Page 69 of An Inconvenient Marriage
“How does he intend on getting his hands on my fortune?” I asked evenly.
Her shoulders rose and fell with another one of her deep breaths. “Any way he can. He’s been on my case to get your account numbers and he said if that didn’t work… I should… I can’t…” Her tone had gone from sad to panicked in less than a fraction of a second.
The hairs at the back of my neck stood on end, and my blood turned to ice. As calmly as I could, I walked to where she was standing. Placing my hands on her shoulders, I gently spun her around to face me.
“This is a safe space. You can tell me anything.” I was still holding on to her shoulders, so I gave her a reassuring squeeze. “What does Trent want you to do?”
Natalie chewed on the inside of her cheek and shook her head. “Zach, I wasn’t going to do it. I realize now it might look like it… But I wasn’t. I wouldn’t. Oh gosh, this was a mistake.”
“Natalie.” My grip tightened. “Take a breath.”
She did and then took another and another before she was finally calm enough to speak. “He told me to seduce you. He even wants me to lie about being pregnant if it doesn’t happen on its own.”
“What the fuck?”
It was my turn to put distance between us, but not because I was angry with Natalie. No, I directed every ounce of my rage at Trent the bastard Stevens. How the hell could any man sell his own daughter like this?
My blood boiled. So hot, my arm shot out and swiped everything off the dresser. It was only once the perfume bottles and makeup lay broken at my feet that I realized what I’d done.
“I’m sorry, Zach,” Natalie whispered. “What happened between us was real, I wasn’t trying to do anything shady. I swear. I’m even on the pill. Have been since before our wedding day. And when you sent me back here, I didn’t go anywhere near your office. I was never going to do my father’s bidding.” The words rushed out of her mouth so fast, she needed to take a few breaths. That didn’t stop her from adding a broken, “Never.”
Instead of spinning around, I took a moment and let her words sink in. I believed her. Maybe she was a brilliant actress and I an even greater fool. But, dammit, there was a sincerity in her voice that couldn’t have been fake.
Turning, I slowly stalked toward her. The way her eyes grew wider and wider with every step I took had my blood burning way too hot. And when she rolled her lip over her teeth when I stopped in front of her, all I wanted to do was pick up where we’d left off in the living room.
Because nothing this woman had told me made me want her any less. It was the exact opposite. Which also put me at war with myself. Natalie needed someone who couldn’t just give her the world but promise her forever, too.
I wasn’t that someone.
Knowing that, I still couldn’t resist sliding my thumb along her silky soft jaw. “I know.”
She couldn’t hide her surprise. “You do?”
“Every time anything has happened between us, I’ve been the one to initiate it.”
“But I didn’t stop you,” she whispered.
“Yes, thank fuck for that.”
Her blue gaze bored into mine. “You don’t think I’m lying.”
“I know you’re not.” I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Your eyes can’t lie. I see the fear and desperation in them.”
Something in the air shifted. Natalie wet her lips and lifted her chin. “Is that all you see?”
“No.” Starting at the corner of her mouth, I swiped my thumb over her bottom lip. “I see want and desire, too.”
I didn’t know what came over me, but the need to claim her mouth was so strong, I couldn’t resist. Inching forward, I touched my lips to hers and groaned when she opened for me. Kissing this woman was seriously becoming one of my favorite things to do.
The way she melted into my touch and how her tongue eagerly lapped and tasted was enough to drive me to the brink of insanity. And, as always, I wanted more. So much more. I probably would have taken it, too, if a loud rumble hadn’t filled the room.
With superhuman speed, Natalie broke the kiss and jumped away from me. Cheeks stained a pretty pink, she pressed her hand against her stomach and stared at the floor.
“This is so embarrassing,” she mumbled more to herself than me.
Trying to hide my smile was impossible. But who could blame me? Especially when she covered her face and kept muttering incoherent words into her hands.
She was cute when she was all flustered like this.
