Page 4 of Raw Deal

And she would be forced to pay him back.

Now, gazing at her standing there wrapped in his bedsheet, he felt a wave of lust wash over him. They hadn’t slept together last night. He just wanted her to think they had. Then she’d be in the right frame of mind. The fact was, as much as he desired her, he refused to give into the sexual pull between them. He needed to keep his wits sharp in her presence, so she didn’t suck him back in and rip his life apart a second time.

Her bright blue eyes narrowed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He cleared his throat and turned his head. “I was trying to figure out where to take you first. We should go someplace where the announcement of our sudden marriage will have the greatest impact.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Let’s make one thing clear. We are not having sex. Never again. It’s off the table.”

“Agreed,” he said in relief. “Sex would only muddy the waters, and I’ve had my fill of cheap one-night stands.”

“I don’t think you can call it a one-night stand when we’re legally married.”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s a marriage in name-only.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”

“Don’t get any ideas about taking part of my fortune on your way out the door. You also signed a binding pre-nup last night.”

“I don’t want your stupid money, Nik. I never did.”

Laughter erupted from him, sounding hollow even to his own ears. “Right. That’s why I caught you with a half million dollar check in your hand as you were walking out of my life.”

She stiffened. “You lost your right to an explanation for that when you threw me out.”

He folded his arms. “I don’t need or want an explanation.”

No matter what she said, he wouldn’t believe her, anyway.

Verbally sparring with her had momentarily made him forget he was naked. Folding his arms brought the scent of soap to his nostrils. He stripped the towel from his hips without warning and went to his closet. Chloe’s soft gasp teased his ears, but he pretended not to hear it. He pulled a pair of clean trousers on over gray boxers.

“Your mother won’t like it. She never approved of us.”

“She isn’t going to know.” He smiled because he had the whole thing worked out. “She went to Greece to take care of a small business matter. We’ll be done before she returns. When I tell her what happened, she will understand my need for justice.”

“Wait a second,” she said. “They told me you were out of the country. I called to make sure it would be safe to come here with my sister. You set that up, didn’t you?”

He shrugged, having no idea why anyone on his staff would say he was out of the country when he wasn’t. But he liked it that Chloe thought he set the whole thing up. If she was angry with him, she wouldn’t try to seduce him.

He buttoned a crisp white dress shirt. “That’s right. I had my people tell you I was leaving town. Then I asked my mother to take my place at the last second, because I wasn’t feeling well enough to travel.”

Chloe blinked in obvious surprise. “You lied to your mother? Wow. You really have changed.”

Her words ignited his wrath. During their courtship, Chloe had been under the delusion that he was a mama’s boy. She hadn’t understood the difference between caving to his mother and showing her respect. He had always been his own man. It would have been disrespectful to admonish his mother in front of his fiancé, so he’d saved those conversations for later when they were alone.

“You have no right to speak of my mother or our past together. We aren’t a couple. You mean nothing to me.”

A flash of hurt crossed her face, and she mumbled, “Well, that’s something that hasn’t changed. I never meant anything to you.”

He took a step in her direction, automatically wanting to comfort her, but he stopped himself at the last second. She wasn’t hurt; she was just playing the same old game that had trapped him the first time. Chloe knew a quiver of her lower lip or a single tear sliding down her ivory cheek could get a man to do anything. Clever girl.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed,” he said. “Don’t take long. My patience isn’t what it used to be.”

And with that last lingering threat, he walked out of the bedroom to the main living area with a silk tie in his hand. They were in the penthouse suite, his home for the past six years. He had moved in shortly after breaking off their engagement. The beige and black interior suited him, a perfect place to bring clients and the occasional overnight guest. There wasn’t a trace of a feminine touch anywhere to be found. It was a bachelor pad, and that was the way it was going to stay.

He made a silent vow to himself as he waited for his wife.

No matter how innocent Chloe seemed or how much he wanted to take her to bed, he would not fall into that trap. Never again.

---