Page 2 of Cuffs and Kink (A Bad Boy Romance #2)

She sighed. “My father has a friend, a minister in another town, who wants a young, pure wife. Someone to give him a dozen kids and teach Sunday school every weekend. A woman who won’t talk back or ever voice her own opinion. And he’s old! Like at least fifty.”

I stifled my smile at that. Fifty was hardly old, but to someone her age it probably seemed ancient.

“And your father is urging you to marry this man?” I asked.

“It’s worse. My father has promised him that he can have me. In exchange, our church is getting a new roof. Reverend Falks has a large congregation, one of those super churches that brings in millions. The man lives in a castle, for cripes sake!”

“And all that luxury doesn’t appeal to you?”

Her lips twisted. “Would you want to sleep with a man thirty years older than you for the express purpose of being a brood mare? Reverend Falks doesn’t believe in birth control and he already informed me that he plans for me to stay barefoot and pregnant.

He’s told me what he intends to do to me, and it makes my skin crawl.

He’s cruel, but the world only sees a kind man who lost his first wife too young.

What they don’t know is that he probably killed her. ”

Those were strong allegations, and I wondered how much was spoken in fear and how much was truth.

I wasn’t overly familiar with Falks. I never watched his sermons on Sunday morning, but I knew he was a big shot around these parts.

And if he had decided he wanted Josie, there probably wasn’t much she could do about it.

She was dependent on her family with no way of supporting herself.

And in a town this small, the law wasn’t always on her side.

Luckily for her, I was.

My uncle was the local judge, and my cousins all worked for the department like me.

I wasn’t sure there was anything we could do to protect Josie, but I’d be damned if I wouldn’t at least try.

I flipped a U-turn and headed for the courthouse.

If anyone could figure out this mess, it was Judge Turner.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“We’re going to pay a visit to my uncle and see if he has an idea of how to get you out of this mess.

They aren’t technically doing anything illegal -- yet -- but they can’t force you to marry someone you don’t want.

The marriage isn’t legal unless you both say ‘I do’ and I guess you don’t intend to do that. ”

“If I refuse, I’ll be thrown out of the house. I’ve never attended college and don’t have a job. How would I pay for a place to live?”

“One thing at a time, Josie.”

She sighed and settled back against the seat.

When we reached the courthouse, she reached out and gripped my hand tight.

The jolt I felt was enough to momentarily stun me, but I snapped out of it and ushered her through the building and to the judge’s chambers.

He had an open door policy for family, and I hoped like hell he wasn’t hearing any court cases.

The sooner I helped Josie figure out her problem, the sooner I could put some distance between us. Before I did something embarrassing.

As it happened, Judge Turner was in, and he seemed to be in a good mood.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite nephew!” He pounded me on the back.

“I’m your only nephew,” I said wryly.

“Semantics. Now, why have you brought pretty Josie Wright with you? Don’t tell me you’re finally settling down.”

My eyes widened, but my mouth refused to work.

“Officer Daniels thinks you might be able to help me, Your Honor.”

“I’m off duty. Call me Mr. Turner.” My uncle smiled fondly at her. “Now, what seems to be the trouble, Josie?”

She told him the same story she’d shared with me, and when she was finished, my uncle was frowning.

He paced the length of his office before stopping in front of us, hands on hips.

His lips were pursed, and I could tell he was measuring his words before he said anything.

He was always the type to think before he spoke, even when answering a curious eight-year old’s questions.

“Well, Ty could run you over to the women’s shelter, if they’ve got room, but that’s just a temporary solution.

I’m guessing you’d have a hard time finding a job and a place to live around here once Reverend Falks puts the word out he’s looking for you.

You could leave town, but I’m thinking you don’t have family anywhere else who’d take you in, and eventually Falks would catch up with you.

” Josie didn’t say anything, but we both knew my uncle was right.

There was the law, then there was the reality of a small southern town.

“I think it’s obvious what needs to happen. ”

“And that is?” I asked.

“Josie needs to lose her virginity.”

I stared at him, fairly certain I’d misheard. There was no way that was his only thought on the matter, which meant he was up to something. “You think losing her virginity will make a difference?”

He shrugged. “Reverend Falks wants a pure wife, so if she loses her virginity she won’t be pure anymore. He should lose interest and move on to someone else.”

Josie frowned. “I haven’t heard of any male prostitutes in town, so just how am I supposed to lose my virginity before I go home today?”

I coughed and sputtered. “Pardon? Did you just say you were going to use a male prostitute?”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do? I’m too young to hit the local bars, and even if I did, I can’t very well take someone home with me. And who in this town is going to deflower the reverend’s daughter? Aside from those jerks earlier, I’m pretty untouchable in most peoples’ eyes.”

“Trust me, plenty of men around here want to touch you,” I muttered.

My uncle laughed because the state of my arousal wasn’t easily hidden.

Despite the fury I’d felt when she’d told me her parents were trading her for a roof for their church, I’d remained pretty damn hard.

It was difficult to get myself under control with her so near, especially when she smelled incredible.

“Why don’t I give a call to the police chief and tell him you’re taking the rest of the day off?” my uncle suggested. “You can take Josie to your place and discuss her issue further.”

The knowing look in his eyes had heat creeping up my neck and settling in my cheeks.

I was a grown ass man, but talking about sex with my uncle could still reduce me to a hormonal twelve-year-old boy who’d asked him about the birds and the bees.

And fuck me if he hadn’t just put Josie right where I’d wanted her -- in my bed.

If she understood what was going on, she didn’t let on. Those innocent eyes studied me as if she were waiting for me to make a decision. Virgin or not, she knew I wanted her, and my uncle was throwing her into my arms. If she had a problem with that, she kept quiet.

I sighed and tipped my head toward the door. “Come on. I’ll take you to my place and we can figure this out.”

She gave me a slight smile, but her eyes warmed and her cheeks flushed.

My chest ached with how beautiful she was, and it seemed that at least for the next few hours, she was mine.

Fuck me if that didn’t please me more than it should.

Something told me this would come back to bite me in the ass, but until then, I was going to have one very happy dick.