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“I’ve got plans for you, first.”
Zale
Mara was giving every indication that she had something to hide, something good. Her eyes were dancing when she met his briefly, but he could also tell that she’d been crying at some point. She’d had an emotional day. She smiled at him big, then quickly averted her gaze.
She continued to avoid his eyes for the rest of the evening. Olivia unwittingly did her part to distract him, and if he hadn’t known what was going on, Mara might have succeeded. As it was, he noted Mara fiddling with and spinning the bracelets on her wrist, and long after they’d usually gone to bed, she wandered around the family room, tidying things that were already tidy. He realized she was planning on waiting him out, hoping he’d go to sleep so she could keep her secret.
He walked up behind her and slid his hands around her waist from behind. She stilled and leaned back against his chest. He dropped his mouth to her neck and rubbed his five o’clock shadow lightly against her sensitive skin.
“Mm,” she dropped her head back on his shoulder, giving him access to her throat.
“Mara?”
“Yes, Zee?” she breathed.
He dragged his hands up to cover her ribs and brushed the undersides of her breasts with his thumbs.
“You have something you want to tell me, gorgeous?”
She stiffened in his arms, and he nearly laughed out loud. She stepped away with a deep breath and a sigh. Mara never walked away from his invitation. He looked down at the floor, repressing his smile. She turned and faced him, her mouth grim.
“I’m just tired, I think,” she muttered, clearly pissed at what she was going to be missing out on.
He wrapped his palm around the back of his neck and looked at her from beneath his brow.
“What’s going on, gorgeous?” he demanded.
She shrugged, the battle plain on her face. Honesty was paramount between them.
Finally, she met his eyes. “I can’t tell you, yet, but it’s not bad.”
He nodded, pretended to think it over. He rested his hands loosely on his hips. Mara’s gaze remained elusive. He continued to study her from beneath his brow.
“Am I going to have to fuck you into submission?”
She raised startled eyes to his. Her chest and cheeks bloomed with color, and she leaned toward him unconsciously. Her gaze bounced around the room before coming back to land on his.
“Yes?”
He grinned at her. She caught her breath at the sight then threw her head back and laughed even while dancing away from him. Zale rounded her quickly and herded his pretty wife into their bedroom. Before the hour was out, he had himself a wedding planner.
Chapter 46
Cloak and Dagger
Barrett
He paced behind the building, waiting for Junie to pass Willa’s wallet out to him. Mara had called her last night and filled her in on his plan. Junie’s part in ‘Operation Wedding License’ as Mara called it, was to get Willa’s wallet with her ID in it and pass it to him through the back door of their store so he could pick up a marriage license.
He shook his head with amusement. Mara and Bex were all in with this plan. Thank, God, Zale and Rhys had called in the troops. He looked at his watch. He’d been waiting for forty minutes. Didn’t pregnant women have to pee all the time? Why was it taking so long?
Junie burst through the door, a huge smile on her face. Shit. Junie was all ramped up as well.
“Cloak and dagger is not really my strong suit, you know what I mean Barrett?” She exclaimed, “but it’s kind of a blast! What’s the plan now?”
“I’m going straight to City Hall to present our identification and pick up the license. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back to drop off her wallet. You’ll let me know if I’m coming back here or if you want me to meet you somewhere else.”
Junie rubbed her small hands together with delight. “Excellent!”
