“Hey.” I stood on one side of Vivi’s front door while she hid halfway behind the other.

“Hey,” she said, straightening her posture and pushing the door wide. “Come on in. Dinner will be ready soon. Soon-ish.” Vivi clarified her words with a smile that seemed to kickstart dissolving the tension in the air between us.

Stepping inside her house seemed different now that we were married. Shit, that was still a trip to think about. After Nanette’s rejection I’d kind of given up on the whole marriage and babies thing, content with my growing baby girl. But now that the decision had kind of been taken from me, I didn’t feel as stifled as I thought I would have. “Smells good.”

“Thanks. I figured spicy gumbo and ice-cold beer was perfect for tonight.” Her smile was brittle and her eyes darted around the room nervously.

While it was refreshing to see Vivi feeling as skittish as I was on the inside, I didn’t like the newfound tension between us. Or the way she’d been avoiding me all week. I knew that finding out we were accidentally married had shaken Vivi because I was left shaken too. But not enough to ignore her. “I guess you’ve already seen a lawyer?”

Vivi froze at the stove and turned to me with a shocked expression on her face. “Why would you say that? I wouldn’t do that without telling you first.” Her words were sharp and short before she turned back to the stove and the tension that had dissipated bubbled up again between us.

“You’re obviously avoiding me, Vivi. It’s not hard to figure out why, or assume you already took steps to remedy it.” It wasn’t how I planned to start the evening, but things were so tense, I figured it was best to get it out of the way early. Clearly, I was wrong.

“I’m not avoiding you, Nash. I know this is hard for you to understand but I have actual work to do too.” She kept her back to me, giving me plenty of time to take in her shapely legs on display in frayed denim shorts and a thin green shirt that made her green eyes look bigger and greener.

“I never said you didn’t have work, Vivi.”

“You didn’t have to,” she said, angrily slapping rice into a large serving bowl. “And I haven’t heard from you either but I’m not slinging accusations.”

“Fine, Vivi. I’m the bad guy.”

She glared at me and grunted as she set the gumbo on the table. “No one is a damn bad guy, Nash! This is a crazy situation and I apologize I didn’t handle it the way you think I should. Now, can we please eat?”

Okay. That wasn’t how I expected dinner to go so I took a seat and dug into the delicious food. Vivi was an amazing cook and both Norah and I had probably gained weight since she moved back to town. “Thanks for dinner. It’s delicious.”

“You’re welcome.” Her words were short and clipped. A clear sign she was annoyed with me.

I let a little more silence settle between us but it was fucking killing me. “How’s the book coming along?”

“Good. I’ve made good progress this week and my second first draft is nearly complete.” She took a few more bites and looked up at me reluctantly. “And how is your latest work of art?”

“I just started a bookshelf but it’s coming along. Lots of detail so it’s a challenge. Not that it’s all that easy with Norah around all day but it’s good.”

“That’s great, Nash. Is this for someone crazy famous?”

I grinned and chewed another mouthful of spicy gumbo. “Maybe. But if I tell you,” I trailed off, making her laugh.

“Pretty sure threatening to kill your wife is a crime, even for a famous artiste.” Her smile was the one thing I’d grown used to over the last few months—big and unreserved and full wattage. Finally, she realized what she’d said and her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. “That was weird.”

“This whole thing is weird, isn’t it?” She nodded and her smile was sheepish. Embarrassed. “But it doesn’t have to be, Vivi. I don’t want it to be.”

She nodded and pushed her bowl away. “What do you want, Nash?”

“Hell, if I knew.”

She grinned and stood. “How about we start with another beer?”

My grin spread slowly, hotter when she bent over inside the fridge giving me a long look at that perfect heart-shaped ass. She caught me and shook her head with an affectionate eye roll. “Another beer sounds good.”

We drank nearly half of our bottles in silence before Vivi groaned. “I don’t like this weirdness between us.”

“Me neither. But we can’t avoid this forever, right? Maybe we should contact a lawyer and see what our options are?” I was relieved to see her expression was just as put off by that idea as I was. But the fact was that we couldn’t stay in this limbo forever. “Maybe we can just get one lawyer to handle it and split the fees?”

She nodded as she sucked back the remainder of her beer. “Ugh, I just wish we could ignore it. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?”

“We’d be married forever but yeah, it might be fantastic. For me and Norah because you are one hell of a cook.” I grinned to let her know I was joking, but the idea of staying married to Vivi didn’t leave me with that choking, suffocating sensation I’d felt over the years when women got a little too close or started dropping too many hints about commitment.

“More beer?”

“Yes, please!” This conversation was surreal and we both needed a break. “And a shot of something stronger if you have it.” She laughed and that sound was amazing. Relaxing. Normal.

“Definitely. This doesn’t have to be weird. Right?” Her smile was bright but I saw the worry in those beautiful green eyes and I wanted to rinse it away. “Right?”

“It is weird, Vivi. But weird doesn’t have to be tense or weird or wrong. Let’s just not let it be weird.” And that smile of hers, where her lips pulled wide and those eyes sparkled like gems, beamed across her face and I hoped like hell I didn’t just lie to Vivi.

She lifted her bottle in the air with a smile. “To not letting it be weird.”

“Cheers.” It felt good to relax and laugh with Vivi like old times, even if old times were like a week ago. We talked and we drank, laughing at everything and nothing.

“I’m glad you came over tonight.” She stood and I wondered if she was about to kick me out.

“Me too. That gumbo was so good I might have another bowl.” Later.

“You’ll have to help me clean up to earn another bowl,” she said and turned to carry a stack of dishes to the sink.

“I could,” I told her and stood, taking my dishes to the sink where she was already rinsing them off. “Here you are.”

“Thanks,” she said, breathlessly. “I thought you wanted another bowl?”

“I do. Later.” Suddenly, I knew what would help us make things less weird. Well, that and the fact that my cock was already swelling in my shorts. She really was beautiful, even more so when she was make-up free and a little bit mussed.

The moment between us was silent and charged. Held in limbo while we both mentally debated whether this was the right thing to do or another gigantic mistake. Before I could make up my mind, my lips were on hers and her hands were under my shirt, fingers cool against my overheated flesh as they caressed my muscles. My hands went to her hips and lifted her up on the counter and I stepped between her legs, gliding up her thighs until my thumbs landed on the warmth at the center of her. That little gasping sound she made went straight to my cock and I needed to taste more of her.

My lips skidded up her neck and I slid my hand into her waistband until my fingers found slick heat and she gasped again. “Nash!” I pressed two fingers into her wet heat and she hit her head on the cabinet behind her, not giving a damn as she surrendered to pleasure. Her green eyes tore into me as she grabbed my wrist and rolled her hips against my hand, taking her pleasure. “So fucking hot.”

She smiled as her muscles clutched around me and she fell apart, pulsing so fucking tight I thought she might break a finger. Or two. “Oh, yes! Yes,” she moaned again, smiling bigger as her hands made quick work of my pants and wrapped around my cock.

“Fuck.” I tore my mouth from her sweet skin and stared at her, flesh all pink and glistening as her chest heaved. And then I was on her, hands attacking her clothes until she was naked before me. Gloriously beautiful and wanton and naked. “Fuck, Vivi.”

“That’s the idea.” She jumped in my arms and I lifted her up because I couldn’t do anything else. I wanted her too bad when she wrapped her legs around my waist and licked her way from my shoulder to my neck and then nibbled her way up my ear. She fucking nibbled my ear. “Give me what I want, Nash.”

“What do you want? Tell me.” Because the sound of Vivi’s husky voice in my ear while I fucked her was one of the best things on Earth.

“I want you,” she whispered in my ear as I stroked my cock and lined our bodies up. “I want you to make me scream, Nash.”

“Fuck, Vivi.” I’d planned on taking it slow but when she slammed down on my cock and vibrated with pleasure, all hope was lost.

“Yes, Nash. Please.” She held on tight while I thrust hard and deep, growling my name every time my balls smacked against her. She was on fire. For me. Burning up and tasting my flesh like she just couldn’t get enough. “Nash.”

“Fuck, I love hearin’ you say my name, babe.”

“Good. Because I’m close and I have a feeling-,” Her words broke off when we hit the wall, giving me better leverage to thrust deeper and harder. Faster and deeper. So fucking deep I felt it in my spine. “Oh, fuck!” Her pussy was wet as it quivered around me, pulsing in fast addictive waves that quickly had me drowning in her.

Fuck me. Vivi coming apart was a sight to behold. But Vivi coming apart and giving as good as she got was enough to make my cock weep. And she was ready to cry as her juices slid down my cock, grinding and gyrating against me. “Vivi.”

“Come apart, Nash. I feel how hard you are.”

She nipped my ear and that was it, the fire in my spine raged and swirled out of control as I was pulled down the Vivi undertow. “Fuck me. You, temptress.”

She laughed and the feel around my cock was magnificent.

She was magnificent.

And I was in deep fucking trouble.