Beaufort Brides: Hired Bride Part 17

Deanna gave a little laugh. "He's had a lot of good moments to make up for that."

Smiling down at her, he had to resist the impulse to cup her face. He'd moved closer without being conscious of doing so.

When Deanna pulled away from him again, he saw that Rose was giving them more curious looks.

Then she said, "I got some lunch earlier, but Deanna hasn't had any. Maybe you could take her to get something to eat?"

"I'm fine-" Deanna began.

"That's a good idea," Mitch.e.l.l said, at the same time, talking over her and pairing the words with a hand on her back. "We won't be too long."

Deanna slanted him an annoyed look as they walked out. "You're going to have to get over the habit of bossing me around or your b.a.l.l.s aren't going to make it for three more months."

Mitch.e.l.l chuckled, although he didn't like her reference to the three months, as if she never questioned the fact that their relations.h.i.+p would be over for sure at the end of the contracted time.

"I'll work on it," he murmured as they entered the elevator.

"I don't believe you."

"What don't you believe?"

"I don't believe you'll work on it." She was smiling and looked fond, but his heart took a sudden nosedive as she said, "You like being bossy, and you don't work on anything, if you can help it, so I don't think you'll be working on not being bossy."

She was teasing, he knew, but she meant it. It would never cross her mind that, for the first time in his life, he might want to work on something-even if it was hard.

That evening, Mitch.e.l.l was heading back up the elevator, going to pick up Deanna and take her home.

Her grandmother was recovering, and there didn't seem to be any permanent damage. She was still really weak, with the broken bones and the head injury, so she'd have to stay in the hospital for several more days.

But things were definitely looking up.

He got off the elevator and started in the direction of her room when he saw a small, dark-haired figure standing in front of the windows in a sitting area across from the elevator. Her back was toward him, but there was no way he wouldn't recognize the long, thick hair, the shapely a.s.s, the graceful curve of her neck.

He walked over toward his wife, wrapping his arms around her from behind when he reached her.

She jerked slightly, as if surprised, but then relaxed back against him. "She told me to leave," Deanna explained. "The physical therapist had come in, and she didn't want me there. She doesn't like anyone to see her when she's weak."

"Hmm," Mitch.e.l.l murmured, pressing a few kisses against her hair. "That sounds familiar."

"I'm not that bad."

He actually laughed, since she seemed to sincerely believe this was true.

"I'm not," she said, sounding slightly confused. "I'm just..." She trailed off, as if she was thinking about the words.

"You're just what?" he asked, curious about what she was going to say.

She sighed. "I don't know." She eased forward, trying to pull out of his arms, but he wouldn't let her. "Mitch.e.l.l," she began. "I'm not sure..."

"Have you been standing here trying to talk yourself into being smart and reasonable?" he asked, his voice a low murmur as he turned her around in his arms and leaned down to kiss her softly.

"Maybe a little," she admitted, her arms going up around his neck.

He loved how she couldn't seem to help reaching out for him, as if her body responded to his almost against her will.

"Well, I think the smart, reasonable thing would be to go get some dinner and then go home and have s.e.x."

She shook with suppressed laughter, even as she let him kiss her again. "So that's the most reasonable thing, is it?"

"Absolutely. It's just what the doctor ordered. I'm nothing if not a reasonable guy."

She was smiling and relaxed, and he was already getting excited about what might happen that evening. He wanted to go even farther. He wanted to tell her what he was feeling. But he realized now that it would be a mistake.

She was still thinking only of a six-month marriage, and she wasn't even sure about committing to that with him. If he suddenly burst out that he was crazy in love with her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, she would be dumbfounded, utterly shocked.

And the worst part was, she wouldn't believe him.

Eleven.

A few hours later, Deanna was tangled up in Mitch.e.l.l's body, both of them hot and panting and a little sweaty.

She was feeling relaxed and really good after an incredible round of s.e.x, but she was also feeling dangerously close to him-close to him in a way that she knew was utterly stupid.

He was into her. There was no way she could doubt that. But he was the kind of guy who threw himself into whatever he was doing at the moment-and then he'd move on without a second thought once it was over.

He'd told her he wanted to make the best of their marriage, and that was what he was doing.

But she was different. She couldn't move on so easily. And she was sure-even now-she would be crushed when this was over, and if she let herself get even deeper with him, she might never get over it.

She'd never really been in love before-not completely, anyway. She'd always held a little of herself back, even in the two relations.h.i.+ps she'd had that she thought had potential.

There was no potential here, and she was having to fight to hold any of herself back.

She'd needed him, so she'd let things go farther than they should have, but now was the time she had to be strong.

Mitch.e.l.l's body had softened beneath her, and his hand was gently stroking her hair. It seemed pretty clear he wasn't intending for them to move any time soon.

She wanted so much to stay, to nestle against him like she had the night before, but that would be weak, would be foolish, would be everything she'd made sure she wasn't all her life.

People depended on her. Her grandmother and Kelly and Rose. She couldn't let herself fall apart.

So, with great force of will, she rolled off him, their damp skin clinging where it had been pressed together.

"Where are you going?" he muttered, trying to pull her back against him.

"I'm tired," she said lightly. "I'm going to bed."

"That sounds good to me." His hair was mussed from the way she'd been tugging at it in her pa.s.sion before, and his expression was almost sweet. "So stay here in bed with me."

"I'm going to sleep in my room." She managed to roll off the bed and stand up, although she was a little sore and she felt chilled in the room, away from the heat of his body.

"Why?" His brows had drawn together, and he definitely didn't look pleased.

If she gave him a real reason, or any kind of excuse, he would argue, so she said instead, "Because I want to. Is there a problem with that?"

He stared at her for a long time, emotion she couldn't recognize reflecting on his face. "I guess not. I just don't understand why you want to."

She felt guilty because he was disappointed, but that was ridiculous. "You don't have to understand. You just have to respect my choices. That's how things are supposed to work between us."

"I know. But it seems like maybe you'd like to stay with me, and I don't like that you're making yourself do something against your own wishes."

He was being serious-far more serious than he normally was-so she didn't like to blow him off, although that was her first instinct, just to get away as fast as she could. "It's not against my wishes. I see what you're saying, but I think you're reading me wrong."

He was silent for a moment, and she had no idea what he was thinking. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning."

Relieved and upset and ludicrously let down, she grabbed her clothes and headed back into her own suite.

Her rooms were just as lovely and comfortable as they'd always been, but they felt lonely tonight.

The next day, Mitch.e.l.l and Deanna had scheduled to have dinner with George and Gina Fenton.

The restaurant deal was moving quickly, and the lawyers had drawn up the contract, so there were just a few more details to work out before the sale was officially closed.

Deanna should have been happy about it, since it meant the main purpose of the marriage was complete. But the thought of it just made her feel a little sick.

Once the deal was done, she wondered if she should suggest ending their marriage early, so things wouldn't get any more complicated than they already were.

It seemed like that was probably the wisest decision to make. She just didn't want to make it.

She'd done her duty to her family. The work was on the house was more than halfway complete. She could pull back now without any betrayal, and then maybe she could start down the very difficult road of getting over Mitch.e.l.l.

If her feelings got any deeper, she was afraid she'd never get over him.

Mitch.e.l.l sure wasn't making it easy on her, though.

All evening he'd been acting like Prince Charming, acting sweet and seductive and funny and romantic. His act must have been convincing to the Fentons. Honestly, it was almost convincing Deanna.

"You look gorgeous tonight," he murmured into her ear, as they waited at the entrance of the restaurant for the valet to bring up their car after dinner was over. "Have I told you that?"

"Several times," she said, trying to sound light and good-humored, although her heart, body, and mind were an uproar of need and longing and confusion and fear. "But George and Gina are too far away to hear us, so you don't need to keep laying it on so thick."

"I wasn't," he said, his body stiffening slightly. She could feel it quite clearly since his body was pressed up behind her, one of his arms wrapped around her. "I meant it. You look absolutely beautiful."

She sighed, fighting the instinct to pull away from him. "Thank you." She wore a dark green dress that made her eyes look greener than they were, and she'd pulled her hair up in a French twist. She felt unusually elegant and sophisticated.

And strange. Like it wasn't quite her.

Mitch.e.l.l tilted his head down and ran a line of feather-light kisses against her cheekbone and down toward her jaw. "You have no idea how much I love the curve of your neck right here." He brushed the side of his index finger along her throat, making her s.h.i.+ver again. "It drives me crazy."

She wanted to lean into his words, have them surround her like a blanket. But she knew they didn't mean what she wanted them to mean. "It's just a normal neck."

"It is not a normal neck. There's nothing normal about it." He leaned farther down to press a soft kiss against her throat. "There's nothing normal about you."

It sounded like he meant it, and there was no reason to a.s.sume he didn't. At the moment, he was into her, and it was nice. It made her feel good. Really good.

It just wasn't enough.

She leaned her head away, trying to discreetly pull away from his kisses.

He noticed the gesture immediately and straightened up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Her throat was tight with emotion, but she tried to speak naturally over the lump. "I just think the Fentons are fully convinced we're a normal couple, so you can back off a little on the romantic act."

He turned her around to face him and took her face in both of his hands, cupping it gently. "I don't think you want me to back off. I think you like the romantic act."

G.o.d help her, she did. But she wanted it to be more than an act.

He kissed her on the mouth, and she responded for a few seconds before she made herself pull away.

He let out a frustrated exhale. "What is the matter, Deanna? You can't tell me you don't want this. I know you do. So why don't you just let go and enjoy the moment?"

There. He'd made it clear again. This was just about the moment for him, and it was about a lifetime for her.

"Of course, I like to kiss you," she said, feeling a sudden surge of desperation and trying frantically not to fall apart and make a huge fool of herself. "Of course, I'm attracted to you. But what my body wants isn't necessarily what I want. Don't you understand that?"

He stared down at her, something almost frozen in his expression.

"You can seduce me if you want, and I may end up relenting and falling into bed with you, but that's not going to change anything that matters." She cleared her throat when her voice wobbled. "There are things that are important to me, Mitch.e.l.l. The most important things in the world to me. I really like you, and I think you're a great guy, and I'm insanely attracted to you. But s.e.x with you and a six-month marriage-of-convenience just aren't the most important things in my world."

He still looked frozen, and she was momentarily afraid she'd genuinely hurt his feelings.

"It's nothing personal," she added quickly, reaching up to put a hand on the lapel of his jacket. "I really do think you're great, and not just because you're so hot. But I don't know how to say this more clearly. I hope...I hope...you'll respect my wishes."

"Of course." He took a step back, dropping his arms and clearing his throat the way she had the minute before. "Of course, I will. I didn't mean to...If this isn't what you want, then I won't press it on you."

His words didn't sound quite right. He made it sound like there was something about him-who he was-that she didn't want.