A Contract, a Wedding, a Wife?

by Christy McKellen

  ‘Let’s go inside,’ she murmured when he pulled back a fraction to breathe, her grip tightening on him as if she was afraid he might change his mind again and let her go.

  Through his haze of desire, Xavier couldn’t remember any of the reasons why they should stop any more, so without another word he slid his hands beneath her thighs and lifted her up against him and carried her into the house, still kissing her as he went, unwilling to break the connection.

  In the bedroom they discarded their clothes quickly and he rolled on top of her, luxuriating in the feeling of her soft skin against his.

  Through the fug of feeling a terrible thought struck him like a blow. ‘I don’t have any condoms,’ he bit out, suddenly furious with himself for overlooking such a simple thing. His thoughts swirled wildly as he tried to reconcile all the concerns that were now jabbing at the edges of his brain.

  ‘It’s okay, I’m on the Pill,’ she muttered back, gazing up into his eyes with a look of such genuine honesty he knew deep down that she was telling him the truth. Because she always told him the truth.

  ‘Thank God for that,’ he said, letting out a breath and feeling relief radiate from the pit of his stomach. Sliding his hands back into her hair, he took a moment to marvel at the sensation of the silky strands running through his fingers. ‘Thank God,’ he repeated huskily, before losing himself in the wonderfulness of her again.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Dominoes—set them up with a steady hand, then see them fall with the slightest knock.

  XAVIER SAT ON the terrace cradling a large cup of coffee in his hands and staring out over the sea as the sun rose in the distance.

  He’d left Soli sleeping peacefully in his bed, with her wild curls spread out around her head, having to force himself to leave the room and not slide back in next to her and pull her soft, welcoming body against him again.

  What the hell did he think he was doing, messing with their no-sex agreement like that? All day yesterday he’d fought the urge to get closer to her, keeping his physical distance and his tone light and friendly. He’d deliberately not flirted in any way, strictly disciplining himself against giving in to the desire that had swelled and throbbed inside him.

  And then it had all gone to hell.

  It had been the heady mixture of sunshine and lust and then being forced to touch her again when she’d stumbled that had been his final undoing. The expression of open hunger in her eyes when she’d looked up at him had been impossible to resist.

  The sex had been great too. Fun and surprising in its intensity. They’d fitted together so well, delighting in exploring each other’s bodies for the first time but also seeming to know intuitively what made the other tick.

  They had been around each other a lot recently, of course, so maybe that was why it had felt so comfortable being with her.

  Not that he was going to let it happen again. No. He’d be a fool to indulge his base desires and potentially ruin the good thing they had going. The last thing he needed was for this business relationship to take a wrong turn and for the solicitors to get wind and it put his inheritance in jeopardy.

  That house was much more important to him than sating his physical desires for the next few months.

  When Soli got up he’d discuss that with her in a straight and honest manner. He didn’t want her to think he’d taken advantage of her last night, but he wanted to make it clear that it had been a mistake on his part and that they should move their relationship back to their being friends only.

  Surely she’d understand the necessity of that. She might even wake up this morning regretting what had happened last night too.

  Just as he thought this there was movement by the terrace doors and Soli emerged into the sunlight wearing one of the robes from the room.

  He swallowed hard and gave her a friendly but controlled smile, not wanting to make her feel awkward, but needing to set the right businesslike tone for the conversation that was to come.

  ‘Good morning,’ he said as she moved slowly towards him, appearing to stumble a little on the smooth tiled floor. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, feeling a sting of concern as she got closer to him.

  She really didn’t look good. Her skin was a strange grey-green colour and her eyes looked a little unfocused.

  ‘I don’t feel too great actually.’

  ‘Here.’ He stood up and pulled out a chair for her. ‘Sit down.’

  She came towards him and put her hand on the back of the chair, as if not entirely convinced it was what she wanted to do.

  ‘I felt a bit light-headed last night but I thought it was because of the...um...wine.’

  And the sexual tension, he filled in silently for her.

  There was a sudden flash of panic in her eyes and she took a hasty step backwards. ‘Sorry. Excuse me for a second—’ and with that she dashed back inside, the door to her bedroom slamming loudly behind her.

  Panic inched through him. He had no idea what he should do. Should he go into the bedroom to check if she was okay? If she was being sick she might prefer that he leave her alone. Or was she hoping he’d go in there and hold her hair and rub her back? No. He couldn’t imagine her wanting that. Especially with their relationship being so...confused right now. So he stayed at the table and waited, with his pulse beating hard in his head, until he heard her bedroom door open again.

  Striding into the living area, he saw her standing in the doorway, seemingly holding herself up by propping her hands against the door jambs.

  ‘You should go straight back to bed,’ he said, noting how she was trembling now.

  ‘I don’t think I drank too much last night, I think I’m ill,’ she murmured, looking at him with bloodshot eyes. ‘I must have picked up a tummy bug from somewhere, or perhaps it was something I ate—’

  ‘I agree. Straight back to bed for you.’ She nodded and turned around, heading back into her room, where she climbed shakily under the fresh cotton sheets of her bed.

  Good that we used my bed last night so her sheets are clean, he thought as she snuggled into the pillows and let out a small sigh of relief. At least she’d be able to lie there without being constantly reminded of what happened between them last night. He didn’t want her associating it with feeling ill.

  Not that that should be his priority right now, he reminded himself sternly. ‘I’ll go and fetch you a glass of water,’ he said, heading quickly out of the room and into the kitchen.

  He filled a glass for her and searched out a small bowl from the cleaning cupboard, which he then took into her bedroom.

  ‘Here you go, just in case you feel ill again and don’t think you can make it to the bathroom. Not that it’ll be a problem,’ he added quickly, not wanting her to think he’d be angry if she made a mess.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered, clearly trying to smile at him, but not quite managing it.

  ‘Try and sleep,’ he said quietly, backing out of the room. ‘If you need me, shout. I’ll be right next door.’

  He saw her give him a small nod before he turned around and headed back to the living area.

  It looked as if the conversation about what had happened last night was going to have to wait.

  * * *

  Soli slept fitfully, weaving in and out of consciousness, sometimes aware of Xavier’s presence in the room, other times thinking she must have imagined it.

  In the middle of the night she rolled over and stretched out her arm to see whether he’d got into bed with her, but had found the other side cold and empty.

  Not that she could blame him. Who’d want to sleep next to someone who had to get up to vomit every half an hour? She hoped to goodness he wasn’t sick too—that would really make her feel wretched. He’d been really kind, looking after her, coming in to check on her regularly and refreshing her water. Luckily she’d not needed the bowl he’d broug
ht in. The thought of him having to deal with that had given her the horrors.

  She couldn’t bring herself to think about what had happened between them the night before though. As wonderful as it had been, it made her stomach tie into knots just thinking about it, so she pushed it to the back of her mind. It would be something she’d mull over once she was feeling better—which would hopefully be soon.

  She hated being ill.

  Especially when she was meant to be on holiday.

  And with Xavier right next door.

  * * *

  She was still sick the following day and only got out of bed to dry heave before crawling back under the covers to sleep, but the next morning she woke up feeling as if the worst of it had lifted and tentatively sat up in bed to check the time.

  Ten o’clock.

  She’d been in bed for nearly two days.

  Poor Xavier—he must have been bored out of his mind.

  Slowly, carefully, she swung her legs out of bed and tested how she’d feel standing up, finding she wasn’t as dizzy as she’d been the day before, and instead of lurching, her stomach gave a growl of hunger.

  Thank goodness for that.

  It seemed it was only a forty-eight-hour bug. Still, as she pulled on her robe and made her way to the door she had a moment where she thought she might pass out.

  Better take it easy, Soli; no need to rush.

  After pressing her hands to the wall and taking a few deep breaths to give her head a chance to catch up with the movement, she walked slowly out of the room and into the living area.

  It appeared to be deserted, though there was a smell of coffee in the air and a plate and a mug next to the sink.

  ‘How are you feeling this morning?’ came a voice from outside and she turned to see that Xavier was sitting on the terrace, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

  ‘A lot better, thanks,’ she said, walking slowly out onto the terrace and over to where he was sitting on one of the loungers with a tablet on his lap.

  ‘You still look a bit pale. Are you sure you’re okay to be up?’ he asked, his gaze raking her face.

  She cursed herself for not even looking in the mirror and flattening down her hair before leaving her room, but decided just to brazen it out now she was here. He certainly didn’t look disgusted by her appearance. If anything his expression was one of friendly concern.

  ‘A bit of fresh air will probably do me the world of good,’ she said, sitting down carefully on the lounger next to him and offering him a tentative smile. ‘I’m so sorry for ruining your holiday.’

  He waved a hand at her. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not as if you got ill on purpose.’ He sat up and swung his legs to the side, putting the tablet onto a coffee table next to him. ‘Could you eat?’

  ‘Actually, yes. I think I could.’

  He nodded. ‘Okay. Stay there. I’ll fetch you some breakfast.’

  Before she could object, he stood up and strode swiftly and purposefully back into the house, returning a few minutes later with a mug of coffee and a plate of wholemeal toast.

  ‘Here,’ he said, handing her the food, then putting the drink onto the table next to his tablet. ‘I thought something quite plain would be good to start with.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, gratefully accepting the plate and sitting up on the lounger to eat.

  She felt him watching her as she took her first tentative bite, then when it was obvious she wasn’t going to be sick again he went back into the house, returning a couple of minutes later with a mug of coffee for himself.

  ‘I guess you were hungry,’ he said, gesturing to the now empty plate she had on her lap.

  ‘I guess I was,’ she agreed, giving him a grateful smile.

  ‘Listen. We don’t need to rush off anywhere today, if you’re worried about that,’ he said, his expression sincere. ‘I’ll be very happy to hang out here until you feel more up to going out. Perhaps you could teach me how to play a board game or something.’

  ‘That would be great,’ she said, immediately perking up at the thought. Lazing around and recuperating whilst playing one of her favourite games would be her idea of heaven right now. ‘Except I didn’t bring one with me.’

  ‘No problem,’ Xavier said with a twitch of his eyebrows. ‘We have some here in the house. Apparently they’re popular with holidaymakers who want to switch off their phones and get back to a screen-free existence for the duration of their stay, or so the interior designer told me the other day. It made me think of you actually.’

  She blinked in surprise. ‘Well, that’s great. I guess the lure of board games isn’t dead after all.’

  ‘I guess not,’ he agreed, the corner of his mouth turning up. ‘I’ll go and fetch them and we can have a game now if you feel up to it.’

  ‘Great,’ she said, ‘but we should move to the table. I take my playing very seriously.’

  ‘I’d expect nothing less,’ he said with a smile.

  So he went to the fetch the games that he’d had stocked in a cupboard in the living area for guests—as a reaction to her love for them? she wondered hopefully—while she went to get dressed.

  They played happily for the next couple of hours, sipping coffee and feeling the warm sea breeze on their faces as they alternated between asking questions and answering them, each taking great pleasure in challenging the other’s knowledge of random facts.

  ‘I really appreciate you looking after me. It’s kind of you,’ Soli said after they’d finally called a halt to the game. She’d been intensely aware of all the things they hadn’t said to each other since ‘the other night’ and wanted to clear the air so she could breathe properly again. Even if it meant dealing with something she didn’t want to hear. Which, from Xavier’s careful avoidance of touching her or maintaining eye contact for too long, she suspected might be that he believed they’d made a mistake in sleeping together.

  Nausea rose from her stomach as she waited for his response, only this time it came about through nerves.

  ‘Well, I did agree to be there for you in sickness and in health, so I guess I’m just fulfilling my promise,’ he quipped, though she couldn’t help but notice how his whole body had tensed.

  She shot him a sheepish smile. ‘Still, it’s good of you.’

  He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with her praising him. ‘You deserve to be looked after too,’ he said gruffly.

  Letting out a low breath, she leant back in her chair and crossed her arms. ‘I guess I’m just not used to it any more. It’s been a while.’

  ‘Since your dad died?’ he asked, their gazes locking.

  The sudden swell of emotion she experienced made her suck in a breath.

  ‘Yeah,’ she said, telling herself to pull it together. This was no time to go to pieces.

  Xavier seemed to sense her discomfort and gave her an understanding nod. ‘Hey, I forgot to ask—how’s your sister doing at Oxford?’

  ‘Great! It sounds like she’s really enjoying herself,’ she said, grateful for the change in conversation.

  ‘Good for you for making that happen. I’m seriously impressed. I’m not sure many siblings would go to the lengths you did to make sure their sister was set up like that.’

  She shrugged, but her face heated at the compliment. ‘It would have been a crime not to let her go to university. She’s so smart. The world is going to thank me one day.’

  ‘I’m sure it is.’ He sat back and studied her for a moment. ‘I guess I should thank you too. You saved me from losing my home. And perhaps my sanity.’ His smile was wry.

  ‘Well, you’ve been very generous. You’ve given me more than I asked for.’

  He laughed, perhaps to cover his unease. ‘We seem to have turned into the Mutual Admiration Society.’

  She smiled. ‘Yes, I guess we have.’
r />   ‘Well, why not? We are pretty amazing people, are we not?’

  ‘We are, I suppose.’

  ‘No! No “suppose” about it. We are.’

  Their gazes locked and Soli got lost in a sudden flash of memory as she thought of how he’d looked into her eyes while they were making love.

  ‘Listen. About what happened the other night,’ he said in a careful tone that made her spirits plummet.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea to let that happen again. Especially since we still have rather a long time to live together. It could make things tricky.’ He didn’t say if we end up falling out but it was implicit in his manner.

  ‘Oh. Er...okay.’

  She tried not to sound disappointed, but obviously failed because he said, ‘It’s for the best, Soli,’ in a tone that brooked no argument.

  ‘I’m not looking for you to fall in love with me or anything, you know,’ she said without stopping to think too hard about what she was saying. ‘We could keep it as a purely physical thing. No strings.’

  ‘I’m not sure those arrangements ever work,’ he said, his expression radiating extreme scepticism.

  Even though her brain was telling her he might have a point, her libido didn’t want to listen. They’d crossed the line now and there was no real way back, it pointed out. In fact, it actually felt to her as if she’d turned a corner in her life after sleeping with Xavier—that she’d finally stepped into adulthood. Now she’d pushed herself over the ledge and found her heart had survived it, she was confident she was mature enough to keep sex and love separate.

  ‘We’d make it work. We both know we’re not in this for the long haul. It’s just temporary. And it’d make living together much more fun and much less frustrating.’ She flashed him a smile, which he returned. ‘Especially since we agreed not to see other people during the time we’re married,’ she added.

  There was a short pause while he appeared to consider this.

  ‘No. I don’t think it’s a good idea,’ he said eventually and she could tell from the resolute look in his eyes that he’d made his mind up and was unlikely to change it.