MARIGOLD
“Goldie?”
I scream, and the treats in my hand go flying into the air. I spin around and glare at Avery.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Kittens scurry around my feet to get all the treats that they can. I’ve been on edge since my father left. It’s not only because I think he might be on to what happened last night but with how he treated me. When I switched my shirt to one of the shelter tees after one of the older cats had an accident on me, I saw the marks on my arm where my father had grabbed me. They turned red rather quickly. I’m not sure if they are going to fade or grow worse.
“Only authorized personnel are allowed to be back here.”
“I wrote a check for half a million dollars. I think that makes me authorized personnel. I had to practically stop Dr. Amarie from rolling out a red carpet when she let me back in here.”
I fold my arms over my chest and glare. I’m sure they were all gushing over him when he came in.
“You’re a distraction to the other females. From now on, you wait outside.”
“Like a dog?” He smirks as he steps closer to me. His hands grip my hips, and he pulls me into his big body. I melt right into him. My body wants this man no matter what my brain is telling me. He’s crazy, and I’m crazy if I keep going along with all of this. Still, I can’t help but like the comfort I feel when he’s near.
“Not a dog.” I huff. “You’re not a dog.”
“Something is bothering you. Does it really upset you that I came inside?”
“All of the girls have been going on and on about you all day. It’s annoying. We have cats and kittens to tend to. Not gush over my fiancé.”
“Your fiancé?”
I smack his hard solid chest. “That’s all you got from everything I just said?”
“No, that’s not all I got. I don’t care about any other females. My only concern is you. I’m about to be a married man, and it seems you’ve come to terms with that.” He releases my hips to take my hand. His fingers tangle with mine as he guides me to get my things before I tell everyone goodbye.
“No one can believe you’re marrying me,” I mutter once we’re alone outside. “This should be the other way around. They should be shocked that I'm marrying a crazy person. Because that’s what you are, you know. Crazy.”
“I suppose I might be a bit crazy.” He shrugs.
“So you admit it!”
“Yes.”
“Then we’re on the same page.”
“I believe so. I’m crazy and we’re getting married in–” He looks down at his watch. “In three hours, to be exact.”
“That’s not how that conversation was supposed to end.” Did he just say three hours? What the heck?
“But I said you were right. I thought women enjoyed that.”
“We do.” Why am I trying to fight with crazy? “The point was for you to see that you’re crazy and then realize that your craziness has you thinking we need to get married when we in fact shouldn’t because it’s crazy.” There. That should clear things up for him.
“That’s where we will have to agree to disagree.” He starts walking again, guiding me toward his vehicle. He opens the passenger door for me.
“But I drove the…” I trail off when I don’t see the Land Rover in the parking lot. “Right.” I drop into the passenger seat. I watch as Avery moves around the front of the vehicle, his eyes tracing the area as he does before he slides into the driver’s seat.
“Seatbelt.” Even as he says the words, he’s already reaching and pulling it across my body. His mouth takes mine at the same time. I moan when he thrusts his tongue past my lips. I can’t help but kiss the man back. Before I know it, I'm trying to climb over into his lap, but the seatbelt stops me. “My bride is trying to consummate our marriage before we say ‘I do.’”
“Oh, cause that’s a line you won’t cross. You can snap necks but not have sex before marriage?”
“Remember, I’m crazy,” he points out as he pulls out of the parking lot of the shelter.