More than a Convenient Bride

More than a Convenient Bride
Michelle Celmer

A story of friends…with marriage benefits by USA TODAY bestselling author Michelle CelmerAfter all they’ve been through following the tornado that hit their Texas town, there’s no way Dr. Lucas Wakefield will let his best friend, Julie Kingston, leave because of a green card snafu. The only solution is to propose marriage. But what starts as a platonic arrangement quickly blooms into red-hot desire—until Luc’s ex-fiancée returns to reclaim her man and Julie questions whether happily ever after is in the cards. Good thing Luc has no intention of giving up his passionate new bride without a fight!

“We’re married now,” Julie said. “I figured you would at least hug me good-night or something.”

“You don’t want me to do that,” Luc replied. “Suffice it to say, I’m a little…overstimulated.”

“So you’re turned on.”

She looked in his eyes and—Whoa. The heat smoldering in their dark depths could have burned a hole through her dress. Her heart flip-flopped, making her pulse race and her mouth go dry.

“You want the truth?” he said.

She nodded.

He leaned in just a little closer. “I wanted everyone to leave the reception so I could lock the door, strip you naked and lick wedding cake off every inch of your body.”

Oh, boy. “Every inch?”

He grinned. “Every inch. However,” he added, “friends don’t do that.”

“Some friends do. And I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that we have to consummate the marriage to make it official and legally binding.”

* * *

More Than a Convenient Bride is part of the series Texas Cattleman’s Club: After the Storm—As a Texas town rebuilds, love heals all wounds…

More Than A Convenient Bride

Michelle Celmer

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

MICHELLE CELMER is a bestselling author of more than thirty books. When she’s not writing, she likes to spend time with her husband, kids, grandchildren and a menagerie of animals.

Michelle loves to hear from readers. Visit her website, michellecelmer.com (http://michellecelmer.com), like her on Facebook or write her at PO Box 300, Clawson, MI 48017, USA.

To Best Friends

Contents

Cover (#u50981bb9-6987-5a29-bd26-0e907b75c434)

Introduction (#u5180c056-3613-5e8d-9738-9e7d18016382)

Title Page (#uf94724f2-0dd7-5f29-8112-91732e95de7f)

About the Author (#u1b29059b-26ef-5211-9700-3c2e0cb00449)

Dedication (#u506bc108-218f-58af-8bdc-f34987431c89)

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Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

One (#ulink_b49fa765-36e7-5783-8fcc-946bbf6022b7)

Julie Kingston stood and waited in the crowd, her heart overflowing with pride as her best friend and colleague, Lucas Wakefield, prepared to cut the ribbon marking the opening of the new, state-of-the-art Wakefield Clinic. It seemed as though the entire town of Royal, Texas, had shown up to mark the occasion.

The town’s original free clinic once stood directly in the path of the F5 tornado that had ripped through Royal last October. In the blink of an eye, all that had remained of the structure was the concrete foundation. Patients from all over the surrounding counties had lost an important lifeline in the community.

Lucas, who had been a regular volunteer there despite his duties as chief of surgery at Royal Memorial Hospital, hadn’t hesitated to donate the money to rebuild, using some of the proceeds from the sales and licensing of surgical equipment he’d invented several years ago.

Humble as he was for a multimillionaire, he’d intended to keep his identity as the donor a secret, but someone leaked the truth, and the news spread through Royal like wildfire. The town council had immediately wanted to rename the clinic in his honor. But of course Luc had protested when he’d heard about plans for the Lucas Wakefield Clinic.

“This clinic doesn’t belong to me,” he’d told Julie when she’d tried to convince him that he was being ridiculous. “It belongs to the people.”