Strategy For Marriage. Margaret Way

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      But life is full of disappointments and preordained events. Callista’s bouquet fell with a soft fragrant weight into Christy’s nerveless hands.

      She saw the muscles along Ashe McKinnon’s clean-cut jaw tighten cynically before two of the women guests grasped her in affectionate camaraderie and kissed her on either cheek.

      “Lucky girl!” They batted speculative glances at Ashe. God, wasn’t he a drop-dead hunk!

      And why not? Ashe had scarcely left her side. Mercedes had berated him fondly for trying to fool her. Everyone seemed to think she was the new woman in Ashe McKinnon’s life. An irony not lost on either of them.

      And so it was that Christy and Ashe McKinnon left the wedding together. Christy heading into very deep waters indeed.

      CHAPTER TWO

      FROM nowhere a chauffeured limousine appeared. At least there were some pluses to being rich. Christy stepped into the back seat. After a moment Ashe McKinnon joined her.

      In the silence that followed, Christy stared out the window, devastated by the whole day.

      “Silly me, I’ve forgotten where you live,” he said in an ironic tone.

      She surveyed him gravely, her faith in life shattered, yet it was he who had rescued her from a very bad situation.

      “Goodness me, and you were thinking of moving in. Number 10 Downing Street.” At least that was a world away.

      “My dear girl they’ve changed the locks.” His black gaze fell on her lovely face, desire lapping in his blood.

      “Then I suggest you try 121 Shelly Beach Road.”

      He lowered the partition window to give instructions to the chauffeur.

      “I feel ashamed of myself,” Christy confessed after a few unhappy minutes of studying the stars. “Really ashamed.”

      “Perhaps you ought to be put in prison,” he suggested in a mocking voice.

      “It wasn’t that serious, was it?” She looked back at him. Why was she with this man?

      “You do this for a living, gatecrashing receptions?”

      “I couldn’t face seeing Josh marry your cousin. How petite she is! Doll-size.”

      “Up until recently I thought she had a woman-sized brain. As for you, you have to get on with your life.” He didn’t want her mourning Deakin. Not for one minute.

      “I don’t want to even think about it for at least forty-eight hours. I had maybe one too many glasses of champagne,” she apologised.

      “That’s perfectly understandable. It’s also the reason why I hired the limousine. I couldn’t drive you myself. Not only do I not keep a car in the city but I’m well over the limit. Three glasses of anything is surely not enough to celebrate a wedding? Even an insufferable one.”

      “I should have known better.” Christy gave a bruised sigh.

      “Indeed you should.” His tone used up a lot of censure.

      “You’ve never made a mistake in your life I suppose?” Christy pressed back exhaustedly against the plush upholstery.

      “I think I hate the way you say that. All my ex-girlfriends speak to me.”

      “I bet you gave them a hard time,” Christy answered. He wouldn’t lie to them. If anything he was too much upfront. “I know some women go in for excitement and danger. It must make them feel more alive. It’s my professional judgment that you’re a dangerous man.”

      “All it might take is a little getting to know me.” He flung out an arm and drew her close to him. His desire for her was blocking out his usual tight control. And he wanted to comfort her. All of a sudden she seemed very vulnerable.

      Christy allowed her head to come to rest against his shoulder. “You know you’re not my keeper.” But he was very masterful.

      “I am for this evening.” He brushed a few glinting golden strands of hair from her cheek. “To be honest, I’m concerned you might go after them.”

      She came upright in despair. “I’ve learned my lesson.”

      “I sincerely hope so.” He didn’t sound impressed. “Your ex-boyfriend and my cousin have only this very evening exchanged their marriage vows.”

      “And good luck to them,” Christy exclaimed disjointedly. She felt so overwrought she couldn’t even begin to describe her emotions. “I do know one thing. I wouldn’t want to marry a man like you.” She withdrew the ruffled hem of her short skirt away from his trousered knee.

      “I hope you weren’t counting on my asking you?” He didn’t bother to control the mockery. Who the hell did she think she was? A goddess?

      “Getting married is the last thing I want to do,” Christy said with the sombre gravity of the betrayed. “Marriages in most cases don’t seem to work out. I know any number of couples who have split up.”

      “Not counting you and Josh?” He smiled grimly.

      “When I think of you a word comes to mind,” Christy said in exasperation. Didn’t he know she was badly hurt?

      “Please don’t say it,” he joked. “I detest hearing rough words on a woman’s tongue. As it happens, I’m not a great one for marriage either. It’s something men have to do to get heirs.”

      She felt the shock. “What a rotten thing to say.”

      He was silent for a while. “Being betrayed isn’t just a woman’s area. Wives and mothers have been known to abandon the marital home leaving devastation behind them. Women don’t have a great deal of difficulty stamping on a man’s heart.”

      Christy was taken aback by the degree of passion in his voice. “You’re beginning to sound like a misogynist.”

      “Sometimes I think I am.” He revealed a white twisted smile. “A reflection of my background perhaps. But to get back to you, Christy Parker, you could be a whole lot unhappier as an old maid.”

      “Don’t use that term,” she protested. “I’m a feminist, I don’t like it. I’m sick of all the words men have thought up to label women.”

      “You don’t think they deserve a lot of them?” he asked with strong sarcasm.

      “Women don’t need men,” Christy said, sexual antagonism thick between them. “I suppose they might need them for an occasional bout of sex.”

      To her complete surprise given the tension between them, he burst out laughing. It was a very engaging sound. There were some things about him she managed to find wildly attractive. In desperation, not knowing what else to do in the presence of this complex man, Christy closed her eyes. Men of his type were new to her. He was too physically and verbally powerful. She was having such difficulty adjusting to everything that was happening. In a few short hours СКАЧАТЬ