Page 54 of Marriage Masquerade

“You and me. So far, only the two of us and your friend Susan know the true circumstances of our marriage. I want our situation to stay that way. At least until I see my father. I've told him what he needs to know at this stage.”

“You didn’t tell Allessandros?”

“No. He may have guessed. I'll tell my parents when we see them. That could be months from now, depending on how soon I get permanent residence status. By then, I expect we'll have resolved our future.”

She drew another shaky breath. By the time he returned home to visit, their marriage could be over.

Except she didn’t want it to be over.

But what did Nikos want?

Chapter Eight

Nikos felt Gemma’s hand on his chest and everything inside him tightened. It was dark, quiet. He was alone in bed with a woman who was his wife. They had agreed to a platonic relationship, which had suited him when they made their unlikely bargain.

Now, however, he wanted to change the rules. Holding an armful of sweet femininity and doing nothing was almost more than a red-blooded man could tolerate. He wanted to bury himself in her, taste the sweet honey of her mouth, feel her satiny skin warm to his touch. Hear her soft cries of pleasure as they explored the heights of passion together.

But would Gemma join him in that exploration?

Or run screaming from the room?

If she remained, she’d probably expect some declaration of love. Wasn’t that something all women wanted? Even if it was only said in the heat of passion?

And that he couldn’t say.

He didn’t believe in the emotion. It was simply words women used to cover up the baser instincts such as greed and self-serving manipulation.

He’d thought he’d found love with Katrina, only to discover the woman he'd believed she was, never existed. Learning from that, Nikos knew women wanted to bind men in the throes of passion in order to get what they wanted—material things, power or prestige.

What did Gemma want?

To be the strongest in a negotiation, a man needed to know what his opposition’s goals were. What was important, what was not.

The key with Gemma would be her baby.

Feeling her fingers flex against his chest almost clouded his mind enough to forget where he was. He grasped her hand, clasping it in his to keep her from distracting him.

“If we continue as we have this past week, I see no reason to end this marriage once the green card is issued. We deal well together. And with Hal to help, you could continue to work after your baby is born, if you wished. Or stay home,” he said, testing the waters.

She was silent. He wondered what thoughts milled around in her mind. She constantly surprised him. Was it because she'd been on her own so long she didn’t react as he expected women to do?

Or was she just cleverer than Katrina had been?

“I know you’re not asleep. If my suggestion is too abhorrent to consider, just say so.”

He hadn’t expected to feel impatient, frustrated that she hadn’t instantly jumped at the opportunity to remain in the marriage.

“No, no, Nikos, it’s not abhorrent at all. You caught me by surprise. I mean, why me?”

“Why you what?”

“You could marry anyone in the world. Why settle for me?”

“First, I cannot marry anyone else right now—I’m already married. And second, I’m not settling for anyone. We've worked well together professionally for years. I think we can forge a strong partnership in our personal lives as well.”

She didn’t answer immediately.

His impatience grew. His suggestion didn’t need that much consideration. She should know by now if she wanted to stay married or not. It wasn’t as if she had other alternatives. Should he remind her of that?

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