“You can’t be serious. You’d go from my bed to his so damn quickly?” Some of his agitation stilled as he searched her face. “There has to be something else going on.”
He was perceptive. Aria lifted her chin. “Harmon and I have come to an arrangement. He wants a wife. I want a husband. And Harmon is willing to take care of my father’s gambling debts.”
“Raymond is gambling again?”
“To the tune of two and a half million.”
Ethan cursed under his breath. “Damn it, that’s not your problem, baby. Don’t enable him.”
“Easy for you to say,” she muttered bitterly. “I won’t stand by and watch the company go under. I have my mother to consider...and all the employees. My decision has been made. I’m creating a future for myself and for my family. Besides, I...”
Ethan was too close. Too warm. Too everything. She had tried so hard to be strong, but being with him like this tore apart her fragile composure. When she couldn’t form the words, she simply bowed her head.
The tears came in earnest, rolling silently down her cheeks and wetting his shirt and tie when he pulled her close.
He groaned aloud. “Ah, hell, honey. I’d like to punch your dad right in the face and tell him a thing or two.”
After only a few seconds, Aria made herself step back. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, careful not to ruin her makeup. “I have to go,” she said dully. “They’re waiting on me to start the party.”
His gaze was incredulous. “You can’t be serious. Don’t do this, Aria. It’s beyond foolish. It’s almost criminal.”
She swallowed hard. “My father could go to prison. He and my mother will lose the house, the business. Everything. I can’t let that happen to them. Besides, if Daddy can come up with the money soon, he’ll give it back to Harmon, and I’ll be free.”
“You can’t be that naive.”
The sharp note in his voice scraped her raw. “You have no right to judge my decisions, no right at all,” she cried.
* * *
“You could marry me,” Ethan muttered, unable to control the words that spilled from his mouth so astonishingly.
He should have been on a plane to Houston. But four hours ago, outside this very building, he’d overheard a conversation in the parking lot that had chilled his blood.
Gossip, of course, though it had the ring of truth.
He’d put his plane ticket on hold, gone home to shower and change into dinner clothes and raced back to intercept Aria.
She scowled at him. “That’s not funny. Let me out of here.”
The words he hadn’t meant to say hung in the air between them. His mouth was dry. “Is it really two-and-a-half-million dollars?”
“Yes. Daddy hasn’t been near a casino in years...not since he finished therapy. But recently, he discovered online gambling. The amount he lost grew bigger and bigger, and he got scared. Then one afternoon, strictly by chance, Daddy ran into Harmon and told him what happened. Harmon offered to give Dad the money if I would marry him.”
“Bastard.”
“At least Harmon wants children, and he’s willing to put a ring on my finger.”
The retort was short and sharp and intended to wound. It hit its mark. Ethan flinched inwardly, but kept his expression stoic.
“So am I,” he said quietly. “Well, not the kid part. And probably not the marriage. But I am willing to be your temporary fiancé. And I’m willing to pay back every cent that slimy opportunist gave your father in exchange for buying himself a bride.”
Suddenly, it was so quiet in the narrow closet he could hear the sound of her breathing. It was uneven at best. The smell of industrial-strength lemon polish hung in the air.
Aria exhaled on a shuddering breath. “Why would you do that?”
Of all the answers he could have given her, none was as dangerous as the truth. But he said it, anyway. “I care about you, Aria. I always have. I couldn’t live with myself if I let this travesty of a marriage happen. Getting engaged to me will buy you time to find the man you really want to settle down with. It can’t be Harmon. It can’t.”
There was more. A lot more. But that would do for now.
She put a hand on his sleeve. Not provocatively. But almost as if her legs wouldn’t support her. “What would you get out of this?”
This part was easy, though her touch distracted him. “You know that my mother remarried after she divorced my dad.”
“Yes, of course. I’ve met your stepfather several times at charity events. He and your mother give generously to the club every year. He’s a wonderful man, and he clearly loves her very much.”
“I agree completely. Unfortunately for me, the two of them are currently obsessed with the fact that I’m single and not on the way to giving them grandchildren to spoil.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“They’re going to be at the ground-breaking party in Houston next week. It would help my case if I could introduce you as my fiancée. My mother had a crappy life when I was a kid. I couldn’t do anything about it then, but I can now. I want to make her happy.”
“And what happens after the party?”
He shifted from one foot to the other. Being so close to Aria made it hard to focus. “We’ll worry about that later. The important thing is that you won’t be tied to that jerk Porter any longer. Excuse me for a moment.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and pecked out a rapid text. As soon as he hit Send, a wave of relief flooded his chest.
Aria was pale, her gaze troubled. “I can’t let you do this. You’d never get your money back. At least I don’t think so.”
“Your father can give me shares of the company. We’ll work something out.” He paused, then let himself touch her again. He cupped her neck gently in two hands, feeling how fragile she was. Her hair was up in some fancy knot. It took everything he had not to rip out the pins and winnow his fingers through the golden silk. “Do you trust me?”
Long-lashed blue eyes searched his face. She nodded slowly. “I feel guilty. It’s too much money.”
“Don’t feel guilty,” he said gruffly. “I would pay twice that amount to save you from a marriage you didn’t choose.”
She moved closer and rested her cheek on his chest. “Thank you.”
Something inside him shifted and stabbed with regret. He was salving his conscience, but he couldn’t give her what she really wanted. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go find your fiancé and get this over with.”
He straightened a strand of Aria’s hair and opened the closet. After ascertaining that no one was watching, he took her by the wrist and drew her out into the hallway.
Aria wiggled free of his light hold. “I’ll be the one to tell him. I don’t want to embarrass him in front of his friends and family, though.”
Her courtesy was more than the other man deserved, but Ethan held his tongue. “Whatever you want to do.”
The door to the ballroom was closed. Apparently, all the guests were inside. That made the logistics difficult.
Aria dithered, smoothing her hair repeatedly. “If I go in there, I won’t get to say what I need to say.”
To Ethan’s eyes, it appeared as if she was almost in shock. “Call him,” he said quietly. “Tell him you’ve had an emergency. Ask him to step out here and speak to you in private.”
She nodded, biting her lip. “Okay.” She slipped her cell phone from her tiny evening clutch and hit some numbers. In a low voice, she repeated the script Ethan had created for her. Moments later, Harmon Porter came bursting through the doorway, thankfully alone.
He stared wildly at Aria, then at Ethan, then back at his fiancée. “What the hell is wrong? And why is he here?” The two men knew each other by sight, nothing more.
Aria was so pale Ethan was afraid she was going to faint. But
the woman was tough. She faced Porter with impeccable manners and posture. “I’m very sorry, Harmon. But I can’t marry you. It would be wrong. I realized I had to call a halt to this charade before the party started.”
Porter’s expression was horrified. “The party has already started,” he said, his face turning red. “You made a promise. I should have known not to trust a woman whose father has no self-control.”
The blatant insult infuriated Ethan. His hands fisted.
Aria shot him a glance. “Don’t make it worse,” she whispered.
Ethan didn’t bother to lower his voice. He stared straight at Porter, giving him an icy glare that made the other man blanch. “With your permission, Aria, I’d like to punch him for disrespecting you.”
Aria shook her head wildly. “Oh, no. Don’t lay a hand on him. Please.”
Porter brushed her aside, his ire now focused on Ethan. “I don’t need a girl fighting my battles. I’m not afraid of this cowboy.” He made the word a slur.
Witnessing Harmon Porter ignore the woman who was supposedly going to be Porter’s bride made Ethan see red. The pompous little goat wouldn’t know honor or decency if they bit him in the ass.
As much as Ethan wanted the sheer satisfaction of slugging the smarmy little man, he knew it would upset Aria. So he took several deep breaths and backed down. Metaphorically only.
Aria touched Porter’s arm. “I’m really sorry, Harmon. Daddy should never have offered me up as a prize. And I should never have agreed. Surely you knew this was a bad idea.”
Porter got up in her face, holding her wrist in a loose grip. “You’re mistaken, Aria. There’s no going back. I won’t be humiliated in front of my friends.” The way he tried to intimidate his bride-to-be was the tipping point for Ethan.
“Let. Her. Go.”
The three words were simple, but Ethan infused them with steel.
Porter’s head swiveled. He stared at Ethan, mouth agape, as if incensed that anyone would dare interfere. “Mind your own damn business.”
Ethan grabbed the collar of the shorter man’s tux and pulled him away from Aria. “It definitely is my business,” he said, deadly calm. “The reason Aria can’t marry you is because she’s marrying me.”
Porter’s face turned an ugly shade of puce as he jerked back and made a show of brushing off his jacket. For a moment, Ethan thought he might actually have a stroke.
But the man gathered his wits and made a visible effort to calm himself. “You misunderstand the situation, Barringer. Aria’s father has my money. A lot of it. And I can assure you it’s already gone to pay off his gambling debts. So even if he wanted to undo our deal, he can’t.”
“Perhaps not,” Ethan said. “But I can. Your money will be in your account when the banks open in the morning. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you’ll have to buy a bride somewhere else.”
Porter was literally stunned speechless. It took him several long seconds to process what Ethan was saying. Then his gaze narrowed. “You can’t afford that. It will bankrupt you.”
Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “Not entirely. But hell, Porter, I’d eat peanut-butter sandwiches for a year to save Aria from your clutches. Sorry, man. It’s time to concede the field of battle.”
At that, Aria covered her mouth. Ethan was pretty sure she had gasped aloud.
Harmon Porter was accustomed to getting what he wanted, when he wanted it. His money funded each and every whim. Being thwarted turned him apoplectic with rage. “You’ll regret this, Barringer. And she will, too.” He glared at Aria. “I guess she’s not fit to be my wife after all.”
That did it. Ethan’s fist shot out and connected with Porter’s jaw, dropping the guy with one swift punch.
Ethan rubbed his hand and glanced sheepishly at Aria. “Sorry,” he said. “I told myself I wasn’t going to do that.”
Her smile wobbled, but it was a smile. “You’re forgiven.”
Porter clambered to his feet and wiped blood from his nose. “You’ll both be sorry you crossed me.”
“Stay away from Aria and her family,” Ethan said, injecting the words with warning. “Or I’ll have you arrested for stalking. Now go enjoy your party.”
With a bitter grimace in response to Ethan’s sarcasm, Harmon Porter turned his back and returned to the ballroom. Ethan barely had time to put his arms around Aria and comfort her before her parents appeared, befuddled and upset.
Aria’s father was in a panic. “Harmon threw us out. What the hell is going on?”
Aria spoke up first. “I’m not going to marry him, Daddy. Ethan stepped in and put a stop to it. He and I have been seeing each other. We were on the verge of getting engaged when you told me about your crisis.”
“Oh, baby.” Aria’s mother wrung her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
“But what about the money?” Raymond Jensen asked.
Ethan sighed inwardly. Even now, Aria’s father was more concerned about his own sorry hide than his daughter’s happiness. “I’ve taken care of it, sir. You and I can come to some agreement about repayment. Aria isn’t comfortable being a bartered bride, and I agree with her. Now, if you don’t mind...” He put his arm around Aria’s waist and drew her against his chest. “I have to fly to Houston tonight, and I’d like to say goodbye to my fiancée.”
Seven
Even after the fifteen-minute drive to her house, Aria couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Delayed reaction, undoubtedly. She still couldn’t take it all in. The ordeal was over. She was free.
And it was all thanks to Ethan.
At the moment, she was trying to get warm. Though it was early March, once the sun went down, the nights were still cool. Aria hadn’t worn a wrap. The dash from the club to Ethan’s fancy truck—the vehicle he kept in Royal—had chilled her.
Ethan noticed everything. When they pulled up in front of her house, he put the vehicle in Park but left it running, pulling her close to warm her. “You do realize that you’re half-naked in this dress?” He ran his hands up and down her arms briskly, trying to erase the goose bumps.
She allowed herself the indulgence of his touch for a long, wonderful moment and then pulled away. “I know it’s not a flattering dress. That’s why I wore it. A silent protest.”
He slung an arm over the steering wheel and sat sideways, studying her intently. “Sorry, honey. If you were hoping the dress would make you unattractive to Porter or to anyone, you failed. You look like a gorgeous ice princess. Makes a man want to melt you.”
He was succeeding. The rough timbre of his voice scraped across her rattled nerves and turned her bones to mush. She leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. “Thank you,” she said, her voice tight with tears she didn’t want to shed. She hated women who cried at every little bump in the road. Pull yourself together, Aria. “Thank you for rescuing me.”
When Ethan was silent for far too long, she sneaked a peek at him. His hot gaze made her nipples pebble beneath the bodice of her dress. “Quit staring,” she muttered.
“I didn’t rescue you,” he said firmly. “I did your father a favor. You did nothing wrong. Nothing except having a heart that’s far too giving and loving. And if I’m staring, it’s because I can’t believe you’re sitting here beside me. After our last fight I thought we were done.”
“But now you’ve purchased a fake fiancée,” she joked, “and you’re stuck with me.”
He scowled at her. “That’s not funny. Any financial transactions are between me and your father. If you don’t want to help me, you’re free to go. I’m not Harmon Porter, damn it.”
In that instant, she saw that she had wounded his pride. Scooting across the bench seat, she laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I was kidding. Don’t be mad.”
His big warm hand settled on her shoulder. The way his fingers
stroked her upper arm made chills race up and down her spine. He sighed. “I could never be mad at you, Aria. At least not for long.”
Being this close to him kindled feelings she had tried so hard to ignore. She wanted him. Badly. In every way there was to want a man. Helping him with his charade was going to put her heart in danger. But despite what he said to the contrary, she owed him a huge debt.
Without Ethan’s intervention, she would most surely have ended up married to Harmon. Before tonight, she had convinced herself she could learn to live with a less-than-passionate union if it meant getting the children and the home she’d always wanted. This evening, though, Harmon had revealed his true colors. He would have made her life a misery.
“Tell me about the ground-breaking party,” she said.
“It’s in five days. Not much time. That’s why I’m flying back so quickly. Do you think you can get the time off?”
The thought of him leaving brought back memories of their last intimate encounter. She winced inwardly, remembering how much it had hurt to hear that he wasn’t interested in forever. “Not a problem,” she said lightly. “As executive administrator, the board expects me to oversee and set up mirror functions in Houston of what I do for the club here. I’m supposed to be at the party to mix and mingle.”
“I have a three-bedroom condo very close to the site,” he said. “You can stay there with me.”
She froze, sensing danger. After a moment, she moved back to her own side of the seat. Living with Ethan day in and day out would be a temptation that might be her undoing. He had paid a ridiculous amount of money to save her from a horrible marriage and to secure a temporary fiancée. Did she owe him physical intimacy? More so, could she resist him under those circumstances? Even now, she wanted to beg him to stay one more night and share her bed.
Ethan read her thoughts as if she had spoken them aloud. His face was grim. “Let’s get a few things straight. I asked you to pose as my fiancée, not to be my lover. I’m not coercing you into giving me sex, and I don’t want you offering sex because you think you somehow owe it to me. Are we clear?”
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