follow me. I need to put some clothes on anyway.” My mind races as I process what just happened with Fern. I resist the urge to reach for her hand. Even though my cock was in her mouth a few minutes ago, this new information makes me hesitant to touch her without her consent. “Through here.” I open the door to the small bathroom in the hallway, but instead of leaving and giving her privacy, I follow her in and shut the door behind me. “Damn it, Fern. Why didn’t you stop me?” Like a magnet, my body searches for her, cornering her up against the wall, our bodies inches apart. “I’m sorry I made you do that.” I almost choke on the words because it’s a lie. I loved every minute of what we did, and I’d make her do it again given another opportunity. “A few weeks ago, my idiot brother Wilder made a ridiculous comment about hiring me an escort. Today is my birthday, so when I opened the door and found you standing there, and you said my brother hired you from an agency, I naturally assumed you were an escort, but that still doesn’t excuse me from shoving my cock down your throat and making you swallow my come.”
Her eyes flutter closed, almost as if she’s recalling what I feel and taste like in her mouth. Damn, if that doesn’t turn me on even more. “It’s okay.” Her breathless voice caresses my skin, making my cock stand at attention, “Are you hard again?” Her eyes open and go straight to my growing shaft as it becomes evident, bobbing beneath the towel between us, as if it’s craving her touch, her voice filled with awe. Her fingers ghost over my abs, not quite touching the skin, yet I feel the heat of her fingertips like a brand on my naked flesh.
“What can I say?” I shrug, trying to tame down my lust and failing as her teeth bite into her plump bottom lip. “You’re a beautiful woman with a gorgeous body.” A moan slips from her lips at my words, causing me to harden even more. I grip the towel tighter, not wanting to make things any more awkward by dropping it and revealing just how much I want her. “I want to apologize again for the misunderstanding earlier. I shouldn’t have assumed you were an escort.”
“It’s not your fault.” She places her hand on my chest, and I can’t help but moan at the contact. “I should have corrected you when I realized the mistake and not gotten on my knees.” Her eyes glaze over with lust. “But I’m glad I did. I’ve never done anything like that before--you’re not the only one who’s a virgin.”
“Damn, Fern. I never should have made you do that.” I grab her hand that’s still on my chest and try to lift it away, needing to create some space between us, but she doesn’t let me. She’s a virgin, and I treated her like a whore.
“It’s okay, Wayan. I liked it.” She looks at me, her eyes full of desire. “It was hot.” She leans forward, her eyes dropping to my lips.
Fuck me, if she isn’t the perfect woman for me. I lower my head to meet hers, our lips inches apart, when a loud banging on the bathroom door makes us jump apart.
“Are you two about done in there? Aspen is ready to discuss the mail-order bride program.” Wilder’s words are like a bucket of ice water ruining the moment.
My eyes stay focused on her lips as I answer my brother, “Give us a few more minutes.” I take a step back, putting some distance between me and the biggest temptation I’ve ever been faced with. “We should probably go out there before he decides to break the door down.”
“You’re right. I have a job to do. I’m sure this doesn’t look good in front of my boss, Aspen.” She lowers her hand from my chest, but not before running her fingers through my chest hair and down my abdomen, tracing the line of hair to my belly button, before she comes to her senses and pulls her hand away. “Sorry. Can I have a moment to freshen up?”
The beast inside of me wants her to carry my taste, but the gentleman in me offers her a new, unwrapped toothbrush from the cabinet. “Here. There’s some toothpaste in the medicine cabinet.”
She looks at the toothbrush with confusion until realization hits her. “Right, I should take care of that.” There’s a hint of sadness in her tone, like she doesn’t want to erase my taste from her mouth.
“I’ll meet you in the living room in a few minutes.” I linger in the small space of the bathroom, not wanting this moment to end because I know once I step into that hallway, this whole encounter will become just a distant memory, and we’ll act as if it never happened, since Fern is here to do a job, just not the one I want her to do.
two
Fern
The splash of coldwater on my face did nothing to quench the throbbing desire between my thighs. And as much as I wanted to stay in the bathroom and hide, I knew I had to face the truth—I gave a blow job to a sexy mountain man I only knew for ten seconds.
What was I thinking, getting on my knees for Wayan?
As soon as I realized the case of mistaken identity, I should have come clean with Wayan instead of going along with what he thought I was really here for. But the instant attraction I felt for him was something I’ve never felt in all my twenty-eight years.
Sitting across from Wayan in the same room where the blow job happened and pretending that nothing occurred is nearly impossible. Even shifting my thighs to find any small amount of relief only makes the pulsing between my legs worse. Add all that to the tight t-shirt and gray sweatpants that Wayan changed into, and it’s wreaking havoc with my sanity. Try as I might, my eyes keep returning to his lap and the impressive bulge beneath the sweatpants.
“So, as Wilder said, his birthday gift to you is a six-month membership to our mail-order bride program. All you have to do is sign the paperwork, and if we can’t find you a perfect match during that time, you’ll get your money back—guaranteed. Fern will be with you the whole way as your agent, helping search through all the profiles, plan dates, or visits if your potential mate isn’t local.” Aspen sets the contract and a pen on the coffee table.
Wayan looks at me before grabbing the pen from the coffee table between us. “Is it just men that sign up, or do women sign up for the program?”
“I’m glad you asked.” Aspen glances at Wilder before continuing. “I’ve recently opened it up to men and women. I’ll be launching a mail-order groom program after the first of the year.”
“So, will you be signing up for a groom, Aspen, or is that a conflict of interest?” Wilder asks.
“It’s not a conflict of interest.” Aspen’s face turns a light shade of pink. “But I don’t plan on signing up to find a mail-order groom.”
“What about you, Fern? Do you plan to sign up for a groom?” Wayan’s words come out as a growl.
My initial instinct is to crawl into his lap and tell him I’ll do whatever he wants. Instead, I say what I’ve been telling people my entire adult life, “I don’t plan ever to get married. I’m going to be the fun aunt who spoils her nieces and nephews.” It’s never bothered me before when I’ve said those words, but today, they feel hollow and wrong.
Wayan’s eyes bore into mine like he wants to call my bluff, but instead, he signs the contract, sealing his fate for the next six months and possibly longer, since I have no intention of failing my new job, even though my heart hurts at the thought of Wayan with anyone else.
“Great.” Aspen claps her hands, stands, and reaches for the contract. “You won’t be disappointed. Fern will start on your profile first thing in the morning.” Aspen reaches into her briefcase. “Here’s the rest of the paperwork you’ll need to fill out with what you’re looking for in a match.”
