‘This is the deal.’ I started speaking, but when she jumped I realised that it was in a harsher tone than I would have chosen, as I attempted to widen the imaginary gap between us. ‘I’ve paid off all your debts.’
‘All of my debts?’
‘All of them… even the electric company.’ I watched her nod as she tried to take in what I was saying. ‘And I need to take a wife.’
‘Why?’ she shot back at me.
‘You understand what it’s like to be beholden to family members don’t you, Barbara?’
She nodded just a fraction.
‘Well,’ I continued. ‘My grandmother, Nonna, wants me to marry to carry on our wonderful family.’ A loud laugh left my mouth at the ridiculousness of it all. ‘I will fulfil my promise to her, to make her happy, but I will never “marry” in the true sense of the word… and without a doubt I will never embrace a family that has my father’s faulty DNA in it.’
‘So, let me get this straight… you want us to marry to placate her?’ I could see the questioning look in her eyes.
‘Yes, it’s that simple.’
‘Marriage isn’t simple, I watched my parents’ marriage come crashing down around their ears.’ Pain overtook her features and I gripped my fingers into the back of the chair to stop reaching forward to touch her face.
What the actual hell?
‘This marriage would be.’
‘I don’t think so,’ she answered and began to sit up again.
I watched as she swung her legs off the couch, showing me her shapely legs, and placed her scruffy looking shoes onto the floor.
She was making to leave.
What felt like panic reared up inside of me. ‘Barbara… You have two choices.’ I deliberately spoke harshly this time, I needed her to understand that what I wanted was going to happen.
‘What?’ Her brow furrowed and her eyes found mine and stayed there for longer than she’d allowed before.
I straightened my back and sat up taller, to emphasise what I was about to land on her.
‘Two choices. Marry me and be my pretend wife for one year or… well the phones on the desk, do you want to call Brody or shall I?’
I let my words rest for a few seconds and then to add my pretend indifference to them, I swung my leg back over the chair I’d been sitting on and moved to stand in front of her, deliberately placing my feet either side of hers and effectively trapping her in. I wanted to make sure she could feel my towering presence while she thought over her choices.
‘I don’t want Brody involved,’ she whispered, and my heart rate accelerated in what felt like excitement.
Again, what the actual hell?
Knowing her eyes weren’t on me I shook my head at myself.
‘One year?’ she questioned and I looked down at her and took in how beautiful her naturally blonde hair was.
‘Yes,’ I replied. Look up at me.
‘Then we divorce and go our separate ways?’
‘Our marriage will be fake, but for all intents and purposes will look from the outside like a real marriage, my nonna won’t be fooled by anything else… But, yes, at the end of the year we will divorce and go our separate ways… I’ll make sure you’re well provided for.’
‘I want… well, I want more.’
‘More?’ I unwittingly reached out and placed two fingers under her chin to lift her eyes up to mine.
The simple touch of my fingers on her soft skin set all the nerves in my hand and up my arm on edge, which took me by complete surprise, when nothing ever really surprised me. Then compliantly she allowed me to gently lift her head until she was looking demurely up at me with her expressive eyes.
‘More?’ My head was screaming at me to break the connection between the two of us, but it was as though my fingers were magnetized to her. I couldn’t release the tiny hold I had on her and even worse the pad of my thumb was caressing her chin gently as I held her.
‘I need help, Nico.’ Her eyes began to fill with tears once again and I exhaled. A woman crying was my kryptonite, it reminded me of my mamma.
‘What do you need?’
‘I need help to beat this addiction. I’ll marry you; I’ll pretend with you for one year, but I need help… please.’
Relief swept through me. Then it was quickly and fleetingly replaced with an edge of disappointment when I reflected that was all she wanted from me.
‘That’s a given; I was always going to get you the help you needed. I’ll employ the best doctor to help you.’ I smiled at her in reassurance. ‘My wife can’t have a gambling addiction; she needs to be above all of that.’
‘But I won’t let you send me away… I can’t be sent away again.’ She started to shake her head vehemently. One solitary tear left her and started to run down her cheek.
I felt my left eye narrow as I studied her. I knew her history, her parents splitting and her family being torn into two, perhaps this was why all the money Brody had thrown at her before to help with her addiction had never actually helped her?
I lifted my other hand and gently brushed the tear away from her cheek with my fingertips.
‘I’ll be with you every step of the way.’
‘Then you have yourself a deal.’
I smiled at her and then placed a kiss gently to the top of her head and allowed myself to inhale her vanilla shampoo.
Standing still and caressing the woman who had agreed to be my wife set off a chain reaction inside me. Something clicked inside my head, my hand dropped away from her chin and I stepped away from her quickly, before thoughts of owning her in every way possible consumed me. That was something that I knew needed to be kept well out of this arrangement. Once my back was turned to her, I strode purposefully over to pick up my jacket from my desk, inhaling deeply as I tried to rid her perfume from my nostrils.
‘Come on, let’s get you home.’
‘My condo?’
‘Yes, at first… as you will have to pick up what you need and I’m sure you’ll want to tell Pearl the good news.’ I shot a questioning look back over my shoulder at her and took in the fear on her face. ‘Then to my home out at Red Rock Canyon.’
‘You know she’ll never believe me and what will I do about Tiger?’ I could hear the sudden panic in her voice and knew it didn’t all stem from the fact she was going to have to lie to Pearl and leave her beloved moggy behind. The realisation of what she’d agreed to do had hit her like a ten-ton truck.
‘I’m sure you can convince her, after all you’ve been lying to her about how bad your addiction was for some time haven’t you?’
‘She didn’t believe that either.’
‘Then we’ll have to try really hard to convince her, won’t we?’ I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of what we might have to do to convince her good friend.
‘You’re prepared to playact tonight?’
‘Technically the sun is rising and it’s a brand new day here in the city, and yes, I’m prepared to kiss you senseless, so you’ll be more than convincing as the blushing bride.’
With her ass still planted on my couch, I watched as she swallowed deeply and felt my hand twitch at the thought of holding onto her neck as my mouth consumed hers.