Millionaire Mavericks: The Oilman’s Baby Bargain. Michelle Celmer

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      She could see that the prospect of having to beg Lexi to marry him made Mitch uncomfortable. As it should, after the way he’d used her. Score one for good ol’ Dad. And she knew exactly why the senator had agreed to this arrangement. He’d mentioned more than once that he believed Mitch possessed presidential-size political potential. Social status meant everything to him and he would love nothing more than to see his precious daughter serve as first lady to the nation.

      Whether or not Mitch was the least bit interested in a political career, Lexi didn’t have a clue, and the idea of spending the rest of her life married to someone so coldhearted and manipulative—too much like her father—turned her already questionable stomach.

      Yet she couldn’t deny that this could be the answer to all of her problems. Marrying Mitch would give her child legitimacy. Although people—her father in particular—might get suspicious when she gave birth to a full-term-size baby two months early. But she could figure that out later.

      The real question was, could she stand to be married to Mitch for the rest of her life?

      Even if she did decide to marry him, she wouldn’t let Mitch off the hook too easily. She was going to make him work for it.

      “After the way your brother humiliated me, what makes you believe I would even consider marrying you?” she asked.

      “Because I have a plan that will leave my brother looking like the humiliated one.”

      She narrowed her eyes at him, unable to resist taking the bait. “How will you manage that?”

      “It will be leaked that you and I have been secretly seeing each other, and that I seduced you away from my brother that week in D.C. People will be led to believe that you were planning to break the engagement, only Lance did it first, before you had the chance.”

      “And what will make them believe that? What if they think it’s just gossip?”

      “My brother and I will have a very public argument to drive the point home.”

      Reputation was everything to men like Lance and Mitch, so she couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit touched. “Lance would do that for me?”

      “We’ll do anything for the sake of our business.”

      So, they weren’t doing this for her. They were doing it for their business. Her vindication was just a convenient side effect. She should have known.

      Ironically, their so-called plan wasn’t that far from the truth. Mitch had seduced her, and for a short time she had seriously considered choosing him over his brother.

      “Does Lance know what happened?” she asked.

      “You mean that night at the hotel?”

      She nodded.

      “Of course not. As far as he’s concerned, this is a total fabrication.”

      And she could see from Mitch’s demeanor that he intended to keep it that way. That would be tough when news of the baby broke. Lance was eventually going to find out.

      The truth was, she cared little about her humiliation, and what people might think of her. For the baby’s sake, however, she would be a fool to turn down Mitch’s offer. A marriage to him would grant the kind of life that the baby deserved.

      “My answer is yes,” she said. “I’ll marry you.”

      He looked surprised that she would acquiesce so easily. “We should do it soon. I was thinking a small civil ceremony at the courthouse.”

      The sooner—and the simpler—the better as far as she was concerned. So much for the extravagant and blissful white wedding she had always dreamed of. “Fine.”

      “And we should plan a honeymoon. To make it look more authentic.”

      She thought of the nonrefundable trip she had just booked. “I’m leaving for a seven-day trip to Greece the day after tomorrow. Would that be authentic enough for you?”

      He nodded. “That would be perfect.”

      “I’ll have my assistant book you a seat.”

      “And I’ll have mine make the wedding arrangements.”

      “All right.”

      “While we’re away, I’ll arrange to have your things moved into my townhouse.”

      She hadn’t given any thought to the fact that he would expect her to live with him. But of course he would. Married couples lived together. Although the idea of living under his roof made her feel vulnerable. Would he try to run her life, controlling her every move the way her father had? Would she be moving from one prison to another?

      And if so, what choice did she have?

      Mitch must have read her expression. “You’ll have your own room,” he assured her. “You’ll want for nothing.”

      Unfortunately, that wasn’t true. She wanted something he wasn’t capable of giving. She wanted to be loved. She wanted someone to respect and appreciate her for who she was deep down inside. And while he did seem to appreciate what she was doing for him, the love and respect part seemed impossible. Maybe she wasn’t worthy. Maybe that was the price she paid for wealth and security. Or maybe the sad truth was, she just wasn’t all that lovable.

      “You won’t regret this,” Mitch assured her, which she found terribly ironic, seeing as how she was beginning to regret it already.

      “Are you ready for this?” Lance asked Mitch the following evening. They sat across from one another at a linen-draped table in the elaborately decorated dining room of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. It was the most public place they could think of for the desired result. If all went as planned, word of what was about to transpire would burn up the town like flaming tumbleweed in the dry season.

      “I’m ready,” Mitch said.

      It was a little hard to believe that this time tomorrow he would be married and on his way to Greece. Twenty-nine was too damned young to be a husband, to be tied down. Not that he or Lexi were thinking of this as a real marriage. It was a business arrangement. One that would no doubt cost him dearly. Both emotionally and financially. That was evident from the astronomically priced wedding ring she’d chosen. Her expensive taste apparently knew no bounds.

      A grin kicked up one corner of Lance’s mouth. “I’ll go easy on you, little brother.”

      “Don’t bother. Whatever you can dish out, I can take.” God knows that there were many times he’d gotten a lot worse from their old man. “We have to make this look real, Lance.”

      “Don’t worry, I will,” he said, and just like that, the grin faded. Lance assumed a look of pure disgust, and said in a voice loud enough for the entire room to hear, “You son of a bitch.”

      A hush fell over the room and all heads turned in their direction. No turning back now, Mitch thought.

      He held up both hands in a defensive gesture and said in a pleading voice, “Let me explain.”

      Lance СКАЧАТЬ