Free NaughtyBoys Galley by Lizzie Lynn Lee Page B

storm as Luke handcuffed him.
    Luke’s deputy, a young man named Jonathan, acknowledged me. “Ma’am, would you come with us to the station to make a statement?”
    I barely registered what Jonathan had said. I knew I should be upset with what had just happened, but what Luke said had made me pause.
    He said I was his fiancée.

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Sam spent the night in the sheriff office jail. Luke released him in the afternoon after advising him to never contact me in any way ever again. Luke even persuaded me to file an order of protection against Sam to stop any harassment in the future.
    Meanwhile, the news about Luke being my fiancée had spread across town like wildfire. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. I didn’t need to choose one of the brothers. I’m not sure if I could do it anyway. And the next night, I entered the bizarre relationship with the Codys. Nate drafted our secret polyandry contract. As their life partner, I would love and respect and treat them equally. For the legality, I would marry Luke so I could establish my status and be protected in the eyes of the law.
    Nate volunteered himself as my attorney and took care of any loose ends with Sam’s problems. Exactly one month after Sam’s fiasco at the diner, our divorce became final. Not only had Nate successfully helped me to sever any connection to Sam, he also renegotiated the divorce settlement as well. Instead of ending up with nothing, I received about forty percent of the assets Sam had accumulated during our twenty-years of marriage. I was so thankful. Even though they didn’t see me that way, I didn’t want to be a charity case in the eyes of the Cody brothers.
    On the weekend that my divorce became final, Luke and I drove to Las Vegas to get married. We were to rendezvous there with Jamie and Nate. They drove separately. Luke and I got married in a small chapel with Jamie and Nate as witnesses. After the nuptials, Nate and Jamie left us newlyweds to enjoy our honeymoon. Nate had booked us a posh suite at the Venetian as a wedding present.
    That night, we dined at Bouchon before retiring to our suite. We got complimentary champagne from the hotel and to our surprise, a small wedding cake. Luke corked open the champagne while I slipped into something more comfortable.
    I got a surprise from Jamie in the form of a present. A box was in the bathroom with a rose and a card on it. It read: To our beautiful bride. Ours. Not Luke’s. And the postscript said: Don’t let Luke go crazy on you. Remember, we haven’t consummated our married life yet. Or Nate’s. I couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. I must have been crazy when I agreed to this arrangement. But if that’s what it took to make everyone happy, I’d do my best.
    Jamie’s present was a set of white, lacey lingerie. I shouldn’t have been surprised when the baby-doll bra and panties were exactly my size. I put them on and admired them in the mirror. The lingerie fit well on my body, and I stared at my reflection, realizing I hadn’t felt pretty or sexy in a very long time. The image in the mirror wasn’t the image of a woman who’d been forsaken by her husband. She had become somewhat confident, true to herself and… happy. For years, I’d clung to my marriage thinking I could change Sam into my ideal husband if I forgave him hard enough, when all I needed was to start over.
    Yeah. Starting over. Open a new chapter and fill it with new adventures with Luke, Nate, and Jamie.
    It’d be challenging, but it’d be wonderful as well.
    I donned a bathrobe over the lingerie and came out to my new husband.
    Luke smiled and gave me a glass of champagne. He studied me from head to toe. “Hmm, dare I ask what you’re wearing underneath that robe?”
    I sipped the champagne and put it on the table. With one hand, I untied the robe and gave him a peek.
    He drew a hard inhalation through his teeth as his eyes zeroed in on my chest. “That is so cruel of you to keep me