The Tycoon's Socialite Bride (Entangled Indulgence) by Tracey Livesay Read Free Book Online

I’ll resubmit my letter of intent to Holcombe, who would have heard about our marriage. Once he signs the contract, I’ll sign over the deed for the women’s shelter, and we can get a quiet annulment.”
    He’d considered it carefully and thought he’d crafted a solid plan, one designed to provide as little inconvenience as possible to their lives. There was no way she wouldn’t agree.
    “That’s not going to work.”
    “Why not?”
    Pamela leaned back against a nearby column and crossed her arms. “Where should I start? I’m a Harrington. It’s impossible for me to get married without all of DC society finding out.”
    Her voice had taken on a sterling silver, Waterford crystal, housekeeper-butler-gardener tone. Marcus bristled. He didn’t care about all of DC society.
    Only David Holcombe.
    “My family. My friends. The Senator. If you want to marry me and you want it to count, we’ll need to do this the old-fashioned way.”
    He wondered about a relationship where the daughter called her father “Senator.” The tone of her voice showed she mentally capitalized the word. He couldn’t imagine addressing his mother so formally were she still alive. But then, bluebloods did things differently.
    “I don’t want to waste time. We’re both screwed if he accepts another offer before we can get married.”
    She leaned forward.
    “You’ve heard of the ‘fast, good, and cheap’ pricing model, where you can choose two out of the three options? It’s truer in DC than in most places. We can do it fast and it has to be good, so it’s not going to be cheap.”
    He braced an arm on the column, just above her head, and stared down into her upturned face. “Money is no object when it comes to getting what I want.”
    “Music to a woman’s ears. Especially one planning a wedding.” She sounded out of breath.
    They stared at each other for a long moment. Her lips parted and the pulse at the base of her throat fluttered beneath her skin. With his free hand he touched the tremor. She inhaled sharply and he smiled.
    “I checked online and we have to wait at least three days after we submit an application for a marriage license,” he said, lowering his voice. He fingered a lock of hair that curled around her ear. “If I reschedule a couple of my meetings, we can go down to the courthouse tomorrow afternoon.”
    “Do we have to go so soon?” Her voice trembled.
    He frowned, stilling his fingers. “What part of ‘I don’t want to waste time’ was confusing?”
    She slipped under his arm, putting some distance between them. “Let me say this in a way you’ll understand: we are not the only parties to this deal.” She smoothed a hand down her dress. “This might be the nation’s capital, but DC is like a small town. It won’t take long before every gossip columnist around will know we’re getting married.”
    “That’s perfect.”
    “No, it’s not. Trust me, it wouldn’t look good for word to spread about our marriage before I’ve even told anyone we’re dating.”
    If he breached some societal protocol, he’d have a chance to fix it and save the deal. But if Holcombe accepted another offer before his… “I’m sorry. Timing has to take precedence.”
    “Fine. But I’m only free in the morning. My family is sponsoring a gala to benefit autism awareness on Saturday. I have a meeting with the florist in the afternoon.”
    She wanted him to rearrange his schedule because of her meeting with a florist? And what did it mean that he was considering it?
    “You should come to the gala. It’ll give us a chance to be seen together before word spreads about the marriage license.”
    “Will Holcombe be there?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then so will I.”
    “Great.” She turned and headed for the steps.
    He thought they were leaving and was surprised when she sat down. He settled next to her, so close that every breath he took was filled with her sweet, warm scent. His pulse thundered a primal beat. In front