The Contract (The Contract 1)

Her remark made me chuckle. She had a cutting sense of humor, which was something I liked.

I followed her to the door, opening it for her. She waited as I locked it, and with a smirk, I offered her my hand.

“Ready, sweetheart?”

She rolled her eyes, placing her hand in mine. “Anywhere with you, my darling.”

“Let’s do this.”Katharine accepted my extended hand, letting me help her from my car, her eyes huge in her face as she took in the extraordinary house and grounds. Even I was impressed. Graham Gavin’s estate home was lavish.

“Try to control your emotions,” I murmured, tugging her close, hoping it appeared natural. She didn’t fight me, leaning her body into mine as the valet drove off with my car. “You need to relax.”

She looked up at me with a frown. “Maybe you’re used to this sort of opulence, Richard. But I’m not.” Her gaze moved around rapidly; panic beginning to show on her face. “I don’t belong here,” she whispered. “They’re going to see right through this sham.”

I bent low so I could meet her eyes. “No, they aren’t,” I hissed. “I’m going to stay beside you, and we’re going to act as if we’re in love. Everyone here will think I chose you and us over my career, and you, damn it, are going to act as though you fucking adore me. Got it?”

She tilted her head up, uncertainty written all over her face.

I softened my voice. “You can do this, Katharine, I know you can. We both need this to work.”

She looked over my shoulder. “Graham Gavin is coming over.”

“Then it’s show time, sweetheart. I’m going to kiss you and you’re going to act as though you like it. Pretend I just gave you a gift. In fact, I’ll give you one, if you pull off this first meeting.”

For a second nothing changed. Then her gaze became determined, and she beamed at me. The expression transformed her face from merely pretty to beautiful. The change caught me off guard, and I stared down at her, surprised at my thoughts.

“Richard!” she exclaimed. “You’re too good to me!”

To say I was shocked when she reached up, threading her fingers through my hair and yanking my mouth to hers, would be an understatement. I recovered quickly, holding her tight and kissing her far too passionately for such a public place. When I heard the clearing of a throat behind me, I smiled against her mouth and drew back. She stared up at me, then as if it was the most natural thing in the world, touched my lips.

“Passion pink isn’t your color,” she teased, wiping at my mouth.

I dropped another kiss on her lips. “I told you to stop wearing the stuff. I’m only going to kiss it off anyway.” Keeping my arm around her, I turned to greet Graham.

“Sorry, Katharine is easily excited.” I smirked. “And who am I to resist?”

He chuckled, extending his hand, introducing me to his wife, Laura. Almost as short as Katharine, her golden hair swept into an elegant bun, she was grace personified.

I, in turn, introduced Katharine as my fiancée, smiling as she blushed and greeted them both.

“You must tell me what excited you so much, Katharine.” Laura smiled at her.

“Richard just told me about an unexpected gift. He’s constantly surprising me. Please call me Katy. Richard insists on my full name, but I prefer Katy.”

I shook my head. “It’s a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

She rolled her eyes, and Laura chuckled.

“You’ll never convince him otherwise, Katy. Men are such stubborn creatures.” Reaching out, she hooked arms with Katharine, tugging her away. “Come; let me introduce you to my family. Jenna is dying to meet you. Now, what is this gift he gave you?”

Following behind, I listened carefully, wondering what she would decide I had given her. Jewelry? A trip? Those were the extravagant gifts the women I dated liked to receive.

Once again, she surprised me.

“Richard made a generous donation to the ‘no-kill shelter’ where I volunteer. I had told him I was afraid they may close up due to lack of funds.”

Laura glanced over her shoulder with a wide grin. “What a lovely gesture, Richard. Graham and I will match your donation. We both have a soft spot for animals.”

Katharine gasped. “Oh, Laura, you don’t have to do that!”

Laura hugged her arm. “Of course, we do. How long have you been volunteering there?”

I spoke up; thankful for the lists we’d made and the fact I had a good memory. “Three years. She’s been named Volunteer of the Year twice.”

“How wonderful! Graham, make sure you write out a check for Katy when you’re talking to Richard later.”

Those words encouraged me. If he was going to talk to me in private, I hoped it meant what I thought it did.

Graham smiled at Laura. “I will, my love.”