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  notion about the meaning of life, about devotion. The feeling was dense and enormous. It sat on his chest like a weight. Yet the thought of sharing his tomorrows with her freed him. He could breathe when he was lost inside her. In fact, Jesse began to wonder if he could ever really breathe again without her.

  Her nails dug into his back now. She broke their kiss and looked up at him with worry and wonder and tears as he sank into her again and again. Damn if he didn’t feel answering tears in his eyes. Damn if this didn’t feel like forever.

  Bliss overtook her face as her mouth gaped open. She clenched around his shuttling cock. Her body tensed. Her lids fluttered shut and she raced toward the pinnacle.

  Jesse wanted to fall over the edge with her.

  He ramped up his pace. “Say my name.”

  “Yes. Yes! Jesse!” she cried to the rafters.

  Bristol bucked underneath him, her sex pulsing and clutching, clinging as he rode her through the mewling orgasm. But his own desire roared to the fore, smashing his defenses like a freight train. As the climax hit, it shocked then flattened him. He felt crushed. Yet he soared. And he clutched her as if he’d never let go again. With the sound of her cry ringing in his ears and the music he’d been crafting for her lilting in his head, he groaned long and low as he released, relinquishing way more than his desire.

  He gave her his heart.

  As the last wave of pleasure settled, Jesse caught his breath and looked into her eyes. He had no doubt that she was the thing that had been missing from his life. She was the one who would hold his hands for the rest of their days.

  He dragged in a ragged breath. “Bristol Alexa Reece, I love you.”

  “Really?” She bit her lip, her lashes fluttering against her rosy cheeks.

  “Yeah. This isn’t merely some post-orgasm glow. I know the difference. I enjoy being with you. I’d rather be with you than everyone else.” He shook his head. “Hell, I’m writing a song for you, about you. I haven’t done that in years. You amaze me. You inspire me.”

  Bristol’s face tightened. Her mouth turned down. Tears flowed. “I love you, too.” Then she laughed. “God, we sound crazy.”

  “I’m about to sound crazier.” He swallowed. “Marry me.”

  Chapter Seven

  “He proposed!” Bristol squealed as she rushed downstairs to relieve Jayla of her temporary duty, anxious to bend her bestie’s ear.

  “Hayden? Because if he did, I’m gonna kill that jerk.” Jayla finished putting some cash in the register, then turned to look at her. “Never mind. Hayden didn’t do that to you.” She grinned. “He couldn’t do that. Jamie did, I’ll bet. Girl, you look more like he propositioned you. And you accepted—thoroughly.”

  Bristol flushed. “That’s not important.”

  “Orgasms are always important.”

  She looked around the restaurant to make sure no one else was nearby. “Jamie isn’t Jamie. He’s… You should sit down.” She dragged a gaping Jayla to the nearest table and all but shoved her in a chair.

  “What the hell? Who is he?”

  “Jesse McCall.”

  Jayla looked blank for a second, then she scowled as if Bristol had lost her mind. “You’re sure.”

  “Completely. When I figured it out, he fessed up.”

  “You’re saying the world-famous singer bailed you out at Bubba Oink’s Bone Yard and pretended to be your boyfriend, then went home with you and rocked your world before he proposed?”

  When Jayla said it like that, the notion sounded absolutely crazy. Some of Bristol’s excitement deflated.

  “Yes.”

  “After knowing you for only a few days? And you mean he proposed marriage, right? Not some crazy three-way like he used to have.”

  “Marriage.” She winced. “Yes.”

  “And what did you say?” Jayla leveled her with an insistent stare.

  “I haven’t answered him yet.” She bit her lip. “It sounds ridiculous. Romantic, even. But I want to say yes.”

  “But you didn’t. Something stopped you. There’s a reason.”

  “I don’t know. On the one hand, it feels sudden. But…when I’m with Jesse, I’m so happy. He’s not the guy we see in the press. He’s changed.”

  Jayla shot her a skeptical scowl. “They all say that. Why does he want to marry you?”

  “He says he loves me. I-I think I love him, too. I realize we haven’t known one another long and I still need to learn tons about him but…he’s a better man than Hayden. In some ways, he even reminds me of Daddy.”

  Her best friend took her hand. “What would you do about this place?”

  That had been one of her hesitations. “I don’t know.”

  “Would you go on the road with him, like another one of his groupies?”

  Now Jayla’s voice sounded soft. It held notes of pity that made Bristol cringe. “I don’t know. I guess we could figure it out. He says he’s sober and wants to change his life—and he wants me at the center.”

  “Or more likely he wants to change his image. Girl…” Jayla squeezed her fingers. “An international star says he loves you and wants to marry you after a few days and you’re not suspicious? C’mon, now… He’s in a tough spot. His album is doing well but he’s getting skewered in the press. The late-night hosts have made him into a punch line. What better way to convince people that he’s changed than to tie the knot with a pretty little country girl who bakes sweets for a living? If he did, the whole narration about his character would change overnight. Right now, the story is party monger and manwhore sinks to a new low. But if he married you, suddenly they’d talk about how, after learning some hard lessons, he’d discovered an uplifting love in the face of tragedy. He’d be a role model.” She snorted. “A freaking hero.”

  Everything Jayla said was true—and Bristol didn’t want to hear it. “He wouldn’t do that.”

  But did she know him well enough to say that for sure? How far would a man with a career as big as his go to save it?

  “I’m not pointing this out to hurt you. I’m only saying it because I love you. Hayden mostly hurt your pride, but I think you’ve really fallen for Jesse. He could tear out your heart. Be really careful.”

  The message Bristol heard was that she couldn’t possibly be interesting enough to keep a man like McCall, who jet-setted around the world and slept with beautiful people. She bit her lip, fearing Jayla was right. Everything had seemed so clear and real and natural when she’d been with Jesse, discussing their future. He adored her lack of worldly ways.

  But was that true for his heart or merely his image?

  “I don’t know what to do,” she murmured. “He wants to get married right away.”

  “Did he mention a prenuptial agreement?”

  She frowned. “Actually, I’m the one who brought it up. People like him don’t get married without one. And I just thought…”

  “People like him? If he’s going to be your husband, he’s supposed to be your equal.” Jayla’s expression softened as she shook her head. “Think about this. Rushing you to the altar only benefits him. But you’re putting yourself in an awkward position if you marry him without thinking this through. If he’s not one hundred percent serious about being in love with you and he can’t follow through as a real husband, you’ll get dragged through the press. There are only two ways that goes: Either you’re the naive little girl he grew bored with and everyone will pity you. Or you’re the whore who broke his heart because you didn’t stay by his side when your hoo-ha could have healed his emotional boo-boos. Either way, your life will never be the same.”

  Bristol sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Why are you always right? You were right about Hayden, too.”

  Jayla shrugged, her hair in black waves that dipped behind her shoulders. “Because I’m not in the middle of your situation, I can be more detached. Don’t forget how much of an ass I made out of myself about D’Shaun last year.”

  Despite the concern swimming in her h
ead, Bristol gave her friend a wry smile. “That was epic.”

  “So unless you’re trying to one-up me, I think you should proceed with a whole lot of caution.”

  Suddenly, every muscle in Bristol’s body ached as she stood. “Do you mind closing up for me?”

  “What are friends for?” Jayla hugged her. “Think carefully. Do what’s right for you.”

  Yeah. Now Bristol had to figure out what that was.

  * * * *

  Jesse emerged from the bedroom and donned his pants, searching the cozy apartment for his phone. He had to record all the new stuff about the song that had rushed through his head while he’d been making love to Bristol. And he supposed he should tell Candia that he might be getting married. Maybe.

  Hell, he wished he knew how to convince Bristol that the amount of time they’d known one another didn’t matter and that all the details would work themselves out. He’d help her find a way to either keep her bakery open here or open another elsewhere—or do whatever she wanted. All he cared about was making sure she was happy…by his side, as his wife.

  But he understood her hesitation, her need to think things through. He just didn’t like it.

  During his search, he spotted the cinnamon rolls she’d left him earlier wrapped in foil. They were still a bit warm, and the icing dripping off them had his mouth watering. If he didn’t love this woman for what was in her heart, he’d probably love her for her baking talent alone.

  The first bite made him moan, and he leaned against the counter, head back, eyes closed. All this goodness from Bristol, both her words and her pastries, was good for his soul.

  When he opened them again, he spotted his phone across the room on the coffee table. Dashing over to the device, he punched in the security code. His texts popped up. Candia had left him a message about two hours ago.

  Morning! I’ve been researching your new girlfriend. Cute. Clean. The press will like her. I had a powwow with some of my peers. We all think she’s good for your image. Announce that she’s your new girlfriend. Or better yet, your fiancée. That will go miles to taking the attention off the crap about Ryan and the Harris girl. If you’re up for it, a real wedding would totally improve the public’s perception of you. I know it’s quick but think about it…

  Jesse sucked in a breath. Was she kidding? Ask someone to marry him for show?

  Hell no! He wanted Bristol to marry him because he loved her and they would be good together. She would fill his heart, and he would fill her life.

  With an impatient growl, he punched up Candia’s contact and hit the call button. After three rings, the call went to voicemail. “Are you crazy, woman? I’m not going to pretend to marry Bristol for my image. I know your job is to worry what people think of me, but that’s fucking out of the question. And over the line. I’m finally in love and I’m grabbing her with both hands. You can either be happy for me and get on board or hop the fuck off the train.”

  Jesse hung up and realized that Candia probably thought he’d gone crazy or been whipped by some magical unicorn pussy. But when she met Bristol, his publicist would love her, too. Yes, Candia knew exactly how to spin this to his advantage. She was like a killer shark scenting chum sometimes, and he didn’t expect to curb her instinct, but he wasn’t going to deceive Bristol to make his life easier.

  Shoving the thought aside, he dashed to the sofa and quickly recorded the song that had been dancing in his head since making love to Bristol. He could hear the soft build of a steel guitar, something he never used. But it lent the song a heartfelt, somewhat country feel that reminded him of Bristol. The romantic strains of a piano accompanied as the bridge built to the chorus. He hummed where he didn’t yet have lyrics, but the whole melody flowed naturally. It was beautiful and perfect for him.

  Just like Bristol.

  Yeah, he definitely sounded like he’d been whipped by some magical unicorn pussy. But he’d finally felt a real connection to a woman that didn’t begin and end with his penis. Seeing her smile made him feel warm inside. Hearing her laugh thrilled him. So fucking sue him if he was feeling all Hallmark. He was happy. After over a decade of misery, he couldn’t wait for the next ten years.

  When he closed the app, he glanced at the clock. Shit, Bristol would be closing her bistro and coming upstairs soon. Since she’d never gotten to the hospital with those goodies yesterday, he thought they could run them up today—and start planning a wedding. She hadn’t said yes yet, but he’d do or say whatever until she did.

  Shakespurr chose that moment to jump on him and dig his dainty paws onto Jesse’s lap, as if looking for a comfortable place to nap. He set the phone aside and picked up the feline. He’d never been much of a cat person, but Shakespurr met his gaze with an inquisitive stare before his lids turned heavy. Jesse stroked the cat, who immediately lived up to his name by letting loose a loud, dramatic purr.

  With a laugh, he carried the cat into the bathroom, then eased him onto a rug and started the shower. The feline darted off at the sudden gush of the running water.

  “Not a fan of baths, huh?” He chuckled and doffed his jeans, diving under the warm spray.

  As he washed up, he hummed a few bars of Bristol’s song, wondering if he could hire someone like David Tutera to pull off a huge wedding by the fall. Then again, that may not be what Bristol wanted. And the thought of speaking vows over helicopters hovering to get a shot of the ceremony wasn’t his idea of romantic. Maybe a destination wedding in the Caribbean or Europe. No, she’d want her family near her. As crappy as they could be, Bristol was a girl who valued family, and she wouldn’t get married without them. He made a mental note to ask Jayla about a pretty barn or church nearby and see if Bristol wanted to pledge her life to his there.

  As he rinsed the last of his shampoo, he heard what sounded like his phone ringing. Candia most likely. Besides being dripping wet, Jesse didn’t want to tangle with a Latina woman who had a temper to match after he’d left her that scathing message. He’d call back when she calmed down. But on the third ring, it stopped. With a shrug, he soaped up and rinsed off, then stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist.

  When he peeked out the bathroom door, he saw Bristol sitting on the sofa, holding Shakespurr to her chest and crooning to him.

  “Hey, honey. Jayla closing up for you?”

  She paused. Froze, really. He frowned, watching as she petted the cat one more time and set him on the cushion beside her. She didn’t meet his gaze. “Yeah. But she had some questions for me. They’re valid, and I think we should talk about them.”

  Jesse didn’t like the sound of that but he’d do whatever it took to ease her fears. “Sure. What do you want to ask?”

  “This marriage is really sudden. Why me?”

  “Because I love you.” Jesse crossed the room and picked up the feline, setting him on the back of the plushy couch so he could sit beside her.

  “After only a few days?” She sounded skeptical.

  He wanted to give Jayla a piece of his mind for planting doubt in Bristol’s head, but if any of his friends had ever said they wanted to get married after a few days of “dating,” he would have thought they were insane, too. “It may not sound logical, but it’s love. It’s not predictable. Sometimes when you know, you just know. I’ve spent way too many years being cynical. It’s great to finally listen to my heart.”

  “What’s the hurry to get married?”

  Her guarded expression whacked him like a pain in the chest. “What’s the point of waiting? I love you. You love me. If you want to plan a big event, we can. Or hell, let’s elope. I don’t care if we say our vows bungee jumping. But when you’ve lived with the superficial as long as I have and something real comes along, it smacks you in the face. I don’t want to wait any longer to spend our lives together.”

  “And you’re not asking me to marry you for a simple fix to your image?”

  Dread detonated in the bottom of his stomach and spread outward. How was he suppo
sed to erase this doubt when marriage would so obviously help him? “What did Candia say to you?”

  “What does that mean?”

  Her face had no expression, as if she was determined to keep it unreadable. There was definitely something going on in her head.

  Jesse scowled. “Somehow, she’s made you think that you’re