Page 22 of Harboring Shantae

"Don't ever put yourself down like that," he commanded. His lips were barely more than a hairsbreadth away from her cheek. He wanted to make sure he had her full attention. "I won't stand for such negative talk about the woman I'm going to marry in just a few short hours."

"You really want to marry me?"

She pulled back just enough so that their foreheads were touching, and their breathing mingled together. He kept a firm hold on her. Afraid that if he let her go, she would slip out of his life. He might not want marriage, but he also didn't want her to go away after he finally met her. If this was the only way to keep her, then he was prepared to jump in feetfirst.

"I really do. You're my best friend and don't they always say you should marry someone who is also your best friend? We're already halfway there, and besides, you can leave whenever you want. If you decide after a few months or years that you no longer want a piece of paper weighing you down, then you leave. No strings attached. Really it's a win-win for you."

"But what about what you want?"

"I also win. I finally get my best friend with me every day rather than waiting for a letter in the mail. This is a dream come true."

She didn't need to know that finally seeing her was bringing out feelings he thought he had long ago buried. Or that he found her insanely attractive. Touching her was wreaking havoc on his body. But he could deal with all of those things with no problem. He was the master of control.

After several long and agonizing seconds, she finally nodded. "Okay. If you're really sure about this, then let's do it."

"I'm sure." He brushed his lips across her forehead and stood up.

"Thank you, Camron. I know you're a fixer by nature, but thank you. You didn't have to help me this much, and I just want you to know how much it means to me."

Her lips turned up into the faintest of smiles, and he knew right there. Everything he would go through would be worth it just to see that smile on her face.

"You're welcome. I'm going to go tell Trista and Ash the wedding is still on. I expect to see you walking toward me in a white dress soon."

He waited until he was outside the bedroom before he let out a deep exhale. He was fucked. Nothing about this arrangement was convenient and marrying Shantae was going to be hard on his control. But he refused to back out, so he would have to learn to make it work.

Panther barely got one foot into the kitchen before Trista jumped down his throat.

"So." She prowled across the kitchen until she was facing him down. "Do we have a wedding or what?"

He thought about making her wait for an answer, but that would only mean she would get more dramatic by the second and he'd already had his fill for the week. Actually, more like for the month or maybe even the year.

"Yes, we have a wedding. Finish whatever planning you have to do because I want Shantae bearing my last name before it gets dark tonight."

"Oh, I so love a man who knows how to take charge. I knew you were going to be one of those caveman types. The quiet ones always are. I bet you're the same way in the bedroom. Shantae will know soon enough."

"We're just friends. This is just a way to help her out. There will be nothing more." He needed to dispel Trista of that way of thinking now before she said something to Shantae that could blow everything up.

"If you say so. But I've seen the way you look at her. I give it a few days before nature takes over. The two of you won't be able to keep your hands to yourself."

Panther was done listening to what Trista had to say. He had better things to do with his time. Like getting ready for a wedding that was not going to end with Shantae in his bed that night.

He just had to keep reminding himself of that rather than thinking of how good she was probably going to look walking down the aisle toward him.

Fuck, he was in over his head.

Chapter 11

Thiswasit.Shewas actually married to a man who had no idea she was in love with him. To Camron, they were just friends, but she wanted so much more. And despite knowing it would never be what she wanted, Shantae still crossed Wes's backyard in her off-the-rack, white wedding gown that Charlotte designed and pledged her life to him. The whole thing was completely surreal.

She was married, and tonight instead of hiding in Ashlynn's guest bedroom, she would be sleeping in the house she would share with Camron. A house she had yet to see. At least there would be other people living there. Last she knew, he shared a house with a couple of his teammates, all of which she had met at some point or another. She just wished she could remember who Camron said actually lived with him.

"So how does it feel to be Mrs. Jones?"

She turned away from the gorgeous view of the pond in front of her and found Camron with a bright smile. And not the fake one she was used to seeing on him, but a genuinelyrealsmile. Her gaze was instantly drawn to his soft lips. How did she know they were soft? Because instead of a quick peck, after the officiant declared them husband and wife, Camron had laid one on her. A kiss so intense that everything around them had melted away.

He assured her afterward it was just so the officiant didn't question anything, but for that brief minute, it had felt real. She could actually imagine he was hers, and they were marrying because they loved each other. Not because it was out of necessity.

"A lot better than Adams or Harris," she tried for a joke. "My father always said I didn't have what it took to be an Adams. I guess in the end, he got his wish since I'm no longer one."