The Inconvenient Bride by Anne McAllister Read Free Book Online Page A

direction when he shut the door himself and leaned against it, arms folded across his chest, smiling at her.
    She set down her tackle box and stood glaring at him from the other end of the tiny room. “Well, you can’t. Not here. It’s not big enough.” She waved an arm and practically hit one of the walls. “There’s no room.”
    Dominic shrugged indifferently. “It was your choice.”
    â€œIt was not my choice! I didn’t invite you here.”
    â€œBut you refused to come home with me,” he said reasonably.
    â€œI don’t need to come home with you! I went to dinner with you! I shocked your father for you. I stopped Viveca from marrying you. What more do you want?”
    â€œFifty-three years.”
    â€œWhat!”
    Dominic raked a hand through his hair. He shoved away from the wall, wanting to pace, to move, but there was no room. “Nothing!” he muttered. “Never mind. You’re the one who said it.”
    â€œTommy’s the one who said it.”
    â€œAnd who raised her glass in toast?”
    â€œWould you rather I’d said, ‘Oh, how about six months?’ Your father would really have taken us seriously then.”
    â€œHow the hell is he going to take it seriously if you won’t come home with me?”
    She wrapped her arms across her breasts. “He doesn’t have to know that.”
    â€œOf course he’ll know! He’s probably got someone tailing after the cab right now, just watching. I’m surprised he didn’t demand to see the license.”
    Actually Douglas would never do any such thing—not in public anyway. He wouldn’t want to admit that Dominic had bested him. “He expects us to be together. I’m staying.” He began to loosen his tie.
    â€œStop that!”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œUndressing!”
    â€œYou’ve seen me with my tie undone,” Dominic reminded her mockingly as he yanked it off, tossed it on the chair, then undid the top button of his starched white shirt. “You did very creative things with my tie, as I recall.” Things that, remembered, could still send shivers straight to his groin.
    Sierra turned bright red. “That was then!”
    â€œAnd now we’re married” He arched a brow. “Do you only have sex with single men?”
    â€œI’ve never had sex with a married one!”
    â€œIt’s allowed,” he told her. “When you’re married to him.”
    He finished unbuttoning his shirt and stripped it off, then tugged his T-shirt over his head. The chill in the room was a shock to his heated flesh. He wanted to go to her and wrap her in his arms.
    But all the while she watched him like a fawn caught in headlights. Swell, she was going to turn into Bambi. Sierra, of all people. Who’d have guessed?
    Dominic’s hand went to his belt. She sucked in a breath. He glared at her, annoyed. “Are you going to pretend this isn’t why you said yes?” he asked.
    She blinked rapidly, then swallowed, and he thought for a moment she would deny wanting him at all. But finally she gave a jerky nod. “Only partly.”
    â€œRight.” His jaw tightened. “There was the check, too. The little matter of half a million bucks.”
    She scowled. “The money had nothing—well, almost nothing—to do with it,” she told him defiantly.
    He would have liked to ask what the hell she intended to do with half a million dollars, but right now it wasn’t important. He didn’t care. He wanted another more important answer. “Fine. Then why fight it? It’s what we want. What we both want. Unless you only believe in one-night stands?”
    â€œOf course not!”
    â€œThen maybe you’re a chicken.”
    Her eyes flashed. “I’m never a chicken!”
    â€œNo?” Dominic challenged softly. “Then prove it.”
    For a long moment she didn’t