Hitched (Imperfect Love Book 1) Read Free

contract?” I ask her again. I try not to sound impatient, but my head has been spinning ever since Dad announced his retirement—and I learned exactly what I’d need to do to take his place.
    “Let me make sure I understand. You need to inherit and unfuck T&C, or else the board will pawn it off. Before the next financial quarter.”
    “Yep.”
    “But Bill Tate’s will says you can’t inherit until you marry his son.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    She sucks her teeth. “So . . . down the aisle in a matter of days, huh? Sounds like the board is the rock and Tate’s will is the hard place.”
    “Exactly.” Although it’s Noah’s hard place that I really need to worry about right now. “And between the two, my personal life’s about to get smashed into dust.”
    “I didn’t know you had a personal life.” She holds up one hand at my exasperated glare. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Sorry.”
    “No, you’re right. I don’t really.” I sigh heavily. “But damn it, why should I give up what little I have? It’s not fair. At the end of a long workday, I want to come home to my own space for some peace and quiet.”
    Not to mention wine. And ice cream. And drowning out the silence with crappy TV so I can’t start thinking about how lonely I am.
    “I couldn’t stand having that jerk in my face 24–7. I’d put up with him all day at work, and then I’d have to see his dirty socks everywhere.” Fuck no.
    “Who says you have to share your space?”
    I snort as I lift a forkful of papas bravas to my mouth. “A husband and wife who don’t live together? Yeah, that’d look just great for publicity.” One of many reasons why Dad would never let me hear the end of it.
    Camryn shrugs, her palms turned up. “My point is, you don’t necessarily have to lose your whole life.”
    “Just the parts with independence and privacy.”
    “Come on, try to think about the situation like any other business move. This marriage is just a piece of paper. After you and Noah deal with the big picture, you can negotiate the details like adults and find something you can both live with. You two are on the same page here—making a huge personal sacrifice to save your company.”
    “I’m not so sure about that. Noah seems way more into the idea than me. He was on board from the very beginning.”
    I rub my hand where he kissed it, thinking about the husky way he murmured Mrs. Tate . His idea of matrimony clearly isn’t very holy.
    Camryn raises one perfectly waxed eyebrow. “Oh? You think he likes the idea of sharing a bed with you?”
    “I think he likes sharing a bed with anything that has a pulse.”
    Although his playboy ways make it seem even odder that he’s so eager to tie himself down. Uh, that was a poor choice of words. But who’s to say he won’t just keep sleeping around?
    Like Camryn said, this marriage is strictly business. A mere legal formality. And Noah would probably explode if he went more than a week without pussy.
    I may be the boss’s daughter, but I still overhear my fair share of office gossip. Noah nailed all six interns last summer. He’s also slept with various secretaries over the years, and everyone just turned a blind eye. Boys will be boys . . .
    Well, playtime is over. If he expects to turn this company around, we’ve got our work cut out for us.
    “But how do you feel about all this? Noah Tate is pretty fucking hot.”
    “Camryn . . .” I groan.
    “What? I have working eyeballs. His hotness is an objective fact. Just like the pope being Catholic and carbs making you fat. He just is. Would it really be so bad to see him naked?” Her sly smile says she’s suggesting a lot more than just looking . “As long as we’re weighing the pros and cons here . . .”
    I pause to consider the image, then grudgingly admit, “No.”
    In fact, it would probably be pretty damn fantastic. I’ve already gotten a preview of his toned body, firm chest, and six-pack abs. Whenever our families