“If not for a divorce, I’m stumped.”
Dragging her mind back on track, she tugged a tendril of hair behind her ear and focused on why she’d come. “I have a favor to ask.” Acid washed through her throat.
“A favor?” He chuckled. “Really?”
She tried not to cringe and sink deep into the cushion. She hated being here and asking for anything. “Yes.” She clutched her hands together so tightly that her knuckles popped.
Seconds ticked by until he finally interrupted the deathly silence. “You left me, haven’t said a word, haven’t called in these years, and now you need something?” Anger pebbled his sharp tone.
“The road goes both ways, Declan.” She straightened her spine.
“Oh, so you left and I was supposed to chase after you? Amazing.” He sniffed loudly.
“You were the one who told me to go. Have you forgotten?”
“Have you forgotten why I told you to leave?” His lips dipped at the corners.
“You never understood that I had an obligation to help my sister. She was going through a lot—”
“You didn’t give me the chance to understand, or to help. Every time I turned around you were running off, picking up the pieces of your sister’s mess. I had to wait in line if I needed to speak to you.” His voice grew huskier.
“That sounds a lot like jealousy,” she snapped.
“Jealousy? Think again, buttercup.” He swiped a hand through his hair. “I saw how Abby used you, manipulated you, made you feel like you should carry her burdens. I bet you’re still cleaning up her shit.”
She lowered her gaze to her hands. Her fingers were red from her crushing, tight hold.
“Aww, just as I thought. You don’t need a thing, but your sister does.”
She brought her gaze back up, refusing to cower under him. Needing his help was one thing, but being humiliated was another and she refused to allow it to happen. “I’m the one here, aren’t I? I’m the one who needs money.”
He scoffed. She felt his fury cloud the room, tug at her chest. His jaw was tight and his eyes narrowed. “Money?” He sat back, his expression still hard. “How much?”
“Thirty thousand.”
His expression went from hard to an arctic blast in seconds. “Thirty grand. That’s more than a favor, bella. What happened? Are you in trouble?”
She gave her head a quick shake. “I-I can’t tell you.” She was squeezing her hands so tight her arms were falling asleep.
“You come here, ask for that much money and you can’t tell me the reason?” He scrubbed his jaw.
“You have to trust me. I’m only asking for a loan. I’ll pay you back every cent, with interest. I wouldn’t have come here if I’d had any other choice. You know that.” She swallowed against the constriction in her throat. “I’m not your responsibility.”
His lips thinned. “As your husband, I beg to differ. I wanted to help you before, I did, but you’d never let me in. So, after all of this time I have become just a man with money to you.”
“That’s not true.”
“Did you think coming here, wearing seduction in cotton and spandex and fuck-me heels would persuade me to write a check?”
“Go to hell, Declan!” She jumped up from the couch and her heels pounded the floor as she raced toward her exit. She’d been wrong to ever come. How could she have believed he’d consider helping her?
Before she reached the door, he was upon her, dragging her back against his wide, linebacker chest. She swore she could feel the heavy beating of his heart in her shoulders, but maybe it was a combination of both of theirs. He snaked a hand around her waist, flattened his palm against her stomach and pressed her against him. She could feel the lean, muscular solid line of his body, but the thick bulge pushing into her bottom made her womb spasm and her clit throb. She couldn’t fall victim to his passion again, but she wasn’t sure she could resist the temptation.
“You need taken care of, bella,” he whispered next to her ear. “The dark circles under your eyes tell me you don’t sleep, never had. You’re too skinny. Your hair, although smelling like Georgia peaches, needs cut. Your fingernails are broken and the polish chipped. You’re not asking for the money to grab a pedicure and a new wardrobe.” He tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled them back from her neck. His breath was warm against her skin and tingles shot through her body, nestling like beads of heat in her core. Oh, she could easily let her body go, ease back into him and allow human nature to take its natural progression. “Tell me, sweetheart. Why?”
“I told you, I can’t tell you why I need the money,” she whimpered, wishing her pussy would stop pulsating.
“No. Why did you not come back?” He inhaled deeply and he dropped his hand to her breast, gently squeezing.
She gasped and her knees weakened. She had no choice but to lean into him. Her voice wouldn’t work.
“I took care of your every need.” The hand he had on her stomach slid downward, slowly, lower on her thigh. She barely registered that he tugged the hem of her skirt higher until she felt his touch on her quivering inner thigh. Her heart raced and goosebumps scattered her flesh. “I would have continued to take care of you.” His long fingers were at the elastic of her panties and he slid the material aside, gliding his warm fingers along the seam of her body. “Still groomed and soft like the wings of a butterfly. I’ve sucked your quivering, juicy flesh until you begged me to fuck you hard. A man can never forget such a thing. Never would I want to.”
Ash couldn’t deny that what he said was true. She wanted to plead for him to take her now, but that’s what he wanted. He wanted to see her weak and aching for him. “I wanted to come back,” she admitted. It was the truth. “I wanted to hear your voice.”
“And yet not enough to come home.”
“I only did what would have eventually happened down the road. You knew we didn’t belong together.”
He slid his finger between her pussy lips, pushing back the silken sheath to her clit and swirling his finger around the fleshy head. “You’re a liar! You know you had me by the balls. Even now they are aching.”
His wide finger slid into her body and she moaned, dropping her head to his shoulder. Years had passed since she’d been touched. Her body craved release—more than she needed her next breath. “People like us, worlds apart, don’t work out.” Her words were breathless.
“You’re on fire, wet and ready. Just say the word, bella, and I’ll put out the flames, just like old times.”
Her body screamed, “Yes!” But her logic yelled, “No!” Would he give her the money if she had sex with him? Would she feel like his whore? With more strength than she knew she had, she pushed his hand away and stepped out of his hold. She turned on her heel and looked at him, his eyes were ablaze and his jaw tight. He looked like a man struggling to swim in the middle of the ocean. “I made a mistake by coming here. You have the divorce papers drawn up and I’ll sign them.” Grabbing her purse from the table, she accidentally struck the vase. It turned, rocked back and forth, until finally falling off the table. Glass shattered over the floor, water splattered onto her shoes, but she ignored the need to clean up her mess. She hurried toward the elevator, half expecting him to come after her. But he didn’t. Declan Knight didn’t chase anyone.
Tears misted her eyes as she watched the doors close.
It wasn’t until she reached the lobby that she could breathe normally again.
Making it outside, she inhaled heavenly fresh air. However, she was almost home before the throbbing in her inner thighs was gone.
How was she going to tell Abby that she didn’t get the money?
CHAPTER FIVE
Declan knocked on the door to the apartment. The door swung open and his breath caught in his chest, remembering how he’d touched his wife an hour earlier, how he’d been branded with a need so deep, so intoxicating, that he wanted to sink his body deep inside of her and never come up for air.
Seein
g her now, he realized the desire hadn’t diminished not one bit, but he was here for business and it was important to keep the line drawn between personal and professional. “Hello, wifey. So, this is where you call home.”
The seductive red dress was gone, exchanged for a loose-fitting T-shirt and sweats. Her hair was piled high on her head in a messy bun with tendrils falling to frame her heart shaped face. Interesting enough, he found her just as sexy now as he had in the fuck-me-heels and find-me-a-man-dress.
“What are you doing here?” she said through tight lips.
“Is that any way to treat your husband, bella?”
“How did you find me?”
“Google. Now can I come in?”
A long second floated by and he started to believe she’d turn him away, but then she pushed the door open farther with her bare foot and stepped aside so that he could pass. He stepped in and closed the door. The apartment was neat and tidy, and the rustic decorations were warm and welcoming. She stood in the middle of the living room, her arms crossed over her chest and her chin set in a curious tilt.
“You didn’t answer me. Why are you here?”
“Our conversation wasn’t through.”
“Oh, I think we both said enough.”
He sighed. “I had time to think after you left.” She tapped her toe in irritation. He smiled. “May I have a seat?” He pointed to the worn, flowered sofa.
She blinked. “Sure.”
He sat down and a spring popped up, poking him in the bottom. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she managed that on purpose. “Will you sit also?”
Dropping her hands, she sat on the far corner of the couch. “Better?”
“Much.” He laid his palms on his thighs. “Answer one question. If I give you the money, you won’t be in harm’s way, right?”
She didn’t meet his stare. “I’m safe.”
“I think I’ve figured a way that we can both help each other.”
“By getting a divorce?” One thin brow snapped up over her dark eyes.
“Hear me out. I’ve found myself in a bit of a situation. I need a wife.”
She jumped up. “I’m not sleeping with you for the money.”
“Sit down, bella. You have to hear me out.” He waved her down. Once she was seated again, he continued, “I have a business deal that requires companionship. I can explain the details later, if you agree, but my offer is that you spend the month with me, as my wife, and after thirty days I will grant you a divorce and we’ll call the thirty grand a settlement.”
She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled, several expressions flitting across her face. “And what if I say no?”
“Then I’m filing for divorce and I’m keeping the thirty grand.”
“I thought you weren’t one to buy himself a wife?”
“Desperate measures call for desperate moves.”
“I need time to think this over.”
“You have five minutes to make a decision. Time is of utmost importance.” Hannigan was coming into town in a matter of days.
“Are you doing this to teach me a lesson?” Her soft voice made the hairs on his neck stand.
“I told you, I have a business deal that requires matrimony.”
“Should I believe you?”
“Ahh, and I should just hand over a wad of cash, no questions asked?” He snapped up a brow.
“I asked for a loan and I said I’ll pay interest.”
“And my offer makes much more sense.”
“Because it suits you.”
“It doesn’t suit you to act as my wife, as you already are, and walk away thirty grand richer?”
Her tongue came out and swept across her bottom lip. “Only thirty days?”
****
Ash’s initial thought was to kick his ass out, but then she’d be back to square one and her sister’s life would be in danger. What Declan offered wasn’t exactly a grueling situation. Spending time with him—her husband—wouldn’t be a nightmare. As far as looks went, he was pleasing to the eye. They used to have fun together, before she walked away. The biggest danger involved her emotions. She’d never quite gotten over him, and how would it feel to lose him again? How would she recover a second time? The first time had been pure hell.
Yet, this was the answer to her problem, or rather, her sister’s problem. And in a sliver of a way, it solved Ash’s problem too. They would divorce and she’d finally be free of the past. Capable of moving forward.
In the end, did she have any other choice?
“Okay, Declan, I agree to your terms.”
Something flashed in his eyes. Relief? Surprise? Maybe a mixture of both. Whatever it was, he blinked and it was gone, exchanged for a blank expression. He stood up, reached inside of his jacket and withdrew a large stack of cash. “We don’t want to forget this, do we?” He placed it on the table. “I’d suggest not keeping that here at the apartment. I’ll expect you at my place at three o’clock tomorrow. Don’t worry about bringing much. I’ll see to it that you have everything you need.”
And then he left. She sat for a long time, staring at the closed door, uncertainty and confusion whipping through her. She had just made a bargain that could easily leave her stripped of all self-preservation. Although he didn’t go over the details of their arrangement, she was curious what he’d expect from her. When he wanted her as his ‘wife’ would he also expect her to share his bed?
She dropped her gaze to the stack of cash that seemed out of place sitting atop her rickety, old coffee table. She almost found it pompous that he could gather that much cash in less than an hour. Of course, he probably kept that much cash in his safe as chump-change. Truth was, she’d probably never see this much all at once ever again in her lifetime.
Closing her eyes, she laid her head back and sighed. She’d just signed her soul over to save her sister. Would she learn her lesson? Would she finally leave Phillipe? If only Ash could be confident that Abby would make better choices.
Opening her eyes, she got up, grabbed the cash from the table and dropped it into a large vase for safekeeping. Now she had thirty grand stashed in her apartment that wasn’t hers to keep. She’d gotten fired from the diner. And she would be playing her husband’s wife for the next month.
With her dismal thoughts weighing on her shoulders, she went to take a shower, hoping a good hot spray on her muscles would ease the tension. She was barely dried off when she heard noise coming from the other room. Panic took hold. It would be her luck for the money to come up missing. Wrapping the towel around her, she tiptoed down the hallway and stopped at the threshold into the living room. Relief spread through her. “Abby. What are you doing here?”
Her sister, who had been fumbling through a stack of mail on the counter, brought her head up. “You told me to come by.”
“No, I told you I’d call when and if I got the money.” Ash tightened her towel around her chest. Abby looked like she was more put together. Her hair was brushed, she had on her usual designer clothes and heels, and her makeup was in place, but the bruise looked worse.
“Oops, I must have misunderstood. Well, did the ex cough up the cash?”
Her sister’s words raced through Ash with the acidity of poison. The situation was nothing more than a business transaction for Abby, but for Ash she was compromising herself, putting her heart on the line with the risk of starting all over again. “I’m glad you can take this so lightly.”
Abby chuckled. “Oh, come on. As if Declan will even miss the money. He probably has more than that in a piggy bank sitting in a corner somewhere.” She waved a hand through the air as if she could sweep away the magnitude of the situation.
“That’s not the point.”
“Yeah, the point is, you deserve a settlement. After all, you are married to him.”
“I don’t want his money,” Ash muttered.
Abby dropped down onto the sofa and stretched her legs. “Let me guess, you only asked for th
irty grand?”
“I wasn’t going to extort him, Abby. I got only what you need.”
“So, then he gave you the money.” Satisfaction slithered across Abby’s pretty features.
Sighing, Ash sat down on the table so she could look at her. “You don’t understand.” Her damp hair wetted her shoulders and a chill raced across her skin.
“I understand he gave you the money.” Abby’s dangling earrings bounced off her cheeks. “Where is it?”
“Not so fast.”
Abby’s smile dulled some. “Why?”
“Because we have to talk first.”
And then came the frown. “Come on, Ash. Please don’t lecture me.”
“I won’t, but I can’t just hand over that much cash without expectations.” Never had she expected her sister to step up and make the right choices. Ash had always bailed her out, no questions asked. “It’s time you started thinking of your future. Phillipe is only dragging you down.”
“You don’t like him, I get that, but I didn’t like Declan either and you still married him.” Abby snorted loudly.
“First, you hadn’t met Declan before I married him. Secondly, please don’t compare Declan and Phillipe, ever. They are nothing alike.”
“What are you asking out of me?”
“That once you have this money, you pay off the debt, and don’t hand it over to Phillipe to do as he pleases.”
“That’s it? No problem.” Her smile returned.
“That’s part of it.” Smile gone again. “The other part is that you leave Phillipe, for good.” Ash realized she could be pushing her luck, but she had leverage. Something that truly mattered to her sister. Although Ash never liked forcing Abby into anything, there wasn’t another option. “I’m afraid if you don’t get away from him, you’ll be in this mess again, or worse. He’s dangerous.”
Abby sat up, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “He loves me, Ash. He’d never do anything to harm me.”
“Yet, he’ll hit you.” Abby jumped up. Ash stood. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, but I’m only concerned. Why can’t you see I’m only looking out for your best interest?”
His Weekend Wife (The KNIGHT Brothers Book 2) Page 7