The CEO Takes a Wife / The Throw-Away Bride: The CEO Takes a Wife / The Throw-Away Bride. Ann Major

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СКАЧАТЬ I guess a man like you doesn’t need to worry about the cost of things.”

      A muscle tightened at the edge of his jaw. “A man like me?”

      She hesitated, realizing she’d said the wrong thing. “It’s just that I noticed you left your Rolex back on the veranda.”

      “So?”

      No getting around it now. “Admit it, Alex. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You take some things for granted.”

      “I seem to remember you’ve got one of those silver spoons, too.”

      “Yes,” she admitted slowly, “but I was raised frugally by my grandmother.” And while Olivia wouldn’t call herself in the least frugal, she still couldn’t be so cavalier about things like leaving expensive watches out in the open, or even sandals on the beach.

      A mask came down over his face. “I keep what’s important.”

      Chapter Five

      Olivia stood and watched Alex turn and walk along the sand. His words had been steely and totally no-nonsense—the tough CEO coming to the fore. The hard-hitting man was such a part of him. A woman would be incredibly lucky to have him love her. To be so fiercely protected by him. And he would be fiercely protective. She knew that instinctively.

      He turned back to her. “Coming?”

      His words jarred her from her thoughts and she fell into step beside him. She didn’t want to think about Alex and another woman, so she changed the subject to try to break any tension between them. “Do you come here often?”

      A moment crept by before he glanced at her from behind his sunglasses. “I usually make it for Christmas with the family. It’s good to get away from the city and the December heat.”

      She nodded. “Sounds wonderful.” Oh, how she remembered those long, hot summer Christmases. Her mother had always come home to spend the holidays with her and Nanna and they’d had a great time as a family. Then Nanna had died and the last few years she and Felicia had spent Christmas in LA, and nothing had been quite the same. She supposed that was all a part of growing older.

      “You’ll get to find out yourself this year, Olivia. Christmas is only a couple of months away.”

      His words startled her. “But I usually spend Christmas with my mother.”

      “We’ll invite her here then.” It was more an order than a suggestion.

      “But—”

      “It would look odd if you take off for the States and leave your new husband here during the festive season,” he pointed out.

      “You could always come to LA,” she said, not even sure she wanted him there, though she knew it would seem strange without him. Good Lord, and she’d only been married a day.

      “No.” His voice was firm, his chin stubborn. “My parents will be here and my two brothers. I won’t break family tradition.”

      Something in his tone roused her curiosity. This man was deeper than she’d first thought. And much more family-oriented than he let on. No wonder his father had been able to blackmail his son into getting married.

      Marriage to a man like this would have been a dream come true for her if it had been a real marriage. A permanent marriage. She sighed. It was just as well it wasn’t a real marriage because then he’d want a real family with her and—

      Suddenly he stopped, put his hand on her arm and spun her toward him. She was in his arms before she knew it, his lips against hers, taking her by surprise with a kiss that made her forget they were on a beach for all to see. All that mattered was his kiss. And the next.

      He eventually pulled back, but she was unable to read his eyes. And that was the trouble with sunglasses. They hid his eyes as well as her own.

      She cleared her throat. “Um…what was that for?”

      “Someone’s taking pictures of us. I wanted to give him something worthwhile to report.”

      Her heart thudded to a stop. “How nice.”

      “I thought so,” he said, not seeming to notice her sarcasm as he picked up her hand in a possessive manner and began walking her along the shore, as though she was his girl and he was showing the world exactly that.

      She hid her disappointment. “Are we still being followed?” she asked for something to say, trying to find her mental balance, pretending she didn’t care about being used for publicity purposes while on their honeymoon.

      Then she winced inwardly. What was the matter with her? Their whole marriage was going to be one big publicity event. Could she really blame Alex for taking advantage of that right now?

      “No, I can’t see him. Anyway, forget it for now. He’s going to take our picture whether we want him to or not.”

      He was right and after another hundred yards she began to relax again. The sound of the water lapping against the shore and the feel of the breeze skimming her cheeks eased her concerns considerably. How could she not relax? This was a perfect setting; it would help even the most stressed person to unwind.

      Just then the sun went behind a frothy white cloud, and for a few seconds the world was darkened then just as quickly thrown back into a shower of sunlight. Wanting to capture the scene in her mind, she stopped and whipped off her sunglasses to better appreciate the brighter sunshine and rich colors.

      Her fingers itched. “Ooh, the light and colors are just marvelous. I’ll have to bring my sketchbook down here and capture it all in a design.”

      He took off his own dark glasses, his gaze sweeping the beach in front of them, as if looking at it through her eyes. Then he looked at her. “I’d like to watch you design something.”

      She blushed with pleasure. “I’ve had an idea for some time to put an Australian mark on an international design. This may be just what I’ve been looking for.”

      “You’re quite a talent, aren’t you?” he said, his eyes full of admiration.

      Her heart skipped a beat but she managed a short chuckle. “I haven’t designed it yet.”

      “I have every confidence it will be a winner.”

      She quickly placed her sunglasses back on to hide her eyes, not wanting him to see she was almost made shy by his praise. “Thank you,” she murmured.

      Heavens, she was used to being held in high regard by the rich and powerful. She’d designed clothes for some of the most famous people in the world. Yet this man—her husband—made her self-conscious when he praised her talents?

      Crazy.

      He put his sunglasses on. “Are you ready to go back? I need to get some more work done, I’m afraid.”

      She nodded. “Okay, but I think I’ll grab a sketchbook and come back down while you’re working.”

      “No.”

      She СКАЧАТЬ