My thoughts turned back to Kira for the hundredth time that night. Kira and those stupid O-named rats. It was weird, so why had it made me want to kiss her again? Kiss her right. Kiss her long and hard as I wrapped that fiery hair around my fist? Something had clearly come between me and my good sense.
I watched Jade’s car drive out of sight and stood in the driveway for another minute, considering my witchy, spirited, little wife. I had fully expected she wouldn’t show up that morning, that she’d call off this fake marriage idea and move out after what had happened the day before with the list and the wine. And I couldn’t decide if I wanted that or not. Clearly, we did not complement each other in any arrangement, business or otherwise. I had still been stewing about the wine, but if I really considered it, things had gone awry for me when I’d seen her naked. If I could erase the vision from my brain, I would because I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since. Totally unwelcome…and yet utterly undeniable. When I’d walked into her cottage and seen her standing there completely nude, lust had gripped me so tightly, I’d almost grabbed the doorframe for support. For a moment, I’d been overcome by something strong enough to make me feel weak in the knees, my mind going suddenly and briefly blank. I’d never experienced anything quite like it before. I had to believe it was partly the shock of the situation that had stolen my breath right from my body, making me almost savage with want. I was picturing her now, my mind’s eye conjuring up her smooth, supple skin; full, delectable breasts with rose-hued nipples; gently flaring hips; and legs that were long and shapely despite her smaller stature. She was slim, but her clothing hid just how luscious she was. But I knew now. And I wished I didn’t. This did not bode well for the business relationship we had arranged. This did not bode well for my peace of mind. I had no desire to have lustful thoughts for my wife. Like the ones I’d had when she’d shown up in the driveway this afternoon, looking like she’d spent the day in bed having sex, her cheeks and lips flushed, her eyes bright, her nipples hard, and her hair tousled wildly. For a brief instant, I’d wondered if she had been having sex with someone in her cottage, and something that felt suspiciously like jealousy had made my stomach cramp. Then I’d wondered if she’d just been alone in that small bed, her hands on her own body… I knew the look of an aroused woman. It had made me crazy and frustrated enough to accept Jade’s offer.
My body throbbed at the memory of naked Kira, and I swore under my breath at my own unwanted reaction to her. No, thinking about my wife that way made me decidedly grumpy and hostile. Today would have to be the only day off-limits as far as sleeping with other women, because there was no way I’d survive thinking about Kira the way I was. I’d need to distract myself with other willing bodies. And, I admitted, with more mindfulness than I’d almost shown tonight. Spending time with women who knew my name and where I lived wasn’t exactly following the agreement Kira and I had made regarding conducting our personal lives with discretion. And now there was even more reason to get this part of our marriage over with so she would be out of my hair sooner rather than later.
Kira. Who was now my wife.
No, not for real. Shut up. Stop repeating that to yourself.
She’d been a little spitfire yesterday. This morning, she’d been quiet and subdued, except for the way she’d laughed at the chaste kiss I’d given her, heating my blood in front of God and our court-appointed witness, and challenging me—knowingly or not—to kiss her again in a way that was anything but platonic.
She had grown up in the very lap of luxury and yet she’d spent half a day （Charlotte had told me） scrubbing out what must have been a disgusting bathroom in that little cottage and was now living there. She was an enigma. I couldn’t figure her out, and I didn’t have the time or the inclination to try. And yet, for some reason, I had trouble resisting the allure of meeting the challenges she dished out, trouble resisting the desire to make that fire flash in her eyes. I already craved it. The way she looked when she flew into a rage—her cheeks flushed, her eyes smoldering and filled with indignation… She kept me constantly off balance, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why I liked it so much. That’s why I’d teased her with that stupid list of hers, and things had gone downhill from there.
And now we were married. Till divorce do us part.
I turned to go back into the house when I heard what sounded like voices coming from…above me? I frowned, turning and squinting up at the dark sky. No, they were coming from farther over—right at the edge of Kira’s cottage. I walked slowly in that direction, confused. “Hello?” I called. The voices stopped, although I thought I heard a small, muffled laugh.
“Who’s there?” I called again, louder this time. No answer.
“Ouch!” I said as something small and hard hit my head and more muffled laughter came from above. I craned my neck. Someone, or a few someones, were up in the trees. Another acorn made contact with my skull and I grunted. What the hell? “Who’s up there?” I repeated angrily. “Come down now before I call the police.” There was a silent moment and then I heard what sounded like someone climbing down. A pair of beefy, jean-clad legs appeared first and then Virgil’s head came into sight. He hopped down, his head bent as he looked at me nervously.
“What are you doing up in my trees?” I asked incredulously.
“I, um, well, sir, we wanted to see if we could catch a few wishing stars, see… Kira and me, we thought…”
“Kira?” I asked, just as another pair of legs appeared, these slim and shapely. Kira landed on her feet in front of me, leaves stuck to her clothing and that damn silky hair falling in disarray around her face. Just like earlier that evening, her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing hard. But this time, she smelled like alcohol. My new wife was climbing trees…drunk. I clenched my jaw. “So…you’re insane,” I declared.
“Well, hello, Husband,” she slurred slightly. “How was your date?”
“My date… Kira, do you realize you could have broken your neck and Virgil’s neck too for that matter? I suppose this was your idea.”
Kira glanced at Virgil, who looked like he was a little boy who had just been sent to the principal’s office.
“It was all my idea actually,” Kira admitted, standing up straight and crossing her arms under her breasts. “Did you know that if you sit in a tree all day, you can watch people to your heart’s content? No one ever looks up. It’s the most interesting thing.”
“Hmm. You have a lot of tree-climbing experience then?”
She tilted, and I righted her. “Quite a bit.”
“And of course, there’s the wishing-star thing.”
“Well, yes, that. Might as well try, right? No one ever got anywhere by sitting in their cottage in the woods, drinking alone on their wedding night.” She frowned, as if trying to recall something, perhaps whether the person she was describing was herself.
“In the future, will you please leave my employees out of stunts like this one? I would hate to have to call Virgil’s mother and tell her that her son tumbled out of a tree.”