A Wedded Arrangement (Convenient Marriages, #3)
Page 21
Lincoln moved closer to her. Way too close. Only a few inches away. He had a habit of invading personal space that way. Summer knew it was an intimidation tactic, and she had to fight not to shy back from him and let him score a victory. He murmured, “Whatever gave you the impression that I have a heart?”
“Nothing. Nothing gave me that impression. Anyone who’s looking for a heart in you is going to be woefully disappointed.”
“We clearly understand each other.” He smiled again, the corner of his lips turning up. Way too sexily. She could see dark bristles on his jaw and down his neck. She could see the thick fringe of dark lashes contrasting with the vivid color of his eyes.
Her heart was pounding. Throbbing. In her chest. In her ears. In her headache.
“We don’t understand each other at all. I’ll never understand someone who can treat his family the way you treat Carter. He’s tried to reach out to you over and over again, and you give him nothing but a cold shoulder.”
“Well, you treat him well enough for both of us, so I feel sure he’s in good hands.” There was a bitter edge to his tone, but it was light. Casually dismissive. As if she were nothing.
Summer couldn’t remember ever hating another person—not even Carter’s father—as much as she hated Lincoln right now. She was shaking with it. She couldn’t form a single word through the tightness of her throat.
Lincoln arched his thick eyebrows. “Nothing? I was hoping for a cold, self-righteous comeback. Only appropriate for a villain like me.”
Her hands tightened at her sides. Her mind was an angry whirl of feeling, but she couldn’t think of a single thing to say to express it. She had friends who could always come up with the perfect, clever thing to say—no matter the state of their emotions—but she’d never been like that.
When she was in her normal, composed state of mind, she could converse like an intelligent, articulate human being. But when she was upset, her mind went infuriatingly blank.
Lincoln let out a soft huff of dry amusement. “All right then. Maybe you’ll have more to say about your upcoming nuptials. I hear congratulations are in order.”
She was so surprised her whole body jerked. Like she’d suddenly run into a brick wall. “Carter told you?”
“He did. Some remnant of brotherly feeling, I guess.”
“Or maybe he wanted to make sure you didn’t do anything to sabotage it.”
“Could be.” He was giving her that mocking smile, and she wanted to scratch it right off his face. “Or maybe he knew I’d try to talk him out of the lunatic plan.”
“It’s not a lunatic plan. It’s a practical strategy for dealing with a problem. It changes nothing.”
“Are you serious? You’ll be married to Carter. He isn’t in love with you, but you’re going to let him marry you anyway so you can hand him your inheritance and let him toss it into the black hole that’s Wilson Hotels.” He was still standing too close to her. Way too close. Despite his cool, arrogant manner, he was shuddering with reined in energy. She didn’t know what it was, but she could see it in him now.
It was making her shudder too. She rubbed her aching head and snapped, “I’m not handing him my inheritance. I’m investing a very small portion of it in a company Carter has spent years working to grow. We’ll be married for a few months until the acquisition goes through. It’s all set up and in the works. Once it’s done, we’ll get divorced. It changes nothing.”
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About Noelle Adams
NOELLE HANDWROTE HER first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she writes full time, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances. For more information, please check out her website: noelle-adams.com.