The Tycoon's Red Hot Marriage Merger by Christine Glover Read Free Book Online

Her mother had been shocked by the news of her hasty wedding to their family’s sworn enemy, but her father had been more than thrilled to take Marco’s money.
    “You want our marriage to look legit.” She broke their contact, then stood. “Rings should do the trick.” Though they would never become a meaningful symbol of their marriage.
    ###
    After they had gone to the city and purchased matching wedding bands, Cassandra thought Marco would take her straight back to the villa. Instead he’d driven along the winding coastal highway until they reached the heart of Mar del Plata’s bustling city.
    They parked near the famous seaside playground’s beach. The shores reminded her of Key West where she’d learned to love and, ultimately, fear the water. The sun had begun to set in the west while reflecting off the yellow fishing boats returning from the ocean with their days’ catches of shrimp, sea bass, and mackerel.
    Large luxurious hotels and apartments filled Mar del Plata. The sidewalks swelled with tourists taking advantage of the late afternoon warm weather and outdoor activities.
    “Did you grow up here?” Cassandra asked after Marco helped her out of the car.
    “I grew up everywhere,” he said, twisting his new wedding band round and round.
    Her muscles tensed and knots formed at the base of her neck. Connecting with Marco was like trying to use an etch-a-sketch to calculate complex mathematical algorithms. Next to impossible. She gritted her teeth, determined to get him to open up.
    “Honestly, Marco, how can you expect me to feel comfortable with you if you won’t even share a scrap of your life with me?” she asked. “Is this how we’re going to spend the rest of our married life together?”
    “This is a professional agreement with sexy side benefits—that’s all,” he said.
    She blew out a breath, then mentally calculated a complex series of convex triangles to calm her nerves before she lashed out. The resulting numbers steadied the rising pitch of her storming synapses.
    “Right now I see zero sexy side benefits. And I refuse to be a cheap piece of arm candy for you to parade around the racing circuit without some kind of relationship,” she said. “We can’t have that if you don’t tell me something about yourself.” Regardless of what had brought her to this point, she yearned for more.
    “I don’t like talking about the past,” he said. “It’s not part of our deal.”
    Cassandra latched onto his words, and recalibrated her getting to know Marco strategy. “Part of our negotiation included making babies.” And oh how she wanted to get him to start that process. “How are we going to raise our children in a household where they feel loved and accepted if we can’t even have a normal conversation about life?” she pressed.
    “You want to talk about life ? Fine. But leave my past out of it. Tell me about yours,” he demanded, stopping in front of a souvenir shop. “What was it like to grow up blue blood royalty of Key West?”
    Her stomach hollowed. Marco’s question hung in the air between them, challenging Cassandra. How could she explain her life when he clearly had her pegged as a spoiled society girl?
    People scooted around them while Cassandra considered her options. She had been an outcast in so many ways. Yet, she had her family name to guarantee her place whether or not people wanted her there.
    She focused on his silver chain and the St. Brendan’s pendant resting just below his throat. Though far from religious, inwardly Cassandra asked the Patron Saint of sailors and mariners to help her navigate her way to telling a piece of the truth. “You want to know what it was like to be in the regatta world? I can tell you in one word.” Cassandra resumed her progress along the boardwalk. “Lonely.”
    “ Lonely ?” he asked. “How could you be lonely when you had the world at your beck and call? Family. Friends. Money. Acceptance.”
    She shrugged. “You of all