Turn Me On by Faye Avalon

she’d picked up numerous tips. As
they’d worked through her finances and business plan, he’d given her advice
that money couldn’t buy. And she planned not to waste it.
    “Feeling better?”
    She returned his smile. “Much.”
    “Good.” He squeezed her hand. “What do you fancy for dinner?”
    Suddenly, she was ravenous. “What’s on the menu?”
    He flicked her under the chin. “I’ll go see.”
    She watched him disappear into the sitting area, his muscular legs
eating up the distance while the silky skin of his broad back glistened in the
glow of the soft lighting. Well, she might not have the most conventional of
weddings, but she sure as hell was looking forward to the wedding night. And
where was the harm in indulging herself?
    They both knew the score. They were healthy, consenting adults who
enjoyed having sex. And plenty of it. Being married didn’t have to change any
of that.
    Spouses with benefits , Lissa thought as she grabbed her
wash bag and went into the bathroom. No harm in enjoying those benefits for as long as they were on
offer.
    She plonked her bag down next to Reed’s on the marble stand and looked
at herself in the mirror. Did she look married? Was there any outward change?
    Reed didn’t look any different. He looked as devastatingly gorgeous as
he always did.
    She thought of all that solid muscle, the big hands, long adept fingers.
The way he could drive her insane with just a touch. How he held her close
after they’d had sex. The way they talked into the night as she lay in his
arms, before it inevitably led to sex again.
    She caught herself smiling. If she was going to have a temporary
marriage, she could do a whole lot worse that Reed.
    Seconds later, determined to push away any thoughts of weirdness, she
unpacked her toiletry bag and headed for the shower.
    ****
    Seated on the sofa, Reed stared unseeing at the glossy menu. Right up
until that morning, he’d thought Lissa was okay with the whole deal, but she’d
begun to get shaky when he produced the ring. She’d looked at him with those
big hazel eyes like the proverbial rabbit caught in the headlights. He’d bought
the damn thing as a kind of token bonus for her, thinking she could keep it or
sell it after their divorce. Whatever she liked. But it had backfired and if
anything it only seemed to upset her.
    Then he’d gone and sprung for their wedding night here. Seeing as when
they were together they were rarely out of the sack, he’d deemed it an
appropriate thing to do. Lissa was pretty adventurous, so he’d assumed she’d
love it. But now that she’d admitted to feeling weird about the whole thing,
maybe he should have kept it low key.
    As far as his problem went, the flack from Cynthia had disappeared.
Rather than let Jack deal with it, as his friend had wanted to do, Reed had thought
it best to let her hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. He’d arranged to
meet her at Papa Niko’s earlier that week, where he’d broken the news that he’d
fallen hard for a woman and they were to be married that weekend.
    Initially, she’d given him grief, telling him for the first time that
she was in love with him. That she’d always been in love with him. When she’d
started to cry, Reed had felt like a total asshole. That was before reminding
himself that she was in love with one aspect of him. His money. His decision to
go through with the marriage to Lissa had never wavered. The reasons still
held. He wasn’t about to be saddled with a woman he’d never get rid of who,
despite the fact they’d hooked up a few times over the years for dinner and sex,
really only wanted him for his money.
    Lissa knew the score. A few weeks for propriety’s sake and they could
call it a day.
    The sound of the shower brought him from his musings. He dropped the
menu he’d been clutching and checked his watch.
    He could start the main event any time he wanted, so he used the time
waiting for Lissa by placing their order for