Willingly Bedded, Forcibly Wedded (Bedded By Blackmail)

by MELANIE MILBURNE

  ‘OK,’ she said. ‘You win. I’ll move in with you but we need to lay down some ground rules from the outset.’

  He slung an arm over the back of his chair and lifted his wineglass to his mouth again. ‘Fine by me,’ he said.

  ‘Firstly, I’m not doing the whole wife thing. I don’t cook, I don’t clean, I don’t iron and I don’t shop, or at least only for myself.’

  ‘I have a housekeeper who does all that so that shouldn’t be a problem,’ he said. ‘However, she will think it’s a bit strange if we don’t sleep together, but hopefully we can think of some excuse to allay her suspicions.’

  ‘Tell her you snore. Lots of married couples don’t share the same bed because of that little problem.’

  ‘Good suggestion,’ he said with a little smile lifting one edge of his mouth. ‘That could work.’

  ‘Secondly,’ she continued, ‘I expect to be able to have some sort of social life if you’re going to continue seeing other women during our marriage.’

  Jasper placed his glass back down on the table. ‘No. Absolutely not.’

  She stared at him. ‘No? What do you mean no?’

  ‘I can’t have my wife having it off with other men,’ he said. ‘I’m a high-profile person. What do you think the press would make of it? I’d be a laughing stock.’

  ‘So what? It won’t stop you achieving your goal of inheriting Crickglades at the end of the month,’ she said.

  His brows came together over his eyes. ‘That’s completely beside the point. No man likes to think of his wife entertaining other men behind his back. It’s a matter of male pride.’

  ‘What about my pride?’ she asked. ‘If you’re off gallivanting with other women how am I supposed to feel?’

  ‘I told you I’d be discreet.’

  ‘What about a compromise?’ she suggested.

  His eyes narrowed slightly. ‘What sort of compromise?’

  ‘How about we both remain celibate for the month?’

  His jaw dropped. ‘You’re kidding, right?’

  She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. ‘Nope.’

  She watched as he raked a hand through his thick black hair before using it to rub his jaw, the rasping sound of his hand moving over his evening shadow making her tummy feel as if someone had tickled it with a very long, soft feather.

  ‘That’s impossible,’ he said. ‘It’s not natural.’

  ‘Raymond doesn’t seem to have any problem with it,’ she pointed out. ‘He says celibacy is an act of worship.’

  ‘Celibacy is an act of madness,’ he said in response. ‘You surely can’t be serious?’

  She held his look without answering, her blue-green eyes sparkling with determination.

  ‘Damn it,’ he said with a rueful grimace. ‘You are serious.’

  ‘Take it or leave it,’ she said. ‘If you can hold out for a month I won’t ask for half your assets at the end of our marriage. How’s that for a deal?’

  ‘It’s like a lot of deals I’ve seen,’ he remarked wryly. ‘They look good on paper but when it comes to putting them in action it’s often an entirely different ball game.’

  ‘If you want Crickglades, then surely this is a small sacrifice to pay?’ she said. ‘After all, you’re asking me to give up a month of my life, so I don’t see why you shouldn’t give up a month of yours too.’

  He studied her for a moment, his dark eyes probing hers. ‘You’re doing this deliberately, aren’t you?’ he asked.

  She fought back a smile. ‘Think of it as long-service leave,’ she said, blushing slightly. ‘God knows you’ve been hard at it for years if what’s written in the press is to be believed.’

  ‘Yeah well, I guess you could say this is one time you can believe what you read in the press,’ he said with a smug smile.

  She shifted her eyes from his. ‘Not that I read everything that’s written about you or anything.’

  ‘Of course not.’

  She tossed her long hair behind one shoulder. ‘I have much better things to do with my time than keep track of your sex life.’

  ‘Of course you do,’ Jasper said, still smiling. God, she was so damned cute when she blushed like that. Why hadn’t he noticed that before? And the way her teeth bit into the soft cushion of her bottom lip, making him want to press his mouth to hers to see if it really was as soft as it looked. He could feel his blood surging in his groin just thinking about sliding his tongue through those pouting lips to taste her sweetness…

  ‘I live a full life,’ she went on, still trying to avoid his dark gaze. ‘A very full life.’

  ‘With no sex.’

  Her eyes flew to his, her face on fire. ‘That’s not true!’

  One dark eyebrow lifted in a perfect arc. ‘But not with Myles, right?’

  She lowered her eyes. ‘I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ she said, chewing her bottom lip for a second or two.

  ‘I was beginning to wonder,’ he said. ‘But then I reminded myself you’re twenty-eight years old. You must have done the deed with someone or several someones even if it wasn’t with Myles.’

  ‘It’s really none of your business.’

  ‘I guess not.’

  Hayley wished she had a long list of lovers to brandish in his face, but the truth was there had only been the one and the experience had not exactly been one she’d been keen to repeat. She had felt immensely sorry for Warren Porter, who had fumbled his way through the encounter with too little finesse and far too much haste when they were both nineteen. He had apologised profusely when it was over, his face showing his shame at not being able to pleasure her sufficiently. She had patted his arm reassuringly, and, feeling more like his mother than his girlfriend, had told him she wasn’t really ready for a serious relationship and that it wasn’t his fault at all.

  Somehow Hayley couldn’t imagine Jasper Caulfield leaving any one of his lovers high and dry. He positively oozed sexual potency through every pore of his olive skin. His dark come-to-bed eyes were an incredible temptation, not to mention his sensual mouth that would surely make mincemeat of any woman’s resolve to resist him. Just sitting opposite him sharing a meal had pushed her way out of her comfort zone. She could feel her skin reacting to his proximity, all the fine hairs on the back of her neck lifting every time those were-they-black-were-they-brown eyes connected with hers.

  Her gaze dipped to his mouth and she swallowed as she saw his tongue snake out to taste the last of his wine off his lips. She could almost sense what his mouth would feel like on hers: it wouldn’t be fumbling and awkward like Warren’s, neither would it be the quick peck of greeting and farewell Myles had drifted into the habit of giving her lately. Jasper’s mouth would be sensually commanding, his tongue determined as it mated intimately with hers.

  ‘Would you like another glass of wine?’ he asked into the stretching silence.

  ‘Um…no…I think I’ve had more than enough,’ she said pushing her glass away.

  ‘You do look a little flushed,’ he observed. ‘What about dessert? Do you still have a sweet tooth? I seem to remember you had a bit of a thing for chocolate in the past.’

  She grimaced in memory of her teenage binges. ‘Only when I’m feeling a bit depressed.’

  ‘So what about now?’

  ‘What about now?’ she asked.

  He gave her a quizzical look. ‘You’re not feeling depressed?’

  ‘No. Why should I?’

  He looked at her for three or four pulsing seconds, his expression contemplative. ‘Mmm…seems I was right,’ he said musingly. ‘You couldn’t possibly have been in love with Myles. Isn’t he worth a big chunk of Mississippi Mud Cake at the very least?’

  Hayley sucked in her tummy and reached for the dessert menu perched between them. ‘You’re right,’ she said with a defiant toss of her head. ‘To hell with the calories; it’s not as if I have to look fabulous on my wedding day now.’

  He laughed, the deep, ric
h rumble doing far more damage to Hayley’s tummy than any amount of Mud Dake could ever do.

  ‘That’s my girl,’ he said, winking at her. ‘You always were a pushover when it came to temptation.’

  She bent her head to the menu again, doing her level best to ignore the racing of her heart at the thought of being tempted by him on a daily basis for a month.

  Four weeks living with him—alone.

  How on earth was she going to stand it?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘YOUR FIANCÉ IS here to see you,’ Lucy informed Hayley a week later.

  Hayley looked up from the paperwork she’d been trying to sort out for the last hour. ‘Myles?’

  Lucy’s brows lifted slightly. ‘Er…actually, no…’ she said. ‘The new one: the gorgeous totally sexy and irresistible Jasper Caulfield one.’

  Hayley felt her colour begin to rise and lowered her gaze back to the accounts and shuffled them absently. ‘Oh, that one…’

  Lucy perched on the edge of Hayley’s desk. ‘Are you really going to go through with it?’ she asked. ‘I mean, a marriage of convenience is still a marriage, right?’

  ‘Only on paper.’

  Lucy looked doubtful. ‘You reckon you and he won’t be tempted somewhere along the way to make it a real one?’

  ‘Absolutely not,’ Hayley insisted, wondering if she had answered a little too quickly and adamantly to be convincing. The truth was she hadn’t slept properly for days thinking of what she had agreed to in entering a temporary marriage with Jasper. But as far as she saw it there really wasn’t much choice in the matter. She’d run her own checks and found out he did in fact now own the entire block of real estate where her salon was situated, which meant his threats of a hefty rent increase were now disturbingly real.

  ‘Have you told anyone apart from me that it’s not going to be a proper marriage?’ Lucy asked.

  ‘No, and I’d appreciate it if you kept it a secret for as long as possible. I don’t want Myles to find out. I want to grind his pride in the dust like he did to me. God, when I think of that woman—grrrrrr!’

  ‘You know, I never did think he was right for you,’ Lucy said examining her French manicured gel nails for a moment.

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  Lucy’s expression was serious when she returned her gaze to Hayley’s. ‘I know you probably don’t want to admit it, but ever since I met you when we started at the beauty academy together you’ve been craving security. I guess it comes from never having a father and your mum being so…’ she blushed faintly and went on ‘…well, you know what I mean. You’ve told me enough about her for me to know how hard it was for you growing up with her flitting between unsavoury men all the time. Myles was more like a father-figure to you than a life partner.’

  Hayley gave her bottom lip a little nibble before releasing a tiny, barely audible sigh. She wasn’t sure she needed her best friend to agree so harmoniously with her worst enemy. ‘I’d better go and see what Jasper wants,’ she said rising to her feet.

  ‘You know, I’m really starting to like him,’ Lucy said. ‘Apart from his great looks he seems to have a brain instead of an ego between his ears.’

  Hayley gave her a wry glance. ‘He’s certainly got an ego, but I can assure you it’s definitely not between his ears.’

  Jasper looked up from the magazine he was reading when Hayley came out to Reception. He tossed it to one side and got to his feet, his sudden increase in height making her feel minuscule in spite of her three-inch heels.

  ‘Hi, sweetheart,’ he said. ‘Fancy a quick coffee with your favourite fiancé?’

  ‘I’ve got clients booked all afternoon,’ she said, surreptitiously placing her right hand over the appointment book where her afternoon had been blanked out so she could see to the most pressing accounts.

  He picked up her hand and, turning over her palm, pressed a kiss on the sensitive underside of her thumb, his dark eyes holding hers like a powerful magnet. Hayley felt her stomach drop like an out-of-control elevator, her legs turning to water as his tongue came out and tasted the centre of her palm.

  ‘Mmm…what’s that flavour?’ he asked, sniffing her palm.

  ‘Um…’ She sucked in a prickly little breath. ‘It’s probably vanilla hand cream…’

  He released her hand and looked down at the appointment book. ‘Well, what do you know?’ he said. ‘You’ve got the whole afternoon free. Lucky me.’

  ‘I’m supposed to be doing paperwork,’ she said, tightening her mouth.

  ‘It can wait. I have something to give you.’

  ‘You can give it to me here,’ she said.

  ‘What I want to give you demands absolute privacy,’ he insisted.

  Her eyes widened a fraction. ‘I hope you’re not getting any funny ideas about our relationship,’ she said, gripping the counter to steady herself from the onslaught of his smouldering dark gaze.

  The door pinged open behind him and Hayley had to strip the glare off her face and smile past Jasper’s broad shoulder as one of Lucy’s regulars came in. ‘Hello, Mrs French,’ she said. ‘I—I’ll just let Lucy know you’re here.’

  Mrs French smiled up at Jasper as Hayley went out back. ‘You must be Hayley’s new fiancé. I’ve heard all about you. I must say you’re a big improvement on the last. I thought he was far too old for her.’

  Jasper smiled down at the older woman. ‘I’m very glad you approve.’

  ‘Oh, I do,’ Mrs French said. ‘That dear girl needs a man with a bit of get up and go in him. It always seemed to me Myles Lederman’s get up and go got up and went a long time ago.’

  Hayley came back out to hear Jasper chuckling with amusement and sent him a cold little look as Lucy ushered her client through to the treatment room.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ she asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ he said, still smiling.

  She pursed her mouth at him again. ‘Let’s get this over with,’ she said, and retrieved her bag from beneath the front counter. ‘But I can’t be away long. Lucy’s fully booked and our part-time receptionist is off today.’

  ‘This won’t take long,’ he said, and led her out to his car parked outside.

  Hayley strapped herself into the seat belt, trying not to notice how very close his muscular thigh was to hers with only the gear stick to separate them.

  She felt herself being thrown back in the seat by the G-force of the car as it surged out of the parking space and she clutched at the arm-rest in alarm. ‘Do we have to go so fast?’ she gulped as he shifted his way through the gears.

  He flicked a playful glance her way. ‘You said you were short of time.’

  ‘You don’t have to break the speed limit.’

  ‘I won’t break any rules,’ he said, and turned back to the traffic, ‘or at least not unless I’m tempted way beyond my endurance.’

  She turned in her seat to look at him. ‘What on earth do you mean by that?’

  He gave her one of his enigmatic smiles. ‘Just don’t tempt me, baby girl,’ he warned. ‘Otherwise you might find yourself flat on your back with me showing you just how good my get up and go is.’

  Hayley felt the scorch of embarrassment firing in her cheeks. ‘You wouldn’t dare!’

  ‘You know all about me and your little dares,’ he said.

  ‘We made an agreement,’ she reminded him tersely.

  ‘I know, but the way I see it living together is going to test that agreement to the limit.’

  ‘I don’t see how since you made it perfectly clear you’re not the least bit attracted to me.’

  His gaze swung back in her direction. ‘You’re not my usual type. However—’

  ‘Why? Because I’ve got a brain?’ she cut him off scornfully. ‘Your last three girlfriends had shoe sizes bigger than their IQ’s.’

  ‘So you’ve been doing a little research on me, have you?’ Jasper asked with a secret smile.

  She gave him a disgusted look. ‘You’ve been describe
d in the press with three s words: shallow, self-serving and sexy.’

  ‘Well, there you go,’ he said. ‘At least you know what you’re getting in a husband.’

  ‘You’re not going to be my husband, not really.’

  ‘That’s another thing I’ve been thinking about,’ he said. ‘Have you told anyone our relationship is not the real deal?’

  She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ‘I told Lucy because she’s a close friend, but that’s all.’

  ‘Good. I think it’s best if we maintain an illusion of normality. For one thing you don’t want your ex-fiancé to suspect anything’s amiss, and secondly I have a big property negotiation I’m working on in the Southern Highlands. The couple who own the land I’ve got my eye on are pretty old-school. They’ve been married for fifty-odd years and don’t want to sell their land to just anyone. They’ve been cagey about the deal for weeks but as soon as they heard I was engaged their entire attitude changed towards me. They even want to meet you.’

  Hayley looked at him in consternation. ‘Do you think that’s a good idea? I mean, I’m not sure I’ll be able to be that convincing.’

  ‘It’ll be a pushover,’ he reassured her. ‘All you have to do is gaze up at me adoringly like you used to do when you were a teenager.’

  Hayley found her memory drifting back to when the five years that separated them had seemed such a huge amount of time compared to now. She had still been sleeping with her collection of soft toys while he had been sleeping with any number of local girls, his reputation as a bad boy spreading far and wide. He had been in and out of trouble so many times she suspected he had done it deliberately to punish his father for having left his mother for hers.

  When Kathryn Caulfield had been killed in a car accident a few weeks after Gerald had married her mother, Eva, Jasper had disappeared for months on end, cutting off all contact with his father.

  Jasper brought the car to a halt and came around to open the door for her. ‘Welcome to what will be your home for the next month,’ he said.