by Day Leclaire
“You’re going to walk away from what we just shared?”
“As much as I appreciate your generous sacrifice—”
“Don’t!” The pain was so intense she swayed with it. “Don’t tarnish what happened in that bed. Leave if you want. But don’t destroy something so miraculous on your way out.”
For an instant his expression softened and she caught a glimpse of the Chaz she’d once know, the man who’d made her his with a fierce adoration that she’d never forgotten. Would never forget. “Shayne...” Her name whispered through the air, ripe with memory.
Behind them the door thrust open. In one instinctive move, Chaz pivoted, planting himself squarely between her and the perceived threat.
“Shayne?” Rafe called out. “Are you all right?”
She drew a ragged breath, overwhelmed by what Chaz had revealed. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he still had feelings for her. No doubt they were buried deep. And no doubt he’d weed them free, if he could. But they were there, nonetheless. “I’m fine, Rafe. Chaz and I were just getting—” If it weren’t so tragic, she’d laugh. “We were getting reacquainted.”
“Ella was... concerned.”
“This is between your sister and me, Beaumont,” Chaz snarled. “Or were you planning on interfering again?”
“I wanted to make sure she was unharmed.”
“She’s a big girl now. A few bumps and bruises aren’t going to kill her.”
Fury glittered in Rafe’s eyes and he took a step into the room. “If you mark her in any way—”
This time Shayne took a protective stance in front of Chaz. “It’s an expression, Rafe. He didn’t mean it literally. Chaz would never hurt me.”
“You’re pretty confident,” he murmured in her ear. “Considering I was on my way out of here when big brother arrived.”
Rafe inclined his head. “I’ll arrange to have a wedding salon made available.” The tiniest of accents had drifted into his voice, warning that he wasn’t feeling as equitable as he let on. “Do you have a preference as to the ceremony?”
“Yeah.” Chaz bent down and snagged his cum merbund from the floor. “None. I got what I came for.”
Rafe drew in a harsh breath and Shayne knew if she didn’t act fast, someone was going to leave the room in a lot more pain than when they entered. She turned into Chaz’s arms, catching him by surprise. “We can make it a temporary marriage,” she said in a low, desperate voice, praying her brother didn’t hear. “Just until we find out whether or not I’m pregnant. That’ll give me enough time to give you the home you want.”
He looked like she’d sucker-punched him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You told me you’d packed plenty of protection against that possibility.” Her eyes flashed with temper. “Perhaps you should have taken a moment to unpack before coming here.”
“I didn’t expect to take my bride before taking a wife!”
For some reason that struck Shayne as funny and she couldn’t help smiling. “We never seem to get it quite right, do we?”
“Pregnant,” Chaz repeated, a shade too loudly. “Damn.”
“Preg—Basta!” Rafe roared. He stabbed his finger at Chaz. “You will finish dressing and present yourself in the library within the next five minutes. I will have a priest standing by.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You would allow her to bear your bastard? It is your style, yes?”
Chaz went white, his hands collapsing into fists. Shayne stared from one man to the other in alarm. Something unspoken passed between the two, something she didn’t have a hope of understanding. Whatever it was, it locked them in a battle of wills, an explosive edge of violence burning between them, fighting for expression.
Without knowing what had set them off, she had no hope of diffusing the situation. Still, she could try. “Could we calm down and discuss this rationally? What’s going on?”
“Nothing that need concern you,” Rafe replied. “Your husband-to-be and I are simply reaching an understanding. Do you agree to my terms, Mr. McIntyre? You’ll marry her?”
“You’ll regret this, Beaumont.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Rafe’s mouth pulled to one side and he shrugged. “But she’s my sister. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy. For some strange reason, she thinks you’re capable of doing that. Five minutes.” Without another word, he turned and left the room.
“Chaz...?”
“Don’t. Don’t say another word.” He searched the room for his boots. Finding them kicked beneath a drape of sheet, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled them on. “You heard your brother. You’ll have your heart’s desire in five short minutes. Do you plan to dress for your wedding or is that bedcover your gown of choice?”
“I didn’t intend to deceive you, Chaz, any more than I intended to end up—” She gestured toward the bed. “I just wanted to have time to get to know you again before you found out who I was.”
“Honey, I recognize a setup when I see one. A willing woman, a convenient bed, a relative at the door. It’s as old as the hills.”
“But—”
“Enough, Shayne.” He shot her a look that silenced her more effectively than anything else could have, one that combined a bitter cynicism with an underlying fury. “You have precisely thirty seconds to put on some clothes, or I swear I’ll drag you downstairs the way you are.”
She didn’t waste any more energy talking. In one swift move, she dropped the bedsheet while sliding her gown over her head. Underpants and heels followed. She didn’t bother trying to wiggle into her stockings. Beneath her floor-length skirt, it was doubtful anyone would notice. Except for her hair, she’d pass muster. Chin held high, she started for the door.
Chaz stepped forward to block her path. An odd expression slipped into his gaze, an expression she’d known long ago, one that was protective and caring and almost loving. Tears of longing pricked her eyes. “Shayne.” Even her name came on winds from the past. “We can’t go back.”
“I know.” She returned his look, regret and hope mingling as one. “But we have the future. We can chose which path we take from here.”
A tender smile touched his mouth even as he shook his head. “That path was decided a long time ago. I’m not the man you knew. What you’re doing will only cause a world of hurt.”
“Only if you choose to hurt me.”
The tenderness seeped away, leaving behind desolation. “I can’t do anything else. It’s not too late, Shayne. Tell your brother you’ve changed your mind.”
“I haven’t changed my mind, Chaz. Not in nine years. Not in ninety.”
“What you feel is a dream. It isn’t real.”
“Then I hope I sleep forever.” The truth was, she’d been sleeping. She’d slept for the past nine years. But she was awake now, brought to life by a single kiss. She couldn’t go back to that other existence, even if she wanted to. Life awaited her, a life with Chaz.
His mouth settled along grim lines. “So be it. Let’s hope your dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare.”
Thrusting open the door, he gestured for her to precede him. And as she passed she had the crazy impression that he feathered a kiss on top of her head. Of course, she was mistaken. He was furious with her. Furious at her deception, at Rafe’s insistence that they marry, at being caught in the machinations of the Beaumonts once again. Any feelings he might have for her, she’d destroyed when she’d opened her heart, while cautiously masking her face.
Her mask! Spinning around, she darted past him and back into the room. She didn’t know why it felt so urgent to recover the mask, but it did. The bells chattered an urgent greeting as she looped the elastic band over her arm.
“What are you doing, Shayne? You don’t need that any longer.”
“I know. I just wanted to have it.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “A souvenir?”
“Is that so difficult to believe?”
“I tho
ught souvenirs were to mark occasions you want to remember. Not those you’d rather forget.”
“And you’d rather forget tonight?” she demanded in a rare display of anger.
“There’s only one thing about this evening I care to remember.” He lifted the mask dangling from her arm and plucked free a strand of bells. “The rest will haunt my memory without any reminders. Now do we join your brother, or do we put an end to this farce?”
“We join my brother.” She touched his arm as he drew level with her, feeling the heavy cording of work-hardened muscle beneath her hand. Tension radiated from him. Did her mere touch do that? If so, there was hope for them yet. “You had a reason for marrying, Chaz. That hasn’t changed. I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help you achieve your goal. But I was serious earlier. If I’m not pregnant, I’ll leave if that’s what you want. All I’m asking is that you give us a chance.”
As close as they stood, she could see the implacable set of his jawline, the tight swallow that moved the bronzed column of his throat. A flare of emotion sparked in his eyes, before being swiftly doused. “It won’t work, sweetheart,” he said ever so gently. “Maybe, long ago. But not now.”
“Why?”
“Because I have nothing left to give. If I ever knew love, it was so long ago I can hardly remember.”
A fierce determination seized hold. “Then I’ll find it for you. I can. I will!”
“No, Shayne. You won’t.”
She could scarcely contain her frustration. “I don’t understand. Why won’t you let me help you? We could find what we once had. I know we could.”
His gaze fastened on hers, the expression cold and clear and absolute. “Because I don’t want this thing you call love. Not from you. Not from anyone. It’s all a lie. And I swear. If you wrap up those lies in pretty declarations of undying love, I’ll send you back to your brother before the words even hit the air. Are we clear about that?”
As clear as the sound of her heart breaking. She shivered and the bells pealed a mournful dirge in response. “Yes, Chaz. We’re clear.”
Chaz stood in front of the priest, deaf to the words being spoken. Only one thought filled his head: he shouldn’t have told Shayne the truth. He could have made his objections clear without being so harsh. Maybe then he wouldn’t have seen the desolation that filled those huge, dark eyes of hers. Or felt the physical blow her pained gasp had caused. Or heard the jarring clash of bells as she’d jerked free of him, walking away with a fragile dignity that nearly unmanned him.
He slipped his hand into his pocket and fingered the strand he’d stripped from her mask. Honesty was best, under the circumstances. That way she’d know right from the start what to expect from their marriage.
Chaz suddenly realized there’d been an interminably long silence. While he’d been lost in thought, something significant had happened. Something that had caused everyone in the room to turn and glare at him. “Er... I do?” he said hopefully.
“Oh, Chaz,” Shayne whispered, tears filling her lush brown eyes, eyes he could lose his soul in.
He sighed. “Dammit, Shayne. What have I done now?”
Rafe slammed his fist against Chaz’s bicep. “Bárbaro! She said no to you.”
“She said...? Excuse us for a minute.” He grasped Shayne’s elbow and hustled her off to one side of the room. “What’s going on?”
She bowed her head. “I can’t go through with this. I can’t allow Rafe to force you to marry me. I won’t force you to marry me.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Yes, I do.” She spared a quick glance at her watch. “There’s still time. I can help you find someone else. Someone who could—”
“Not a chance,” he interrupted. “We’re doing this here and now.”
“But you said—”
“You were right earlier. You could be pregnant.”
She had trouble meeting his eyes, a blush blooming across her cheeks. “If I am, we can deal with it then.”
“We’ll deal with it now.” He released his breath in a rough sigh and bent his head closer to hers. Her scent threatened to drive him crazy, but he rather no one overhear their conversation. It wouldn’t be fair to Shayne. “Listen to me, sweetheart. Once I realized the consequences of what we’d done, I’d have forced you in front of a priest, whether you and your brother agreed or not.”
“No!” she instantly denied. “When you found out it was me, you were going to leave.”
“Yeah, I was. I admit it. If your brother hadn’t stopped me, I’d have taken off. But not to find another bride. You have to believe me, Shayne. I’d have come back for you. It was only the shock of discovering who you were and having to deal with your brother again that caused me to react the way I did.”
“You don’t want to marry me, Chaz. I know you don’t.”
He leveled her with a single hard look. “Honey, I don’t want to marry anyone. I didn’t have any choice before I got here and I sure as hell don’t have any choice now. Neither do you. The minute you tumbled into that bed with me, you sealed your fate.”
He’d said too much. Curiosity dawned in her gaze. “What do you mean you didn’t have any choice before you came?”
“I warned you that I had a few secrets of my own.”
“This secret... Rafe knows, doesn’t he? That’s what you two were talking about.”
“I’m guessing he does. Not that that changes anything.” He jerked his head toward the cluster of people waiting for them. “Time to finish what we started.”
“And if I say no again?”
“You won’t. You’re bent on redeeming me, remember?”
“I thought you were beyond redemption.”
“I am.” He offered a crooked smile. “But you’re a woman. So you’ll try, anyway.” He’d insulted her again. Unfortunately, he suspected it wouldn’t be the last time.
“Once we know for certain I’m not pregnant, I’ll end the marriage,” she assured.
Her promise should have relieved him. Perversely, he found himself thoroughly annoyed. “You’ll stay until you’ve fulfilled your promise to make a home for me. Then you can go if that’s what you want.” Maybe.
“It will be.”
“Fine. Now get back over there and tell them you’ve changed your mind. It’s a long drive to Colorado. I’ll want to leave for the ranch as soon as you’re packed.”
This time when they resumed their positions in front of the priest, he paid attention. Several minutes into the ceremony, another painful nudge from Rafe’s fist prompted him to repeat his own vows. Not that he needed any prompting. He hadn’t been lying to Shayne. Once he’d realized the potential results of their rather enthusiastic reunion, he’d have been back on her doorstep demanding marriage.
Gathering her hands in his, he spoke the required words. If anyone noted that he omitted the word “love” they didn’t call him on it. But he knew Shayne felt the impact and silently cursed again. Why did she leave herself open to such hurt? She was a fool to marry him. And he was an even bigger fool to let her. In her heart, she was still that naive seventeen-year-old, believing in miracles and fairy tales.
Well, life with him would soon disabuse her of that notion.
“You have rings you wish to exchange?” the priest asked.
“Sorry, I don’t—”
“Allow me,” Rafe interrupted, slipping his hand into his pocket.
Chaz forced himself not to move, not to knock loose a few perfect white teeth set in an arrogant mouth. Any doubts that he’d been set up vanished. “All the details planned, right down to the rings, is that it, Beaumont?”
“I like to be prepared.”
Chaz swiveled, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear. “Then start preparin’, brother. Next time we meet you and I are going to exchange more than words. And one of us is crawlin’ away from the meeting wishing he’d never played God with my life.”
“If that will make you feel better, you ma
y try to —er—make me crawl. So long as you treat my sister well, what you do to me is immaterial.” Rafe forced the ring box into Chaz’s hand. “But if you hurt her, I will make your life a living misery.”
“Too late, Beaumont. You did that already.”
Beside him, Shayne caught his arm. “Chaz? Is everything all right?”
He bit back the words he longed to vent. Words that would make a mockery of the vows they’d just uttered. “Everything’s fine.”
Thumbing open the jewelry box, he silently swore. Beaumont had taken tickets from the Cinderella Ball and fashioned them into wedding bands. Of course, they fit perfectly.
The minute their union had been blessed, Chaz gathered his wife into his arms. She lifted her gaze to meet his and he saw there an inner strength that had been barely perceptible nine years ago. Time and experience had forged that strength with steel. He wasn’t the only one who’d walked the painful side of life and fought back. And yet she still retained the full depth of a woman’s heart, open to the possibility of love, no matter how remote.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured beneath his breath.
“Sorry that you married me?”
“No. Sorry that our marriage will hurt you.”
Leaning down, he captured her mouth, drinking in the taste of her along with the knowledge that she’d soon live with him as his wife. That for a few short weeks he’d have the fulfillment of a dream—a painful irony now that he no longer believed in dreams. But for some reason, he found his cynicism fading, found that all he could think about was the woman in his arms and the sweetness of her kiss. She opened to him, giving what he refused to take by force, offering all of herself despite the threat he posed.
Ever so gently, he released her. “You need to pack. We’ll leave as soon as you’re ready.”
“I’ll help,” Ella offered.
Rafe stepped forward and embraced his sister. “Your husband and I will wait for you in my office.”
She returned his hug with unmistakable enthusiasm and Chaz nearly groaned aloud. It annoyed him no end to see her bestowing her affections on such undeserving recipients. First him. Now Beaumont. Did the woman have no sense of self-preservation?