The Texas Millionaire's Runaway Wife

by Mary Malcolm

  She couldn’t bolt. “Hello, Stephen.”

  He uncrossed his arms and stepped behind his desk. He motioned for her to sit.

  Stepping farther into the room, she ran into a wall of his scent. Not just the Clive Christian cologne, but the musky, spicy smell that lingered on Cassie’s pillows long after Stephen was gone. The smell she still inhaled from at least one t-shirt in the back of her closet, the one she’d worn the last day they were together.

  Sometimes, she’d close her eyes, hold that t-shirt to her face and inhale, imagining him still there. Sometimes she wore it just to help her fall asleep at night.

  His was a scent that had seeped into her pores and hadn’t worked its way out even after everything that happened.

  Her insides ached for him. Her thighs danced at the thought of his long fingers traveling in lazy circles as the two of them lay entwined in bed.

  Memories flashed faster than she could stop them.

  Then the pain. “Don’t tell anyone about this. No one can know we’re married.”

  He’d gone on to explain that his father would consider the marriage a sham, that they’d be the butt of late night jokes, that no one would accept their relationship. That she had to be a secret or they’d lose everything.

  She’d only wanted him. And with those words, she couldn’t even look at him any more.

  Now, he motioned for her to sit.

  It took every ounce of self-control to keep from running away again. She sat in the chair across from his desk and felt tiny in the overly-large office.

  He did not sit. “What can I do for you, Cassandra?”

  “Cassie. You know I hate being called Cassandra.”

  His eyebrow quirked up. “Or should I call you Mrs. Sands?”

  He looked angry. Not outwardly, but the sparkle that used to light up his eyes was not there. The laugh lines around his lips had faded as well. And he still did not sit.

  “Cassie is fine. I was never really Mrs. Sands, now, was I? Or don’t you remember wanting to hide me from the world?”

  He stared out the window behind his desk and said, “So, I assume you’re not here to make small talk and correct me on your name.”

  “No. I’m not.”

  He finally turned back to her. “What is it?”

  Blunt. Painful, but at least direct. “I need your help.”

  That brought a laugh. Not bitter, angry or annoyed. More bemused. “That’s rich, Cassie. I don’t really have a lot of time, nor patience for you.” He flipped through a book on his desk and his finger landed on an entry. “I have another meeting in less than a half hour. So…if you’re through wasting my time?”

  She stood. “We’ve not even started.”

  “We finished the day you left, Cassandra.”

  “You won’t even hear me out?”

  His lips quirked. “Why should I?”

  Anger and frustration peaked. “Because I’ll expose you if you don’t.”

  She hadn’t thought about it before that minute, had wanted to ask for help, for Annie. But on seeing him, all the bitterness, all the anger for how he’d treated her, came rushing out.

  How it would hurt his family and especially his place of respect as the oldest. How he would be mocked on national television, the tabloids. How he would be the one having to hide from the world.

  It hadn’t occurred to her before the words slipped from her mouth, but if the marriage had been a sham then, surely finding out about her now would be equally devastating.

  That wiped the little bit of a smile right off his face. “Expose me?”

  “You wanted to keep me a secret. Surely that hasn’t changed.”

  He didn’t blink, which gave her the answer she needed.

  “You could have filed for divorce by now. So that makes me think there must be some reason you didn’t.”

  His eyebrow quirked. “What reason is that?”

  “You think your father would cut you off completely if he knew you’d gotten a quickie marriage.” She took a breath, sat down and continued, “He’d probably do more than that. Probably take away your position here at Sands Enterprises, take away everything you have. Do you have anything of your own, Stephen? Do you really want to become the poor man you pretended to be for me? It’s one thing to slum it up with the help for a while, another completely to wonder if you’ll have grocery money from week to week.”

  His lips leveled into a dangerous and thin line. “Exactly what are you driving at?”

  Her heart beat so hard it felt as if it might break her ribs. “If you don’t help me, I will tell your father, the world, everything.”

  The smile returned, but didn’t meet his eyes. “What makes you think he or anyone else would listen?”

  Stomach churning, she opened the clasp on her purse and removed a box from which she pulled the ring. She’d brought it as a peace offering, a thanks for his help. Now, she held it as ransom.

  God, when had she become this person?

  Cassie had always been the good girl, the sweet woman at the bakery who gave away free cupcakes to the homeless people outside the shop. The woman who brought her day-old bread to the soup kitchen and then stayed to ladle soup.

  Now she was an extortionist. How had this gone so bad?

  “I might not have our marriage certificate, but I have this. And I can get the certificate if I need to.”

  His eyes darkened as he reached across the desk.

  “No.” She drew back.

  He finally sat and tented fingers in front of him. “You kept the ring, then.”

  “Your grandmother’s ring. That’s what you said when you put it on me. At the time I’d been so proud, couldn’t believe you had intentions to marry me all along.” Her throat clogged with emotion that she quickly swallowed back. “A ring your father would recognize and believe every word I tell him.”

  It was an opal surrounded by tiny emeralds. He’d said it reminded him of her eyes. It was old world, a piece his grandmother wrapped in a handkerchief for safe keeping and carried with her when she’d immigrated to America from Spain as a little girl. Or at least that’s what he’d told her as he placed it on her finger.

  Of course, everything else had been a lie. For all Cassie knew, that could have been, as well.

  Quietly, he said, “You’re the one who left.”

  She shook her head. “You only thought you wanted me.”

  Thoughts of their children passed fleetingly through mind. She put the ring back in the box and replaced the box in her purse. Her eyes collided with his and with nowhere else to look, she felt pinned under his gaze. Prickles of heat warmed her cheeks, fanned painfully beneath her skin. “I need your help, Stephen.”

  Their gaze broke. He looked away.

  “It’s Annie.”

  “Your niece.”

  “Her school kicked her out. She has times where she can’t control herself.”

  “I’m familiar.”

  She took a breath. “You once told me that if Annie ever needed help, Magnolia Bransford was the place to take her. That you had an in there. All I had to do was ask.”

  He’d promised.

  “I know you’re on the Magnolia Bransford board. Last week my sister Liz showed me a brochure with your name on the back. Stephen, Liz can’t afford tuition and Annie’s scholarship was denied. She has nowhere else to go.” Her throat constricted as she squeezed out the rest. “Family services is threatening to put her in a home for autistic children if we can’t find a school for her.” She stopped. All she needed was his word. One word to save her niece, to save her family. He promised her. He couldn’t take that back, not after everything.

  Cassie had never hurt another human being in her entire life. This felt so against her nature that she had to practically anchor herself into the chair to follow this through. She may never forgive herself for stooping this low. Still, she knew she would hate herself forever if she didn’t do everything possible to save Annie.

  Aware
ness shifted on his face. Somehow as she’d spoken, the tables had turned. He smiled, genuine this time. Chilling. “Sounds as if you need me more than I need you.” He stood. Leaning back, his arms crossed over his chest and he grinned. “I’ll help your niece.”

  Maybe she’d read him wrong. Relief flooded and emotional fear released its tight hold on her heart. “Thank you, Stephen. Thank you. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to come across like that, I’ve just been so worried, I—”

  “I’ll help her, but it’s going to cost you.”

  Chapter Two

  Every ounce of courage Cassie had dredged up to come into Stephen’s office drained at the utterance of those little words. Beads of sweat broke on her upper lip and she wiped them away. “Cost me?”

  He smiled and cocked his head to the side. “You come into my office, threaten to blackmail me and expect me to take it?”

  Words were never spoken so coldly.

  “No. Nothing like that. I hadn’t wanted to do that, I just...” Her words faltered. Regardless of what she’d wanted, she had done just that. And with his grandmother’s ring, no less. Then she made the fatal error of telling him about Annie.

  She pictured her niece and knew immediately she would do anything to get her what she needed. She couldn’t lose Annie.

  “Cassie.” His voice tightened around her name like fingers tightening around her hair as they made love. No one before had ever made her feel quite so alive by the simple utterance of her name. “There is an easy solution to this whole problem.”

  She leaned forward. Nothing with Stephen Sands was ever easy. A trip to Vegas, even, had not been easy. “What is your solution?” An involuntary shiver snaked down her spine and she fought the urge to rub away the goose bumps now raised on her exposed arms. All warmth from the room had been plucked away and her nipples budded in response.

  “We’re married.”

  This time, instead of sweat breaking on her upper lip, her lips went numb. That word. That word again. She’d run away from it the first time, and now he wanted to use it against her. “Not really. I left you.”

  “Yet you haven’t filed for divorce.” He tsked as he turned and sat behind his desk once again. “I like the view, by the way.”

  “You didn’t file for divorce either, and you certainly have the means.” His last statement slowly sank in. She arched her brow, then realized how she’d been sitting. Leaning forward like that gave Stephen a perfect view of her breasts in the low-cut white blouse. So much for using the cleavage to her advantage. She sat up straight and pulled her blouse up higher before answering. Crossing arms she gave in and rubbed away the cold. “You didn’t want me as your wife.”

  “I took you on what you thought was an impromptu trip to Vegas yet brought my grandmother’s ring, how can you think I didn’t want you?”

  “Maybe because you wanted to hide me from your family, your friends, your society. Remember?” She felt bitter, the words stung. Shaking her head, she pushed forward. No reason to dwell on something that couldn’t be changed or fixed. He might have wanted to marry her, but he also sought to hide her. What kind of marriage is that? “I wanted to return the ring.”

  “Yet you didn’t.”

  “No.”

  He waited.

  She waited. Calmed the emotions swirling just below the surface.

  It played out like a short game of cat and mouse. Cassie was the bug the mouse had eaten for dinner earlier that evening. She had no fight left. No high ground and nothing to stand on. “You can have the ring,” she said, finally. “I’ll find some other way. I don’t know how—I mean, I do: I’ll sell my business and hope the sale comes quickly, but I’ll do it.” She moved to stand, but he motioned for her to sit.

  It intrigued him. That she’d gone to such great lengths to get his attention, the bit about her niece, the business. Even the ring. There had to be something more. Every woman he’d ever been with had wanted him for his money. He shouldn’t have imagined she’d be different.

  Tapping his pen against the edge of his desk, he knew what he should do. Take the ring, file for an immediate divorce, block all his finances, and write Cassie Eden back out of his life. Yet, he found the idea very hollow. It didn’t seem like enough. Divorce. He’d offered her the world and she ran away from him. Almost like a drug addict who goes to the hospital claiming they don’t want drugs, only to get more. Was that her game? Was she just trying to get more from him? Sure, he’d needed to keep things private at first, but she wouldn’t even hear him out.

  He’d loved her. Something he’d genuinely never felt before. That was the only reason he’d wanted to protect her from his family, from the circus of his life. He didn’t think she’d be happy once she knew. Certainly not once she was dragged into it.

  It didn’t seem fair she should wander back into his life and back out again just as inconsequently as the first time. She had to know how it felt, had to experience what she’d put him through. He pulled a checkbook out of his drawer. A moment passed as he wrote out a check, then ripped it from the book and handed it over.

  Cassie glanced down and gasped. “It’s blank.”

  “I know.”

  “Why is it blank?”

  A smile that could have been mistaken by someone else as magnanimous crossed his lips. To Cassie, he hoped it reminded her that he was not a man to cross. And she’d crossed him. Twice.

  “You will use that to get Annie into the school. If you need more, you will receive that as well. I’ll make a call this afternoon to insure she receives priority admission.”

  “But...”

  “It’s going to cost you.”

  There it was again. Five words and pure painful havoc played across her middle. She stood, she couldn’t very well sit in this chair and wait to see what type of torture he planned to exact.

  “Sit, Cassie.”

  “No.”

  “Fine.” He stood as well and glanced out the window again before turning his storm-filled eyes on her.

  A chunk of black hair fell across his forehead and Cassie fought against memories of running her hands through it. She felt too emotionally drained to keep playing his game. “Please, Stephen. Stop taunting me and just tell me what you have in mind.”

  “I already did. We’re married.”

  “Yes, and?”

  He leaned against the window sill and brushed the hair away. “You are going to be my wife.”

  This was getting tiresome. “Stephen,” she sighed in exasperation.

  Any hint of a smile fell from his lips at her exclamation. His eyes locked with hers. “You said it yourself. We’re still married. I’m stuck. If I divorce you now, someone in the media will dig the dirt faster than I sign the papers. I would be a laughing stock, my family would be brought into the spotlight in a negative way and we have too many important investments going right now to risk any negative press. And no, my father most likely wouldn’t take away my business or money, thanks for trying to use that, though.”

  Guilt made her look away.

  “No, instead, I’d be putting my career, and the names of my brothers out there in a negative light. That is not something I’m willing to do.

  “But with you here now,” he continued, “we can fix this. You’ll get Annie the help she needs, but you’ll have to be my wife.”

  She looked back at him. Felt tiny. Felt powerless. “For how long?”

  A flash of something dangerous crossed through his eyes. He sat back down at his desk and leaned forwarded, elbows on the surface. “Am I so horrible to be around that you can’t imagine yourself married to me?”

  She took a step toward him. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

  He shook his head. “It is. For as long as it takes, how does that sound? You be my wife. Around my family, at my home, in society. Let people see us together, let them see that we are good and truly married. Then, you will step away. A few months will pass and after a period of separation we will divorce with irrec
oncilable differences.”

  A few months, possibly a lot longer. After they’ve convinced the world they’re married. He wanted to stretch this out, he could make it last a few years, she realized. The pain of being in the same room was acute and nearly unbearable and she’d be forced to play house with him indefinitely? “I can’t do that,” she whispered, backing away.

  His eyes darkened. “You can and you will.”

  “How?”

  “It doesn’t matter. If you want to help your niece, you will be my wife until I don’t need you to be any longer.”

  Scandal. That’s what this whole thing about. Never about her.

  Cassie knew if she didn’t help him, she would lose her business, and possibly still lose Annie. All she had to do was wait this out and she wouldn’t lose either.

  In the end, the decision was made for her. “When do we start?”

  ****

  The intercom on his desk sounded, taking Stephen out of his thoughts for a second. Had so much time passed already? “Mr. Sands, Mr. Giles is on the phone. He said he needs to move his three-thirty appointment back a few minutes but he’s on his way.”

  “Thank you, Gayle. Tell him that will be fine.”

  In the weeks since Cassie left he’d wondered what it would be like to get revenge against the woman who’d broken his heart. Oh, this was so much better. He’d get his revenge, get his divorce and never have to think about Cassie Eden again in his life. No. Sands. “We start now,” he answered her finally.

  “First,” he said, “you will use my name. No more Eden. Any checks you have, credit cards you use, they’re all gone as of this moment, Cassie. You are now truly and fully Cassie Sands.”

  Her skin blanched as she bit her lip, nervousness visible in her every twitch.

  “You will move your belongings into my house this afternoon.”

  “I have plans.”

  “Not any more. Now you’re an excited newlywed eager to start life with her husband.” God this felt great. The power, the control. He’d been head of the largest acquisitions firm in Texas for years now yet had never felt a surge of raw strength as electric as what he felt now. “You will move your belongings in. I have a dinner engagement at the Travis Building tomorrow night and you will accompany me, as my wife.”