Cinderella's Tycoon. Caroline Cross

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СКАЧАТЬ lips to some silky patch of her and see if she tasted as good as she looked. Wondering what the hell was wrong with him, he impatiently yanked the knot on his tie into place—and nearly strangled himself.

      “There.” Oblivious to his rapidly deteriorating mood, she carefully retrieved her purse from his rigid hands, took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I’m ready.”

      It’s about time. He took a step, then stopped. Reaching over he snatched his hat and the small gardenia bouquet he’d brought off the chair, thrusting the latter at her. “Here. These are for you.”

      She looked at him in surprise, then slowly took the flowers and lifted them to her face. “Oh, Sterling, they’re lovely,” she breathed, her face lighting up in a way that was anything but plain. “Thank you.”

      “It’s no big deal,” he said stiffly, motioning her to precede him down the hall. She gazed up at him, her lips parting as if she were going to say something, and then she seemed to lose her nerve. Squaring her shoulders, she turned and started toward the judge’s chambers.

      Stubbornly resisting an unacceptable urge to check out the sway of her slender hips, Sterling took a fortifying breath and followed, his face grim.

      Just for a second, he couldn’t remember why this had seemed like such a good idea ten minutes ago.

      

      “...and so, by the power vested in me by the great state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

      His official duties fulfilled, Judge Lester rocked back on his heels, clapped Sterling on the back with one beefy hand and said jovially, “You know what that means, doncha, boy? That means you can finally pucker up and kiss your pretty little bride.” The jovial judge winked conspiratorially at Susan, then shifted his gaze to her husband. “Go on, now. This is no time to be shy.” Eyes twinkling, he waited expectantly.

      Gathering her courage, Susan snuck an apprehensive glance at Sterling. Just as she feared, his good-looking face held a complete lack of enthusiasm for the judge’s suggestion.

      Her spirits sank. For all his insistence that she marry him, he’d spent the past twenty minutes acting like the reluctant groom at a shotgun wedding. Curt and unsmiling, he’d suffered through introductions to the court reporter who was acting as a witness along with the clerk, and had only reluctantly made small talk with the judge. And though he’d said his vows in a clear voice without hesitation, he’d done it with all the warmth of a man reciting an arrest warrant.

      It hadn’t exactly been the wedding of her dreams, either, Susan acknowledged wistfully. But then, it wasn’t supposed to be, she reminded herself, absently twisting the gleaming gold band on her ring finger. She was doing this for the baby. Hadn’t she been awake all night, considering her options? And hadn’t she decided that she wanted more for her child than a life on the run or a childhood shaped by a series of court battles?

      Yes, absolutely. What’s more, there were genuine benefits to marrying Sterling. As he’d pointed out, two parents were better than one. Not only would her child have two people to love it, but it would also have someone else to depend on should anything happen to her.

      She also realized that Sterling’s wealth was a plus. While she didn’t care about the money for herself, she realized he could provide numerous advantages for their child that she couldn’t—as much as it humbled her to admit it. And she couldn’t deny that she was thrilled at the prospect of actually getting to stay home and be a full-time mother.

      So she supposed it also shouldn’t matter how Sterling felt about her.

      But it did.

      While she knew it was probably rather foolish of her, deep down she’d cherished the hope that he would be pleased she’d made an effort to look nice for him.

      Of course, she hadn’t intended to do anything quite this drastic, she acknowledged, self-consciously pressing her lipsticked lips together. When she’d hesitantly walked into Cachet first thing this morning, she’d simply hoped to find something on sale that didn’t look too bad on her. She’d certainly never intended to confide to the elegant saleslady that she was getting married later that day. Or confess that her intended was everything she was not—attractive, important, self-confident—and that she wished, for his sake, that she was just a little bit pretty. And she’d most definitely never expected the saleslady to take her statement as a personal challenge.

      But the woman had. Before Susan had known it, the saleslady had whisked her into a dressing room, ordered her to strip down to her undies, then studied her with a critical eye. Murmuring to herself about delicate lines, fabulous coloring and absolutely no fashion sense, she’d disappeared, then returned with an armful of beautiful clothing. In no time at all, Susan had found herself the owner of the lilac sheath she’d admired only the day before, a matching coat, some slacks, two pair of shorts, a trio of incredibly expensive little T-shirts—and some racy new lingerie that she hadn’t had the nerve to admit she probably wouldn’t be needing.

      She’d also found herself escorted next door to the beauty salon. Refusing to take no for an answer, the saleslady—whom by then Susan had been calling Jeannette—had consulted with the stylist, explained what she wanted done and voilà! Two hours later, Susan had emerged several hundred dollars poorer, looking quite unlike her previous self.

      She had to admit that she’d been quietly thrilled with her new look as she’d hurried along Royal’s streets toward the courthouse. At least now Sterling won’t have to be ashamed of me, she’d told herself as she recalled the pointedly reserved way he’d looked at her the previous day.

      Not that she’d done it for him. She hadn’t. She’d done it for herself, because she was starting a whole new chapter in her life and she wanted to put her best foot forward.

      And it was good that she felt the way she did, she thought ruefully, since Sterling hadn’t even seemed to notice her changed appearance.

      “Susan?”

      “Yes?” She glanced up, then froze as Sterling reached out, cupped her shoulders in his hands and lowered his head. Even though his intention was obvious, she was still unprepared for the foreign feel of his lips as they brushed against her cheek. Startled, she gave a little jerk of surprise and tipped her head.

      Just like that they were mouth-to-mouth.

      Susan drew in her breath. The last person to kiss her had been a fellow student her first year of college. He’d been no more than a boy, and it was a toss-up which of them had been more nervous and inexperienced.

      But there was nothing boyish or inexperienced about her new husband. On the contrary, his lips were warm and firm, his hands were strong and steady, and his scent—the same clean, masculine one that had made her tremble on her front porch yesterday—was heavenly. The second she relaxed, she found that being kissed...by him...like this...was really quite lovely.

      With an instinct she didn’t question, she raised her arms and slid her hands around Sterling’s neck. Her fingertips slid over the fine fabric of his suit coat, encountered the smooth cotton of his crisp white collar, then finally found the soft thickness of his hair. She hesitantly stroked it, startled as the kiss became fractionally more urgent. Intrigued, she caressed him again, feeling a shameless little thrill when he pulled her closer.

      Oh, my. Who would have thought that just kissing could cause this explosion of warmth to spread through her? Or that somebody who -acted as forbidding as СКАЧАТЬ