Accidental Bride(30)
“Then what is it about?” He was still far too close to her. His face was only inches away from hers.
“I know it’s not a real marriage, but whatever it is, I want it to be equal. I want to…I want to be heard.”
“I do hear you, Kelly.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.” His face softened. “I’m sorry about the whole thing. I just had it in my head that this would be a good idea, and I didn’t think you would really mind, once it happened. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
She took a shaky breath, so relieved she was about to lose it. She was behaving ridiculously, but she couldn’t seem to snap out of it. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I know it’s not a real marriage, but…”
Peter reached down to pick up her left hand and brought it up so she could see it. He twined the fingers of his left hand into hers so that the rings on their fingers were right next to each other. “It is a real marriage. It might be temporary, but we’re married for real.”
For some reason, the words, and the reality that they were true, were the last straw for her already battered emotions. A single tear slipped down her cheek. “I know.”
He wiped the tear away with his right hand, very gently. “We don’t have to go on the honeymoon, if you don’t want.”
“No, we should do it now. It would be too complicated otherwise. It’ll be okay.”
“You’re sure?”
She wasn’t sure. With the way she was feeling right now, being alone with Peter for the weekend might be the most dangerous thing that could happen to her. But it was also something she desperately wanted. “Yes.”
“Okay.” For the first time since they’d entered the house, he gave her a little smile. “So we’re okay?”
“Yeah. We’re okay.”
“Good. I’m not used to you being mad at me. I don’t like it.”
“I don’t like it either.”
“Let’s not do it again, then.”
“Sounds good to me.”
He was still holding her left hand as he leaned down to very softly press his lips against hers. It felt so good that, as he drew back, she leaned forward enough to claim his mouth again. Pleasure and excitement rushed through her as their lips moved together and his tongue made teasing little slides.
She was just about to wrap her arm around his neck when she realized what she was doing. She pulled away with a gasp. “What are you doing?”
His eyes were warm, almost amused. “I thought your grandma was coming.”
“What?” She looked both ways down the hall. “She’s not here.”
“Yeah, but I thought she might be coming, so I figured we better cover, so she wouldn’t know we’d been fighting.”
Kelly frowned, overwhelmed with embarrassment as she realized how shamelessly she’d responded to the kiss, which was supposed to just be fake. “She wouldn’t like us kissing any more than she’d like us fighting. She’d give you a lecture about being fresh with me.”
“But we’re married.”
“That wouldn’t matter to her.”
His expression was warm and laughing now. “She’d really say fresh?”
“There are no limits to my grandmother’s vocabulary when it comes to young men acting improperly.”
He laughed. “I’ll have to test that out, then.” Before she realized what he was doing, he leaned toward her again and gave her another soft kiss.
This time, when she got enough will-power to turn away, she saw in surprised dismay that her grandmother was actually standing in the hall, giving them a disapproving look.
“Disgraceful,” Grandmama said, shaking her head. “I didn’t realize my new grandson was such a rogue.”
Peter straightened up, although he didn’t release her hand. His eyes were laughing though.
Kelly was quite sure he’d never been called a rogue before. But then, most men hadn’t, until they’d encountered her grandmother.
Six
On Friday, Peter and Kelly were on their way up to North Georgia, where Peter had found them a bed and breakfast on a lake.
The northern part of the state boasted hills and small mountains, with a lot of scenic forests and waterfalls. There were plenty of B&B’s to choose from, but it had taken him a lot of time to decide on one, since Kelly was so insistent that it wasn’t expensive, but Peter still wanted to take them some place nice.
He’d finally settled on one that had very good reviews but didn’t look as fancy as the most expensive places. He really hoped she liked it. He had only one chance here for a honeymoon with her, and so every detail was important.