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Chapter Thirty six
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MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Thirty seven
Chapter 37Maya.Not wanting to be entirely predictable, Maya forewent the garden the next dayband opted instead for the heated pool. She had been eyeing it with longing since they had arrived, and thanks to boutiques only too willing to deliver to the island, she had a simply decadent swimsuit she was dying to try out.As she pulled the skimpy suit on, she realized that in essence she was trying to seduce Alex . Not that she hadn’t already, but she was attempting to make him fall in love with her.She frowned back at herself in the mirror. Wasn’t this backward? He was thebone with the memory. Shouldn’t he be trying to make her fall in love with him?She knew she loved him but hadn’t said the words. Something had held her back, and now she pondered what it was that made her unwilling to take thatnjump.There was a hesitation about him that niggled at her, as though he wanted to keep a certain amount of distance between them. She didn’t want that. She wanted him to love her as she love
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Thirty eight
Chapter 38“Mmmm, you are warm.”“Are you cold?” he asked huskily. “I wonder what I can do to warm you.”She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him. She threaded her fingers into his wet hair and kissed him. A sound of contentment purred from herbthroat as he returned her kiss with equal ardor.His erection strained against her belly, hot, like steel. Warmth shot throughbher body, leaving her flushed and aching. She wanted him. Wanted him so badly.“Take me upstairs,” she whispered as his lips scorched down her neck and tobthe swell of her breasts.The sound of a door closing startled them both. Alex let out an oath as he rolled away from Maya and yanked up a towel to cover her. Mayastiffened when she saw Zuri over Alex ’s shoulder.Her surprise turned to anger. The woman had barged in, intruded on their privacy without so much as a call to let them know she was coming out to the island. They hadn’t even heard the helicopter land, but then they had been occupied with other m
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Thirty Nine
Chapter 39Alex.Alex hung up the phone with a grimace and leaned back in his leather chair. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.He had to return to New York. Piers had called him with the news just moments ago, and Alex greeted the fact with a discomfort that was aliento him. Worse, he’d had to inform Piers and Theron that another of their designs had been stolen. They were understandably furious. With Maya. How would they react when they learned he had every intention of marrying her as soon aspossible?He was torn between wanting Maya to go with him and wanting to keep her sheltered here on the island. Away from any chance she might remember. Away from the judgment and animosity of his brothers.The beginnings of a headache plagued him as he considered the selfishness of that particular thought. He knew, though, that when she remembered, and the doctors had assured him she would, things would irrevocably change between them.He should still be furious w
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Fourty
Chapter 40AlexAlex’s jet touched down in New York in the late afternoon, and a limousine was waiting for them when they stepped off the plane. A tall formidable looking man stood by the car, and as they drew closer, Maya could see a strong resemblance between him and Alex.“Theron,” Alex called out. “I did not expect you to meet us. This is a surprise.”Theron gave a half smile. “Can I not greet my brother?”Alex put an arm around Maya’s waist and drew her forward. “Theron, this is Maya. Maya, this is my younger brother Theron.”She smiled. “I’m very glad to meet you.”His gaze flickered impassively over her, and he didn’t return her smile. Slowly hers faded as she read the unwelcoming look on his face. Instinctively, she shrank into Alex.Then Theron’s gaze dropped to the hand on which she wore the engagement ring, and he outright frowned. He stared back up at Alex, his jaw tight.“You will be courteous,” Alex said in a very low tone. Even so, she could hear the bite in his voice.
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter fourty one
Chapter 41Maya When she did wake up, she was in a different bed. She blinked the sleep induced fog away and realized that she was in Alex’s bedroom. She stretched and was glad not to feel the pressure in her head any longer.She sat up and saw Alex standing across the room looking at her. For some reason, she felt unsure of herself in that moment.“I must have been more tired than I realized,” she said lightly. “I didn’t even wake when you moved me.”“You will sleep in our room, in our bed.”She blinked. “Well, okay. I just didn’t think. That was the room I had before.”He closed the distance between them and sat down on the bed next to her.“Your place is here. With me.”She cocked her head. She had the distinct impression he wasn’t just speaking to the fact that she had gone to bed in another room. It was almost as though he was convincing himself, and others, that she belonged with him.“Your brothers don’t approve of me,” she said quietly.His face became a stone. “My brothers h
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Fourty two
Chapter 42AlexThe next morning, Alex left their bed early. He kissed her softly on the brow and told her he would come for her at noon. Maya yawned sleepily, murmured her goodbye and turned over to go back to sleep. His soft chuckle echoed in her ears as she drifted off.When she woke again, she squinted against the sunlight and glanced over at the clock. She still had hours until her lunch date with Alex, and she had no desire to spend them sitting around the apartment.With so many of Alex’s security men milling about, surely one of them would have access to transportation. She could commandeer one of them and go out on her own a bit, though she had no idea where she would go exactly.And then another thought occurred to her. With Alex being such a stickler for tight security, she doubted she’d gone anywhere without it in thetime they were together. If that was the case, then surely one of them would have an idea of the places she had visited and the things she liked to do.Consi
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Fourty Three
Chapter 43Maya As it turned out, he did indeed have a skill for choosing the perfect dress. He nailed it with the second one she tried on. White silk in a very simple design. It had spaghetti straps with a conservative bodice, and the material hugged herbelly, drawing attention to the soft mound.“It makes me look...well, very pregnant,” she said as she turned to allow Alex to look.“You look absolutely exquisite,” he murmured. “I think every pregnant woman should like to look as you do right now.”The appreciation in his eyes sold her on the dress. She had no desire to look any further. It was carefully wrapped and set aside along with the low-heeled shoes that she had chosen.“Tell me my love, do you want a traditional wedding dress?”She pursed her lips then shook her head. “No, I would prefer something simpler, I think.”The saleslady set several really gorgeous selections in front of them, and Maya watched Alex closely for his reaction.She fell in love with a peach colored go
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Fourty four
Chapter 44Maya Maya fidgeted and tugged at her dress as she surveyed her appearance in the mirror. Sapphires glinted from both ears, and the matching necklace lay against the skin of her neck.“You look beautiful, my love.”She turned to see Alex behind her. She sucked in her breath as she took in his appearance. The excellently tailored black suit fit him to perfection,drawing attention to his muscular build. The white shirt contrasted with his bronze skin, dark hair and golden eyes, and quite frankly, she felt like drooling.“So do you,” she finally managed.He chuckled and walked toward her. “Beautiful? Surely you can do better than that.”“Gorgeous? Devastatingly handsome? So good-looking that I’m tempted to fall on you and tear your clothes off?”“I like the way you think.”“I wasn’t joking,” she muttered.“Are you ready? The car is waiting for us below.”She took a deep breath and twisted her engagement ring around her finger with the pad of her thumb. “As ready as I will eve
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MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Epilogue
“No.” Alex shook his head, his face contorting with agonized concentration as he recalled every detail of the last time he had seen his daughter. “At least, I don’t think so.”“You don’t think so?” the policeman pushed, and Emma could have slapped him for his insensitivity. But Alex was calmer, explaining Alex’s problem in ameasured voice, but his voice was loaded with pain.“My daughter has problems—behavioural problems.” Katrina opened her mouth to argue, but Alex stood firm, shaking his head at Katrina, clearly indicating that now wasn’t the time for futile denial. “She doesn’t react in theusual way—you never really know what she’s thinking. Look, you have to tell your colleagues that they could be just a metre away from her, could be callingher name, and she won’t answer them, she won’t call out...” His voice broke for about asecond and Emma watched as he attempted to recover, his eyes closing for an agonising second as he forced himself to continue. “You have to tell them that
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter sixty two
She gave tiny gasps in her throat as her fingers knotted together in his hair, as still he teased her more, histeeth grazing the silk, his tongue moistening her more, and even if it was everything she wanted, it still wasn’t enough. Realisation hit her that, despitewhat had taken place in the garden, she’d never seen him naked. Need propelling her, she pulled back a touch, saw the question in his eyes as slowly he stood up. Her fingers, nervous at first, but bolder as desire took over, wrestled with thebuttons of his shirt, pushing the sleeves down over his muscular arms. Closing her eyes in giddy want, her pale breasts pressed against his chest. She felt thenaked silk of his dark skin against her, skin on skin, as she opened his belt and unzipped his shorts. She held her breath in wonder as Alex now shed thegarments that stood between them, and if he’d been beautiful before, he was stunning now.Never had she seen a more delicious man, his body toned and muscular, his dark, oliv
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter sixty one
“It would have,” Emma said softly, watching his wince of regret at her refusal to accept it, actually grateful when Katrina and Hugh ducked inside theemerald canopy and broke the painful moment, because whatever Alex was trying to say it was too little, too late—even a garden full of flowers wasn’tgoing to fix this.“Join us for a drink,” Hugh offered. “Alex’s just about to put Alex to bed...”“I’ve got too much to do here.” Emma smiled as she shook her head. “But thank you for the offer.”“I think we might have to stay over.” Katrina pretended to grimace. “Hugh’s had a couple too many champagnes to drive.”“I’ve had one,” Hugh said, but Katrina had clearly already made up her mind.Emma was tempted to tell her that she needn’t bother, that Alex didn’t need to be guarded on her final night here, but instead she offered her goodnights andheaded to the mountain of tools that needed to be sorted.“You really ought to think about finishing up,” Alex called. “There’s a storm brewing and
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter sixty
“No.” His single word hurt her even more, if that were possible, his refusal to soften it cheapening her more than she’d thought possible.“So what was that all about?” Emma asked, gesturing to where they had lain, where he’d found her, held her, made love to her, forcing the confrontation,steeling herself to hear the confirmation of her worst fears. “What just happened there, Alex?”“Sex.” Black eyes stung her, a warning note in his voice telling her she’d crossed the line. His lips set in a rigid line as she shook her head, refused histake on the history they’d so recently created.“It was more than that and you know it,” Emma rasped, shocked by his callousness, reeling from the ferociousness of his sparse summing-up, yet refusing to buy it, because she knew there was more to him, had witnessed the real Alex only moments before, and all she knew was that she wanted himback. “Alex, please, don’t do this...” Emma attempted, her hand reaching out for his arm, but he recoiled as if s
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Fifty nine
Only now did his lips release hers. Any sooner and she would have begged him to stop, would have halted things.But now she was putty in his skilled hands, pliable, warm, willing to move, to let him do with her what he wanted, and, oh, how he did—kissing the pulseleaping in her throat as she wriggled out of her top. The second her breasts were free, his tongue paid them the attention they deserved, tender attention, kissingthe swollen, needy tips in turn, his finger retracing his steps, working downwards now. Her stomach tightened in renewed tension as he slid down the zip of her shorts, but for the first time since contact he spoke, the liquid deep tones of his voice not breaking the spell but somehow deepening it.“Don’t hold onto those thoughts, bella, just let them come and go.” Repeating the words she had said to him, but with entirely different meaning this time. Andshe tried, really tried to just relax as his hand cupped her bottom and lifted her enough to slip off the shorts
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Fifty eight
What?” One eye peeped open.“Abdominal breathing,” she explained, but from the two vertical lines appearing over the bridge of his nose Emma knew she was talking to the hopelessly unconverted.“You don’t move your chest,” Emma explained. “Remember when Alex wasa baby and you watched her sleep?”The frown faded a touch, a small smile lifting one edge of his mouth.“Babies know how to relax,” Emma said. “They instinctively know how tobreathe properly.” “Like this?” Alex asked, dragging in air, and Emma watched as he struggled with the concept. His stomach was moving but so too was his chest.“Almost. Look, I’ll help you. Just push against my hand.” Sitting up slightly, she instinctively moved to correct him. She’d shown this to numerous friends,knew how to show him simply, but her movements were hesitant, her hand tentative as it reached out towards him, hovered over the flat plane of his stomach, knowing, knowing where this could lead, wanting to pull back, to endthis dangerous game,
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Fifty seven
***Six years laterI’m sorry to have disturbed you.”“It’s fine.” Emma attempted, struggling to sit up, slightly disorientated andextremely embarrassed that Alex had found her in the middle of the day, hot and filthy in nothing more than the skimpiest of shorts and a crop top, lying on a blanket with her eyes closed. Absolutely the last person she was expecting to see at this hour, he was dressed in his inevitable dark suit, but there was a slightlymore relaxed stance to him. He held a brown paper bag in one hand and he didn’t look in his usual rush—his usually perfectly knotted tie was loosened, the top button of his shirt undone. But his dark eyes were shielded with sunglasses making his closed expression even more unreadable if that were possible.“You’ve done a lot.”“It’s getting there.” Emma nodded. “And if I keep going at full speed, I could still be done by early next week.”He didn’t say a word, he didn’t have to. Just a tiny questioning lift of his eyebrow from behind his
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Fifty six
Ironically enough, Maya discovered she was in labor halfway down the stairs.Alone. She gripped the banister and doubled over as a contraction rippled acrossher abdomen. Wasn’t labor supposed to start out slow?She wanted to laugh at the fact that fate was obviously cursing her for trying to sneak down the stairs without Alexknowing. While he’d relented abouther taking the stairs in the earlier stages of her pregnancy, now that she was so close to her due date he’d once again insisted she not walk the stairs alone. He’d go insane now that she was nine months pregnant and, if the pain ripping out her insides was any clue, about to deliver.She stood on the step, holding on to the railing and taking deep breaths. She’d have called out if she weren’t so busy sucking air through her nose. Besides,Alexwas busy with endless calls as he and Theron worked out Theron’s relocation to the New York offices. Theron was taking over operations there soAlexcould remain in Europe. They had been ti
MY CONTRACT MARRIAGE Chapter Fifty five
Alex wasted no time in finalizing plans for their wedding and preparing for them to travel to the island. He single-handedly rearranged his business schedule, made sure everything Maya could possibly need was purchased, though they’d already shopped for her wedding gown. She stood in awe of all hecould accomplish in such a short time.The authorities questioned her now that she’d regained her memory, and she spent several exhausting hours providing them with the few details she couldremember. The kidnappers hadn’t harmed her and had actually shown her consideration when her pregnancy became obvious. They had watched her,knowing she was close to Alex , and had struck when the opportunity arose. They’d asked for a small ransom, certain they would get it with no fuss.When no ransom had been forthcoming, they abandoned the kidnapping andarranged for Maya to be found.It was the realization that Alex had ignored the ransom that had pushedMaya beyond her limits. It was that moment in
