Page 45 of The Rancher Married the Wrong Sister (Billionaires of Evergreen, Texas #13)

TODAY , Gavine decided grimly.

Today, he would get rid of her so he could have his old life back.

The decision should have felt liberating.

Instead, it sat in his chest like a stone as he stalked through the house, searching for his wife.

Three weeks. Three weeks of this ridiculous charade, and for what?

Jessica clearly wasn’t coming back. The whole damn arrangement had been pointless from the start.

He found Wednesday in the rose garden, kneeling beside a flower bed with dirt smudged on her cheek and her hair escaping its braid in wispy tendrils.

She wore one of those soft, flowing dresses that made her look like something from a painting.

Cream-colored with tiny flowers scattered across the fabric.

Completely impractical for gardening, but she didn’t seem to care.

She was humming under her breath, some melody he didn’t recognize, and the sound made something twist in his chest.

Get it over with , he told himself.

Walk over there, tell her the marriage is finished, arrange for her to keep the house as compensation, and send her on her way.

Simple.

Straightforward.

But when he moved closer, deliberately keeping his footsteps silent, he realized he wasn’t planning to announce himself at all. He was planning to...

“Oh!”

She backed up suddenly, her soft bottom colliding with his groin, and every rational thought fled his brain. A blush stole over her cheeks as she realized what had happened.

“I’m so sorry!” She started to spin around, flustered and apologetic.

“Don’t be.” The words came out rougher than he intended, but he meant them.

Because this, he realized with self-disgust, had been subconsciously deliberate on his part.

He’d wanted her unaware of his presence.

Had wanted exactly this to happen, her coming into contact with his body, feeling the soft fullness of her curves against his hardness.

She whirled around to face him, still blushing, and... dammit .

It was only for a second, her gaze dipping down before flying back up to his face.

But he’d still seen it.

The way her eyes had gone wide when she’d glimpsed the obvious evidence of what her innocent collision had done to him.

And he knew, with bone-deep certainty, that she still wanted him.

“W-Why are you here?” Her voice was breathless.

To get rid of you.

To end this farce and get my life back.

But for the life of him, he couldn’t even say a fucking word.

“Is something wrong?” She bit her lower lip, and the sight had his fists clenching against his sides.

Everything’s wrong, dammit.

You’re wrong.

This whole situation is wrong.

Those were the things he should have said. Instead, he heard himself say, “I need to head into the city, take care of some paperwork at my office. Do you want to come with me?”

Her eyes widened. “If you’re sure I won’t be any trouble.”

“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.” The words came out more brusque than he’d intended, but before he could even apologize, she was already smiling up at him with that radiant expression that made his chest feel too tight.

“Then thank you.” Her pleasure was so genuine, so sincere, it made him want to grab her shoulders and shake her.

Why, dammit?

Why are you so grateful for scraps?

Why are you so nice?

Instead, he just nodded curtly and turned away before he could do something truly stupid.

Like kiss her senseless right here in the rose garden.

THE DRIVE TO THE CITY passed in comfortable silence, with Wednesday simply gazing out the window at the passing landscape.

Sometimes she would catch him staring at her, which happened more often than he cared to admit.

But she would only look at him questioningly, and when he didn’t say anything, she would smile shyly and look away, as if his silence was an answer in itself.

It should have annoyed him, that easy acceptance.

Instead, it did something dangerous to his resolve.

He was in the middle of mentally rehearsing how to tell her their arrangement was over when the world exploded around them.

The impact came from behind, metal shrieking against metal as another vehicle plowed into their rear bumper. Their car lurched forward, and Wednesday cried out as she was thrown against him, her hands instinctively grabbing for stability.

“Are you hurt?” His arms came around her automatically, holding her against his chest as their driver pulled over and got out to assess the damage.

“I’m okay,” she whispered, but he could feel her heart hammering against his ribs. Could see her breasts rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. “Are you?”

He should have said yes. Should have put distance between them immediately. Instead, he found himself studying her face, noting the way her lips had parted slightly, the way her tongue darted out to wet them.

He inhaled sharply.

“I want to kiss you.” The words escaped before he could stop them.

Her eyes went wide, but she didn’t pull away. “Okay.”

“But it won’t mean anything.” He had to make that clear. Had to spell it all out so she would know that the only right thing for her to do was reject him.

But instead, her lips formed the opposite.

“Okay...”

And then his mouth was on hers.

She went completely still for a heartbeat, her lips soft and unmoving beneath his, and he realized with a jolt that she had no idea what she was doing. None at all. When he traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue, she made a small, startled sound.

“You’ve never been kissed.” It wasn’t a question. He could tell by the way she trembled in his arms, by the way every touch seemed to shock her.

“No.” The admission was breathless, honest.

Something dark and satisfied purred in his chest. Good. No other man had touched her like this, and it had him kissing her again, deeper this time, his tongue sliding against hers. “The things I want to do to you.”

She made a soft sound against his mouth, half surprise, half need. Her hands fisted in his shirt, uncertain but eager, and the combination of innocence and want nearly destroyed him.

“You taste so sweet,” he growled against her lips. “I knew you would.”

When he moved to kiss her neck, she whispered his name like a prayer, and the sound nearly undid him.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was sliding off the seat, his hands finding the hem of her dress.

“What are you—”

“I need to taste you properly.” His voice was hoarse with need as he pushed the fabric up, revealing the pale silk of her thighs. “Tell me to stop and I will.”

She was trembling now, her hands gripping the edge of the seat as he settled between her legs. When he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her simple cotton panties, she made a sound that was half protest, half plea.

“Gavine, I don’t—I’ve never—”

“I know.” He pressed a kiss to the inside of her thigh, felt her jump at the contact. “But I’m going to make you feel so good, sweetheart. So damn good.”

When he pulled her panties aside and put his mouth on her, she cried out, her back arching off the seat. She was already wet for him—so wet it made his control snap completely.

“You’re perfect,” he murmured against her. “So wet for me already. Do you know what that does to me?”

He used his tongue relentlessly, finding that sensitive bundle of nerves and working it until she was writhing beneath him, her hands tangled in his hair, broken sounds spilling from her lips.

“Oh...oh please...” She didn’t even know what she was begging for, but he did.

“That’s it,” he growled. “Take what I’m giving you. Take everything.”

She was so responsive, so eager despite having no idea what was happening to her body. When he slipped a finger inside her tight heat, she sobbed his name.

“You’re so tight,” he breathed against her. “So perfect. I could stay here forever.”

When he added another finger, stretching her carefully while his tongue worked that sensitive spot, she came apart completely.

Her orgasm hit her like a tidal wave, her body going rigid as pleasure crashed through her. She called his name like he was something holy, her thighs trembling around his head as he worked her through every last tremor.

“Beautiful,” he murmured as she came down, pressing gentle kisses to her inner thighs. “So beautiful when you come for me.”

When she finally went limp against the seat, he straightened up slowly, his mouth still tingling with the taste of her. She stared at him with wide, dazed eyes, her lips swollen, her hair a mess around her flushed face.

“That was...” She couldn’t seem to find words.

A knock on the window made them both freeze. Their driver had returned, having sorted everything out with the other party. Gavine quickly smoothed Wednesday’s dress back down and settled into his seat, his heart still pounding.

Wednesday sat beside him in stunned silence, her cheeks burning, her hands shaking slightly as she tried to fix her hair. When she caught him looking, she blushed even deeper.

And Gavine sat there, tasting her on his tongue, and wondered what the hell he’d just done to his carefully ordered world.

WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT his office building, every employee they passed seemed to struggle with barely concealed shock.

Gavine watched their faces as he guided Wednesday through the gleaming lobby and up to the executive floor, noting the way their eyes went wide when they saw his young wife beside him.

He could see them remembering all the other women he’d brought here over the years.

Tall, sophisticated brunettes and redheads who commanded attention the moment they walked into a room.

Women who wore designer clothes like armor and spoke in calculated tones about business mergers and stock portfolios.

Women exactly like Jessica.

Wednesday, in her simple cream dress with her mussed hair and shy smiles, was nothing like any of them.

Where his previous companions had surveyed his domain with calculating eyes, measuring its worth, Wednesday simply walked beside him quietly, her gaze taking in the artwork and architecture with genuine appreciation rather than appraisal.

It would only be a matter of time before someone figured out she was Jessica’s sister, but hopefully...

Hopefully he’d have ended this charade by then.