The CEO Takes a Wife / The Throw-Away Bride

She froze.

He rolled to face her, and for a long moment his slate-gray eyes lingered on her face. “Where do you think you’re going?” His voice thickened, the heat of his arousal filling the space between them.

She tried to think. “Er…it’s time to get up,” she said, then immediately felt her cheeks warm.

His lips quirked with male humor. “Are you asking me or telling me?”

She resisted the urge to tease him back. “Telling you.”

He gave her a knowing look. “You were fantastic,” he said softly.

She blinked at him, her heart sinking. “I was?”

His gaze dropped to her naked breasts. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he said in a husky tone.

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. His words reminded her of Eric, who’d thought nothing of praising her just to take the suspicion away from his affairs.

“Don’t be embarrassed because you don’t sleep around,” Alex continued, his palm sliding over her hip. “I actually like that you don’t.”

“Double standards, Alex?”

His hand stilled, his gaze sharpened. “Not at all. I’ve never been one to sleep around.” He must have seen the disbelief in her eyes because he stiffened. “And I definitely won’t sleep around on my wife.”

An odd thrill raced through her, but she still couldn’t let her anxiety go. “Yes, but women must throw themselves at you all the time.”

His brows drew together, then understanding dawned. “I’m not like your ex-husband, Olivia. Just because women offer doesn’t mean I accept.”

Still, she couldn’t let it be. “Yes, but you must have accepted sometimes.”

Suddenly his eyes hardened. “There’s only room in this bed for two people. You and me. Not your ex. Whatever happened between you two shouldn’t be brought here.”

His words were the mental slap she needed. “Yes, you’re right.”

He held her gaze for a few heartbeats, then his eyes softened. “Let him go, Olivia. Don’t let him spoil what we have.”

Her stomach quivered. “I don’t know that we have anything.”

“You don’t?” He gave a throaty chuckle and the sound slithered down her spine like warm silk. “Maybe I need to refresh your memory.”

Without giving her a chance to argue he slid her across the sheet and pulled her under him. Their bodies touched and that’s all it took for flames to spark between them.

And then he took her higher and higher, out of control, until she went up in smoke, leaving an afterburn that continued to glow long after he’d brought her to fulfillment.

When she next awoke she found herself alone amongst the sheets, all that was left of their night together. Then she moved her legs and winced a little.

All?

No, there was this reminder, she thought, thankful Alex wasn’t there to see her blush. Her body was so pleasurably sore, so very conscious of their lovemaking. She’d used muscles she hadn’t used for years.

Remembering, she threw back the sheet and hurried to the bathroom. If she stayed in bed she’d be thinking about last night, and right now she didn’t need that. Alex might have made her forget all about Eric during their lovemaking, and he might have made her forget herself, but now it was time to keep moving. Otherwise she could be tempted to lie in bed and wait for Alex to come back and join her.

And if he saw her like this then he’d think he held her in the palm of his hands.

No way.

She’d given him a year of her life. She wasn’t giving him her soul, too.

After showering, she went downstairs and found her way to a huge sunroom which ran the full length of one side of the house. A table was set for a late breakfast, but there was still no sign of Alex.

Then Harriet appeared, clicking her tongue. “He’s in the study catching up on some paperwork, though what paperwork there is to do on the first day of his honeymoon is beyond me.” She showed Olivia her seat then started fussing around the table.

As a businesswoman herself, Olivia knew the paperwork never ended, honeymoon or not. And she was rather grateful that Alex was busy, even if she couldn’t say that to the other woman. She was supposed to be a blushing bride, after all.

Oh heck. She was a blushing bride. She just wasn’t a blushing bride in love with her husband.

“That’s okay, Harriet. I’m not feeling neglected.” She gave a smile. “Not with all the attention I’m getting from you.”

Harriet stopped her fussing and smiled at Olivia. “We’re so happy that you married Alex. He needs someone of his own.”

This was news to Olivia.Alex had family—a father, a mother, two brothers. He must have plenty of friends.

Of his own.

Yes, there was a difference, she silently admitted. Apart from her mother she had no one of her own. Oh, she’d thought she’d found that special person when she’d married Eric, and for a short while she’d believed it. She sighed. Ignorance was sometimes bliss.

Of course, she wasn’t ignorant about this marriage. This time she had gone into it with eyes wide open. This was a marriage of convenience. Their work came first and rightly so.

The housekeeper offered to cook up some eggs but Olivia declined and said that cereal was fine. Harriet nodded and left the room.

For the first time Olivia got to look at her surroundings. The room was decorated in soft yellows, pale greens and creamy whites. A fountain stood in one corner, close to wicker chairs and a sofa—a place to sit and relax. Potted plants and paintings filled the room. The large glass dining table she was sitting at was no doubt where Alex had enjoyed many a meal. The view of the ocean from here was unsurpassed.

Just as she finished eating and was drinking her coffee, Alex appeared. She ignored the fact that his sheer presence took her breath away as he walked straight over to her, cradled her face in his hands and brought his lips down to hers.

What a kiss!

Then he eased away, the look in his eyes filled with complete satisfaction before he walked around the other side of the table and sat down.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said casually, as if he hadn’t just made her tremble. “I got caught up on a telephone call.”

His casualness made her elation disappear. No doubt he was used to women being accommodating—to both his kisses and his work demands.

Couldn’t he be a little considerate of her sensibilities? What if she had really been in love with him? His treatment would crush her. It was just as well she was a working woman, and could give as good as she got.

She placed her napkin on the table and stood. “That’s okay, Alex. I’ve got a couple of business calls to make myself.” She started to leave the room.

“Olivia?”

She stopped to look at him. “Yes?”

“The study’s the fourth door on the right.”

Was that a gleam of humor in his eyes? Had his mouth just twitched? She inclined her head. “I’ll find it.”

Once in the study she sat down at the desk, feeling quite proud of herself. Even if he had found her little protest silently amusing, she’d still scored a point.

Then she picked up the telephone, but felt rather silly when she realized she had no one to call. Having cleared the decks at work for the week, and with Lianne insisting she only call under dire circumstances, who else was there to phone?

Her mother.

Felicia wouldn’t think it strange for her daughter to call and see how she was. Only, when she called the Valente estate in Sydney, the housekeeper said her mother had gone out for the day with Alex’s parents.

Sigh. There was no one else she dared call. She knew a lot of people in the States, but they’d think her mad checking in on the day after her marriage.

“Finished your calls yet?”

She looked up to see Alex standing in the study doorway. For a moment she suspected he was being sarcastic, but then she saw that he was serious.

Okay, so he may well have been amused by her antics when she’d left him in the sunroom, but he hadn’t actually been disparaging of her work ethic.

“Yes, I have.”

“Then let’s go for a walk down to the beach.”

All at once she realized he’d changed from trousers and a polo shirt into something much more informal. Her eyes slowly slid down the length of his lean body, now clothed in a white T-shirt and tan-colored board shorts, with leather sandals on his feet. He looked like a sun-worshipping surfer ready to tackle the waves.

“Where’s your surfboard?” she quipped, not really meaning to be funny.

He grinned. “It dumped me years ago.”

Olivia couldn’t help but chuckle even as she gathered her breath. Lord, that grin made him look young and carefree, and she had trouble associating this man with the same CEO she’d married.

Quickly, for something to do, she glanced down at the slacks she was wearing. “Give me five minutes to change into something more casual.”

“Like some help?”

Her heart bumped against her ribs. “No, thanks. I’ve been dressing myself a long time now,” she said, walking toward the door, trying to appear nonchalant.

“It was the undressing I was more interested in,” he teased, moving aside from the doorway, allowing her to pass him.

She hid a smile, otherwise he might think she was encouraging him to come up to the bedroom and make love to her.

She wasn’t.

No, definitely not.

“I’ll meet you on the front veranda in five minutes,” she heard him say as she headed for the stairs.

“Fine.”

Olivia deliberately took ten minutes to change into Bermuda shorts and a sleeveless top. Then she applied sunscreen to her exposed areas, and grabbed her sunglasses from her purse and put them on.

“That was a long five minutes,” Alex said, his own sunglasses not hiding his scowl as she pushed open the front screen door and stepped out onto the veranda.

“I didn’t know we were clock-watching.”

“We’re not.” He glanced at his Rolex, then grimaced. “Habit.” Taking off the watch, he placed it on the table behind him. “Now, let’s go get some fresh air.” He held out his hand.

For some reason she found herself hesitating.

“Harriet’s watching from the window,” he drawled.

“She is?” She went to turn around but didn’t get a chance to look before he stepped forward and slipped his hand around hers, tugging her down the front steps and through the short grass to the side of the house. Hand in hand they started walking along a dirt path leading to the beach.

He slanted her a mocking smile. “See, we actually look like lovers now.”

“Oh, but—”

“What? We’re not lovers?” He stopped and faced her. “Then who was that gorgeous woman in my arms last night?” Suddenly his smile disappeared, his dark glasses hiding his eyes but not the huskiness in his voice.

She could feel her cheeks warm. “Maybe she was a dream?”

“Oh yeah,” he murmured. “She was that.”

Her heart flipped over. “Alex, I—” All at once the ocean breeze picked up and swirled around them like a small whirlwind, snapping her out of the moment. “Um…that breeze is pretty strong,” she said quickly, then turned and continued to walk, surprised when he let her drop her hand from his. She half expected he would tug her back around to face him, pull her up close and…

He fell into step beside her, not touching her now. “Yes, that breeze is good for clearing out the cobwebs,” was all he said.

She ignored a stab of disappointment, but it was her own fault. She could have chosen to stay where she was and let him kiss her. Yet she knew why she hadn’t. Despite them being lovers, she wasn’t in love with him. For her to initiate making love with him would be the equivalent of walking down the main street of Sydney naked. She’d feel totally exposed.

Ahead, the path looped over a small sand dune and down to a sun-kissed beach, scattered with couples lying on towels or parents playing in the shallows with their children. An older man jogged along the water’s edge. A couple of surfboard riders bobbed out in the sea, their wait for larger waves appearing to be in vain today.

She sighed in appreciation. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes.”

She kicked off her sandals, enjoying the feel of soft sand trickling through her toes. “It’s been ages since I walked along a beach.”

He stepped out of his own sandals. “Then what are we waiting for?” When she went to pick up her sandals, he instructed, “Leave them. We’ll get them on our way back.”

She blinked in surprise. “But won’t someone steal them?”

He gave a dismissive shrug. “If they’re that desperate then they’re welcome to them.”

“Oh.” She shrugged. “Well, I guess a man like you doesn’t need to worry about the cost of things.”

A muscle tightened at the edge of his jaw. “A man like me?”

She hesitated, realizing she’d said the wrong thing. “It’s just that I noticed you left your Rolex back on the veranda.”

“So?”

No getting around it now. “Admit it, Alex. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You take some things for granted.”

“I seem to remember you’ve got one of those silver spoons, too.”

“Yes,” she admitted slowly, “but I was raised frugally by my grandmother.” And while Olivia wouldn’t call herself in the least frugal, she still couldn’t be so cavalier about things like leaving expensive watches out in the open, or even sandals on the beach.

A mask came down over his face. “I keep what’s important.”

Chapter Five

Olivia stood and watched Alex turn and walk along the sand. His words had been steely and totally no-nonsense—the tough CEO coming to the fore. The hard-hitting man was such a part of him. A woman would be incredibly lucky to have him love her. To be so fiercely protected by him. And he would be fiercely protective. She knew that instinctively.

He turned back to her. “Coming?”

His words jarred her from her thoughts and she fell into step beside him. She didn’t want to think about Alex and another woman, so she changed the subject to try to break any tension between them. “Do you come here often?”

A moment crept by before he glanced at her from behind his sunglasses. “I usually make it for Christmas with the family. It’s good to get away from the city and the December heat.”

She nodded. “Sounds wonderful.” Oh, how she remembered those long, hot summer Christmases. Her mother had always come home to spend the holidays with her and Nanna and they’d had a great time as a family. Then Nanna had died and the last few years she and Felicia had spent Christmas in LA, and nothing had been quite the same. She supposed that was all a part of growing older.

“You’ll get to find out yourself this year, Olivia. Christmas is only a couple of months away.”

His words startled her. “But I usually spend Christmas with my mother.”

“We’ll invite her here then.” It was more an order than a suggestion.

“But—”

“It would look odd if you take off for the States and leave your new husband here during the festive season,” he pointed out.

“You could always come to LA,” she said, not even sure she wanted him there, though she knew it would seem strange without him. Good Lord, and she’d only been married a day.

“No.” His voice was firm, his chin stubborn. “My parents will be here and my two brothers. I won’t break family tradition.”

Something in his tone roused her curiosity. This man was deeper than she’d first thought. And much more family-oriented than he let on. No wonder his father had been able to blackmail his son into getting married.

Marriage to a man like this would have been a dream come true for her if it had been a real marriage. A permanent marriage. She sighed. It was just as well it wasn’t a real marriage because then he’d want a real family with her and—

Suddenly he stopped, put his hand on her arm and spun her toward him. She was in his arms before she knew it, his lips against hers, taking her by surprise with a kiss that made her forget they were on a beach for all to see. All that mattered was his kiss. And the next.

He eventually pulled back, but she was unable to read his eyes. And that was the trouble with sunglasses. They hid his eyes as well as her own.

She cleared her throat. “Um…what was that for?”

“Someone’s taking pictures of us. I wanted to give him something worthwhile to report.”

Her heart thudded to a stop. “How nice.”

“I thought so,” he said, not seeming to notice her sarcasm as he picked up her hand in a possessive manner and began walking her along the shore, as though she was his girl and he was showing the world exactly that.

She hid her disappointment. “Are we still being followed?” she asked for something to say, trying to find her mental balance, pretending she didn’t care about being used for publicity purposes while on their honeymoon.

Then she winced inwardly. What was the matter with her? Their whole marriage was going to be one big publicity event. Could she really blame Alex for taking advantage of that right now?

“No, I can’t see him. Anyway, forget it for now. He’s going to take our picture whether we want him to or not.”

He was right and after another hundred yards she began to relax again. The sound of the water lapping against the shore and the feel of the breeze skimming her cheeks eased her concerns considerably. How could she not relax? This was a perfect setting; it would help even the most stressed person to unwind.

Just then the sun went behind a frothy white cloud, and for a few seconds the world was darkened then just as quickly thrown back into a shower of sunlight. Wanting to capture the scene in her mind, she stopped and whipped off her sunglasses to better appreciate the brighter sunshine and rich colors.

Her fingers itched. “Ooh, the light and colors are just marvelous. I’ll have to bring my sketchbook down here and capture it all in a design.”

He took off his own dark glasses, his gaze sweeping the beach in front of them, as if looking at it through her eyes. Then he looked at her. “I’d like to watch you design something.”

She blushed with pleasure. “I’ve had an idea for some time to put an Australian mark on an international design. This may be just what I’ve been looking for.”

“You’re quite a talent, aren’t you?” he said, his eyes full of admiration.

Her heart skipped a beat but she managed a short chuckle. “I haven’t designed it yet.”

“I have every confidence it will be a winner.”

She quickly placed her sunglasses back on to hide her eyes, not wanting him to see she was almost made shy by his praise. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Heavens, she was used to being held in high regard by the rich and powerful. She’d designed clothes for some of the most famous people in the world. Yet this man—her husband—made her self-conscious when he praised her talents?

Crazy.

He put his sunglasses on. “Are you ready to go back? I need to get some more work done, I’m afraid.”

She nodded. “Okay, but I think I’ll grab a sketchbook and come back down while you’re working.”

“No.”

She blinked at his unmistakable air of command. Was she hearing right? “Pardon?”

“I don’t want you coming down here by yourself. You could get harassed and I won’t be around to help.”

“The media are not out in force, Alex. There’s only the one guy who—” Suddenly she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and she spun toward it. Just as quickly she twisted back toward Alex. “That’s not a reporter,” she hissed of the photographer a couple of yards away. “He’s only a kid.”

“He’s a teenager and now he’s just run off, no doubt looking to sell the photographs to the highest bidder.” Alex’s mouth flattened. “I meant what I said, Olivia. Don’t come down here by yourself.”

She lifted her chin. “You’re blowing things out of proportion.”

“Humor me.”

“I’d rather strangle you.”

He arched a brow but his lips quirked. “That’s a bit drastic, don’t you think?”

“Look, I’m not used to sitting around all day doing nothing.”

“Then it’s about time you did. We have a swimming pool up at the house. Why not laze around it for a couple of hours? And I’ll take you into town for dinner tonight.”

Her pulse leaped at the thought of dinner with him, despite herself. “I’m not a child to be rewarded for keeping out of your way while you’re working.” Her chin set stubbornly. “As a matter of fact I still have some work to do of my own,” she fibbed. “I wasn’t going to work on our honeymoon but…” she paused deliberately “…if you’re working then I may as well, too.”

He tensed, a muscle starting to tick in his jaw. “Sorry about that. My father has been easing off on the work lately and that’s put more pressure on me.”

“Oh.” Something about his words clutched at her heart. Perhaps it was the rough edge of emotion in his voice that made her soften toward him. “Alex, I understand.” She still didn’t like being told what to do, but she’d cut him a break this time.

He inclined his head, his mouth not as tight as before, his shoulders not as tense. “Good.”

Then he cupped her elbow and they walked back up the beach. Surprisingly their sandals were still where they’d left them, but she didn’t look at Alex nor did she say a word as they stepped into them and made their way up to the house.

Once there, he took off for the study, reading through a handful of phone messages, already forgetting that she even existed. Olivia watched him go, a silly sense of loneliness filling her. She was never lonely.

It must be because she felt suddenly tired, she decided, and went up to the bedroom to take a shower to wash off the sand.

When she came out, dressed in her silk bathrobe, the bed looked so very inviting. Perhaps if she lay down for just a few minutes…

She woke to find herself covered with a light blanket, the bedside clock showing midafternoon. Feeling guilty, she threw back the blanket, got dressed in white capri pants and a cherry-red top and hurried downstairs. Alex was still in the study, but he put his pen down when he saw her in the doorway.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep for so long. It was supposed to be a quick nap.”

“No need to apologize. You must have needed it.” His gaze traveled down her body, his eyes darkening at every lowering inch. “I was tempted to join you,” he murmured, his raspy voice sending a frisson of excitement racing through her.

She moistened her lips. “I thought Harriet might have covered me up.”

She hoped.

She prayed.

A faint smile curved the edges of his mouth. “No, it was me.”

She gave an inner gasp. Her bathrobe would have covered her, but the fabric was thin…

“By the way, Olivia, you don’t snore,” he said, his voice silky smooth.

She felt the flush of heat enter her cheeks. “That’s good to know.” It was time to get out of here. “Um, I missed lunch so I might go get a snack.” She half expected he’d want to join her.

But his eyes turned businesslike. “Don’t forget I’m taking you to dinner in town. Let’s make it seven.”

“I’ll be ready.”

He nodded and picked up his pen. “You’d better go get something to eat.”

Before she’d even stepped away to head toward the kitchen, Olivia heard the preoccupation in his voice and knew it wasn’t with her.

She sighed as that strange sense of loneliness filled her again, but she quickly pushed it aside. She had too much time on her hands right now, that’s all. It wasn’t that she was feeling like a neglected bride.

Not at all.

Alex sat back in his chair after Olivia left and tried to focus on his work again, but she unsettled him and he wasn’t sure he liked being unsettled. Never before had he ever let a woman distract him from his work. He was usually able to keep the two things separate. He liked it that way.

Of course, he’d never been married before.