Wife By Agreement. KIM LAWRENCE

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СКАЧАТЬ explained good old Craig had left his wallet in my car last night. Shocking security,’ he observed mildly.

      ‘What did he say? Did he just hand it over?’

      ‘He said too much,’ Ethan observed curtly.

      ‘About me?’ she asked miserably. She could just imagine what sordid lies he’d wheeled out to justify his actions. She felt sick just imagining that Ethan had believed any of it. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

      ‘Don’t worry, he admitted the truth eventually.’

      ‘Eventually?’ She looked at his grim, hard-edged profile and realised she was being pretty slow. Ethan wasn’t the sort of man people intimidated, but he was more than capable of doing the intimidating if he felt the situation justified it. His next words confirmed her dawning suspicions.

      ‘Craig is now personally acquainted with fear. That was what you wanted, wasn’t it? I forget how long you had in mind, but I always think it’s quality not quantity that counts.’

      His thin-lipped smile made her shudder. This wasn’t the indulgent father; this was a ruthless man—a dangerous man. She’d never actually appreciated before just how daunting Ethan could be.

      ‘You didn’t…didn’t hit him, did you?’

      His charcoal-grey suit was pristine and his silk tie lay smoothly against the white background of his shirt. He didn’t look like a man who’d just been brawling. Her eyes went to his knuckles as his hands lay lightly on the steering wheel—no tell-tale marks.

      ‘Nothing so crude. I just told him what I’d do to him if he ever touched you or any other woman again.’

      ‘And that scared him?’

      ‘You had to be there.’ His smile was savagely silky. It made Hannah shudder. It made her realise how little she knew this man she’d married.

      ‘Are lawyers supposed to behave like that?’ she asked doubtfully.

      ‘I didn’t go in there wearing my wig, Hannah. I went in there as your husband. I didn’t lay a finger on him—of course, if he’d tried…’ He shook his head rather regretfully. ‘I knew he’d cave in. I’ve seen his type often enough—inadequate bullies.’ His grey eyes were filled with contempt as he flicked her a sideways glance. Happily the contempt was intended for the loathsome Craig.

      She looked away and pretended to go through the contents of her bag. ‘It’s all here,’ she said, not actually registering what was before her eyes. The words ‘as your husband’ kept going through her mind. The warm glow was a ludicrous response; she knew he hadn’t meant anything by it. All the same…

      ‘Aren’t you stopping for lunch?’ she asked, trying to sound as if it didn’t matter one way or the other. She’d had a lot of experience; she could hear what sounded like authentic lack of interest in her voice.

      ‘I’m meeting Miranda. She’s assisting me this afternoon.’

      Miranda, the newest recruit to Ethan’s chambers, was everything Hannah would have liked to be. Not only was she beautiful, she had brains which had earned her respect in a male-dominated world.

      Hannah often wondered if Miranda was the reason Ethan didn’t get home until so late—suspiciously late on Friday nights. It wasn’t really reasonable to suppose he remained celibate; he was a virile, attractive—very attractive—man. Even if he was still hopelessly in love with Catherine, he was still human. She knew he’d always be discreet; it wasn’t in his nature to humiliate her by flaunting his affairs. All the same, the thought of him with the beautiful redhead tortured her.

      ‘That’s nice.’

      ‘Is it?’

      ‘I wouldn’t know,’ she said in an exasperated tone. ‘I was just being polite.’ She tried to slip back into their old relationship, and the only thanks she got were his snide comments. There was no pleasing some people.

      ‘Now I know why I married you—for your lovely manners.’

      What she’d done to deserve his mockery she didn’t know. She’d grown accustomed to his indifference over the past year, his occasional irritation, but he actually looked as though he disliked her this morning.

      ‘No, you married me because you wanted a low-maintenance wife who would make as little impact as possible on your life!’ The resentment bubbled up and overflowed into these unwise observations before she could stop it.

      He flinched as the accuracy of her husky accusation hit him. ‘Well, I’d hardly call your antics over the last twenty-four hours low maintenance.’ The unvarnished truth sliced uncomfortably through his rationalisations, and, not unnaturally, made him as mad as hell.

      Ethan had managed to convince himself that his motives in marrying Hannah, whilst not being totally altruistic, hadn’t been completely selfish. She’d had so little and he’d been offering her a standard of living that she could never have aspired to. It was a sound business arrangement. She’d always given the impression of being content. Her affection for the children was indisputable, as was theirs for her.

      Until he’d been faced with the prospect of losing her, he hadn’t realised how much this quiet girl had become part of the household. The part that had given it the first breath of normality and stability in a long time. It was incredible how someone so unobtrusive could make such a difference. Unobtrusive? Looking at the angry belligerence that tightened the soft contours of her face, he decided the label seemed singularly inappropriate.

      ‘If I’d had my way you wouldn’t have known at all about last night. It’s your fault for being an insomniac!’

      ‘Wouldn’t have known!’ He seized on the words as if they were a guilty admission. ‘I thought as much—how many other secrets do you keep from me?’

      ‘Secrets, me?’ The idea was laughable. ‘If I told you everything I do in a day I’d bore your socks off.’ Not like the lovely Miranda, she thought. I bet he hangs on her every syllable.

      The guilt he felt at the most unexpected moments came rushing in and his voice was harsh. ‘So your life’s drudgery, is it?’

      ‘Luxurious drudgery,’ she corrected sarcastically, her outstretched arms encompassing the elegant surroundings of the period-furnished drawing room. A room that was a tribute to the good taste of her predecessor. ‘What more could a girl ask for? And you accuse me of being touchy!’ she snorted.

      He regarded her delicately flushed face, flashing eyes and mutinously set mouth with an odd expression. His stillness made Hannah lick her lips nervously.

      Unexpectedly, he caught her chin in one hand. ‘What’s happened to you? You’re not the same person.’ Everything had been going so well. Why the hell did she have to start acting like a woman all of a sudden? And, even worse, why was he thinking of her as a woman?

      ‘Perhaps you’ve confused silence with lack of feelings, Ethan. I do feel.’

      ‘And what feelings arouse your passions?’ he wondered out loud. His eyes dropped to the rapid rise and fall of her small, high breasts, and a look she’d never seen before slid into his eyes.

      ‘Things,’ СКАЧАТЬ