Cole Cameron's Revenge

"Oh, I've got it. You expect me to kowtow like the rest of your entourage."

"You are my wife. I expect a show of respect."

"Just as long as you understand it's only a show."

Cole stripped off his jacket and his tie and tossed them on a chair. "I'm warning you," he said through his teeth. "Don't push me. I've had just about enough."

"You've had enough?" Faith flung her purse after his jacket and tie. "You uproot me from my life, take me to this this place where people do everything but prostrate themselves when they see you coming-"

"They do no such thing!"

"Oh, give me a break. Of course they do." Her words took on a tone that made him think of oil oozing from the ground. "`How are you, sir? 'Welcome home, sir.' `It's a pleasure to serve you, sir."'

"Would you prefer they boo and hiss at the sight of me?"

She looked at him. He was right. There was nothing wrong with the way anybody had greeted him. His driver, the doorman, the butler-they'd been polite, not obsequious. He had been polite to them in turn. He'd been polite to everyone but her. He only snapped orders at her.

"You're the one who needs lessons in courtesy," Cole said sharply. "Did you once think of responding properly to John or Otto or anybody else? Did you think of extending your hand and saying you were pleased to meet them?"

"I'm not pleased. I don't want to meet your servants."

"Dammit, Faith, they are not my servants. They're my employees."

"There's a difference?"

"There sure as hell is." Cole stalked across the room as he opened his shirt. A button popped under his angry touch and dropped to the carpet. "Servants take orders. They say `Yes, sir.' 'No, sir.' `Right away, sir,' and I'll be damned if I'd ever expect a man or woman to do any of that crap for me." The furious rush of words stopped. In the sudden silence, Faith could hear the ragged sound of his breathing. "I don't have servants," he said tightly. "I have people who work for me. I pay them well. I respect them and they respect me. I would never dream of humiliating them. And I will not tolerate having you humiliate them or me. Is that clear?"

Faith stared at this stranger who was her husband. Nothing was clear. The more time they spent together, the less she understood him, but he was right and she knew it. He hadn't treated anyone badly. She had. And she had no idea why.

"Is it?" he demanded.

He was glowering at her, lines of anger etched into his face. Her throat tightened. She made him angry all the time. She hadn't, years ago. Back then, he'd always smiled when he saw her. Faith, he'd say, in a way that turned her name into a caress, Faith, baby, and her heart would turn over with the rightness of it.

"I didn't..." She hesitated. "I didn't mean to treat anyone badly," she said quietly. Her head came up. "I know it's not their fault that all of this is happening."

"You don't want to live here." Cole spoke stiffly, as if each word were difficult to form. "I know that. But I live here. I have offices here." He let out a slow breath. "This is my home."

But it wasn't hers, she almost said ... except, had she ever really thought of a place as "home"? She'd certainly never felt that way about the trailer, when she was growing up, or about Cameron House. The only place that had ever felt remotely like home had been Cole's arms, but look what had come of those foolish daydreams.

Her spine stiffened. "And you expect me to make the best of it."

His mouth thinned. "Yes."

"In that case, I want separate bedrooms, the way it was at Cameron House."

"To hell with Cameron House," he roared. Faith jerked back in shock. What was wrong with him? Anger boiled in his blood and for what reason? Because his wife wasn't singing hosannas over the city he loved or the life he'd carved for himself? Because she didn't see he could give her things no man had ever given her?

Was he really that crazy? Did it matter?

Yes, he thought furiously, yes, it did, and he grabbed her shoulders and yanked her to her toes.

"You're my wife and you're damned well going to begin behaving as if you are! Forget Cameron House. Forget my brother. This is your life, Faith, starting right now. You're going to share this room. This bed. You're going to treat me like a husband, and don't waste your breath telling me about that damn-fool piece of paper I signed because I'm not interested. Have you got that?" He looked down into her eyes, into her white face and he cursed, bent his head and kissed her.

She reacted instantly, twisting against his hands, trying to tear free and when he slid his hands up, cupped her face and held her prisoner to his passion, she sank her teeth into his bottom lip. Cole said something under his breath, tunneled his fingers into her hair and kissed her again, his mouth relentless his grip remorseless, and suddenly Faith sobbed and opened her mouth to his. Cole gathered her closer against him and she wound her arms tightly around his neck, lifting herself to him melding her body to his.