The Contract (The Contract 1)

What an odd, emotional day.

After dinner, Laura had us move the table off to one side, freeing up the space, insisting we needed to dance. Grateful we had practiced, I held out my hand, grinning at Katharine.

“Ready to dance with your husband?”

Her smile was shy, but real, as she slipped her hand into mine. “I am, my darling. Just don’t use all your energy on the dance floor.”

I winked. “Don’t worry about that, sweetheart.”

I twirled her onto the dance floor amid the laughter. She nestled into me as we moved to the music. Once again, it struck me how well she fit to me—the way her head was the perfect height to tuck under my chin. I could smell her soft scent, and enjoyed the silk of her hair on my skin. I beamed as we spun around, our steps in sync.

I had chosen the perfect fake wife.There were more hugs, well wishes, and catcalls when we left. We were both quiet in the car. I kept glancing over at Katharine.

“Are you all right?”

“Hmmm.”

“Is your head okay?”

Leaning against the headrest, she nodded. “I’m fine. It was a nice day.”

“Okay for a shotgun wedding to an asshole?”

“Ranks right up in my top ten.”

I chuckled. Her humorous side came out more every day. I liked it.

“How much older is Adam than Jenna?”

“Ten years, I think. She told me she was a bit of a surprise.”

“The baby of the family.”

“The spitfire, I think. Adam is far more sedate.”

“Like Graham,” she mused. “I like them all. They’re a wonderful group.”

“They like you.”

“I’m trying not to feel guilty,” she admitted. “They are being so kind.”

“No one is going to get hurt here, Katharine. I’m going to do my best for Graham. He’ll get someone as committed as any of his family is to making sure his company thrives.”

“Still, after . . .”

“Let’s worry about that later. It’s months away—longer. Don’t dwell on it.”

She was quiet for a moment.

“Thank you for offering to spend time with Penny.”

I shrugged. I was grateful she had let it go. “As I said, I liked her. I need to know her more. As your husband, I should. It would only be natural.”

She hummed in agreement. “I think you convinced them. Even Graham,” she added. “He was watching us, and I think he liked what he saw.”

“I agree. Thank you. Another excellent job, Miss Elliott.”

“That’s Mrs. VanRyan, thank you.”

An odd ripple went through my chest at her words.

“I stand corrected. Mrs. VanRyan.”

She turned her face, looking out the window.

“And it wasn’t only a job,” she whispered so low, I almost missed it.

I had no reply to her statement. For some reason, though, I found her hand in the darkness and squeezed it.

It stayed clasped with hers all the way home.She fell asleep before we arrived at our building. I knew she was exhausted after last night, and the events of the day, so I decided to let her sleep. I eased open the door, lifting her out and carrying her up to the condo. She was small in my arms, with her head resting on my shoulder. I found myself unable to look away from her as the elevator whisked us upward. Once in her room, I laid her on the bed, unsure what to do about her dress. She roused a little, and with my encouragement, we managed to get the dress over her head, then she fell back, already asleep.

I crouched beside the bed, taking in her sleeping form. Lace that matched her dress, covered her breasts, a triangle of the same silk hid her untouched sex from my eyes. Although I had always thought she wasn’t my type, to my surprise, I found the delicate curves and dips of her body sexy. Carefully, I traced a finger over her collarbone, down her chest, across her stomach. Her skin was like satin under my touch. She shivered in her sleep, curling up on her side, mumbling something incoherent. She bent and curled her toes, resuming her sleep.

I pushed back the dark curls of her hair, and studied her face. The face I had called plain. It was anything but plain. Her cheekbones were too prominent and she was still too thin, yet I knew now she was in a safe place, able to eat properly, and have fewer worries, all of her would fill out more. The weariness would be erased from under her eyes and the quiet, honest beauty others saw, and I had finally discovered, would shine through.

I shook my head at the weird thoughts I was having regarding Katharine. Today had been filled with emotions I rarely, if ever, felt. I knew, without a doubt, it was because of the woman in front of me. Still, I didn’t understand why.

My body stirred at the sight of her, and a fresh wave of shame hit me. I shouldn’t be ogling her while she slept, no matter how appealing she looked in her half-naked state. Hastily, I dragged up her duvet to her chin and switched off the light. I left her door open and retired to my own room, getting ready for the night of restless sleep. Her giving into the exhaustion she felt in the car was only a brief reprieve. I knew in the morning she would ask for her story. I also knew I would give it to her, because the bottom line was, I owed her.