She moistened her lips as the seconds dragged on and they continued to study each other. She absently hoped the baby inherited his nose and cheekbones.
A flash shattered the moment.
“The groom greeting the bride at the door.” Bitsy sang out a caption for the photo.
Andrew welcomed Kat and Jackson with a sweep of his hand. “Please, come in.”
Kat reeled Toto in when he headed toward Eddie’s pant leg, and shared a conspiratorial grin with Andrew. Her mouth gaped open. She faced the largest custom-built aquarium she’d ever seen. A literal wall of fish loomed before her. Toto quickly forsook Eddie’s leg to yip at the myriad of colorful fish. Kat felt as if she were snorkeling without getting in the water. It was breathtaking. Exhilarating.
“Wow!” she breathed to no one in particular.
“I like fish,” Andrew responded simply.
“It was the one thing the interior decorator couldn’t talk him out of,” Bitsy volunteered as they moved en masse around the glass wall to the living room.
While Edward and Jackson popped the locks on their briefcases, Kat examined her surroundings with mounting dismay. Despite her earlier flip comment to Jackson, she would live here for several months. Pale peach tile offered the only hint of color in a room of creams and tans.
“The decorator planned the theme of the house around tranquility,” Bitsy offered by way of explanation.
“She was obviously addicted to sedatives.”
“He was quite expensive.” Andrew’s tone was stiff.
“He had to pay for all those sedatives somehow.” Kat stood her ground.
“The truck’s bringing your things on Monday, isn’t it? Feel free to change whatever you want to. I certainly want you to feel comfortable while you’re here,” Andrew offered.
Kat nodded an acknowledgment. “Thanks.” Exactly where would her flea market rocker fit into this urbanely somnolent room?
Jackson cleared his throat. “If you two could just sign the papers, it’s probably best to get this out of the way before the J.P. gets here.”
Kat released Toto from his leash and moved over to Jackson’s side. She picked up a copy of the contract and began to read.
Jackson interrupted her. “Just sign on the back page. It’s all there.”
The doorbell pealed, reinforcing his directive. Even though Harry Murdoch, the justice of the peace, was known for being closemouthed, they wanted this contract out of sight when he entered.
She hastily scribbled her name, Katrina Anastasia Hamilton Devereaux, for the last time and, with rock-steady hands, passed the pen to Andrew, who followed suit.
Jackson and Edward breathed a collective sigh of relief as they stuffed the papers back into briefcases, closed them and slipped them out of sight. Bitsy backed into the corner to get a better photo angle. Kat simply stood and admired the rear view of the man about to become her temporary husband as he crossed the room to answer the door.
“BY THE POWER INVESTED IN ME by the state of Florida, I now pronounce you man and wife,” intoned Harry Murdoch. No organ broke into “Oh, Promise Me.” Toto’s snoring provided the only background accompaniment.
Despite the unusual circumstances of their nuptials, four pairs of expectant eyes watched Kat and Andrew. He turned her to face him, his hands wrapped around her bare arms. Andrew’s expression remained unfathomable, but his intention was clear as he bent his head toward her. Standing on tiptoe, Kat braced her hands against his broad shoulders and met him halfway.
At first pass, it was the briefest brushing of mouths, the merest tempting taste that left her hungry for more. She sought more, reveling in the taste of him, the hard, masculine line of his mouth against the full softness of hers. Andrew tangled his hand in her hair and pulled her closer.
Kat went willingly.
She sighed softly as his tongue teased against the corner of her mouth. She saw stars behind her closed lids.
A cough interrupted the sensual daze enveloping her. She opened her eyes as another star flashed by in the form of Bitsy and her camera.
For the briefest second she recognized the passion darkening Andrew’s eyes as equal to her own before it vanished beneath his cool composure. He disentangled his hand from her hair, the loss of his touch leaving her oddly bereft. She absolutely could not, would not, should not crave his touch. That was not part of the deal. That could lead straight to that excessive business she was determined to avoid.
While Andrew shook hands with Harry and thanked him for performing the ceremony on such short notice, Jackson wrapped her in a congratulatory hug.
He muttered in her ear, “That was some show, sis.”
“I told you he was a hell of a kisser,” Kat murmured in return. Good grief, if he was half as good at the rest of it…
Jackson released her, feigning disgust.
Bitsy embraced her with open arms. “I can’t believe it! We started out as friends and now we’re sisters-in-law!”
Kat held her close, touched by Bitsy’s obvious pleasure in her becoming a family member, however temporary. “Better keep thinking of me as a friend, since we’ll remain friends a lot longer than sisters-in-law.”
Bitsy quizzed her with a raised brow and a knowing smile. Kat felt herself blush to the roots of her flaming red hair. Even though she and Andrew were physically compatible, Bitsy needed to remember that had nothing to do with a real marriage. And anyway, Kat wasn’t looking for a real marriage.
“There’s a hormonal attraction. I’ll grant you that, but that’s all it is.”
Bitsy’s brow slid up another notch.
Harry Murdoch was occupied with Andrew across the room. Still she lowered her voice. “Don’t be goofy, Bitsy. You know I’m not looking for a real marriage, and neither is your brother. Remember, we’ve got a plan here, an agreement. Andrew and I are simply taking care of mutual needs in a slightly unorthodox but relatively uncomplicated manner.”
Bitsy, ever playful, looked uncharacteristically serious. “Perhaps you’ll take care of needs the other one doesn’t know exists.”
Kat refused to touch that with a ten-foot pole. “What? Is my new husband a gourmet cook?”
Bitsy’s smile acknowledged Kat’s attempt to lighten the conversation. “Andrew screws up making Jell-O.”
Kat flopped onto the beige leather sofa. “We’re doomed. You know what a lousy cook I am.”
“Nah, Mrs. Fitzwillie will save you.”
“Mrs. Fitz-who?”
“Fitzwillie. She comes five days a week and takes care of the house and laundry. Lucky for you two culinary inepts, she also takes care of all the cooking. She even stockpiles food for the weekends when she’s off. And then there’s Anton. He’s a dear old man who works part-time as the gardener.”
Kat brightened considerably. “Maybe it won’t be too bad living in the tranquil palace after all.”
She missed Bitsy’s response. Andrew caught and held her attention as he escorted Harry Murdoch to the door. Standing on the other side of the aquarium, he seemed a part of the exotic seascape. With his broad-shouldered good looks, he could have been Neptune commanding the depths.
“Yeah, and I’m Charlie Tuna,” Kat muttered to herself.
“Huh?”
“It’s actually a bit disconcerting.” She continued her solo conversation.
Bitsy waved a hand in front of Kat’s face. “Earth to Kat. What’s disconcerting?”
“Andrew.”
As if he knew he was the object of discussion, he watched Kat and Bitsy from across the room even after he joined Edward and Jackson. Kat refused to back down from his inscrutable gaze. After what seemed like minutes but proved only seconds, he shifted his attention to the two men beside him.
“Andrew? How’s that?”
“It’s those damn fish and his music.”
“What’ve you got against those poor fish? And what music?”