Cinderella's Convenient Husband. Katherine Garbera

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      She glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes hidden by a pair of dark glasses. Mystery surrounded her, and Seth wanted to investigate the changes. Would the real Lynn McCoy please stand up?

      “I’d rather take myself.”

      Of course you would, Ms. Independent. She reminded him of his stepmother and sisters. They’d take any challenge but they’d do it in their own unique ways. And he knew he had to respect Lynn’s way of doing things even if it wasn’t his own.

      Reality intruded. She’d said she was going to the bank. More than likely that meant she needed money and the only way she was going to get it was to look as if she didn’t need it. The Jag was a showy car, pricey and elegant; it spoke volumes for whoever drove it without him having to say a word. It had netted him invitations to the nicest residences in Chicago, even though he knew many of those old-money folks looked down on him because of his dubious parentage.

      “The banker will be more likely to listen to whatever you have to say if you arrive in the Jag.”

      “Okay, but I drive.” The haughty look she’d conjured up made him want to kiss her. She seemed untouchable in her upswept hairdo and her fancy suit. He wanted to rumple her up and find the girl who’d let him sleep in her home last night. To find the girl with hair hanging down her back wearing silky long johns.

      Though Lynn’s suit made her look more like the other women he knew, he realized that he wanted her to be different. The thought floored him. Maybe he had an ulterior motive for wanting to help?

      But he knew more than lust motivated him. There was a soft spot in his soul for the McCoys.

      “No one drives my Jag.” He spoke from the gut. The car was as important to him as his laptop or his Swiss timepiece. He wasn’t going to chance it.

      “Now where’s the trust?” she asked softly. Her words cut right through the superficiality of what he’d been thinking.

      He did feel a bit like a child on Christmas morning who’d been asked to share his new toy. “Who’s talking about trust? This car is a finely tuned machine and you’re used to driving that tank over there.”

      “Is it the car you’re worried about or your tough-guy image?”

      He remained unfazed. “Whatever the reason, the result is the same. I’m driving.”

      Deliberately he walked to the passenger side of the car to open the door for her. “What a gentleman you are, Seth Connelly. Too bad I know the real you.”

      Though he knew Lynn had meant her remarks as something else entirely, she’d struck a nerve. “I think the door’s unlocked.”

      She didn’t know the real Seth—no one did. And he’d made it his life’s mission to make sure that the situation stayed that way. He didn’t like Lynn’s innuendo that he was less than civilized. But maybe there was a kernel of truth in her words. Underneath his civilized veneer beat the heart of a warrior, not a Prince Charming.

      He’d never been anyone’s white knight but he was the guy they’d turned to in a fight, knowing he’d never lose. That had been true at twelve when he’d come to the Connellys and it was true now in the courtroom where he won every battle he took up.

      Whether Lynn liked it or not, he was in her corner. The debt he owed the McCoy family was too big for him to not step up to the plate now.

      Five years of military school and six years of college had ensured that he could converse within any circle and not embarrass his family. Lessons from his stepmom, Emma Connelly, on deportment and manners had made sure he was every inch the gentleman.

      “Are you going to check the door?” she asked.

      Seth realized he’d been standing next to the car. He should just turn around, lock the door and drive her to town. He should pretend that her words hadn’t ripped away a scab he’d never known was there. He should not lean down so that her face was only inches from his and her sweet breath brushed across his cheek.

      “I don’t think anyone knows the real Seth.”

      She cupped his jaw in her hand and Seth was humbled by the touch even as it started a series of fires throughout his body and brought the hardness to his loins that had made sleep uncomfortable all night.

      “I do.”

      “Then who is he, Lynn?”

      “He’s a man who’s strong and loyal. A man willing to go to any lengths for those he cares for, even putting up with the tantrums of his best friend’s younger sister.”

      “You weren’t throwing a tantrum. You were right. I don’t like to share my things.”

      “That’s because you’ve never been sure they were really yours.” Her insight was a smooth balm over his aching wounds, and he stood before he did something stupid like kiss her.

      He closed the door firmly and went to the house to make sure it was secured. As he walked back to the car, he tried to tell himself he’d resisted Lynn because she was Matt’s sister. Tried to tell himself it was because she was in trouble and needed his help. But deep inside he knew the real reason—she saw too much of who he really was.

      Three

      Lynn held her breath until Seth drove off of her property, leaving behind the visual reminder of her mistake. She’d trusted her heart to a smooth-talking man from New York City who’d promised to give her the world and share her life. And then convinced her to mortgage the ranch and put the money into a short-term, high-yield fund.

      The only thing Ronnie had forgotten to mention was that he’d be the only one getting rich from her money. He disappeared with her cash exactly eighteen months ago.

      Seth pulled the Jag to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Her first thought was they’d run out of gas. But she soon realized that Seth had given in only to get his own way.

      “We’re not going any farther until you tell me what’s going on.”

      Tears burned the back of her eyes. He’d driven far enough that she couldn’t walk back to the ranch and still make her appointment at the bank. Time was running out. She heard the beating of the countdown clock in her mind and she could scarcely breathe as she stared at the long, empty road ahead of her.

      She felt cornered and betrayed by someone who’d lulled her into feeling safe. The sensation was much the same as the one she’d experienced when she’d realized Ronnie was never coming back. She knew of only one way out of this situation. Actually, two—fighting or telling the truth.

      Seth Connelly might wear the trappings of civilization, might have spent the last twenty years with a silver spoon in his mouth, but underneath the exterior beat the heart of a street warrior who’d seen the seamier side of life. She knew he’d come from the mean streets of one of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods before his mom left him with the Connellys.

      Military school had honed that rebellious boy into a controlled man who knew how to manipulate circumstances for his own good. And though she knew in her heart that he wasn’t acting out of malice, her pride chafed at having been fooled once again by a man.

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