Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set (85 page)

Cole approached her and took her hands in his. "Does this mean you accept?" Pulling her closer, he leaned in for a kiss.

She turned her head, so his lips brushed her cheek. "Would I be required to share your bed?"

He jerked away, stunned as if by a physical blow. He stood in disbelief, watching her twist the ring round and round on her finger, avoiding his gaze. He cleared his throat again. "I believe it's customary for a husband and wife to share a bed."

She shot him a level look. "It's also customary for a husband to be in love with his bride."

He shoved a hand through his hair. So that's what all this was about.
Love
. He nearly spat the word in his mind. Why did that have to matter to her so much? "I'm willing to take care of you, to give you and our baby a home and my name, to respect you and be faithful to you. What more do you want from me?"

Her chin went up a notch.

Hurt and anger twisted in his gut. "You made love with me when you didn't even know my goddamn name. But you won't share my bed when we're man and wife? Does that make any sense?"

"So, it
is
a requirement."

"Hell, no!" He clamped down on his temper. "No, of course not. I would never, ever—" He took a fortifying breath. "I'm just...just a little surprised, that's all, considering…everything."

She started to take off his ring. "I understand if you want to take back your offer—"

"No!" He laid his hand over hers, thinking furiously. "The offer stands. We can make this strictly a business arrangement if it's what you'd prefer. I can live with that."

Hadn't he just been telling himself that very thing, not half an hour ago?

This would work fine. Regardless of his wounded pride, the fact was, having to keep his hands off her was probably the best thing that could have happened under the circumstances. It would prevent him from getting too attached to her, so when she left him, it wouldn't hurt a bit.

She regarded him seriously. "Are you sure this is what you want? Sure this is worth it to you?"

"Very sure."

"Okay, Cole. You and Henderson draw up the papers." She walked to the window and looked out. "Have him call me."

"How soon can you be ready to move your things to my place?"

She spun to face him, her surprise evident. "You mean right away?"

"You've only got a few weeks to go. I want you settled into my house well before the baby comes."

He saw the flash of consternation in her eyes before she was able to cover it with a carefully unconcerned expression. "I don't have much to pack. I can be ready anytime you say."

He made a show of consulting his pocket calendar, suddenly needing to show her just how little her sexual rejection meant to him. "It'll take a couple of days to get the license and such. I have a hearing on Thursday. How about Friday?"

She laid a hand casually on the exam table, but it trembled against the white sheet giving her away. She snatched it back and stuck it under her arm. "To get married, or to move?"

"Both. That way we'll have the whole weekend to get to know each other." He tossed her a challenging look and hid a smile when that chin came up again. Sure, he'd go along with this business arrangement. But he was, after all, a man.

"Fine by me. Friday it is."

Chapter Nine

Cole grabbed the mail from the box by the driveway and bounded into the house, thinking about what he would wear to his wedding tomorrow. Tanya was insisting on his best Italian suit and hand-tailored Egyptian cotton shirt, but he was concerned that Rini might be self-conscious if she didn't have anything to match such an expensive outfit. She didn't seem the designer-fashion type.

Tossing his briefcase on the floor by his easy chair, he went through the mail. Bills mostly, but one looked personal, judging by the hand-addressed envelope. Settling into his favorite chair, he opened it. Carefully printed in pencil on standard-issue lined paper ripped from a notebook, it read,

Dear Mr. Lonetree,

My name is Jeff and I'm thirteen. I'm adopted. The agency told me last month Lindsay Walker is my real mom, but she didn't write down who my father is. I looked up her records and saw you guys were married the year before I was born, but I called her and she said you are not my father and don't bother you. But I'm hoping you might know who he is. Specially since your Indian. They say I look like one too. I don't want to butt in or be a bother or nothin, but I kinda want to find out where my roots are at, like what tribe and all. And my father. If you care to tell me please call.

Jeff

There was a phone number listed at the bottom.

Jeezus! Poor kid.
Damn Lindsay's hide
. Cole swiped a shocked hand over his face. Who knew she'd had a child? He thought back to the year after their twenty-four hour sham of a marriage. He'd had no clue about her pregnancy, nor had any of his friends, apparently, or he would have heard about it, for sure. But now that he thought about it, she had disappeared for a while. At the time, he'd just assumed her rich daddy had sent her off to Europe or somewhere to make her forget about him—not that she needed any help doing that.

Looking at the letter in his hand, Cole thanked his lucky stars he had been thwarted in his youthful desire for the little tease. Things might be a bit complicated now if there was any chance this boy was his. But there wasn't. There wasn't a single doubt about that.

Between the long drive and the effects of the bottles of champagne after—and before, and during—the ceremony in Vegas fourteen years ago, he and Lindsay had never gotten around to having sex the night they were married. And the next morning, well, her daddy had made sure they didn't spend even a second alone together after waking them up at the crack of dawn.

Not that her father's objections would have stopped Lindsay if she'd had her heart set on sleeping with Cole, but by the time they had arrived home, she had lost interest in him. The annulment, courtesy of her rich daddy, was nearly instantaneous.

Cole shook his head. He had left home to attend college shortly after the fiasco, and then hadn't seen Lindsay for several years. Somehow, he wasn't the least bit surprised she'd gotten herself pregnant and then abandoned her child for someone else to raise. It just figured.

His heart swelled in sympathy for this lost bird seeking his way back to the nest, and resolved to do what he could to make the journey a little easier for him.

Leaning back in his leather chair, he stacked his hands under his head. He remembered all too well what it was like to go through the agony of trying to find out who he really was. Endless red tape at the adoption agency, then that first heart-pounding contact when you were so vulnerable you thought you'd curl up and die if they said they didn't want to know you.

He'd like to give Lindsay a real piece of his mind. What was she doing to help her child? Not much, apparently, since Jeff had written to him. Couldn't she even spare a moment to tell the kid who his damn father was?

He refolded the letter and headed for the kitchen. He wasn't about to get in touch with Lindsay. Not with his wedding the next day. If Lindsay caught wind of it, there was no telling what she'd do.

No. He'd call Jeff and offer to help, and pray his ex-wife left him the hell alone.

* * *

Rini's eyes sprang open and she stared straight up for a moment in abject panic. It was Friday.

Her wedding day
.

"What have I done?" she whispered to the ceiling. "Marrying a man who doesn't love me. The one thing I swore I'd never do!"

Outside, the sky streamed with sunshine and the birds were making a joyful racket in the mulberry tree. What did they know, anyway?

Across the driveway, through Alexa's open kitchen window, she could hear cupboards banging over the hum of an electric mixer. Rini squeezed her eyes shut. Alexa didn't approve of the marriage, but she was determined that a feast be provided for the handful of witnesses to the civil ceremony later that afternoon.

Later that afternoon.
Groaning, Rini pulled the quilt over her head. She dreaded the whole thing—suffering through Alexa's disapproving looks, putting on a dowdy maternity dress to stand in front of a sour-faced judge with a condemning attitude who would stare at her huge belly while reciting hollow words of love and honor. Meeting Cole's family, being forced to smile and make chitchat when all she'd be able to think of was the coming night…

A night that should be spent in the arms of her beloved, making memories that would last a lifetime. A night that she'd instead be spending alone, dreaming of the father of her baby. Her husband.

The man who didn't love her
.

The man she was terrified to admit she was falling in love with.

Taking a deep breath, she flung aside the quilt. This was getting her nowhere. There was nothing to do about the situation. She'd made her bed and now she must lie in it.

Determinedly, she sat up. There were things to do. She'd deliberately left her packing until this morning, so she wouldn't have to think about the coming ordeal. And it was nearly nine. Alexa had let her sleep away the whole morning.

Rini showered and dressed, then packed her few belongings in a cardboard box and two suitcases she'd borrowed from her sister, leaving aside the pastel flowered dress she'd wear to the ceremony. She'd chosen it because it vaguely resembled the pretty little sundress she'd worn to the powwow, a lifetime ago. Not that it would make a difference to Cole. Sundresses didn't inspire love.

And apparently, neither did she.

Packing took all of half an hour. She eyed her bed dubiously. The one thing of substance she owned, it had accompanied her since childhood from her parents' home to college after her dad died, then to her apartment when she'd moved to L.A. from Philadelphia to be closer to Alexa. It had been in a guest room after she'd moved in with David, and now she was destined to follow its lead—residing in a guest room in the home of her own husband.

It needed to be broken down for transport to Cole's house, but she wasn't sure she could manage it on her own. She fetched a socket wrench and screwdriver and spent the next fifteen minutes wrestling with the mattress and box springs before throwing in the towel and texting Alexa to come help.

A few minutes later, her sister appeared in the doorway, arms crossed. She glanced around Rini's room, taking in the suitcases and cardboard box. "So, you're really going through with this crazy scheme."

She straightened her shoulders. "It's not crazy. It's what I want."

Alexa's face fell. "For God's sake, he doesn't even love you!"

Rini flinched. "Look, I know it's not ideal, but what in life is? I'd give anything to be marrying a man who is head over heels in love with me, but that's one dream that doesn't seem to be in my cards."

She motioned to Alexa to help her move the mattress against the wall. "There are more important things to consider now than my own happiness. I have to think about the baby. About having a roof over his head and food in his mouth. Cole's even letting me finish school. He's being unbelievably generous, even if he doesn't love me."

Alexa snorted with wordless eloquence.

"That means even if this marriage doesn't work out I can still provide a secure future for my child."

Ignoring Alexa's gloomy scowl, she got the wrench and started unscrewing the bolts holding the bed together, thinking about her impending marriage. If the worst happened, really, joint custody wouldn't be so bad. She would still be his mother and in his life. That was what mattered most.

But the unbelievable thing was, she really wanted the marriage to work. Cole was marrying her for all the wrong reasons—noble ones, to be sure, but all wrong nonetheless. Still, he
was
marrying her.

Maybe things would work out. Maybe…

She put down the wrench and gazed longingly at the beautiful ring on her finger. Golden flowers cascaded around the simple gold band, sprinkled with glistening drops of faceted diamonds. The swirling petals of the delicate center flower held a large single diamond captive in its middle. It was the most gorgeous ring she'd ever seen, and he'd bought it for her at a time when she refused to see him. When she wouldn't even read the cards that came with the flowers he'd sent. Her heart filled with an unbearable yearning.

She caught Alexa watching her intently, and lowered her eyes. "David was never this unselfish, not even in the beginning when he still loved me. At least Cole's honest about his reasons and his feelings."

She felt a deep certainty that Cole was a better man than David ever thought of being. She herself had seen how kind, generous, and thoughtful he was. And behind the strong, ultra-masculine exterior, she'd caught glimpses of the vulnerable little boy she'd so like to clasp to her heart and soothe away the hurts and fears she sensed he carried deep inside.

Much like the little girl inside herself.

Her sister shook her head forlornly. "I can't believe you're doing this."

"He's going to be a wonderful father. And maybe, with time, he'll grow to love me, too."