Contract for Marriage

by Barbara Deleo

  “Let me take a look at that back. Hormones often cause tendons to loosen in pregnancy and you can experience some pain.”

  She sucked in a breath, the alpine clean smell of him invading her in waves as he moved closer. “How do you know about muscles and pregnancy?”

  He was within a foot of her, his slightly smiling mouth the only thing she could concentrate on. Why was he looking at her like that, as if she were a flower that needed rearranging, the star that needed straightening on the Christmas tree? He was unwrapping her, looking past her, and seeing right inside to where her heart beat out of time.

  Siphoning in a breath, she struggled to stay still, but the next five minutes flashed through her mind. Christo was going to touch her. With his practiced hands he was going to unlock her memories of his body, and she didn’t know if she could trust what her own body would do in response.

  Chapter Four

  Christo moved closer, his demeanor as calm as when she first stepped in the room. He seemed unconcerned by the announcement of her pregnancy, disinterested even—as if it changed nothing between them.

  “When I left university I opened an exclusive private gym with trainers, physiotherapists, and masseurs. I’d worked in gyms to pay my way through my degree, so I knew what I wanted.” His deep and husky voice was directly behind her, and fine hairs across the back of her neck rose. “It took me three years to build businesses across Australasia. Then I put the gyms in exclusive resorts, bought the resorts, and then started to buy the land around them. It all started with a gym.”

  He’d worked his way up? She fought to hide her surprise. “Did you have backing?”

  Lead-bound sincerity laced his words. “Hard work’s what got me where I am, Ruby. That and the first-hand experience of having my health compromised. Assisting people to stay in optimal health is important.”

  His voice was closer now, and Ruby’s breath caught heavily in her throat and she searched for a distraction. “Won’t the toast be ready?”

  Carefully, he lifted the hair that trailed over her back and laid it over her shoulder, his hand resting on the light fabric of her cardigan for an exquisite second. “This won’t take a minute.”

  Instantly, the muscles in her spine were rock hard. Anticipation of him touching her again filled every blood vessel, every cell. Words of refusal clotted in her throat and the air around her sparked.

  Was he trying to unhinge her? Perhaps he could see the awakening that beat in her body each time he drew nearer. Maybe now he knew the stakes, he was pulling out his trump card—the knowledge that he could cause her to lose all sense with his touch.

  Her mind commanded her lips to move in protest, but her body rebelled. Just one more time. Feeling his hands on her skin once more might rid her of the intoxicating memory the years hadn’t erased.

  The moment he laid his hand on her shoulder she felt as if she could lift off the chair. None of her concerns about what he could do to her counted as he began to tease her muscles, manipulate her body. She wanted him to say something, break the spell he’d cast when his skin connected to hers again, but all rational thought had fled. In the silence of the kitchen his fingers probed and smoothed, sending waves of warmth throughout her brittle body.

  “Do you mind?” His voice was rich as he lifted her cardigan from her back so her thin singlet beneath was exposed, and the vision of him doing that once before floated through her mind. Only then he’d made short work of losing her singlet too. “I’ll be able to get at the muscle better without so much distance.”

  Unable to move or answer, Ruby let him peel the cardigan from her arms and as she sat vulnerable on the stool, having the solid presence of him so near, his skin within touching distance caused her heartbeat to spike.

  Along the hills and valleys of her spine, his fingers worked their magic, releasing tension from not only the muscles at the surface, but a secret part deep within her. And as he worked, something else was happening. Her nipples were grazing the cups of her bra, aching in expectation of being touched, kissed…just a slide of his hand and he could feel it for himself.

  Did he know what he was doing to her? Could he feel the vibrations from her body teasing his fingers? Maybe he was doing this to drive her wild.

  “The toast…” Her words came out in a rasping whisper.

  Still his fingers probed her back, so Ruby tilted her head and forced insistence into her voice. If he didn’t stop now… “Thank you, Christo.”

  He removed his hands and her skin instantly chilled. “Steven will come this afternoon.” He spoke lazily, as if what he’d done was the most natural thing in the world. It probably was, getting what he wanted through charm and seduction. “He’ll show you some preventative measures as well. It’s important your body’s supple and relaxed for the baby.”

  He stepped away and although relief seeped into her mind, the desire to have him touching her again pulsed deep.

  “Thank you.” She flexed her shoulder, numb with the warmth and pressure of his hands. “It feels good.” She sat straighter in the chair, dragging her cardigan back on and trying to bring her heartbeat under control. “You can see how being pregnant changes things for me,” she managed. “I want to bring my baby up in the house that’s been in my family for generations. I want us to pick apples from the orchard together as I did with my grandmother. Scratch my child’s height on the old stable door as my mother did for me.” She placed a protective hand on her belly. “I’m sorry, but that’s why I can’t let you have this house.”

  He moved around the side of the counter and pulled two plates from a cupboard. “It doesn’t change anything. Your generational home hasn’t been important to you for the last decade. I can buy you and your baby a much more suitable house. Modern and warm, without a swimming pool and child hazards. I’d say you having a baby’s a very good reason for not staying alone in this house.”

  Even as her body still throbbed with the remains of his touch, disbelief at what he was saying took over. “So my being pregnant doesn’t change things for you? It changes things for me. If you’d asked me a few months ago I never would’ve dreamed I’d feel so strongly about a place. But now…with my parents gone and this life growing inside me I want to feel connected to my home again. It’s very important to me, Christo.”

  He placed the toast on the plates and spooned out eggs. “As I said, I think your pregnancy gives us more options.”

  She nibbled the inside of her cheek and took her time before answering. “And if we still don’t reach an agreement?”

  He nodded slowly, his gaze snaring her once more. “We’ll reach an agreement.”

  The final remnants of pleasure her body had held were gone in an instant as her blood chilled.

  He passed her the plate and a knife and fork. Her appetite had vanished.

  “You won’t want this situation dragged on any longer either,” he said, loading the deep yellow eggs onto his fork. “Settling well before the baby’s birth is important. Indecision and uncertainty won’t help anyone.” She watched, mesmerized, as the fork slid into his mouth.

  Steadying her own fork, she paused until he’d turned back to face her, a conversation from last night suddenly occurring to her again. “The party on Friday night. We’ll need to come to an agreement today so you can go.”

  “If we need a few more days to negotiate then you’ll come with me to the ball.”

  Her fork wobbled. Being on public display as Christo’s date was not what she needed right now. “What makes you think I’d do that?”

  He shrugged and then tossed her a powerful smile. “I accompanied you last night. The least you could do is offer me the same consideration.”

  So he had it all planned. Knew how he could keep her trapped. She couldn’t wait to get to the lawyer’s office to find a way to end this nightmare.

  …

  Sun strike from the harbor beyond the lawyer’s window singed Christo’s eyes, and he twisted in his seat to focus better on
the conversation beside him. This discussion was going nowhere fast and it was time he put an end to it.

  “There is no more money,” Tim, the lawyer, was saying to Ruby. “Your father had been living beyond his means for years before he died—making sure your mother had no access to his money—and left huge debts. I assume you received nothing when he died.”

  Ruby’s gaze swung to Christo and the burst of pain across her face caused his chest to tighten. “No,” she said. “I assumed he left everything to Mum and that when she died the entire estate would be left to me.”

  “Your mother wasn’t negligent in her duty of care toward you,” Tim said, “because she’s given you a significant share of what she had left. The house.”

  “But where did the money go?” Ruby asked, her slim fingers clasped across the desk. “Mum must have had money to maintain the house and pay her housekeeper.” She shook her head. “And a whole new wing’s been added to the house. Where did that money come from?”

  Christo shifted in his seat as Tim shuffled some papers. Antonia hadn’t had money to pay his mother or maintain the house in years, but he’d been the only other person who knew. And he’d been the one who’d rectified it. They needed to move away from that line of questioning as quickly as possible.

  “I guess we’ll never find out,” the lawyer said. “What we do know is that you have a claim to half of the house, as does Mr. Mantazis.”

  “I can’t believe she did this. It seems so…impossible.” She perched on the edge of the office chair, a loose dress in deep pink tones flowing across her hips and showcasing toned calf muscles. Her hair that had swung wild and free last night was held tight in a vicious twist, and the prospect of tilting that head back and releasing more than just her hair flared through Christo’s veins. His hands still held the memory of her body beneath his touch this morning, and the rest of him burned for the privilege.

  “We can move to mediation if you wish.” Tim moved from where he’d been pacing in front of the window and sat back in his seat. He seemed to be hitting the main point now so Christo waited. “Your mother has left Christo half of the house, and unless you can come to some sort of agreement there’s going to be a stalemate. And if you’re suggesting that there was something untoward in the writing of your mother’s will, some sort of duress…”

  Ruby held a hand to her face and began twisting a delicate gold ring on her finger. Probably one of her own stylish creations. God, she was beautiful. To think that she was going to be a mother in a few short months. How fortunate she was. Lately Christo had found himself pondering what he’d miss out on, not being a father. For so many years he’d brushed it aside, tried to convince himself being childless didn’t matter, but more and more he felt the loss as a physical pain.

  “No, no, I’m not suggesting there’s anything untoward,” Ruby was saying. “It’s just such a surprise that I have to share the house, and there’s no money to help buy the other half even if Christo agrees.” Her brow furrowed deep, and she drew her tongue across her top lip, causing a bullet of desire to shoot through Christo’s center. If he were just doing this for sport he’d be happy enough to sit here all day watching her intoxicating face—the way she nibbled her lip, her bottom shifting on the office chair—but this wasn’t about him and it was time their little game was over. If Tim didn’t suggest a new offer now, then he would.

  Ruby’s voice strengthened. “But what about my child? Doesn’t the fact I’m having a baby make a difference to either of you?” A new fire flared across her face. He noticed it whenever she talked about her baby, and as her chin tilted up that heat seemed to transfer itself to his body. He couldn’t prevent a new image looping through his head, of having that fire, that intensity, turned on him in a moment of passion. Shifting in his seat, he focused more squarely on the conversation.

  Tim looked grave. “I appreciate this is a difficult time for you, Ms. Fleming, but the fact is your mother wasn’t aware of any other beneficiaries.”

  Christo cleared his throat. “Appropriate recompense for your share of the house can still be negotiated.”

  While Ruby’s gaze swung skyward, Tim stood. His tone was hushed as if finally he was on her side and he turned pointedly toward Christo. “Yes, perhaps you need to consider compensating Ms. Fleming more fully for what she would be losing in this arrangement, Mr. Mantazis. The house is, after all, an historic building on the city’s golden mile which has never been to market. You certainly can’t expect her to give it away to you. Given there is no other financial endowment from her mother’s estate, she’ll find it difficult to support herself and a baby in the interim…”

  Ruby twisted her body toward Tim, a frown marring her forehead. Christo slipped a hand in his pocket then made his move. Reaching across the space separating them, he handed her a check, this time with nothing on it but the signature he’d scrawled in the corner this morning. “You’re right, of course, Tim. Pick a number, Ruby, anything you like, and then double it. Bank the check today and you can leave as soon as you’re ready. Add on enough to support yourself and your child as long as you need to. It’s the best outcome.”

  Ruby’s azure eyes transformed to perfect orbs and then they radiated fury. “You want to buy me, Christo?” Her voice was frozen steel. “You think you can buy my future, my baby’s birthright, and dictate the end of my family’s history in that house? My great-great-grandfather built that house with kauri logs he’d hauled from the bush.” Her fingers knotted together in her lap. “He started Fleming Press from the front room and—” Her eyelashes fluttered. “You’ve no idea, Christo, no idea what the best outcome for me and my child is.”

  She cut the air with her outstretched arm as she brushed the piece of paper away, a double strand of tiny pink pearls around her wrists chattering with the movement.

  Christo flicked his gaze to Tim and the lawyer stepped forward. “I feel it would be best if I gave you a moment alone. Without my presence you might be able to gain a little more clarity.” He sifted through a pile of papers on his desk and handed her a small white envelope. “Your mother asked that this be given to you on her death. I briefly discussed its contents with her when we last spoke and she assured me it would have no bearing on the will itself. However, it might help with some perspective.”

  She flung a fiery look at Tim’s back as he headed for the door, and she clutched the envelope tight.

  Christo wasn’t expecting any surprises in the envelope. Antonia had mentioned that she wanted to explain some things she couldn’t tell Ruby to her face, but it would be best to divert her attention away from it for now. They had a far more important issue to tackle. “You need to make a decision, Ruby.”

  When it was just the two of them in the palatial office, she stood and faced him, her face pale under her olive skin. “I want this to stop, Christo. I want this bickering and backward and forward to stop. I want to live in my home with my baby, with your mother if she wants to be there too. I don’t know how I’ll manage, but I will. I’ll find a way to pay you for your half.”

  The anguished set of her body caused him to lean closer in his seat until he could smell fresh flowers and a cool summer’s evening on her skin. An image of her in that house, with her baby—with him—burned itself behind his eyes. “I don’t want to hurt anyone,” he said calmly, despite the strange mix of confusion and concern cycling through him. “That’s not what this is about.”

  He watched as her eyelids slowly lowered, and he curled his fingers into private fists to prevent himself from reaching out.

  And then a solution came to him. A solution so simple and so sublime he had to think it through again to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. The perfection of it caused a smile to pull his mouth before he could stop it. He rose from his chair.

  Slowly her eyes drifted open and the glossy blue of their depths pulled him in, made him move to close the gap between them further.

  “Marry me.”

  Her sharp intake of b
reath cut the air.

  “Marry you?” She spoke the words slowly and all he could concentrate on was the swell of her lips as she said them.

  He stepped an inch closer and she tilted her head to look up at him. Her lips parted a fraction, and her breath came whisper soft from her mouth.

  “Marry me, and I’ll be a father to your baby. My mother will live with us in the house as a real grandmother, and none of you will ever want for anything. It’s the right solution.”

  Her body trembled. “You can’t be serious, Christo.”

  A beating heat powered through him at the possibility of what he could create for his mother and for the child growing inside Ruby. What he could share with Ruby in the marital bed. His pulse spiked. The certainty that this would work to abject perfection pumped through his body.

  “I’ve never been more serious. Marry me, Ruby, and all of our problems will be over.”

  Chapter Five

  “There is no alternative.” Christo stood facing her on the pavement below the lawyer’s office, cars and buses racing past in the sultry afternoon heat. Despite the fantastical nature of his words, his face radiated a singular confidence. “Your mother didn’t offer a solution if we couldn’t agree. If you won’t sell the house to me then we’ll share it. A marriage will both serve as a contract on the ownership of the house and as security for your child’s future.”

  Marriage? To Christo? The world tilted beneath her feet.

  Once it had been all she’d dreamed of, before those dreams had been shattered into a million pieces. Now all she was left with was stark reality.

  Swallowing hard, she turned her face to his, the sun’s reflection on the skyscraper behind searing her vision. Why would he propose something so outrageous? A marriage without love. She didn’t know about him, but for her, that was completely impossible.

  “You’d marry me just so your mother can stay on in the house?”

  He raised the aviator glasses to his face then stopped, nodding slowly. “My mother wouldn’t live there if she didn’t think she was entitled, so yes, for my mother.” He leaned fractionally closer, his stare trapping her. “Your baby would have a father. You’d both be supported financially. Stay in the house as my wife and in years to come it’ll pass to your child as you want. I’d see to that.”