"He wants to get married right away," Lisa told Nell as they sat outside the school on a bench during their lunch break, both bundled in wool coats and mittens.

"I can't believe you're seriously doing this," Nell said, shaking her head as her breath frosted slightly in the cool air. Most of the snow from a few days earlier had disappeared, but the air was chill and damp.

"I'll admit, it's pretty nuts. But just think how much easier my life will be when I can get out from under all that debt."

Lisa watched a group of pigeons combing the grass for crumbs left behind by children who'd had their morning snack on the lawn earlier.

"And I kind of like the idea of helping him too," she admitted. "Once you get past the cold military exterior he's actually a pretty nice guy."

Nell eyed her carefully. "Not to mention really hot." She paused, one eyebrow raised. "You aren't interested in him, are you? I mean, romantically."

Lisa's throat felt a little tight as she leaped to an answer without pausing. "No! Of course not. I can think he's a nice guy and not want to..." she flapped her hand around aimlessly, "whatever with him."

Nell laughed, shaking her head. "Do the horizontal tango? The bump and grind? Shag?"

"Stop," Lisa laughed. "You're horrible. And yes, all that."

"But he is hot..."

"So what, you think I should sleep with him? That's a little too close to prostitution for my tastes."

Nell glanced at her watch and sighed. "How is it prostitution to sleep with your husband?"

"My husband who's paying me to be married to him," Lisa corrected.

Standing, Nell grabbed her cell phone and reached down to drag Lisa up as well.

"Your hot husband who's going to settle your debts like any good partner would. I know it's a foreign concept for you since Doug was such an asshole, but most husbands help their wives financially and vice versa. It's sort of the premise of marriage to have the support in all ways."

Lisa felt something inside her clutch in remorse. What a concept. Mutual support. She snorted in derision. "It may be the common scenario, but that's not what's happening here. Real married couples do that because they love each other. He's wiping my debts only because I'm going to play hostess with the mostest for his new position in the Pentagon. He's paying me to help his career, not because he cares about me. And definitely not because he expects sex. The contract is clear on that point."

As they walked toward the front doors of the school, Nell leaned over and whispered, "What a shame. He really does have a great ass."

Lisa couldn't help but agree. But she'd never admit it to anyone but herself.

* * *

"So you have all the details worked out then?" Derek Ambrose asked as he watched Jeff smooth the lapels of his dress uniform jacket.

"Contract is signed and official under the watchful eye of Justice Roberts."

Derek reached over and flicked a piece of lint off Jeff's shoulder. "I bet he was a total pain in the ass about it."

"He was." Jeff gave himself one more look in the mirror. His hair wasn't quite as short as usual. In all the chaos of the last two weeks he'd missed his monthly trim. He ran a hand over it, which had little effect on the slightly mussed look. He'd shaved carefully, and his uniform was, of course, pressed immaculately, but that damned hair. He sighed and shrugged. Nothing to be done about it.

"You ready?" Derek asked, leaning against the sink in the bathroom of Justice Roberts' private chambers in the Supreme Court. Each of the nine justices had their own luxurious chambers in the courthouse. When cases came to the court, the hearings, deliberations and concurrent paperwork could take days. The justices were given accommodations so they could work around the clock and be comfortable.

"As I'll ever be."

Derek's ice blue eyes softened a touch. "You don't have to do this, you know. We could take on the Pentagon and this archaic secret requirement. You know they'd fold. You'd get the position. There's no one more qualified and they know it. They have no legally legitimate standing to keep you from this promotion."

Jeff shook his head slightly. "And then I'd forever be the man who aired the Army's dirty laundry in public. I'd never get another promotion, I'd be persona non grata." He turned to face his friend fully. "You're a rebel. You've made your career by breaking the rules, playing the system, finding the back channel. I might have some underhanded tactics to gather intelligence and solve problems, but I've never been anything but a company man. When it comes to my career with the Army I'm the poster child for obedience. That's not going to change."

Derek's brows drew together as if he couldn't quite understand.

"The Army is my family. I'd never sell them out. If they want me to stand on a hill and die for them I'll stand on a hill and die for them. Getting married's not even in the same ballpark."

"Well, when you put it like that," Derek answered, his eyes wide.

Jeff gave him a wry smile. "Exactly. Now—" he took a deep breath, "come witness my wedding, will you?"

Smiling warmly, Derek opened the door to the restroom gesturing for Jeff to go ahead. "Anything you say, General."

Jeff was still smiling when he turned the corner into Teague's office, but the smile dissolved into a dropped jaw when he saw what waited there for him. Teague stood in full justice regalia, long dark robes making him look a little like the Angel of Death. Next to him was Deanna and Derek's wife, London, chatting quietly with Lisa's friend from work, Nell. He and Lisa had agreed in the contract who would be given the true story of their marriage. Since General Armstrong had practically instructed him to get married, Jeff didn't think the details of the marriage were of great importance to his superiors, but he also didn't want the arrangement made public where the press could get ahold of it and run with the story of the Army's prejudices against single soldiers at the upper echelon.

On the approved list had been the Powerplay Club members and their spouses, as well as Nell, and Lisa's mother, who must be the woman currently fussing with his bride's short veil.

As Jeff's eyes shifted from the group of witnesses to his bride it was like all the air was sucked right out of his lungs. As if she could sense his presence in the room, Lisa looked up, their gazes meeting across the space. Everything else suddenly dropped away. The hushed voices of their friends, the critical gaze of Lisa's mother, the heavy wood furniture appointing the elegant room—it all disappeared in the blink of an eye. All that was left was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.

Her dress was cream velvet, rich and dense, the bodice fitted to her full breasts and small waist. The skirt flared out, falling to just above her knees in the front and a short train in back. The sleeves were long, but tight, and the neckline scooped dangerously low. She wore cream-colored ankle boots with a spike heel, and a glittering comb like a flamenco dancer might have in her updo, a short veil attached that fell to her shoulders.

Soft curls draped around her face, tangling with the pearl drop earrings on her delicate lobes. Her gray eyes were wide and sparkling, inky lashes framing them. Jeff's breath simply halted in his chest. No air moved in or out for several seconds, until he felt Derek's hand on his shoulder.

His friend's gritty voice rumbled in his ear, "Breathe there, soldier," then a soft chuckle.

Jeff cleared his throat, and blinked once as he consciously inhaled then exhaled slowly.

"There you go," Derek coached quietly before stepping around him and turning on the charm.

"Well, I'm guessing you're the bride," he said, putting out a hand to Lisa. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm the best man, Derek Ambrose."

Lisa and her mother introduced themselves as Jeff stood and watched. She was absolutely stunning. Every last thing about her made his insides yearn. The way her lips curled as she succumbed to Derek's devilish ways. The length of her legs beneath the graceful dress. The contrast of the pale velvet and her rich, dark curls. The sweet look she gave her mother. The curve of her breasts where they peeked out of the wide neckline.

My God, she was everything he'd never known he wanted in the world in one angelic package.

"Well," Teague said in his deep baritone. "Are we all ready?"

Jeff shook off the magic spell he seemed to be under and stepped further into the room. He approached Lisa's mother. "You must be Mrs. Scotch," he said, executing a small bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Mrs. Scotch gave him a tight smile. "It's nice to meet you, Colonel. I'll be honest and say I'm not a fan of this whole thing but when Lisa told me Justice Roberts and the First Gentleman himself were friends of yours I figured it was at least on the up and up."

"Yes, ma'am," Jeff answered, oddly disappointed to hear it was only his friends that had swayed the woman. "It's all legal and your daughter is protected in every way possible. It's not my intention to take advantage of her in any way. I want this arrangement to be as advantageous to her as it is to me."

She sniffed. "Well, I certainly never thought things like this happened anywhere but movies, but I can't believe it'll be any worse than Lisa's last marriage—"

"Mom!" Lisa chastised. She turned her sweet smile on Jeff, her cheeks faintly pink. "I'm sorry, Jeff. This is a little difficult for her to understand."

"She is standing right here," Mrs. Scotch snapped.

Jeff smiled at his almost mother-in-law. "I completely understand, and if there's anything I can do at any point to assuage your concerns, please don't hesitate to ask."

Mrs. Scotch nodded, then Teague cleared his throat. "Shall we begin?" he asked.

Jeff looked to Lisa, who smiled in return. He offered her his arm and they stepped in front of Teague as everyone else took places behind them, standing in a semi-circle to watch.

As Teague began to speak, Jeff wondered at his abundance of nerves. This wasn't a real wedding after all, no reason to be anxious, yet the entire time, all he could think was that he'd just changed his life forever, and he could only hope he was up to the task.