The Hired Husband. Kate Walker

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СКАЧАТЬ took Sienna the space of a couple of uneven heartbeats to realise that Keir was now speaking to her. And even when she had registered that fact she found herself staring at the fine silver pen he held out to her, unable to comprehend just what he had in mind.

      ‘Sienna,’ Keir urged softly. ‘I need your signature. The document’s all prepared. All you have to do is sign.’

      And then it finally dawned on her just what he meant. Of course. This was what she had promised him in return for his agreement to go through with the wedding, his name on the marriage certificate.

      But she hadn’t expected him to hold her to her promise quite so soon. The ring was barely on her finger, the ink on that certificate barely dry, and already he was pushing her to complete her half of the bargain. She was quite unprepared for how much that hurt.

      ‘Sienna,’ Keir urged again, more forcefully this time. ‘Sign it please.’

      For a second or two Sienna was tempted to rebel. Let him wait for his money! He hadn’t done anything to earn it!

      But then Lucille spoke, and suddenly Sienna found that her mood had changed dramatically.

      ‘So the little bride is bailing you out, is she Keir, darling? What a generous wedding present—I only hope she thinks you’re worth it. But I’m sure you will be—in one important area of marriage at least.’

      Her lascivious tone, the way her eyes gleamed, her pink tongue positively licking her lips, made it only too plain exactly what area she meant. Sienna could only stare, transfixed, unable to believe her eyes. It seemed as if the Lucille she had first met had vanished and another woman entirely had taken her place. This was the real stepmother, then, and she was beginning to understand just why Keir detested her so.

      ‘You always did give great value there, didn’t you, dearest? But I did wonder what had persuaded you to sign your freedom away like this…’

      ‘I’m not signing anything away.’

      Belatedly, it appeared that Keir had remembered the part he was supposed to be playing. Moving behind Sienna, he looped his arms around her waist, fastening his hands together under her breasts and pulling her back against him.

      ‘On the contrary, I’m gaining everything I ever wanted. A beautiful wife, a new life with her, the prospect of a wonderful future…’

      The sensual magic of his touch was working its spell all over again. Already Sienna could feel her body respond to the warmth of his, to the strength of his arms around her, the faint crisp scent of his cologne, so subtle and clean in contrast to the overwhelming reek of Lucille’s perfume.

      Instinctively she laid her head back against his shoulder, feeling his lips brush against her cheek as she did so. In this moment she could almost believe Keir had meant what he’d said. Could almost imagine that this was a real marriage, not the cold-blooded business deal Keir had just proved it to be.

      ‘And naturally you’re besotted with him.’ Lucille turned a look of scorn on her. ‘Well, I just hope you think you’ve got a good deal on this—that he’s worth what you’re paying him.’

      Behind her, Sienna felt Keir’s hard body stiffen in swift rejection. But his face showed no sign of what he was feeling and his hands continued their warm caresses over her arms and tracing the delicate lines of her neck.

      ‘I’m not paying him,’ she managed, her voice rather breathless as a result of the heightened, erratic beat of her heart. ‘Nor am I bailing him out. What I’m doing is making our partnership a financial one as well as a personal one. An investment for our future.’

      She must have sounded more convincing than she had hoped, because against her back she felt Keir’s chest move in a silent, secret laugh of triumph.

      For the first time Sienna felt a sense of unity with him. A feeling that they were both in this together, united against a common enemy. The sensation sent her spirits soaring, and impulsively she twisted in his grasp so that she could brush a kiss against the softness of his mouth.

      ‘Give me the pen, darling, and show me where to sign. I want the business side of things over with so that we can concentrate on more personal matters.’

      In a haze of euphoria she signed her name with a flourish, folded up the document and thrust it back at Lucille, feeling a sense of exhilaration as the other woman took it and deposited it in her smart cream handbag.

      ‘Well, I’ll wish you every happiness together.’ Lucille’s tone implied exactly the opposite. ‘You’re obviously made for each other.’

      It was as the door swung to behind her that Keir moved suddenly and unexpectedly. Sienna found herself gathered up into his arms and enclosed in a bear hug that drove all the breath from her body.

      ‘Brilliant! You were quite perfect! You even had me convinced that you were crazy about me.’

      ‘I did, didn’t I?’

      The warmth of his approval was doing strange things to her. The light in his eyes, the smile that curved the wide sensual mouth were as intoxicating as the fine champagne she had drunk earlier. She felt as if she was bathed in the warmth of the August sun outside, her skin glowing, her blood heating in response. It was a heady, thrilling sensation and she wanted more of it.

      ‘And believe me, sweetheart, if you can convince my dear stepmother you can convince anyone. We might actually get away with this charade after all.’

      Charade. Just one single word but it had an effect like the dash of icy water in her face. Sobering immediately, she felt herself come back down to earth with a sudden and very painful thud. His approval hadn’t been for her, but for the performance he believed she had delivered.

      Charade. Just for a second she had allowed herself to believe there was something else between them, some unity other than the one that linked them as partners in a scam to enable her to collect her inheritance. Something that would make the coming twelve months easier to live through. But she had only been fooling herself. Keir obviously wanted no such thing.

      ‘So, now that’s out of the way we can move on to the next stage…’

      ‘The next stage?’ Sienna’s uncertainty showed in her voice. ’What next stage is that?’

      ‘Really, Sienna, isn’t it obvious?’

      The look he turned on her was one of sardonic mockery, mixed with a strong dose of frank disbelief.

      ‘We’re married, darling. The wedding’s over, the reception’s coming to an end. What’s the logical next move?’

      ‘You don’t mean…?’ Sienna could only shake her head in disbelief. He couldn’t mean what she thought.

      ‘We do what everyone else does, sweetheart. We go on honeymoon.’

      CHAPTER FOUR

      HONEYMOON.

      The word swung round and round inside Sienna’s head as she lingered over a glass of wine on the terrace of the villa, enjoying the cool of the evening after the warmth of the day. Above her head, swallows swooped through the air in pursuit of midges, the swish of their wings the СКАЧАТЬ