- -
- 100%
- +
“Penny for your thoughts,” he said.
“I’m still fuming and wondering how you can possibly expect this marriage to work.”
“The chances of my marriage to you being happy are vastly greater than the chances for success I figured I had when I was a kid—so much so that this wedding prospect doesn’t give me many qualms.”
“You have done a complete turnaround since that weekend when you let me know you preferred to remain a bachelor for many years to come.”
“I didn’t know you then—or had known you only a few hours. I wasn’t expecting a baby and I didn’t see the great possibilities for the future.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “And you expect me to simply turn my life over to you and let you make all the decisions.”
“Hardly,” he said, smiling at her. He moved to the seat beside her and turned her swivel chair to face him, then cupped her chin in his hand. “Just this one thing. I have to get my way on marriage because it’s what’s best for all concerned, and I expect the day to come when you’ll agree. I don’t think we have time to wait and hash it over.”
“Yes, we do,” she said. “You could take time to court me. We could get to know each other, and then you could propose like a normal person, instead of taking charge and getting your way.”
“By offering to end your family’s problems? I don’t think that’s too evil.” He was close and his gaze bored into her, making her weak-kneed as she argued with him. When he looked down at her mouth, taunting memories seized her. Her lips parted, tingled, and she couldn’t repress her blatant physical response. “Ashley,” he whispered, “You’re pregnant. Face it, I can make things easier for you.”
“It’s not evil, Ryan. It’s generous and wonderful, but arrogant, and you don’t know whether you’re getting us into a lasting relationship or not.”
“Who knows that for certain when they marry?” he asked, but she focused on his mouth and couldn’t think about his question.
“I’d like you in my arms and in my bed,” he said. “I want to love you and I don’t intend to wait.” He touched her cheek lightly. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
Her heart thudded at the last and she couldn’t get her breath. She ached to reach for him, yet knew this wasn’t the time nor place.
“You’re a handsome charmer who weaves spells,” she accused. “I’m caught in one and don’t like it.”
“Stop fighting me. Stop resisting both of us. You feel some of what I do. I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice and feel it in your throbbing veins.”
She turned away. “That has little to do with what I want,” she said.
She saw him study her. “Did you go to work today?”
“Yes, I did,” she replied stiffly.
“That surprises me. I thought you might stay home.”
“I left the office early,” she said coolly. “And I didn’t share my plans with anyone.”
“Did you leave ahead of time to get ready for tonight, or because you couldn’t work for thinking about our marriage?”
“If you must know, I couldn’t work. It was not to get ready for a big evening out with you,” she lied.
He fanned himself with his hand. “If mere looks could set me on fire, I’d be blazing away right now.”
“You’re immune to looks from me.”
“Au contraire,” he said in a lower voice, leaning forward. “You give me looks that can melt me or fry me to a crisp.”
“I don’t believe that,” she said, but there wasn’t any firmness in her voice, and warmth stole along her veins at his statement. Could she really have that effect on him? She turned away to look out the window in silence.
When they flew over Houston, the sun had set and lights had blinked on, a dazzling display far below. Ashley watched for a few minutes, entranced by the sparkle before she turned around. Her heart missed a beat when she met Ryan’s steady gaze.
“I wondered if you’re as dazzled as I am by this scene out the window, but I see you’re not. You’re burned out on flying, I suppose.”
“No,” he said, leaning closer. “I’ll never get enough of this view,” he said, looking directly at her.
She inhaled swiftly. “Stop flirting, Ryan.”
“Why? That’s the sizzle in life—getting to flirt with you, seeing where I can go with it, letting my imagination run.”
She smiled and received an enticing, warm grin from him as he leaned forward to touch the corner of her mouth with the tip of his finger. “That’s more like it.”
The announcement from the pilot about landing broke into their conversation, and they both tightened their seat belts.
A uniformed driver in a limousine met Ryan and Ashley and drove them to a hotel. At the top-floor restaurant they were seated at a linen-covered table in a quiet corner. A pianist played old favorites in the background; candles burned at the tables; and fresh roses filled the centerpiece vases.
“If you’re trying to impress me, you’re succeeding,” she said, watching two couples circling the small dance floor across the room.
“Good. I hope I can impress you a great deal more than this.” Candlelight flickered, highlighting his prominent cheekbones and causing his black lashes to cast shadows there. If only he hadn’t insisted on marriage, she thought, and then realized she was succumbing to the seductive trappings and to Ryan.
Their waiter brought menus, and after they had placed orders and were alone, Ryan stood and took her hand. “Let’s dance before dinner,” he suggested. Her immediate reaction was eagerness, swiftly tempered by caution as she placed her hand in his and went to the dance floor.
She walked into his arms and into memories of his lean, muscular body.
This was the second time she’d danced with him and it opened a Pandora’s box of devilish longing that taunted her. Yet she was as conscious of the present as the past. She was aware of the warmth of his body, the cottony smell of his freshly laundered shirt, the strong column of his neck where her hand rested. Their legs brushed and she looked up to meet his gaze, and then couldn’t look away, caught completely, enveloped in desire.
“Stop fighting me, Ashley,” he whispered. “We’re good together, and you know it. And this is the best of all possible solutions.”
“Solutions? There, that says it all,” she exclaimed. “Am I the problem? Is the baby a problem?”
“I’m going to try my damnedest to win you over, because I know it’ll be worth every minute and all my efforts.”
He pulled her closer, wrapping her in his arms and putting his head against hers. Dancing was marvelous, another irresistible temptation with him. She relished being in his embrace and swaying with him, and there was no way she could deny it. Recollections swirled like smoke as she recalled too clearly being held close in his embrace when they had been naked in bed. Steadily and slowly, bit by bit, he was taking chunks of her heart now.
When the song stopped, a faster number started and Ashley danced with him, sexual tension building as she watched him move around her. The devouring looks he gave her made her fluttery and conjured up more memories of seductive moments with him. She felt needed and knew he had turned on the charm to get what he wished, but underneath all that appeal was a man of steel who was going to get his way no matter what he had to do.
With a pounding heart, she gazed up at him and wanted him. In spite of all her anger, she thrilled to his kisses and enjoyed being with him.
When the dance ended, she turned abruptly for their table. He caught up with her and took her arm.
“Now maybe I’ve worked up some kind of appetite,” he said when they’d sat. In minutes, he had his red wine and her water poured. He raised his glass in a toast. “Here’s to a fabulous marriage,” he said, waiting while she glared at him.
“How can you toast a sham marriage when you’ve coerced me into accepting?”
“Make the best of it,” he said lightly, still waiting.
Exasperated, she picked up her glass, touched his and took a sip.
With deliberation he set down his glass and reached across the table. “Give me your hand.”
Mystified, she did as he asked, watching his warm fingers encircle hers. “Since when do you want to hold hands through dinner? But then, I don’t really know you.”
“You will. We’ll discover each other, and that’s an exciting prospect. It’ll be a fulfillment of dreams.” His strong, warm hand closed gently around hers while he gazed into her eyes. “Ashley, marry me.”
“You’re asking again? I told you this morning I would. I assume this request comes with the same conditions.”
He gave an almost imperceptible nod as he reached in a pocket and produced a box. Opening it, he slid a ring on her finger.
Five
How many times was he going to surprise her? Stunned again, she stared for a moment at the sparkling, enormous diamond on a wide gold band, surrounded by a spray of smaller diamonds.
“Great heavens!” she exclaimed. She pulled her hand away to look down at the ring, which dazzled her. “That’s magnificent!” she exclaimed, glancing up at him. “I don’t understand.”
“What can’t you understand?” he asked, momentarily frowning. “I want you to be my wife. I’ve given you an engagement ring to seal the promise.”
“It’s worth a fortune, and there’s not one shred of love between us.”
“Stop reminding me,” he said somberly, and grasped her hand once more. “Look, I’ll ask you again to give us a chance to let love flourish. I wouldn’t do this otherwise.”
She wished she could believe him, but she couldn’t. “Ryan, if I weren’t pregnant, you’d pull out of this engagement so fast I’d be in a spin.”
Something flickered in the depths of his eyes, a confirmation to her of what she’d just declared. “I don’t know what I’d do, because I like the idea of marriage to you,” he said. “But that’s beside the point. There’s a baby to consider. Now, let’s make some plans.”
Shaking her head, she looked down at the ring, which was beautiful beyond her wildest dreams, and yet what she longed for, what was a lot more important than diamonds or a ring was his love.
Their waiter came and placed crystal plates with tossed greens in front of them.
As soon as they were alone again, Ryan took her hand once more. “Even if we break it off later, this will give the baby my name and a heritage. It will give me more rights to my child,” he said quietly, and she heard a note of steel in his voice that chilled her.
“Are you going to try to take this baby from me?” she asked, wondering about his intentions. Now that she’d discovered he had a ruthless streak, she found him an enigma.
“Never. I couldn’t ever hurt a child by taking it from its mother. This is my baby, and I’ll love it. You should know that much about me by now.”
“I know very little about you!” she exclaimed, and realized she needed to keep her voice down. Yet in spite of the remark she had flung at him, his statement relieved her beyond measure. “We didn’t spend that weekend in chitchat.”
“You know plenty about me,” he reminded her, his tone changing immediately. His voice dropped and his words were slower, and she knew he was recalling their weekend together. “You’ve learned what excites me. You know how I look naked. You know—”
“Don’t remind me!” she interrupted, wanting to stop words that conveyed their own magic and shifted the way she viewed him. “I don’t have any idea what you truly care about. I don’t like what you do when you’re out of the bedroom. I don’t know about your life or your family. That’s more important.”
“The prospect of learning about each other, and living together, I find fabulous. We’ve already started this and we’ll build our relationship. That’s a lifetime project.”
“Ryan, does everything in your life go the way you want it to?” she asked. He reeked of success, and she wondered if failure was ever a concern for him.
“Of course not. Life doesn’t unfold that way for anyone. But I get a reasonable return on my expectations. Now, let’s set a date and make it soon. Before the wedding, you’ll want to meet my father and brothers, and I need to meet your family.”
She stared at him while her anger returned. She wanted to refuse and tell him to stop meddling. Instead, she looked down at the ring on her finger, which seemed like a shackle that bound her, heart and soul, to Ryan.
“I leave town tomorrow, but I’ll be back late Friday night. That will give us the weekend to meet each other’s family. When would you prefer to go see yours? Or would you rather have them come to Dallas?”
“We’ll go there. I want you to see the farm. I’ll call them first, of course. Saturday with my family would be a good time. It’s a long drive, and I know them, they’ll want us to stay the night,” she said, realizing Ryan was going to charge right into marriage.
“We can stay, or I can drive back. I don’t mind night driving. Do what you want.”
“I can’t believe you’re even letting me decide,” she said.
“I can yield on things.”
Ashley shook her head. “Not on anything that really matters. But I’ll probably want to return to Dallas. Let’s try to arrive in late afternoon, because they eat supper and go to bed early.”
As she talked, she watched couples circling on the dance floor, and others quietly eating. She felt caught in a dream that she couldn’t wake from, yet it wasn’t a dream. She glanced at Ryan, and when her attention shifted to his mouth, she realized she wanted to kiss him and feel his lips and tongue on her. She looked up again to see his knowing gaze.
“So what do you prefer to do?” he asked with a thicker voice, and she suspected that he had making love on his mind, too.
She tried to get back to his question and make a decision before Ryan did. “Let’s go see your family on Sunday.”
“Excellent,” he replied, as he finished his salad and set his fork on his plate.
She had little appetite. His dark eyebrows arched in question. “You don’t like your salad?”
“I’m not too hungry,” she replied.
“Want to eat somewhere else?”
“Heavens no! This is a wonderful place. I just don’t feel like eating.”
“Okay,” he said, withdrawing a slim cell phone. “Let’s call and make arrangements. You can use my phone,” he said, flipping it open.
Shaking her head, she got out her own phone. “I’ll use mine. When I tell them I’m bringing a friend home, they’ll know it must be someone special. But I’m not announcing this marriage over the telephone.”
He smiled. “Whatever you want to do.”
She glared at him, but then heard her father’s voice and spoke softly, making arrangements to visit. Returning her phone to her purse, she waited while Ryan made his calls, watching his hand holding the tiny phone and remembering his hands on her.
“Grandma wants us there for supper Saturday night. I told her we’d try to get to the farm by five o’clock.”
“Fine with me,” he replied. “I’m looking forward to meeting them. My family will be at Dad’s place Sunday evening about seven. We’re set and this is good. At our wedding, I want my dad to be best man, and my brothers and Jake and Nick to be groomsmen. Is that too many for you?”
She shook her head. “No. I have Katie, Jenna and my cousin, and also a lifelong friend who still lives in my hometown.”
“Now, let’s pick a date. We might as well have this wedding soon,” Ryan added.
She rubbed her forehead. “Will you slow down?”
“Why wait? You’re pregnant, and the sooner we’re wed, the better. What is there to wait for?”
“There are a million things,” she snapped, clutching the tablecloth until her knuckles were white. “Like getting to know each other, for one.”
He shrugged and waved his hand, dismissing her remark. “That’ll happen. It’s already starting. What weddings do you have scheduled next weekend?”
Her head reeled and she sat back, closing her eyes. “Next weekend!” she whispered. Why hadn’t she guessed that Ryan would charge ahead full steam, like a barreling freight train?
“Ryan, I’m not getting married next weekend!”
“How about the weekend after that?”
“I have a night wedding.”
“Can’t your assistant manage, since you’ll have advance notice? We’ll be through with ours in time for her to go to the night wedding.”
Ashley put her head in her hands and thought about her schedule and her meetings and the weddings, and what she would have to do. “September won’t work?” she asked.
“There’s no good reason to wait until September. How about the weekend after this?”
“Of course, why not?” she exclaimed. “You’re getting everything else you want!”
He smiled and stood, taking her hand. “Let’s go dance and cool down. Our dinners should be here when we return.”
She went with him, again shocked by the speed with which Ryan was changing her life. “You’re right on one thing,” she said as they danced. “It’s better to get out here and move around.”
“Far better to hold you in my arms,” he said softly, leaning down so his breath brushed her ear. “You look gorgeous tonight, Ashley.”
“Thank you,” she said, admiring the way the huge diamond on her finger caught and reflected the light. She turned her hand so she could stare at the ring, amazed he would give her such an expensive gift. “When did you get my ring?”
“This morning.”
“You’re rushing things, Ryan. I don’t want to have sex right away. At least we can get to know each other before we do that.” She leaned back to look up at him, and wondered what he was thinking.
“If that’s the way you want it, that’s okay. I can wait,” he said. “I won’t want to, but I can.”
“Good. That’s what I want very much. You’ve rushed me about marriage and the wedding, but sex is something that can come when we both want it. I’ve regretted my impetuous weekend with you.”
“I’m disappointed to hear that, because I haven’t had one shred of regret,” he stated firmly. “Far from it. I thought it was the greatest weekend possible. That’s why I couldn’t forget you,” he added.
His compliments flattered and warmed her, but she didn’t care to encourage him.
“I have a request. I’ll wait to have sex, but can we make an exception for our wedding night? This is my first, and hopefully only, wedding. It’s a one-time event that I’ll remember the rest of my life, and so will you. We can’t ever go back and really do it again. So can we have a real wedding night?”
Her heart thudded and then raced. Two weeks until their wedding. Two weeks until they made love again. But if she succumbed and agreed to that, would she be able to resist him on other nights, before she got to know him better? Until they began to fall in love, or saw whether this sham marriage would explode in their faces and end as abruptly as it started?
She knew he was waiting. She thought again about what he’d said: “… first, and hopefully only, wedding …” Would it really be the only one? Did she want to have another night of sex with him, this time when he’d pushed her into marriage? She wanted patience and courtship and love. Instead, she had arrogance and a take-charge male who was determined to get his way. Was that who she wanted? Yet in fairness, she knew that tonight she was having courtship and romance from him. He was doing wonderful things for her family.
They danced around the floor in silence. Finally, she looked up at him. “All right, Ryan. We’ll have a real wedding night.”
“Fantastic!” he exclaimed. His eyes glittered with eagerness and he gave her a dazzling smile with a flash of white teeth, creases bracketing his sensual mouth. “Aah, I’ll try to make you thrilled about that decision. I know I’ll be happy.” He pulled her close.
An actual wedding night. She thought about the tempestuous weekend she’d had with Ryan with all inhibitions gone, and her cheeks burned.
“Ashley …” He leaned back, starting to say something, and then his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “You’re remembering our weekend together, aren’t you?” he asked in a husky voice.
She inhaled deeply and looked away. He tilted her chin up and gazed at her intently, with pinpoints of flame in the depths of his eyes. “I remember, too, and I want to love you by the hour. Ashley, this marriage can be damn good.”
She closed her eyes, hurting inside. She wanted to shout at him that she needed love, not lust!
She pulled away from him and left the dance floor, hurrying to the table. He caught up with her immediately.
“Still angry with me?” he asked.
“Of course I am! Ryan, what we’ve got is lust and nothing much else.”
“If I really thought that, I wouldn’t go through with this marriage. But there are moments when your feelings for me do a complete turnaround. I think we can fall in love if you’ll give us half a chance.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then he put down his fork. “Ashley, I’ll pay for the wedding. I want to. I have enough money that you can hire who you need to get this pulled together in two weeks. Besides, since that’s your area of expertise, it should be easy for you.”
Her appetite was gone, anyway, so she placed her fork in her plate. “I assume we’ll have a big wedding.”
He nodded. “Afraid so. I have a lot of people I think I should invite.”
“Our church at home isn’t large. It probably holds about five hundred.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll make a list, but I’m guessing about a thousand guests. Do you mind having the wedding at my church here in the city? We can go Sunday and you can look it over.”
“It’s all right with me. My family will understand. So will our friends, and a lot of them will think it’s fun to come to Dallas for a wedding.”
“I’ll put your family, other relatives and attendants in my hotel, whoever is in the wedding party or close to you. Whoever you want.”
“That’s generous, Ryan.”
He smiled. “I’m happy I can do something you like.”
The man was a charmer, and she couldn’t resist him. Already her anger wasn’t as intense as it had been this morning. At least at moments it wasn’t.
“The thought of doing it in two weeks makes my head spin.”
“You’re a professional wedding planner. You’ll have all the money you want at your disposal. It shouldn’t be too difficult for you,” he remarked dryly.
“How do you know you can trust me not to bankrupt you?”
He smiled. “I suspect you’re way too practical, far too honest and fair and unaccustomed to living lavishly.”
“You’re right,” she said in surprise, and he grinned.
“See, Ashley, I’m getting to know you. If you’d set aside your anger, you’d get to know me.”
“Oh, I’m getting to know you. Arrogant, self-assured—”
“I remember your description,” he said, interrupting her as he stood and shed his coat, draping it over the back of his chair. “Since we’re not going to eat, let’s dance again.”
He took her hand and led her to the dance floor for two fast numbers. She danced around him, watching his sensual moves, remembering his lovemaking, knowing exactly what he looked like beneath the brown slacks and snowy shirt.
At one point he reached out and pulled the clip from her hair so her blond locks tumbled across her shoulders. Dropping it into his pocket, he continued to dance, never taking his gaze from her.
How could she keep resisting him? she wondered. Even on the dance floor he was seductive, moving his hips in a sensual manner, while longing burned blatantly in his eyes. A band had appeared, replacing the piano player. The trumpet was loud and the drums had a throbbing beat that made her want to be as tempting to Ryan as he was to her.
Then it was a Latin number, and his sexy dancing intensified as she circled him. Sweat dotted his brow and his gaze undressed and caressed her, while she forgot her anger and the wedding and their future. There was only music and Ryan. Locks of his black hair fell over his forehead and he unfastened the top buttons of his shirt, loosening his dark brown tie slightly. Every move he made was evocative and she was on fire.