Michelle Celmer - Texan’s Wedding-Night Wager / The Oilman’s Baby Bargain - Texan’s Wedding-Night Wager

The success he’d achieved had been for her and for their marriage. But her patience had run out and she’d followed suit. He’d never forgive her for leaving him high and dry. The humiliation he’d suffered alone was reason enough for this retaliation. But it was more than that. He’d loved Cara. Really loved her. And she’d destroyed that love.

Cara glanced his way with a quizzical look. “You’re quiet.”

“It’s been a long day.”

Kevin snapped on the CD player and smiled. “Oldies, to get us in the mood.”

Elvis came on and Cara turned up the volume to “All Shook Up.” She knew all the words and sang along with the music. Her toes tapped in rhythm and she swayed her body back and forth. Graceful and elegant, Cara knew how to move.

He’d been resentful when he’d learned about her success with Dancing Lights, somehow seeing the studio as his competition. She’d moved from him to bigger things. Yet, from a purely professional standpoint, he secretly admired her acumen. She hadn’t used her family’s money for the start-up of her enterprise, but instead had taken out small-business bank loans to fund the studios. Now she was willing to end their marriage to expand her business.

Kevin pushed those bitter thoughts out of his mind. He was on a mission and couldn’t forget his game plan.

By the time they reached Tasty’s, his spirits had lifted and he grabbed Cara’s hand as they bounded up the steps to the fifties diner. They sat in a redvinyl corner booth and ordered cherry Cokes and Tasty Burgers.

The dated chrome jukebox stood in the opposite corner next to the long Formica lunch counter, and mini-jukeboxes anchored each booth. “Pick some songs,” Kevin said as he put two quarters in.

They both leaned in close to view the playlist. “Oh, look. They have one-hit wonders! ‘Pretty Little Angel Eyes’ was one of my favorites.” Cara punched in its number, along with a few other obscure songs from the past.

“What do you suppose happened to these artists?” she asked, her expression thoughtful.

He shrugged. “They tried and failed. They probably went on to lead productive lives in some other field.”

Cara nodded. “One would hope. It’d be a shame not to do what you love to do, though.”

“Most people don’t, Cara. Most don’t enjoy the work they do. They simply have to do it to survive.”

Cara’s sky-blue eyes softened. “I feel extremely lucky that I found something I love to do.”

Kevin searched her expression for any sign of regret and found none. It irked him that she could dismiss their marriage so easily. “You were always good at everything you attempted.”

“Thank you,” she said. She sent him a smile that flattened quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked, curious about her change of expression.

She shook her head and looked down at the tabletop. “Nothing.”

“Something,” he prodded.

She lifted her shoulders. “It’s just that, at times, I think I failed as…a wife.”

Floored by her admission, Kevin furrowed his brow. “Why?”

Emotions surfaced on her face and her eyes narrowed with pain. “I don’t know. Maybe because nothing I said or did kept you at home.”

Kevin leaned way back in his seat and studied her.

She continued. “My mother had the same issue with my dad. He was never home. Always working, until the day he died. You know he died of a heart attack. Fell facedown on his desk at the office.” Cara looked up for a second, holding back tears. “My mother said he died doing what he loved best.”

Anger bubbled in his gut. Cara had it all wrong if she was comparing her father to him. Their situations were entirely different. Cara’s father had had more wealth than he knew what to do with, while Kevin had had nothing and worked hard to bring their life up to a certain standard of living. He’d been determined to make his first million by age twenty-five.

For Cara.

Always for Cara.

“You think I didn’t love you enough?” Kevin asked. “That I wasn’t home because I wasn’t…what? Happy with you? Or because I found you lacking in some way?”

Cara shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now, Kevin.”

They’d had this argument before, but never with so much raw honesty. “I say it does—”

“Hey, Novak.” Lance walked in with Darius and both strode to their table. Kevin winced. He needed them here like a hole in the head.

Lance ignored Kevin and nearly lifted Cara out of her seat to give her a bear hug. “My God, you look great! It’s good to see you, Cara.”

“Same here, Lance.”

Darius moved in and gave Cara a hug, too, his low, easy voice greeting her. “You have brightened my day, woman.”

“Hi, Darius. How have you been?”

“I’ve got no complaints.”

Cara beamed seeing the two and, without invitation, both Lance and Darius took a seat, cramming Cara and Kevin into the booth. Kevin sat back and listened as Cara and his friends caught up on their lives.

The interruption actually was more beneficial than he’d originally thought, since it had lifted Cara’s mood. They’d gotten way off course with the discussion earlier and Kevin fully intended on charming his wife tonight. He’d been thinking about seeing her all day. And if nothing else, he could rely on a sinfully erotic chocolate dessert to get her in a risky frame of mind.

Cara had indulged herself fully, devouring obscene, hot-fudge cake while enjoying Kevin and his friends. She’d missed their friendship and remembered how much fun they’d all had in college. At the time, Kevin was the only one of the three men in a serious relationship. Now, the opposite was true. Lance had Kate, and Darius had Summer, while she and Kevin teetered on the edge of a divorce.

“They haven’t changed much.” Cara smiled, feeling melancholy on the drive back to her hotel.

“Those clowns? They’ll never change.” Kevin grinned.

When he stopped at a red light, he glanced at her, then leaned over to wipe a smudge of hot fudge from her bottom lip. “You’re messy.”

“Am not.”

Kevin licked the hot fudge from his thumb, making Cara squirm a little in her seat. His gaze focused on her mouth, and erotic thoughts entered her head.

“Oh, no?” Kevin’s voice went low and deep. “Then why do I have to clean you up?”

Puzzled, Cara squinted. “You don’t have to—”

“Yeah, I do.” He leaned in farther to cup her head in his hand and slanted his mouth over hers, his tongue doing a thorough swipe over her lips. Cara relished the liberties he took with her, enjoying every second of the kiss. When she began to kiss him back, savoring the moment, the car behind them honked.

“Darn it,” Kevin said, moving away. He glanced in the rearview mirror at the car behind them. “Hold your horses, buddy.” Kevin straightened in his seat and drove out of the intersection.

Cara’s chuckle had him turning her way.

“What’s so funny?”

“You haven’t changed your driving habits. Still arguing with everyone on the road.”

His eyes twinkled. “Idiots. All of them.” When he looked at Cara, a deep, rumbling laugh emerged.

“All of them but you, right?”

“You got that right, babe.” His charming grin unnerved her.

Cara settled in her seat, still smoldering from that one red-light kiss and feeling light of heart at the same time. Kevin and chocolate had that effect on her.

Memories flooded her senses of all the silly, lighthearted moments they had shared during their courtship. Kevin had been entertaining and easy to be with. He’d been irresistible, too, and Cara found that tonight, all those traits that made up the man she’d loved had surfaced.

Kevin reached for her hand. “It’s early and a beautiful night. Want to take a walk?”