Her Inconvenient Groom by Niomie Roland
Chapter 23
Torture.
That was the only word Chantelle could think of to describe the next couple of nights she spent sharing her bed with Dustin. True, it was a massive California king, so there was ample space between. After dinner was over and she and her siblings said their goodnight, Chantelle and her husband put on the huge performance of eagerly returning to the privacy of the master bedroom, as all honeymooners do.
She was even happy when Minerva plopped herself down on the bed between them, stretching her long body out to claim a sizeable portion of the linen-covered real estate for herself. The more barriers separating her from this man at night, the better.
But despite all this, they ended up tangled with each other in the morning. The knowledge that he was there, just a couple of feet away from her, and that if she so much as crooked a finger in his direction, he’d get the hint and gladly comply.
Over and over in her mind, she reviewed that shocking moment when she’d finally discovered what the fuss over orgasms was about. And she was only mildly irritated that it had taken him to show her how it felt.
Secretly, she’d attempted to replicate the sensation twice when she was alone in the shower. After all, the manufacturers of showerheads made the streams adjustable for a reason. She discovered to her chagrin that it had actually worked. The part of her that was pleased was as big as the part of her that mildly resented him for having opened her eyes to this fantastic new feast for the senses. And damn him. Whenever she stepped out of the shower into their now shared bedroom, she could have sworn he gave her a knowing look. The possibility that he might have guessed what she was up to in there made her skin flush hot.
And hot looked guilty.
On the third morning since their arrival, dressed in jeans and a light green blouse, she walked out to the landing to look down into the sunroom, where she discovered Samantha and Dustin having breakfast. It was a lovely day, so no wonder that they preferred to eat in there than in the more formal dining room.
She stood, watching and listening, feeling a little like she was snooping, even though it was her house. Admiring the easy way Dustin had of getting people to like him. As she listened, she realized that Dustin was weaving a story about how they had met.
“It was an amazing thing,” Dustin was saying. “The way your day just starts getting worse and worse, and only long after you realize that all those bad things came together to create one good thing.”
Samantha said, “So both Chantelle’s limo and her replacement limo broke down?”
“Yup. And lucky for her—and me—that I just happened to be nearby when she called for an Uber. She was frantic, because she was running late for a board meeting. I promised I’d get her there in half the time—”
“Even in rush hour traffic?”
Dustin shrugged with a show of modesty. “I know a few shortcuts.”
Samantha rested her hand on her chin, intrigued, longing to hear the rest. Chantelle felt the tiniest twinge of jealousy at the idea that this man had sucked her sister-in-law in so completely. Nevermind he was lying through his teeth about their first meeting. Weirdly, she also felt territorial over Samantha. While Chantelle and her brothers did lock horns frequently, Samantha often stepped in and chided Dennis about being too harsh on her. It was good to have another woman on her side.
Now that Samantha and Dustin were looking so chummy, Chantelle was beginning to feel like she was left out of her own clique. She wanted each member of the new clique for herself.
“And then?” Samantha demanded.
“And then my car broke down.” Dustin laughed softly, shaking his head in wonder. “I guess that’s when she decided to give it up. She called ahead, canceled her meeting, and agreed to have a drink with me while we waited for the tow truck.”
“And voila,” she breathed.
“Voila,” Dustin echoed.
Chantelle decided it was time to make her presence known. She continued down the stairs and walked into the room as those two lifted their heads in greeting.
Dustin rose, walked over to her, and pressed a lazy kiss on her forehead. “Hey, lazybones. Glad to see you up.” He gave Samantha a loaded grin. “I let her sleep in. She’s… pretty tired.”
His meaning was so obvious that Chantelle wanted to stomp on his instep to teach him a lesson. It was bad enough he was playing the whole loving husband role to the hilt, but to brazenly imply that she and her new husband were up banging half the night.
The nerve.
She slid as gracefully as she could out of his embrace and asked Samantha, “Where are my brothers?”
“Out for a run.” Then Samantha added pointedly, “Even though Dennis had to borrow a pair of Tom’s sneakers, since Minerva peed in his shoes again.”
“I am so, so sorry,” Chantelle swore with all the sincerity she could muster, but deep down she had to stifle a laugh. Her cat made zero attempt to disguise her dislike of the man.
Dustin stepped in to rescue her. “Hungry, sweetheart?”
I’ll ‘sweetheart,’ you, she thought, but said sweetly, “No, thanks. I’m good. Just flavored water for me.”
Samantha gestured with a smile. “Already on the table.” She popped the cover courteously and handed it over. Chantelle accepted it gratefully and took a long sip. Who needed food when you had the nectar of the gods?
Dustin got up. “Cool. I guess we can go for that stroll, then.” Before Chantelle could say anything, before Samantha could react, he slid his arm in hers and began leading her out of the house, nodding goodbye to his breakfast companion.
They left the gates and took to the twisting country road that skewed off the main drive, taking the path they had shared each morning since her houseguests had arrived. They said nothing until they were out of sight of the house, and then he murmured slyly, “I enjoyed waking up this morning. Did you?”
Augh! She knew he’d die rather than not say anything. This morning, despite every effort she’d made to keep maximum space between them, she’d woken up to discover that she had rolled over in her sleep until she was pressed against his back, spooning him with her arms clasped around his waist and her lips pressed against his back. She was also horrified to discover that he was awake and probably had been for a long time. Even worse, he’d tauntingly taken to sleeping in nothing but his shorts, swearing on his deceased parents’ graves that this was how he normally slept. Yeah, hot and buff and half naked.
She knew he was taking the mickey out of her. She scowled at him. “Could you not?”
“Not what?” he asked innocently. “Inquire after your wellbeing?”
She smacked him lightly on the bicep. “Cut the crap, Spencer.”
He laughed, a low, delicious rumble.
She said, “Nice yarn you wove for my sister-in-law.”
“Maybe I missed my calling. Should have been a screenwriter.” Then he added, more seriously, “You were not kidding when you said you didn’t get along with your brothers, but at least Samantha is cool.”
“My brothers used to be alright before. And yes, Samantha is the family peacemaker nowadays.”
“When will you tell them about the baby?”
She was startled by his directness. And then, startled by her own honesty. “If I tell them of my pregnancy, it will probably set off a competition. Can you imagine a fertility race in which my brothers try to produce heirs of their own, to challenge me? And what if they put two and two together and figure out that’s why I was in such a hurry to get married secretly?”
“Challenge you? By having babies?”
“Our grandfather’s will has a clause in it. A very culpable one, considering my situation as Simon Clark’s adopted daughter.” It was such a bizarre clause that she felt awkward even speaking about it. “He stipulated that no illegitimate child, or no child born out of wedlock to a member of his line, could inherit any of the family’s assets.”
Dustin stopped dead, looking shocked. “You’re kidding.”
“Wish I was. But it’s right there in black and white, and Grady assures me it’s uncontestable.”
“In this day and age?”
“He had his own values and beliefs, Dustin,” she explained impatiently. “I’m beginning to get less and less angry with him. To his mind, it seemed a perfectly reasonable way to guard the family’s possessions, to protect them from external challenges. It sounds ridiculous to our modern ears, but he was doing what he thought would protect the integrity of our family.”
“And that’s why you needed to get married so fast.” He looked as though the final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.
“Yes. I only found out about this after I had the insemination. I realized if I was to have this baby while unmarried, my child would never rise to his or her rightful position in this family, and never enjoy the full benefits of my hard work and the hard work of all his or her ancestors. How could I deny my child their chance?”
He glanced at her, and with a touch to her elbow, got them walking again. “And you figured the sperm donor would be the best candidate?”
She shrugged. It sounded silly when you said it out loud. “It was Sienna’s idea, actually. When I learned you were single—”
“And in dire need of funds—”
She felt the back of her neck flush hot. “Yes, exactly.” You have nothing to be ashamed of, she reminded herself. It was an opportunity to create a business arrangement. Like any good businesswoman, you made the offer, and it was accepted. “When I found out all of this, I decided it was the best road to travel. And here we are.”
He was quiet for a while and then sighed. “Well, Arabella’s going to be okay. I spoke to Kim last night, and she said my sister’s recovering nicely from the surgery.”
“I’m glad,” she said sincerely. Knowing that there was at least one good outcome from this insane venture made her feel better about it. They kept on walking as the warmth of the sun enveloped them.