He wanted desperately to take her words literally, but knew she didn’t mean what she said. He lowered his head and touched his lips to hers for a brief second. The brim of his hat shadowed them, offering a false intimacy, something he was more than willing to take advantage of after tasting her again.

Gently nibbling the softness offered to him, he deepened the kiss and pulled her closer. She melted against him, her sigh a brush of satisfaction against his face. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, she just didn’t know it yet. It was up to him to teach her, to lead the way. It might be the purest form of agony, but he would go slowly.

Pulling his mouth from hers, he tucked her head against his chest, willing his heart to slow its frantic pace.

“Was that in the rules or did we just cheat?” Cole asked.

He chuckled, regretting the words that needed to be said. But it was for his sake as well as hers. Because he suspected it would be too easy to become attached to Darci; he was dangerously close already.

“Okay, here’s how the game will be played. We won’t consummate the marriage, only act like we have.” The tone of his voice shifted, deepened into a husky rasp he couldn’t control. “We’ll act the part of lovebirds in public, but it’s hands-off in private. Otherwise, we might be tempted to break the rules.”

She squirmed and tried to lift her head, but he held her still with one large hand. If he saw the passion he’d sparked reflected in her eyes, nothing could stop him from dragging her back to the hotel for a proper wedding night.

“Wait, Darci. Listen to me.” She quieted, and he stroked her hair, gently pulling the golden strands loose from the tight confines.

“You’re still too much of a stranger for me to think of you in that way.” The lie twisted through him, searing his insides. “Let’s spend some time getting used to each other, and we’ll discuss any changes either of us wants to make as they come up.”

Her fingers tangled with the pearl button of his shirt, and the sensation shot straight through him. “So we’re just good friends, but need to act like lovers?”

To distract himself, he pulled the few remaining pins from her hair. He fluffed the golden strands across her shoulders, savoring the softness.

“Exactly. No demands, no expectations, unless we discuss it first. Okay?” He tilted her chin up and looked at her, delighted at the traces of regret he saw mirrored in her face. Then she smiled and he couldn’t resist smiling back.