Naughty and Notorious Read online

  Naughty and Notorious

  Alexa Riley

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Read Me Romance

  Stalk the Author

  Copyright © 2020 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to [email protected]

  http://alexariley.com/

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Edited by Aquila Editing

  For those hard headed alphas we can’t get enough of…

  Naughty and Notorious

  by Alexa Riley

  Kitty Spencer has been in love with Judge since before she can remember. But when he asks for her sister’s hand in marriage her heart may never heal. But one turn of events changes everything and maybe things weren’t always as they seemed.

  Judge Russo has had his plan in place for years. But just when he thinks he’s getting everything he wants Kitty goes and runs off. If only she knew how far he was willing to go to have her.

  Warning: this grouchy alpha in a Stetson is exactly what we need right now. Get this quick and dirty cowboy romance and see how he handles the happily ever after!

  Chapter One

  Kitty

  “Is there something I can help you find, Kitty?” I look back at Jackson, who’s standing behind the register at the feed store.

  I try not to cringe because I hate when anyone calls me Kitty…except Judge. The way it rolls off his tongue in his deep Southern drawl has my stomach fluttering.

  Jackson gives me a big smile as his eyes roam down my body and back up. He lingers on my breasts, and it makes me feel gross. Jackson was a couple of grades ahead of me in school, but he didn’t pay me a lick of attention like he is right now. I think my dress might be a bit too snug.

  “Y’all hiring?” I ask as I step away from the cat supplies I was mooning over. I asked for a kitten for my birthday, and once again I didn’t get it. I actually didn't get anything from my parents, but that’s pretty typical. Mom did manage to bake a cake with me but couldn’t let me get through it without her telling me I was doing it wrong. I didn’t listen because she’s a horrible cook.

  Mom brought me to town with her while she went to run some errands. I’ve been roaming around with nothing to do, but this is the story of my life. I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do now that high school is over and I’m eighteen. If this is all I have, I’ll go insane.

  At least I got to spend most of my birthday yesterday with Dotty. Mom and Dad were pissy when she took off, but now that she’s with Clay and he’s saving their farm, they are over the moon about it. And there hasn’t been another word about Judge since. The man who graces my dreams every night, whether I want him there or not, has gone silent.

  I still don’t understand how my parents mixed up that he was asking for my hand in marriage and not my sister’s. When I found out about the arranged marriage between him and Dotty, it was like a knife to my chest. For as long as I can remember I’ve had a crush on him even though he never paid me any attention.

  For months I had to pretend it didn't bother me that my sister was going to marry Judge and that my heart didn't ache every time I saw that wedding ring on her finger. I forced a smile when I felt like I was dying inside. She wasn’t excited about the arranged marriage either, but I never let her know how I felt about Judge. I didn’t want her to feel worse about the situation at the time.

  Then Judge showed up at Clay’s, demanding they hand me over to him, and it was one of the hottest things I’d ever seen. We were so confused at first until we figured out he’d never asked for my sister’s hand and it had been me the whole time. I stood there in shock and then started to get mad about the months of heartache I’d been through. But when I didn't fall in quick enough, Judge threatened me, and it only made me want to rebel.

  I might have stolen his car and possibly side swiped a few others in the process. He demanded I marry him or he was calling the sheriff. When he didn’t follow through with the threat, he got back in his truck, and I haven’t seen or heard a peep from him since.

  “I could use some extra hands around here.” Jackson’s smile grows wider as I walk back to the front of the store.

  “You got an application or something?” If I could get a job I might be able to save enough to move out from my parents’ house. I really hadn’t thought much about what I was going to do after I graduated high school. The only thing I really love to do is bake. I should see if Trudy is hiring over at the Sweet Spot. I think I could handle two jobs if it got me out of my parents’ place faster.

  I might have to take my sister up on the offer to come stay with her and her new man. I would have said yes immediately, but they’re planning a wedding and are still in the honeymoon phase. I don’t want to intrude on their special time. My older sister Dotty has spent her whole life always doing what she thinks is best for me, and it’s time I did the same for her.

  “I know you, Kitty. You don’t need to fill out an application.” He does, however, slide a notepad over toward me. “I could use your number though.” I pick up the pen and scribble down my number for him.

  “When do you think I can start?” When I look up, I see Jackson’s eyes are wide as he stares over my shoulder. Before I can turn around to see what he’s staring at, a hand comes down on the counter and makes me jump.

  When I see the hand, my body heats, knowing who it is. He grabs the paper with my number on it and crinkles it into a ball. I turn around to glare up at Judge, and for a second I forgot how big he is. In all fairness, I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to him before.

  My heart flutters in my chest, and I fight the need to lean into him. Nope, I’m mad at him. For years he’s ignored me, and all of a sudden he’s noticed me? I guess he couldn't find a wife so he settled on me. I’m suddenly worked up and without thinking I lift my foot and stomp it down on top of his boot.

  I let out a scream because I’ve only hurt myself. His hand comes around my waist as his face grows angrier.

  “Kitty,” he growls, and my entire body heats up. How does he make me excited and needy with just the sound of my name?

  “What are you doing here?” I try and push on his broad chest, but he doesn’t budge. He’s built like a brick wall.

  “I came to get my bride. We’re getting married today.”

  “What?” I manage to say as he lets me go. His hand grabs my wrist, and he pulls me from the store. It’s then I see Sherriff Howell standing there. “Are you going to stop him?” I ask as Judge tugs me along.

  “He’s with me,” Judge says, and my mouth falls open. The sheriff gives me an apologetic shrug and a bonfire of anger ignites in me.

  “You
called the cops!” I shout as his dark eyes stare into mine.

  “I’m a man who gets what he wants, Kitty. You know that.” I swallow because it’s true. Everyone in town knows it. “You have two options today. You can marry me and come home with me, or you can go to jail.”

  I purse my lips, and he stares at my mouth. There’s a flash of heat in his eyes, and damn it, I have to clench my thighs together.

  “I’ll make you regret this.” I point my finger at him, trying to get in his face, but he’s too damn tall. “I’ll be the worst wife in the history of all wives!”

  His mouth pulls into a slow smile. “I’m glad you’re seeing things my way,” he says before he’s walking again and dragging me behind him to the courthouse.

  “Didn't you hear me? I’m going to make your life hell. You’re going to have to sleep with one eye open!”

  “With you in my bed, Kitty, I don’t think I’ll be sleeping at all.”

  He stuns me into silence, which might be the first time ever. I have a feeling it’s not going to be the last time either.

  Chapter Two

  Judge

  “You can’t do this,” Kitty mumbles as we walk into the courtroom and toward the judge’s bench.

  “Looks like I just did.” She tries to jerk her arm out of my hold, but once again I don’t let her go.

  “You’re an ass,” she hisses while we walk through the wooden gate and up to the front.

  “Did anyone ever tell you how cute you are when you’re mad?” I don’t look down at her as I say it, but I can feel her hot glare on me when I raise my chin to the front of the courtroom. “Let’s get started, Earl.”

  The town’s notary public waddles around from behind the desk and holds out a little booklet with a piece of paper in front of him. The squatty man that reminds me of a penguin clears his throat and begins to read.

  “Dearly beloved—”

  “Nope,” I say, cutting him off. “Skip to the end.”

  “Uh okay.” He looks at Kitty, who just curses me under her breath. “Do you, Judge Russo, take…um…” He searches the piece of paper for her name.

  “Kitty Spencer,” she grits out unwillingly.

  “Oh yes of course, it’s right here on the license. Do you, Judge Russo—”

  “Yes,” I cut him off once more, and he nods as his glasses slide down his nose.

  “A resounding yes.” He smiles at us, but then quickly looks down at his paper when he sees Kitty scowling.

  I’ve paid off the people in this town well, and although what we’re doing might not actually be legal, nobody is about to stop me.

  “And do you, Kitty Spencer, take Judge Russo to be your husband?”

  There’s a pause and I look down at her. “Do I have a choice?” she asks, and I shake my head. “Well, then I guess I have to.”

  Earl looks uncomfortable as he turns the paper over and offers me the pen. “If you’ll both sign on the license, please.”

  I scribble my signature and hand the pen to Kitty. For half a second I think she might not, but I watch as she grits her teeth and scratches what looks like a K and an S beside mine.

  “Now you may kiss the bride.” Earl smiles broadly as he looks between us, and I turn to face Kitty.

  “Try it and I’ll bite your face off,” she hisses.

  “Goddamn, you’re beautiful,” I tell her, and her cheeks flush. She tucks her chin and turns to stomp out of the room, but I’ve still got a hold of her. “Not so fast.”

  She squeals loudly as I scoop her up in my arms and carry her across the courthouse. I didn’t realize we’d had all of City Hall come in and watch us, but all of the guys that work here hoot and holler as I carry my bride over the threshold. I get a pat on the back from the mayor as I walk outside with our marriage license tucked in my back pocket.

  “You put me down right now, Judge, or I swear to god—”

  “What are you gonna do, Kitty?” I call her bluff, and she presses her lips tight together. “It was marry me or jail, and I think you made the right decision.”

  “You call that a choice?” She tries to push on my chest as I hold her close. “I should have chosen jail.”

  “I wouldn’t have let you do that.”

  “Then there was never a choice to begin with,” she hisses, and I nod.

  “I never said I’d play fair when it came to you. Now where’s my ring? I want it on your finger.”

  “I lost it.” She turns away and crosses her arms over her chest.”

  “Liar.”

  She juts her chin out and refuses to answer.

  “I’ll get it back on you,” I threaten, and she peeks up at me before quickly looking away. “One way or another.”

  “You’ll regret this. I’ll make sure of it.”

  I kiss the top of her head, and I feel her body tense for half a second. When we walk into the sunshine, I see a small crowd of people have gathered at the courthouse steps.

  “Oh no,” Kitty whispers, and I can’t hide my smile. “I think it’s time for the old City Hall tradition, don’t you?”

  “You can’t,” she says, so quietly I can barely hear her.

  “Oh I can, and I will.” I start to walk toward the fountain, and she kicks her feet trying to get loose. “Calm down or it’s going to be worse.”

  “Judge, this is the dumbest tradition this town has ever had, and I won’t be a part of it.”

  Since the town was founded, every bride that’s wed in the courthouse gets thrown in the fountain for good luck. I don’t know whose idea it was to start this tradition, but I can almost bet it wasn’t the blushing bride.

  “Quick kicking or I’ll just toss you in there.”

  “No!” she squeals, and the crowd cheers.

  “Throw her in! Throw her in!” the crowd begins to chant as I get closer.

  “Judge.” She looks up at me with big pleading eyes as her small hands grip the front of my shirt. “Don’t.”

  “Do you trust me?” There’s a long pause where her eyes search mine, and after she sighs she nods. “Okay then.”

  I step up to the fountain, and the crowd goes quiet as I lift her up and slide her shoes off. When I’m at the point where I could let her go, I tip her feet down and place her toes in the water. She clings to me with tense arms, but after a second when she sees I’m not going to drop her, she relaxes.

  “Just enough to keep the bad luck away,” I say to her as I let her kick her feet in the fountain and then straighten up.

  “You’re gonna need more than that,” she snaps and scowls at me. She pokes her little finger in my chest and grits her teeth. “The first thing I’m doing when I get to your house is setting something on fire.”

  There’s a glint in her eyes that says she means it, and I smile bigger than I have in longer than I can remember. “Then we should probably make sure you’re safe.”

  With one quick move I toss her into the fountain, and the crowd goes wild. Before she can go all the way under, I pluck her out and toss her soaking body over my shoulder and carry her out of the town square like a fireman.

  “Judge!” She beats on my back as I walk to the truck, but one good smack on her ass and she stops.

  “You wanna go back in?” I ask her, and suddenly she’s limp against me. “Keep it up, Kitty. You’re worth fighting for.”

  Chapter Three

  Kitty

  “What do you think?” Judge asks as he stares down at me.

  I’m sitting at the giant kitchen island after Judge showed me his beautiful new home. Everyone has been talking about it for months, but no one has seen it. I thought he was building it for my sister. How wrong I’d been, but apparently I've been wrong about a lot of things when it comes to my new husband.

  Water drips from my hair, and I secretly hope it makes a little puddle for him to slip on. It could make me a rich widow if he broke his neck, and I don’t recall signing a prenup. This is his second mistake. Judge isn't prone to mistakes, so I’ll
be snatching up any I can get my hands on.

  “I think you ruined my cell phone.” I hold up the phone my sister got me. It isn't like those fancy touchscreen ones everyone has, but it was mine. It was my first cell, and now it’s ruined.

  “I’ll get you a new one. This one is junk anyway.”

  I snap my head up at him. “Junk?” I whisper at first. “Junk!” I jump up from the high-top stool I’m sitting on and I’m the one that ends up almost tripping in the puddle. Judge manages to catch me before I can fall, but I smack at his hands to get away from him.

  “Careful,” he growls when I finally get a good three feet between us.

  That’s the farthest we’ve been apart since he put me into his fancy truck. I was soaking wet and probably ruined the seat, which made me smile. Any other time I’ve tried to get space from him he’s right there manhandling me. I hope the inside of his truck smells like mold in a few days.

  “Junk. Of course you think it's junk because you can buy anything you like. My sister busted her ass because she was the only one that was allowed to get a job so she could buy us those”—I hold my fingers up to make air quotes—“‘junk’ phones because we can't stand the idea of not talking to each other every day. And because, well, we love each other, which is something I suspect you don’t understand.” I let out a breath, feeling better that I got that all out. It feels good to yell. I should probably do it more often.

  “I’m sorry.” He actually looks a little sheepish, and I stand there in shock for a moment wondering if I misunderstood him. “I’ll have a new one here in the morning.”