The Billionaire's Runaway Bride by Elizabeth Lennox Read Free Book Online

well. It became obvious to her that anything less than leaving would seem odd.
     
    They drove home in the car in silence, Sophie sitting as far away from Jason as she could get. She didn’t want him touching her anymore, afraid of where it might lead now that they were alone. It had been detrimental to her concentration while surrounded by acquaintances in a brightly lit living room. It would be devastating to her resolve to stay out of Jason’s arms if he touched her in the darkness of the car.
     
    As soon as the car slid to a stop in front of the house, Sophie rushed out of the car and up the stairs to the relative safety of her own room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she was able to close the door and lean against it.
     
    Looking up at the ceiling, she wondered what Jason thought of her hasty departure but then told herself she didn’t really care. She looked up at the ceiling that was painted with a heavenly scene filled with cherubs in ice blue with silver wings dancing on clouds with golden rays of sunshine. She wished she could be that carefree. If only Jason loved her and she felt confident in that love.
     
    But Jason was only her husband and obviously he didn’t love her. Why had he married her, she wondered. Besides pity, she thought as she carefully unclasped her pearl necklace and walked across the room to her dressing table.
     
    Odd, she thought. Her dressing table was missing her brush and mirror. Perhaps someone had just cleaned things up after she left.
     
    Pulling the zipper down on her dress, she walked over to the closet to hang it up. But as soon as she opened the doors, she gasped in the shock of what she was seeing. Her entire closet was empty. Rushing over to the dresser drawers, she pulled open one drawer after another but they were all empty.
     
    “They have been moved into their proper place, Sophie,” Jason’s deep voice said from behind her.
     
    She swung around, holding her dress in place since it was unzipped. “What are you talking about?” she demanded.
     
    He pushed away from the door jamb he’d been leaning against and walked over to her. “I mean, your clothes and all your toiletries have been moved into our bedroom. We will no longer sleep in separate rooms.”
     
    “Why?” she asked, her breath catching in her throat as she felt his warm fingers lightly brush the bare skin her open zipper revealed.
     
    “That’s an odd question for a wife to ask. Most married couples share a room. It was never my intention to not do that in the beginning. Over the past few months, I’ve realized that I’d made many mistakes. This time, I’m going to correct them. Starting with sharing a room like a normal married couple,” he said and took her hand to lead her into the adjoining room.
     
    “Jason, I thought you wanted your own room,” she said, pulling back from his hand. But he wouldn’t release her hand. When she wouldn’t move, he just put a firm hand to the small of her back and guided her into the next room. “Why are you afraid to move into the other room, Sophie?”
     
    “I just don’t understand what you want from me?” she said desperately, digging her heels in and refusing to move. She looked up into his handsome face and squared her shoulders. “If all you need is a wife, then find a willing one.”
     
    Jason looked down into her stormy eyes with an inscrutable expression. “I think I have one. Would you care to put that to the test?”
     
    “I’m not!”
     
    “Are you challenging me?” he demanded, one hand coming to touch the rapidly beating pulse at the base of her throat. “You know how much I love a challenge, Sophie.”
     
    She stepped back but his hands grabbed her, refusing to let her step out of his reach. “Jason, this is ridiculous!”
     
    His eyes turned angry at that point. “No, Sophie! What is ridiculous is you running away from our marriage without any notice or reason and not telling anyone where you could be found, not