Skye woke to fogged windows and dawn breaking over a farmer’s field, slowly giving way to a day bright with potential. Frost dusted the long grass and that chill invaded the interior of the car. The world looked crisp and ready to face whatever might come next. She wished she’d shared that sentiment. Instead, she wanted to crawl into a hole and forget all about the worst fucked up fuck of fucks.

Ash had stamina, more than she was used to with Spencer's one-minute blow-and-go. Ash had tried to reciprocate, but eventually, he’d accepted the truth. She’d given him an explosive orgasm, but her body had failed to relinquish years of conditioning.

Hopefully, he would accept that was the best she could give.

She nudged Ash. “Wake up, Rock star.”

He moaned. “Shit, what time is it?”

“I have no idea, but it’s light outside. We should get moving.”

Draping an arm over his eyes, he curled his body around hers, pressing his hardness against her back.

She rolled over and found herself lost in his embrace. Kissing him on the lips, she gripped his shaft, stroking lightly, until his eyes closed, and he bit his lower lip.

“Do you want me to take care of this?”

His hips jerked. “Damn, I’ll never get enough of you.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Fuck,” he said with a groan. “My fate is in your hands. Put me out of my misery.”

She pulled out a condom and sheathed him, teasing him with a slow roll of the latex over the length of his cock.

His chin gave a sharp jerk, and his breath hissed when she straddled him. She leaned forward to kiss him, and then with a sinuous gyration of her hips, she slowly sank down. He groaned and thrust upward.

Being on top had always made her feel vulnerable and exposed, on display. Her hips moved in a rhythm that had been drilled into her from an age much too young. With Ash, however, she found joy in the subtle gyrations. What had once been a painful chore became beautiful with the expression of ecstasy etched on Ash’s face.

As he climaxed, she collapsed over him—not with an orgasm of her own, but with warmth building in her heart and the joy that came from seeing him satisfied. She definitely could get used to this.

He lifted her off his hips. “That was so good. I almost passed out. I want to do that for you. I don’t like taking from you like this.” He removed the condom and added it to the bag of discarded latex. “My balls are officially empty.”

“Trust me, you’ll fill them up again. I’m a doctor; I know. And it’s not about taking anything from me.” She brushed her lips over his forehead. “I want to do this, and in my own way, it feels…good.”

He hadn’t tried to force the issue of her orgasm, but it bothered him. That worried her and cast doubt on their future.

He pulled on his jeans. “Get dressed, babe. We need to leave.”

She shrugged on comfortable clothes, choosing sweats instead of the jeans she’d worn the night before. It would have to do until they could stop and buy something better.

Ash joined her up front and then started the car. A few moments later, he drove out of the field and back into the stream of interstate traffic. They drove to the next exit where he filled the car with fuel, and they used the restrooms.

She bought Ash a coffee at the Quick Mart and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek before handing over his cup. She paused at the pensive expression darkening his features.

“What’s wrong?” She sipped hot cocoa, waiting for his response.

His fingers tapped the screen of his phone. His concern seemed to deepen with a twist of his lips and a furrowing of his brow. He tasted his coffee before answering, “It’s my manager.”

“And?”

“He’s pissed.”

“About what?” Silly question because there could be only one thing that would bother Angel Fire’s manager.

Ash took another draw of coffee. “He’s on damage control.”

“Damage control?” She sucked in a breath, knowing well enough to be worried by that expression. “We’ll be back at the airport to get your Jeep later tonight, and if we drive through the night, we can get to DC by morning. There’s not much you can do about it now.”

Ash tugged in a deep breath. “That’s just it. He wants to take immediate action.”

“Immediate action?” She waved at the sky. “Unless he can descend from the heavens, he’s going to have to wait.”

Ash pulled her close. “You’re forgetting who I am.”

“What does that mean?”

“He’s on his way.”

“On his way?”

“He took the jet…and we’re meeting him at the next town.”

She wasn’t sure what to think about meeting Angel Fire’s pissed off manager.

“And I should probably warn you, the whole band’s tagging along. They want to know what the fuck I was thinking, getting married to a girl I’d just met.”

She shrugged. “It was a silly mistake.” And still not confirmed. “Tell them not to get their panties in a wad.”

“Oh, that’s priceless.” He laughed. “I can’t wait to see Spike’s expression when I tell him that.” Ash sobered. “The guys are cool, but they’re protective. They believe I’m back on drugs or drinking again, and they think you tricked me. I’m afraid they’re planning an intervention.”

“An intervention?”

He nodded. “Just don’t judge them. They can come off a little heavy-handed. Don’t worry; I’ll run interference.”

“Oh.” She didn’t like the sound of him running interference. The last thing she wanted was to come between him and his band.

He fisted his free hand, turning his knuckles white. “What we have is meant to be. You get that, right?” He grabbed her, holding her tight against his chest, as if he were afraid to let her go.

“We’ll just explain.” She buried her head, enjoying the comfort of his arms. His rich smell enveloped her in a fog of everything right.

He kissed the top of her head. “Good. It took a lot for the guys to trust me after rehab. I’ve been clean and sober for too many years, and I don’t want them thinking the wrong thing. It’s not like I didn’t…”

She returned his hug, trying to be supportive. Knowing how Forest struggled with his addiction, she understood how important it was to have his friends trust him.

“We’ll get it annulled or something.” She pulled back and searched his expression for a clue as to his thoughts.

His lips pressed into a thin line.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, babe.” He finished filling the rental. “It’d be kind of a funny though, wouldn’t it?” His eyes rounded with a hopeful expression.

“What would?”

“If we stayed married.”

She got into the car and buckled in. “Who gets married after three days? That’s insane.”

He opened the driver’s side door and climbed in. “You don’t believe in love at first sight?”

She didn’t. Instead of answering, she kicked off her shoes and pressed her feet against the dash.

“My dad claims he knew the moment he laid eyes on my mom. He married her three months later. My older brother, Seth, tied the knot six months after he’d met Sandie. Alec took longer. He and Gianna married two years after they’d started dating, but if you ask him, he’ll tell you he knew the day he met her, too. The only reason they waited was because her father had insisted she finish college first. The men in my family just know.”

Her stomach fluttered with the implication of his words. She deflected as best as she could. “I don’t know about love at first sight or even true love. I thought I loved Spencer, but…” Bringing Spencer's name into this conversation might not have been the best choice, but the damage was done.

Ash turned on the radio and cranked the volume. Hard rock blared through the speakers, drowning out further conversation as he guided them back onto the road.

Her phone buzzed with an incoming text from Forest.

You want good news or bad?

Forest’s words scrawled across her screen as a tease.

Bad news first, Beanpole.

Okay, my summer Skye…it’s legal. You married a rock star.

Her heart skipped as her fingers clutched the phone.

Are you certain?

Of course Forest was certain. Their army of lawyers wouldn’t get something like that wrong.

With her head slanted to the side, she regarded the man sitting beside her. Fingers tapping on the steering wheel, jaw clenched tight, Ash remained an intriguing mystery. He drew her in with an undeniable magnetism. While she wouldn’t call it love at first sight, would it be such a bad thing to spend more time with him?

But she needed more time.

Ash had the volume turned up loud enough that it was clear he was done with talking. She turned back to her conversation with Forest.

What now?

You get it annulled. That’s the good news.

She worried her lower lip with her teeth.

I think it’s too late for that.

LOL! Thought you said you weren’t sleeping with him.

We weren’t.

Ah, past tense. So, is your rock star any good in bed?

Her fingers tapped the display.

How bad is it?

Considering there’s no prenup, the ramifications are significant.

She didn’t believe in prenups, but she also never thought she’d find herself accidentally married.

I’m in trouble, aren’t I?

I’m sending a voice message.

She waited several moments, and then Forest’s voice message came through. She dialed the volume down low and held the phone to her ear.

“Sleeping with him doesn’t mean you can’t get the marriage annulled. That’s old-fashioned thinking. Canada is very clear on the rules regarding annulments. You can get one if one or both parties were unaware they were getting married. I’d say that one fits the bill. An annulment will take longer than a divorce though…if that’s still what you want?”

She texted back.

How long?

Months.

Months!

She fisted her phone, deep in thought. Meanwhile, the first lyrics of an Angel Fire track blasted over the radio. She caught Ash staring.

“Shouldn’t your eyes be on the road?”

“Who are you talking to?” A thread of jealousy weaved through his voice. He focused forward, but his eyes shifted to her phone, as if trying to scan the text.

She tilted the screen away from him. “Bean.”

He pursed his lips. “What does your brother have to say? Did you tell him?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“He thinks it’s hilarious.” That was partly true. Forest was eating the whole mess up.

“Really?” His mouth twisted into a wry grin. “I doubt that.”

“Well, he has an odd sense of humor.” No way was she going to tell him what Forest had really had to say. “Do you mind if I take a nap?”

She wasn’t tired, but talking about their messed up situation made her head hurt. Avoidance never solved problems. Fortunately, she didn’t care about resolving anything right now. What she couldn’t figure out was why Ash wasn’t upset by the whole mess.

Her phone beeped. Forest again.

U want me to come?

I thought you were in the middle of the ocean? How are you going to get here?

I’ll have a helicopter pick me up. For you, I can be there, my summer Skye.

She shook her head, knowing he would move the world to be at her side.

No, Bean, I’m good. How far are you from landfall?

A few hundred miles out.

I didn’t think helicopters had the range to fly that far off-shore.

There’s one that does. It can scoop me up in a bucket and deliver me to you or to a jet that will take me to you.

Stay on your boat, Beanpole. I don’t need rescuing. This is messed up, but Ash is good. I like him.

Like, like? Or like, love?

She hesitated and then typed her most honest response.

IDK.

She stared at Ash’s profile. His fingers tapped out the beat to the song playing over the radio. His jaw worked in concert with the worry edging the corners of his eyes.

We’ll sort this out. You hang on, my summer Skye.

Yes, Bean. XO!

Ditto.

Ash turned down the radio. “I thought you were going to take a nap?”

She turned off her phone. “Bean wasn’t done scolding me.”

Everything had changed between her and Ash with the mistake of two signatures.

She always knew their adventure would come with an expiration date.

Three days—that was the limit of their contract. She thought she wanted more, but not a till-death-do-you-part more. And his bandmates might not let her stick around.

Once the demands of regular life resumed and they descended from the dreamlike state of this vacation, they would face two very different lives.

She didn’t fit in his, and he didn’t fit in hers.