The Contract by Marsh, Nicola (read aloud books .txt) 📕

“Let me go,” she said, mustering every ounce of courage she possessed.

He dropped her hand and stupidly, she missed his brief touch. “Please, Amber.” His low words sounded like a plea. “I need to know. I’m going insane here.” He thrust his hands in his pockets, drawing her attention to areas of his body she would’ve rather forgotten.

He looked irresistible. Jacket-less, the white business shirt moulded his chest as if it had been poured on and she knew the multitude of sins it hid beneath: hard, rippling pecs and firm abs, good enough to eat. She salivated at the thought, wondering how she could think sex at a time like this. This man had the power to rip her world apart, to snatch the one thing that had become her focus for living, her precious baby.

“Remember that night at the shop, when I laid down the ground rules?” She had to ask him, though the last thing she wanted to do was recall that awful night, the night she’d lied to him and effectively ended any chance of happiness they possibly had.

He nodded, a wary look settling across his handsome features.

She continued before she lost her nerve. “You agreed to abide by my rules. You said you would respect my decision and walk away at the end. So what are you doing here now?”

“I don’t think rules count when lies are told. Especially not huge whoppers which damage people’s lives.” He sank into the nearest chair and dropped his head in his hands.

“Hell, Amber, what were you thinking?” He pressed his fingers against his eyes, and for one horrifying moment she thought he was crying.

Something inside her snapped at that moment, her fragile defensive walls crashing down under the burden of the pain she’d caused, not just to herself but to this man who had saved her father’s business and in doing so, alleviated her own guilt.

So maybe he’d had some warped idea to use their child to inherit money? Was that so bad, considering she’d lied to him about their baby? And worse, saying she’d married him for his money?

As if in slow motion, she reached out and laid a tentative hand on his shoulder, wishing she could comfort him, wishing she could take back every cruel word she’d spoken. “Steve?”

He looked up, the desolate pain in his eyes cutting her more than anything he could say. “I don’t care that you don’t love me. I don’t care about the money. All I care about is raising my child, with all the love and guidance I didn’t have.”

She opened her mouth to correct him, to finally tell him the truth that she loved him, but he cut in.

“Don’t you get it? It was never about the money. Gran’s will stipulated my child had to inherit her fortune to stop my mother from getting her greedy paws on it. Gran wouldn’t leave it to me because she didn’t think I’d be strong enough to hold out against my own mother and she’s probably right. I’ve wanted Mother’s approval my entire life and if giving her more money meant obtaining out, who knows what I might do? To make matters easier, Gran and I arranged a trust fund would be set up, with most of the money to be used for a facility for kids with cancer.” He hadn’t shrugged her hand off and she could feel the tension in his shoulders. She gave him a reassuring squeeze though he didn’t seem to notice.

“Maybe my motivation for having a child was mixed up at the start but things changed. You changed everything, Amber. I knew you didn’t love me and I hoped a child might bind you to me. Give you time to get to know me better and fall in love.” He shook his head from side to side. “Guess I screwed up, huh?”

Her heart clutched with hope in the wake of his revelations. She’d misjudged her husband and it was time to make amends. She sat next to him and grabbed his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. “I’m the screw-up here, not you.”

He looked a little uneasy, casting a doubtful glance in her direction. “So the kid’s mine?”

She nodded, wishing he would pull her into the curve of his arm and kiss her. She couldn’t concentrate on what she had to say, the warmth of his hand reviving cherished memories of how it used to roam her body and set her alight.

Taking a steadying breath, she gripped his hand tighter. “I lied to you. When I overheard your mother’s accusations that night and you confirmed them by asking how she’d found out, I couldn’t think straight. I’d fallen in love with you and thought you might reciprocate my feelings, that’s why you were so keen to have a baby. When I found out the real reason, or so I thought, my mind shut down. I wanted to hurt you as much as you’d hurt me, that’s why I told you there was no baby.”

He finally looked up, the wide-eyed expression of wonder giving her some hope. “Back up a second. Did you just say you’d fallen in love with me?”

“Yeah. No accounting for taste, is there?” She gave him a watery smile, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. “I love you, you arrogant jerk.”

He pulled her towards him and smothered her in a bear hug that lasted an eternity. She snuggled into him, inhaling the familiar masculine scent that was pure Steve and wondering how she could have lived this long without him.

Just when she thought she couldn’t breathe anymore, he released his vice-like grip and peered into her face. “Say it again.”

She stifled