Paper Marriage Proposition

  He found her lying on the ground by the side of the long building. He spotted the midnight blue skirts of her dress first pooled all around her, her hair covering her profile as she mumbled angrily to herself.

  He halted in his tracks. “Bethany?”

  Her head snapped back. “Landon.” The breath whooshed out of her.

  He felt a sliver of dread at the sight of her pale face, as pale as the moonlight, her eyes as round as the moon but dark and terrified.

  “What are you doing?” he asked uneasily, stalking forward and dropping on his haunches.

  Bethany craned her neck back to meet his gaze. Her smile lacked conviction. “Hey,” she said in a quavery voice, then she sighed and rubbed her face with unsteady hands. “I was feeling miserable all by myself.”

  Landon was at a loss. He knew how to deal with his mother—a blunt, forthright woman who’d borne three sons and had survived a husband who’d put any alpha to shame. But Beth…she was so rigid and so wound up, fighting so hard to stand when her life had crumpled around her, he just didn’t know what to say to her. He couldn’t explain how easily he understood this, understood that she was looking for herself, for her strength, while at the same time searching desperately for a light at the end of the tunnel.

  He reached out and covered one milky white hand with his, awkwardly at first, shocked by his body’s instant reaction to such a simple touch. “You okay?”

  Hell, it had been too long since he touched anyone. Too long since he’d wanted to make this sort of contact, this contact he enjoyed making with Beth. Her shoulders sagged as she gripped his fingers, and a jolt of her scent made his nostrils flare. Lemons. God, she smelled so good he found himself leaning closer for another whiff.

  “Hector was just here,” she said, squeezing his hand.

  His hackles raised, every muscle in his body clenching. “Where?”

  Beth sighed drearily while thoughts of Halifax slammed into Landon’s mind, one after the other. Halifax being seen by the press…Halifax meeting in secret with Beth, swiftly and efficiently ruining the new, respectable image Landon planned for his fiancée.

  His grip tightened so hard Beth winced. “Beth, where?”

  “He’s gone, I think.”

  He released her. But a swift, overwhelming anger surged inside him like a tidal wave, and his mind clamored for him to do some serious damage to that weasel. Halifax could spoil everything. He could ruin their pretend engagement, make the press believe she was still a treacherous Jezebel and that now she’d found a new target: Landon.

  It was a hard sell, but not impossible.

  Nothing was impossible for a twisted mind like Halifax’s.

  Christ, the man begged for it. And Landon was aching to give him what he deserved. Not here, not tonight, but the bastard had had it coming for a long, long time, and now the clock was ticking. Tick, tock, tick, tock.

  The man had the balls to waltz into his engagement party and exchange words with his bride—just like he’d had the balls years ago to sleep with his wife.

  Landon breathed out through his nose, attempting to focus, control his rage. Belatedly he noticed Beth’s bewilderment and felt his gut clench.

  Searching for something to say other than the twisted things he wanted to do to the man, he gently stroked the top of her shiny blonde head with his hand, curving his palm around her skull and drawing her gaze to his. He had to do something, say something to comfort her. “Here I thought you’d met my mother.” He felt his lips curl upward.

  She made a sound, like a laugh, then regarded him as if he’d just become a giant scorpion. “Landon, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Us…marrying…”

  He shot her a get-serious look, then seized her chin in one hand and searched her gaze. A wrenching sensation slammed into his midsection. “Maybe I underestimated you,” he murmured. “You have feelings for him.”

  “I have hate!”

  “Then use it! Hang on to it, Bethany. Your hate will feed mine. You want me to be ruthless, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You want me to have no heart? To trample him to the ground?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want your child back?”

  “Of course I do!”

  “Smile then—and get out there with me. Let the reporters have a good look at my future wife.” He helped her to her feet, gritting his teeth as he felt his body respond when her breasts brushed against his chest on her way up.

  She wiped at her face and straightened her shoulders, amazing him with how easily she composed herself. “I’m sorry, I’m not usually so emotional.”

  “Hold your head high.”

  “Okay.”

  “Hold my hand.”

  Her palm felt cool when she slipped it inside his, and he gave it a squeeze as he guided her around the corner. She walked easily beside him, but a hint of alarm still lingered in her voice. “Landon, I feel like all these people can see right through me. That they know this is a farce and that I have no clue who you are. I mean, do you like sports? Do you take your coffee black or—?”

  “I like sports. And I like strong coffee.”

  “I have mine with milk, two Splendas and cream.”

  “Do me a favor, Beth?”

  “What?”

  “Just act like you love me.”

  Six

  Blinding camera lights exploded as they approached.

  Beth put all her efforts into her smile and struggled to remember why she needed to fool all of these people. Look fabulous, Beth, look besotted, ecstatic, she thought, so ecstatic a judge won’t resist granting custody of David to such a dazzling couple.

  Landon was greeting the press in a congenial tone when a brazen reporter elbowed himself forward, mike in hand. “Miss Lewis—how does your ex-husband feel about the wedding?”

  Beth had not been prepared for that question. She and Landon had reviewed some facts in the car when she’d asked him for instructions on dealing with the press, and he’d said, “Whatever you do, don’t lie. Twist the truth however you want, but don’t lie, not to them. One lie will take your credibility, and then you’ll never get it back.”

  Very admirable and smart of him. But now she glanced worriedly at Landon and saw that he smiled at the group, an arrogant lilt of his lips that made his eyes turn to ice.

  “If the good doctor’s smart about it, he’ll wish us well,” he said, and with a nod, signaled to another reporter in a move that granted him the next question.

  “Miss Lewis, how did you two meet?”

  She spoke quickly, grateful at how easy the answer came. “We met at a benefit. Just one peek at this man and I was done for.” Landon smiled at her, and her stomach tumbled.

  “Mr. Gage, after so many years a widowed bachelor, why marry now?”

  Landon’s sudden frown indicated he thought the questioner may, just may, be a little bit stupid.

  After allowing this reaction to sink in among the reporters, he spread an arm out toward Beth. “Take a good look at her, gentlemen, and tell me what healthy red-blooded American male wouldn’t be honored to have this woman at their side?”

  Hoots and a “Right on, Landon!” spread across the group, and a few other questions came up, to which he and Beth easily responded. Did he think she was beautiful? When she was young, she’d been thought beautiful by boys. But now? After Hector?

  A few other questions came her way, and Beth tried to keep the mood light and happy, following Landon’s cue and wry jokes. Then Landon nodded at a young man she’d heard was a famous celebrity/social-scene blogger.

  “Any hints on where you’ll be honeymooning?” the man asked.

  “Somewhere quiet,” Landon replied with a cool smile, and another round of flashes exploded.

  “Mrs. Gage, how do you feel about the wedding?”

  This time the microphone was held out to Landon’s mother, who stood a few feet behind them, and Beth’s spirits sunk. Her future mother-in-law would ha
te her. What woman who witnessed their son being dragged to war wouldn’t?

  They’d been introduced just hours ago and Beth had felt like the proverbial bug under the woman’s silver-handled loupe. But Mrs. Gage had class, and she said with a regal tilt of her head, “I’m thrilled to have another woman in the family. We haven’t had much time to talk, but I can already tell Beth and I have a lot in common.”

  Like what? Landon? Beth wondered.

  A reporter next turned to Garrett. “How about you, Garrett, any thoughts on your new sister-in-law?”

  Garrett made a mischievous face that sparked up an attractive glint in his eye. “Regret that Lan saw her first.”

  The reporters laughed, and Beth jumped in, suddenly inspired. “Actually, I spotted him first.”

  Landon smiled at her, pulled her close to his side, and her stomach went crazy again. Within moments, Landon waved the press off, insisting they end the session. “Last shot, guys.”

  “How about a kiss from the couple.”

  He ignored the suggestion and let them take another round of pictures, still holding her, but only lightly.

  “Kiss her, Mr. Gage,” another reporter encouraged.

  He smiled sharply, and swiftly handed her a glass of champagne—and they drank to more flashes.

  Though they both continued to smile, something sizzled between them.

  Beth heard a chorus of requests begin and hated how silly, how predictable, how absurd it was to be asked to kiss someone you really had no reason to be kissing.

  The chorus rose to a crescendo all of a sudden, deafening her clamoring heartbeat. “Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!”

  Her color rose as Landon took her champagne flute and set it aside. “Well, Beth.”

  It was inevitable.

  “If there are any doubts left, we might as well dispel them.”

  Of course, she should take one for the team, do this for David…

  The pressure of his fingers on her back brought her one step closer to him. Their eyes met. He smiled down at her, but his gaze held a warning. A request to comply.

  His eyes were heat and flames; black coals burning. It’s all for show, all for show—Beth recited the thought like a mantra—sliding your hand into his, your legs turning to syrup, not remembering why you’re here, it’s all for show.

  She suppressed a tremble as he ducked his head, still smiling.

  She wanted to smile like him, but couldn’t. It was an act, it had to be, how she parted her lips and waited for his mouth. He breathed in her ear. “Easy.”

  She wanted to melt.

  The way he concentrated on her mouth made her go hot.

  Their lips touched. His brushed over hers at first, a wistful, feathery touch that sent her control careening down a precipice she feared she’d never recover. She held her breath until her lungs burned and found her fingers digging into his shoulders.

  He didn’t have to put his hands, warm and strong, on the sides of her face as he kissed her.

  He didn’t have to smell like he did, or brush her lips so exquisitely.

  He didn’t have to slide his tongue inside, but he did.

  Desire hit her like a cannon blast, making her legs tremble. She gripped him harder and he slanted his head, in command as his mouth closed over hers, taking hers, leading. Wow, he deserved an Oscar. She believed that kiss to be as real as the reporters believed it, as real as her skyrocketing pulse. It wasn’t a messy kiss, it was soft, long and warm, and it was heartbreaking.

  Because she’d wanted it since the moment she’d seen him come to her rescue after the Hector debacle. She’d wanted it since he’d helped her to her feet, his body a fortress of strength and warmth. She’d wanted it since the first reporter suggested they kiss and he’d pretended ignorance.

  God, maybe she’d wanted it forever.

  He didn’t end the kiss abruptly, but quietly, his mouth lingering over hers, as though still not ready to detach, their breaths mingling as, inch by inch, he drew back. She almost moaned, her lips burned, her body burned, the heights of need to which he’d sent her unimaginable.

  Slowly, Landon adjusted their stance, shifting so that she covered his hardness with her rear.

  Noticing she was flustered, he waved a commanding hand at the press. “Enough. That’s enough pictures tonight.”

  The flashes stopped. Photographers stepped back a few paces, but Landon didn’t allow Beth the same luxury; his big hand rested on her hip proprietarily. His fingers bit into her skin, keeping her against him.

  When the reporters dispersed, Beth wiggled free, avoiding his gaze, then snatched another champagne glass and went behind the safety of a twisting oak. Cloaked in shadows, she slumped against the tree trunk and blinked into the darkness.

  How could a man kiss like that? She’d felt stroked all over, indecently stroked. She’d never been so aware of having such sensitive, eager nipples.

  She kept telling herself that having sex with him would be a bad idea, a risky venture, one where if she ended up pregnant, he’d take her child just like Hector had. But even as her mind raced with protests, the other side of her brain already formulated a list of ways to avoid pregnancy while bringing their passion to fruition.

  Damn. How was she supposed to say no to a guy who kissed like a volcanic avalanche?

  She exhaled a breath she’d been holding, tightened her hold on her glass. She felt…helpless. Resented having to give him any kisses. It had been difficult last night at the hotel in her awkward attempts to enlist him, and it had been more so now that they’d been watched. She didn’t want to know his taste and now, well, now she’d never be able to forget it.

  “You handled yourself well.”

  Startled, she spotted her mother-in-law a few feet away. The woman wore an emerald green dress and a string of pearls, and her smile beamed with approval.

  In the face of all that dignity and Texan charm, Beth forced herself to straighten, smoothing her hands along her hips. “I’m not new to the newspaper scene. It’s just nice to be treated with respect for a change.”

  A chilly breeze sent the skirts of their dresses fluttering. “Then let me give you a piece of advice, Beth.” She jerked her chin in the press’s direction. “You win those people’s hearts, and you win the world.”

  Beth narrowed her eyes, confused by this bit of wisdom. She’d been swept into Landon’s golden, glittering world of silk and velvet and music tonight—and they were lies, all lies, all for one purpose only.

  Didn’t the woman know?

  “Landon’s already doing that,” she then replied, cautiously. “Winning their hearts and the world.”

  She gazed out at the gardens that led to the parking lot. They were vast and beautiful but they were shrouded in darkness. Dark and beckoning like Landon.

  Past her shoulder, she spotted him, polite and easy as he talked to some of the reporters. He was such a solid, dynamic man, every time she saw him she found herself holding her breath.

  “Why you, I wonder.”

  That comment snapped Beth around. There wasn’t antagonism in her voice but genuine curiosity glimmered in her soft gray eyes.

  “Me?”

  “Well…” A jeweled hand fluttered in the air. “He’s been a bachelor for six years, and a lot of women have tried to get him. Why you?”

  “I don’t want him, Mrs. Gage, and he doesn’t want me. We just happen to want the same thing.”

  Spying on Landon once more, she watched him sip his drink as he assessed his surroundings.

  “Maybe that’s why…” she added, to herself.

  The woman huffed. “My son doesn’t need anyone to take down any man.”

  Beth nodded, then thought of the little black book, of their prenup, their upcoming marriage. There was more at stake for her than for him. Why did he agree to marry her? Because he hates him, too, she thought. Her stomach contracted at the thought of all that Landon had lost because of Hector. “We won’t last,” she said out loud, un
able to take her eyes off her betrothed.

  Hector criticized the press, but Landon respected them and was clearly admired in return. Hector had hated that about him. Landon needed only to stand there, be cordial, treat them like human beings, not bend to them or try desperately to be liked by them, and they adored him. Whereas Hector used to bribe them.

  “Have you met Kate?” Eleanor’s voice filtered through her thoughts.

  Beth spotted a young redhead heading in their direction. She radiated so much energy, she could’ve been a little sun. Her lopsided smile had troublemaker written all over it.

  Beth liked her instantly.

  “I’m the caterer,” Kate said, offering a tray. “And you’re Beth. Hi, Beth.”

  “Kate is also a friend of the family.” The affection in her mother-in-law’s words was also visible in her gracefully aged face.

  “Almost family,” Kate corrected as she picked up an hors d’oeuvre from her own tray. She winked conspiratorially at Beth. “I’m going to marry Julian. Poor guy doesn’t know it yet.”

  Beth glanced in Julian’s direction, but her gaze never reached him. Her eyes snagged on Garrett, who watched Kate as she tasted her creation.

  “Umm. Delicious, if I do say so myself,” Kate said, and smiling, licked her fingers before a riveted Garrett.

  She was playing a game, Beth realized. A game of jealousy. Kate waved at Garrett, smiling to him, and Beth could see the expression in Garrett’s face, tight with displeasure and heated with lust.

  She thought about warning her of playing games with these men, with a Gage, but then bit back the thought. For wasn’t she in league with a Gage? And weren’t they, too, playing a game? Kissing, for crying out loud. With tongues. There absolutely had to be no more kissing—her son was at stake. Her entire future!

  “Why are you all being so nice to me?” she asked Kate when her mother-in-law became engaged with another couple, for Kate seemed like someone who spoke the blunt, unfiltered truth. Honestly, if she were Landon’s mother and a strange woman had asked him to marry her in a week, for any reason, she’d want to smack both the woman and her son.