Series: So Inked #3
Author: Sidney Bristol
Published: June 2014
Format: Ebook received for review
A woman who loves too much…
When Autumn’s best friend proposes a pretend marriage, the chance to make all the kisses she’s imagined real is too much for her to pass up. She seduces him with her body and enjoys pushing his boundaries and fulfilling their sexual fantasies—but her heart isn’t supposed to be part of the bargain.
A man about to take his last breath…
Sammi has just weeks left to live out his dying wish—the white picket fence, the house and the wife. If Autumn is the last woman he gets to taste he’ll die a lucky man. Her body, her heart—everything about her calls to him. But love isn’t supposed to be in the plans.
In the crucible of passion, these two lovers will find out what they’re really made from, and just how long I do lasts.
By this point, I've read a couple books by Sidney Bristol. I just love her writing. Every book I've read from her has been crazy different, yet entertaining and awesome. His Marriage Bargain happens to be book three in the So Inked series, but it can be read as a standalone. I know this is for a fact, because I've not read the other two books and not once did I feel lost or confused. And I totally adored this story! There was definitely a lot packed into these pages!
Ok, so this book is kind of a friends-to-lovers, and a little bit of a fake-romance... I mean, they aren't pretending about their relationship, but it's not a relationship for the reasons you might believe. Maybe I'm jumping ahead of myself here!
Let's start with the characters. Our hero is Autumn, who is this tattooed bombshell. Autumn is a totally awesome woman. She's strong and intelligent, yet sexy and feminine. Her life has not been easy by any means, but instead of knocking her down, she stood taller. She's covered in tattoos (love!) and is often the "victim" of prejudice and stereotypes. I quote that because you are only a victim if you let it beat you, and Autumn definitely doesn't. Autumn is also friends with Sammi, the sexy Persian playboy whose family owns the building that the So Inked tattoo shop is run out of. She knows better than to get involved with him on anything other than a friendly level, so friends it is. But they've become like best friends, and I think that's awesome. It's a fantastic foundation for what's to come.
And what's to come is Sammi, changing the boundaries up. Sammi has a terminal diseases and asks Autumn to marry him - as a friend. They will spend time together and clear off some things on his bucket list. Easy, right? Riiiight. We know what's going to happen, right? But before I get to that, let me go on a bit about Sammi. He's a terrific man - tall, dark, and handsome. But more than that, he's an actual good guy. He's not the bad boy, he's not the rebel. He cares about his friends, his family, and his business. Good guy. And yep, I still like him. He shoots everything straight and up front, and hey - you got to respect that.
So the marriage. Sigh. It's not long before the nether regions begin tingling, and the sheets start heating up with the fire these two make. I mean, seriously, when they decide to get naked and have sex it is steamy and sensual - and plentiful. Sidney Bristol does a fantastic job with this, no doubt! *fans self*
But wait - emotion. There's always emotion in a marriage, right? Right. And it's not long before one of the drops the L-bomb. And of course, the other kind of drags their feet. So it's Autumn who is falling, and Sammi who is... well, he's failing. His health, that is. I mean, he's dying. So he doesn't want to hurt Autumn any more than he has to, and he refuses to let his heart fall. I guess I can see his point, but it still made me want to ask him what the hell is thinking, ya know?
This story is told in three point of views. Autumn's, Sammi's, and someone else's who I won't name. That was a bit unusual for me, keeping up with three brains, but by the end it all made perfect sense. And don't worry, it's not confusing or distracting at all.
Tension, romance, prejudice, hot sex, family drama on both sides. You definitely get a full serving of everything. Plus there is a real twist that I've not read in a book before, and it was really terrific!! I won't go into detail about it, but let me just say you will definitely be shocked and happy at the same time!
If you like romances that aren't quite your normal romance, I'd definitely recommend His Marriage Bargain. Or heck, any of Sidney Bristol's books. I've yet to read something I didn't love!
It can never be said that Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and belly dancing.
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Autumn pinched her forearm. The sharp bite of pain told her
everything she needed to know.
This is not a dream.
“Autumn?” Her best friend, Samuel “Sammi” Zimmerman lowered
to one knee, placing his hand on her bare thigh. Fantasies, dreams of those
same hands doing other things to her body were not far off.
“Oh—my—god.” Autumn gaped at him. This couldn’t be
happening.
Sammi’s gaze bored into her with an intensity she’d only
ever imagined him turning on her. Usually he was talking business in rapid-fire
language she didn’t hope to understand. He’d taken a one-eighty and now it was
as if she’d stepped onto the pedestal of importance in his life.
“It’s just a question,” he said.
Autumn pushed his hand off her leg. “It’s a pretty serious
question, if you ask me.”
She needed to think. Actually use her brain. Reacting on
emotions and engaging situations based on her feelings was her norm. This—this
situation required thought.
Autumn stood and strode across the hardwood floors of
Sammi’s condo. Her heels clicked with an authoritative sound. Something about a
great pair of stilettos always made Autumn feel a little more in charge, but that
was typically because of the way it made her legs and ass appear to the
opposite sex. She’d never been a saint. As a teen she’d been aware her body
made men want to promise and do things for her. And she had no regrets she’d
used it to her advantage. Or at least she’d thought so.
Not thinking about
that now…
She wrestled her thoughts into the present but it was
difficult. Sammi was a silent presence at her back. Autumn could smell his
cologne. He may be close enough to touch but she didn’t dare look at him.
Looking at him short-circuited her brain. He was just too damn handsome. And
knew it. He breathed confidence in all things, and right now she had none.
I’m really not dreaming?
“Can you run this by me one more time?” she asked.
Maybe if she wasn’t looking at him, if his charm wasn’t
amped up to eleven and aimed at her, she could comprehend what he was asking of
her.
Sammi stepped next to her and leaned against the glass
window, hands in the pockets of his gray slacks. He had just enough stubble and
a natural tan to appear the high-powered playboy he was. She’d pegged him as a
“love ’em and leave ’em” kind of man the moment he stepped into the So Inked
tattoo shop.
And she’d been right.
The first time she’d seen Sammi, he’d come to tell the
owners, Mary and Kellie, that his father had passed away. Since the family
owned the building their shop was in, they would be dealing directly with him
pertaining to their lease.
Since then, Autumn had sat on the sidelines and watched
enough women go in and out of his bed to know the score and that she didn’t
want to play. Not with a man so emotionally unavailable.
It was easy to relegate Sammi to the friend zone, but she’d
never stopped wanting him.
Autumn broke first, glancing at him.
He peeked sideways at her, flashing a smile full of
sensuality. Her lady parts quivered but she held herself back.
Think. Don’t feel.
“I was kind of hoping you’d agree,” he said.
Autumn turned to face him. What? Did he think she’d blindly
go along with whatever he said? She had the sudden urge to scratch one of his
eyes out. “Grabbing a burger, seeing a movie, going to Cancun, those are all
things I don’t have to think about before saying yes. This, this is different!”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll explain,” he said quickly, yet he
lapsed into silence, staring out the windows looking onto the lake.
The momentary excitement fizzled, leaving her cold inside.
There were perks to being friends with Sammi. He was wealthy, liked to party in
style, and so long as a girl was beautiful or sexy or adventurous or
entertaining, he’d extend an invitation and pick up the bill. Once you
scratched the surface he was a good guy, deeply attached to his family,
hardworking to a fault and generous. But none of that gave him license to use
her.
Of all Autumn’s sins, trading her body for what she wanted
had never been one of them. She crossed her arms, suddenly wishing for more
clothing, but the sweltering Texas heat made anything beyond abbreviated
hemlines and skimpy tops uncomfortable.
Sammi’s voice was deep, rich like melted chocolate when he
spoke. His gaze dropped to the floor, as if he were seeing the past in his
mind’s eye. “When I was a kid I got sick. Doctors said one thing was wrong with
me, others diagnosed me with something else. No one could figure it out. I went
from being on the football starting line to a wheelchair—and no one could tell
my family why.”
Autumn’s heart leapt into her throat. She’d had to watch
firsthand a friend losing all mobility. Carly, their shop manager, had been
paralyzed in an accident a year before. It still haunted them all, and watching
Carly struggle was the worst of it.
Sammi’s gaze flicked to her face, his demeanor serious. “I
was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. It’s a disorder where the immune
system gets confused and attacks part of the nervous system. I spent my middle
school and most of my high school years being treated. I was in a wheelchair
for about two years. They didn’t think I would live to be an adult.”
“Oh Sammi— I— Don’t know what to say.” She blinked back the
moisture in her eyes.
Sammi caught her hand, pressing her knuckles to his lips.
His touch was sweet, but the glance he cast her way was all playboy. “Say yes?”
“I don’t understand how all of this is connected.” Autumn pulled
her hand from his grasp.
Use what’s upstairs,
girl.
“You drive a hard bargain.” He sighed dramatically and
turned to give her his full attention, all business. “The truth? In Jewish
culture it’s emphasized that men will get married and provide an heir. I
honestly never thought I’d live this long, and maybe it’s cheesy, but whatever.
I always wanted to get married, have the white picket fence. All of it.”
Autumn rocked forward on her toes, hanging on his words.
There was a catch coming, she could sense it.
“I’m dying, Autumn. I have a limited amount of time left.
Very few people get Guillain-Barré twice in their life and it looks like I’m
that unlucky bastard. It’s too late to do marriage the way my mother would
want, but that’s not what I want anyway. I want to enjoy the time I have left.
Maybe knock some things off my bucket list. One of those is getting married.
Now I know we’re only friends and this is crazy, but I’m prepared to offer
compensation. I’ll take care of my medical expenses and hospice care. I just
want to spend the good times I have left with someone I like. Someone who can
have fun. I’m telling you, my lawyer and my doctor, no one else.”
“But why me?” she blurted. Why not his ex-girlfriend? Or the
long line of girls who wanted a chance to be with him?
Sammi blinked at her as if he didn’t understand the
question. “Why not you? You’re my best friend. I have the best time with you.
Who else would I want to spend the rest of my life with?”
Autumn’s breath caught in her throat. They were perhaps the
most beautiful words anyone had ever spoken to her, and for the most
heartbreaking reason.
He wanted a friend, not a lover.
Sammi dropped to his knee again.
Oh god…
He dug in his pocket for a moment before producing a ring
with a stone big enough to knock a linebacker on his ass.
This is happening…
“What do you say? Will you marry me?”
What do I say?
