The Contract (The Contract 1)

“Something you want to tell me?”

“She asked what our plans were. I told her we hadn’t made any yet, with everything else we’d been dealing with. She thought these might help.”

I took a sip from the steaming mug she handed to me with an appreciative sigh. She did make excellent coffee.

“Graham asked me about our plans, too.”

“What are we going to do? They’re going to keep asking. Applying for a fake wedding license was bad enough; I’m not planning a fake wedding.”

I scrubbed my face with my hands. “I know. I hadn’t anticipated this.”

“This, meaning what?”

“I actually like Graham. I want to work for him. To make him proud. For some reason, it’s important to me.”

She studied me for a moment. “What are you saying?”

“I thought it would be easier,” I acknowledged. “He’d meet you on the odd occasion, and that would be it. I hadn’t anticipated you and his daughter becoming friends—or his wife adoring you.” I pushed the magazines, toppling the neat pile. “I hadn’t expected them to be part of my life outside the office.”

“And?”

“I think this arrangement is going to have to go on a little longer than I expected. Three months isn’t going to work.”

She traced the edge of one of the glossy covers, her finger retracing a picture of a bookcase. “How long?”

“How would you feel about agreeing to a minimum of six months, with an option for another six?”

Her mouth fell open in shock.

“Hear me out.”

She closed her mouth and nodded.

“Graham admitted he still has reservations. I read the paperwork quickly in the car. The offer is a good one, except it has a five-month trial period. I think he’s going to be watching. If you leave before then, or right after, it will look suspicious.”

“You think six months is the answer?”

“It might be, except I think it’ll be longer. I need to know you’ll stay.”

She didn’t say anything, and she didn’t meet my eyes. I felt the stirrings of panic building in my chest. I couldn’t do this without Katharine. I wanted to laugh at the irony. I had wanted to be rid of her for so long, and now I needed her more than I ever thought possible. Karma was, indeed, a bitch.

“We can rework the terms,” I offered through tight lips.

She finally looked up. “Your terms are fine the way they are. I’m not asking for more money.”

“You agree to stay?”

“For a year.”

“Fine. I can work with that. By the end of a year, Graham will see what I bring to the table. He won’t be as concerned with my private life.” I drummed my fingers restlessly on the cold granite. “I do have one other thing I want to ask.”

“Which is?”

“I’d like to cover all my bases. Make sure there’s no room for doubt.”

“I’m not following you.”

I studied her for a moment, then spoke the words I never thought I’d hear myself say.

“Will you marry me, Katharine?”RICHARD

SHE WAS SPEECHLESS. HER LIPS moved, yet no words came out. Then she did the strangest thing.

She laughed. Huge, loud peals of laughter. She clapped her hand over her mouth, but it didn’t do anything to stem the flow of chortles. Tears ran down her cheeks, and still she laughed.

It was a sound I’d never heard from her, and while I had to admit, her laughter was highly infectious—I wasn’t amused at why she was laughing.

I leaned back, crossing my arms. “I don’t find this a laughing matter, Miss Elliott.”

I thought hearing me refer to her formally would snap her out of her hysteria because that was what it had to be. The only effect it seemed to have on her, though, was she laughed harder.

I slammed my hand on the granite. “Katharine!”

She slumped against the counter, wiping her eyes. She glanced over at me, and it started all over. More gales of laughter.

I shoved off the chair and strode toward her, not certain what I would do when I got there. Shake her? Slap her? I grabbed her arms, and without another thought, crashed my mouth to hers, effectively silencing her lunacy. That strange warmth crept down my spine as I yanked her tight to my body and kissed her. I used every bit of frustration she made me feel to punish her into silence.

Except it didn’t feel like punishment. It felt like pleasure.

Hot, pulsating pleasure.

With a groan, I jerked back, my chest heaving. “Are you finished?” I growled.

She gazed up at me, finally silent, then nodded.

“At the risk of starting you off again, Katharine, will you marry me?”

“No.”

I shook her slightly. “You said you would if we had to.”

With a sigh, she surprised me again. She cupped my cheeks, her fingers stroking my skin. “Has anyone ever told you how impetuous you are, my darling?”

“Spontaneity has served me well.”

“I’d call it hot-headed, but you call it whatever lets you sleep at night.”