Pure Wicked (Wicked Lovers #9.5)(39)
Author: Shayla Black

When he closed the app, he glanced at the clock. Shit, Bristol would be closing her bistro and coming upstairs soon. Since she’d never gotten to the hospital with those goodies yesterday, he thought they could run them up today—and start planning a wedding. She hadn’t said yes yet, but he’d do or say whatever until she did.

Shakespurr chose that moment to jump on him and dig his dainty paws onto Jesse’s lap, as if looking for a comfortable place to nap. He set the phone aside and picked up the feline. He’d never been much of a cat person, but Shakespurr met his gaze with an inquisitive stare before his lids turned heavy. Jesse stroked the cat, who immediately lived up to his name by letting loose a loud, dramatic purr.

With a laugh, he carried the cat into the bathroom, then eased him onto a rug and started the shower. The feline darted off at the sudden gush of the running water.

“Not a fan of baths, huh?” He chuckled and doffed his jeans, diving under the warm spray.

As he washed up, he hummed a few bars of Bristol’s song, wondering if he could hire someone like David Tutera to pull off a huge wedding by the fall. Then again, that may not be what Bristol wanted. And the thought of speaking vows over helicopters hovering to get a shot of the ceremony wasn’t his idea of romantic. Maybe a destination wedding in the Caribbean or Europe. No, she’d want her family near her. As crappy as they could be, Bristol was a girl who valued family, and she wouldn’t get married without them. He made a mental note to ask Jayla about a pretty barn or church nearby and see if Bristol wanted to pledge her life to his there.

As he rinsed the last of his shampoo, he heard what sounded like his phone ringing. Candia most likely. Besides being dripping wet, Jesse didn’t want to tangle with a Latina woman who had a temper to match after he’d left her that scathing message. He’d call back when she calmed down. But on the third ring, it stopped. With a shrug, he soaped up and rinsed off, then stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist.

When he peeked out the bathroom door, he saw Bristol sitting on the sofa, holding Shakespurr to her chest and crooning to him.

“Hey, honey. Jayla closing up for you?”

She paused. Froze, really. He frowned, watching as she petted the cat one more time and set him on the cushion beside her. She didn’t meet his gaze. “Yeah. But she had some questions for me. They’re valid, and I think we should talk about them.”

Jesse didn’t like the sound of that but he’d do whatever it took to ease her fears. “Sure. What do you want to ask?”

“This marriage is really sudden. Why me?”

“Because I love you.” Jesse crossed the room and picked up the feline, setting him on the back of the plushy couch so he could sit beside her.

“After only a few days?” She sounded skeptical.

He wanted to give Jayla a piece of his mind for planting doubt in Bristol’s head, but if any of his friends had ever said they wanted to get married after a few days of “dating,” he would have thought they were insane, too. “It may not sound logical, but it’s love. It’s not predictable. Sometimes when you know, you just know. I’ve spent way too many years being cynical. It’s great to finally listen to my heart.”

“What’s the hurry to get married?”

Her guarded expression whacked him like a pain in the chest. “What’s the point of waiting? I love you. You love me. If you want to plan a big event, we can. Or hell, let’s elope. I don’t care if we say our vows bungee jumping. But when you’ve lived with the superficial as long as I have and something real comes along, it smacks you in the face. I don’t want to wait any longer to spend our lives together.”

“And you’re not asking me to marry you for a simple fix to your image?”

Dread detonated in the bottom of his stomach and spread outward. How was he supposed to erase this doubt when marriage would so obviously help him? “What did Candia say to you?”

“What does that mean?”

Her face had no expression, as if she was determined to keep it unreadable. There was definitely something going on in her head.

Jesse scowled. “Somehow, she’s made you think that you’re nothing to me but a quick fix for my PR problem. And it’s total, utter bullshit.”

“I don’t think so.” Tears trembled in her eyes as she held up his phone. “I read the text she sent you.”

Oh, shit. “Bristol—”

“Not a word, you snake. You can’t deny this.” She sniffled. “When I came in to talk, your phone was ringing. I didn’t think and I grabbed it to answer, but I was too late. Before I put it down, her text appeared. She told you to propose because I would be perfect for your image rehab.”