The Arrangement Read online

  “So you’re worried that I will be hurt? Ted, I’m going into this with my eyes wide open. I’ll be fine.” But he didn’t appear at all mollified. “I promise,” she said. When he looked away, she frowned. “You’re worried about Ash? Good grief, the man will probably bring a date to sign the divorce papers.”

  “You need to talk to Ash. I don’t think the two of you have thought this through fully.”

  Chapter Four

  If she had any ideas about changing her mind, Asher was certain not to give them time to take root. He had her in his car within an hour on the way to the library. Reluctantly, Ted and Erika accompanied them. Pre-nuptial agreement in hand, they found the courthouse.

  It wasn’t even noon when she was pronounced Mrs. Asher Hollister. Asher kissed her gently on the corner of the mouth and drew back with a giant triumphant grin on his face. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he was happy to be married to her. As big of a player as he’d always been, she would have expected him to react to the situation with horror.

  They left the courthouse and stopped at a restaurant for brunch. Erika picked at her eggs and generally pouted throughout the meal. The men began discussing sports—racing, wrestling, or football. She couldn’t tell which as she had long ago trained her brain to tune out these topics. If the guys noticed anything was amiss with Erika, they were ignoring it well. Ariadne wanted to be more sympathetic to her but she was dealing with her own discomfort. She was sitting beside Ash in a rather small booth. Ordinarily the other couple would have made an effort to separate the two of them. They would have either chosen a table or Erika would have sat next to her.

  Ash’s hard thigh pressed into hers. His warm masculine scent seemed to surround her. And had his shoulders always been so wide? At one point, he leaned back and threw his arm casually along the back of the booth, making her feel cornered. Whenever she shifted away from him, he seemed to expand and take over the available space so that they were always touching.

  At the end of the meal, Ariadne noticed that the waitress had accidently combined the bill for her breakfast and Asher’s. She calculated her portion of the bill and opened her purse to pay her half. Ash’s hand covered hers. “I’ve got you. You’re my wife.”

  “Oh, God,” Erika groaned from the other side of the table. She shoved at Ted’s shoulder. “Let me out. I have to go to the restroom.” Ted stood to let Erika out of the corner of the booth.

  “Maybe I should go with her,” Ariadne said after a second.

  Ash slid out so that she could get out. “Sure. If we’re not here when you get back, meet us at the car.”

  She pushed into the women’s bathroom and glanced around. Erika had her hands braced on the sink. She stared at her reflection. “Erika, are you all right?”

  “This was just too sudden, you know? I just need a little time to adjust.”

  Even knowing about Erika’s crush, Ariadne couldn’t have imagined this strong of a reaction. She was a happily married woman. Wasn’t she? “Erika, what is going on here? Everything is okay between you and Ted, right?”

  “What? Yeah, of course. We’re even thinking about starting a family.”

  Ariadne frowned. “Then I don’t understand. This is a…” She glanced under the doors of the bathroom stalls to make sure that they were alone. They were. “This isn’t a real marriage. Why are you acting like it’s going to be permanent? You know I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  Erika pressed her lips together. Shaking her head, she sighed. “I’m sorry, Ari. You’re right. I’m being silly.” She washed her hands. “Come on. Let’s go. I want to work on my tan.”

  “Mine is fine as it is,” Ari replied with a smile. “I’ll keep you company under the shade of an umbrella.”

  ***

  “Why not me, Ash?”

  He looked up from his survey of the sun setting on the water. Erika stood over him in a tiny flesh colored bikini that made her look naked. Ash had just returned from a quick swim. He’d thought the girls were in the kitchen baking muffins. “What?” he asked, not understanding her question. He stood so that he didn’t have to look up at her and so that he would have a better vantage point to watch Ted swimming back to shore.

  “Why didn’t you ever want me?”

  He whipped his head around to stare at her. He hoped she was kidding, but he could see the sincerity in her pretty brown eyes. Damn, he’d thought she’d gotten over that school girl crush shit. “You know your brother would have killed me if I so much as looked at you.” Erika was pretty and attractive in a bubbly way. He wasn’t blind. He’d taken a single glance at her legs one day by their family pool and Chad had warned him that he’d knock his teeth down his throat if he tried anything with his sister. Asher had a real fondness for his teeth and there were plenty of other pretty girls without older brothers that he could pursue.

  “Then why not when we were away at college? Chad wasn’t around to stop you.”

  He turned his attention back to the water, willing Ted to come back in quicker. “Would you really have wanted me to notice you?” He ran a hand through his hair so that it stopped dripping in his face. It was time for a haircut. “You and I are friends. You know how I was then. I didn’t do lasting relationships. Trust me, you’d hate me now.” He pointed out at the water. “Besides I was still friends with Chad. And then there was Ted. He was head over heels about you. I couldn’t offer you that.” And he wouldn’t betray two friends over what would only have been a whim for him. But he couldn’t say that because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

  She nodded. “Is your father really running for office or is this some ploy to get Ari into bed?”

  He laughed. He appreciated her guarding her friend. Hell, his wife. He had to get used to thinking of her that way. There was a bubble of joy in him that burst open each time he remembered that fact. Even if it was only for a few years and even if it was in name only, she was his.

  At his laughter, Erika had crossed her arms and twisted away from him. “Don’t get angry. Yes, my father is really going to run for governor. He’ll announce it soon.”

  “But you’re going to try to seduce her, aren’t you?” He declined to answer that. It was none of her business what was between him and Ari. “Why her?” she asked at last. “I’ve seen the way you watch her when you think no one is looking. What is it about Ari?”

  Well, fuck. Was he really so transparent about the way he felt for Ariadne? Rather than answer her, he delayed. “What are you talking about?”

  Erika made an irritated sound. “I’m not stupid. I know you’ve wanted her since high school.”

  That was entirely true. But she’d been too young for what he wanted. And when she became old enough, she’d made it clear she had no interest in him.

  Hell, if he knew what pulled him to her, but he felt it every time she was near. He couldn’t shake her. Usually when a woman didn’t want him, he shrugged it off. One set of nice tits was as good as the next. But Ari was more than her rack. She was smart, sweet, principled, and honest. And just the sight of her burned him up with lust.

  Ted was coming out of the water now, making his way through the waves toward them. Erika grabbed his wrist urgently. “What is it? Tell me.”

  Where had she ever got the idea that he went around baring his soul to people? She must have seen this as her last opportunity to get these answers. But he wasn’t admitting anything, least of all to her, Ari’s best friend. He wondered if Ari also knew how hung up he was on her.

  As if she’d read his thoughts, Erika said quickly, “Ari is probably the only person who can’t tell that you’re in love with her, but I’ve always known. I just want to know…why her and not me?”

  “You love Ted. The two of you are very happy together. Concentrate on that.” Gently, he pried her fingers from his wrist and left her to greet her husband. He made his way back up the beach and into the house. The kitche
n smelled of cinnamon and brown sugar, making his mouth water. A tray of muffins sat on the counter. Ariadne held one in her hand. She’d split it open and was applying butter. When she’d finished applying a perfectly even layer, he snatched it out of her hand and took a large bite. “Thanks,” he muttered around a full mouth.

  Glaring at him, she began to prepare the other half. “Where’s Erika?”

  “That’s damn good,” he groaned around the muffin. He opened the refrigerator in search of milk. “Erika’s with Ted.” As he filled his glass, he shot her a glance. She had to know about Erika’s crush, but he wouldn’t question her about it. Doing so would be asking her to betray a confidence to a friend. While he was her husband, it wasn’t in a true sense. He wanted her to consider him a friend one day as well.

  Ariadne bit into her muffin. Asher poured her a glass of milk as well. He waited until she’d taken a sip before asking, “So should I move my stuff into your room or will you be moving into mine?”

  She sprayed the floor with milk. “What?”

  He laughed at her expression. Though they hadn’t discussed it, he knew she didn’t expect to share his bed. But he simply couldn’t resist seeing her reaction. Leaning back against the counter, he allowed his gaze to run over her from the top of her head to her toes, stopping to enjoy the fullness of her breasts, the smallest of her waist, and the lush roundness of her hips. She was delight to stare at and his palms itched to explore her curves. As always, she was dressed modestly. Her pink t-shirt was buttoned to the top. Her jeans were snug but not indecent. They’d all been on the beach at some point today. Only Ariadne had taken the time to change out of her bathing suit.

  “Both Ted and Erika insinuated that I was trying to get you into bed. Would you like to clarify our sleeping arrangements?”

  Tossing a glare his way, she rolled three paper towels off the roll and dropped to the floor to clean up the milk. “I have a guest room you can use at my place.”

  “I see.” He emptied his glass in one swallow. “So you expect me to be celibate for two or more years?”

  “I intend to be.”

  “No offense, but it’s not the same thing. Isn’t celibacy your normal state of affairs?”

  She threw the paper towels in the trash with more force than he considered necessary. “Isn’t this something we should have clarified before we got married? It’s not too late for an annulment.”

  “Then we’d be right back where we were. Only worse. I would embarrass my father with one of the briefest marriages on record. And you’d have tallied up a second relationship failure within six months.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  She mirrored his pose. “So what do you suggest?”

  He knew what he’d like to suggest but he doubted she’d be willing to grant him conjugal rights. It would take some serious finessing to get her to that point. But he didn’t doubt that he could get her there. A week ago if someone had told him that she would marry him, he would have laughed in their face. But she had. Not out of love, but that didn’t matter. She was his. If he could make her his wife, a major miracle, getting her into his bed would be child’s play.

  “We play it by ear,” he said as casually as he could.

  She laughed. “Are you thinking there’s going to be a time when I’m going to want to sleep with you?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t think you find me repellant.”

  Ariadne’s mouth twisted. “But as you’ve pointed out, celibacy is the normal state of affairs for me.”

  He studied her from beneath lowered lashes. “But it doesn’t have to be.”

  “I can’t,” she said so quickly that he knew that she had her reasons.

  He wanted to probe but he had time. He didn’t want her to think he was anxious. Though he was so primed, he was ready to toss her over his shoulder and carry her off to his bed this instant. “The offer is out there and available any time you want.” Her gaze moved over him much as his had moved over her. Her slow perusal made his body burn. Her brown eyes darkened and smoldered with heat. His dick hardened so fast it was a wonder he didn’t get lightheaded from the sudden redirection of blood flow. He took a step forward without even realizing it.

  “I’m starving!” Ted made a beeline for the muffins. He grabbed one in each hand, biting into one before he seemed to take notice of the tension in the room. “Am I interrupting something?” he mumbled around a mouth full of food.

  ***

  Ariadne rolled onto her side. Minutes later, she turned onto her stomach. Her mind was so full of thoughts that her head was beginning to ache. She was questioning her decision to marry Asher. Maybe she hadn’t considered Erika’s feelings long enough? Had she underestimated the strength of her crush? Or had she been selfish and taken the easiest route, dismissing her concerns about Erika because it conflicted with her needs?

  And then there was Asher. For a second, she’d been tempted to accept his offer of sex. Which was crazy! The man had been an annoyance to her almost since the moment she met him. Even as a teen, he’d been a privileged, arrogant, irritating man slut. Drama seemed to follow wherever he led. He was constantly getting into trouble. He smoked. He always had a different girl hanging on his arm. Simply put, he was a bad boy. And she wasn’t the clichéd good girl looking for a bad boy.

  Her opinion of him hadn’t changed much over the years, but then, she’d actively avoided him. This past week was the first time she’d spent more than a few minutes in his company since high school.

  She was still struggling to fall asleep a half an hour later when a knock sounded at her door. She was almost relieved for the interruption. She sat up in bed. Before she could ask them to enter, the door opened and she knew it was Ash even before she saw his dark head pop around the frame. She’d thought it might be Erika, but then she would have waited to be invited.

  Arranging the sheet so that it covered her collar bone, Ariadne drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. She wore a thin white tank top with no bra and pair of shorts. Given Asher’s tendency to turn her on with a laugh, she thought it best to conceal her breasts.

  “Can I come in?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you already in?”

  He shrugged bare shoulders and closed the door behind himself. He wore jeans that hung low on his lean hips and nothing else. She hoped he wasn’t here to offer himself up on some sort of sex platter again.

  Ash sat on the end of her bed and drew the ankle of one leg beneath the knee of the other. “We should discuss where we go from here. Naturally, we both need to return home, but it would be best that I move in with you as soon as possible. It will seem strange if I don’t.”

  Her hands clenched at the thought of him invading her personal space. But there was no helping it. He was right. They couldn’t very well claim to have had a whirlwind romance so intense that they got married and then blissfully go back to living separate lives. So she nodded. “That’s fine.”

  “Do you have family over often?”

  “Just my mother and my cousin Sierra.” And her mother would be trouble enough. Aurora tended to drop by when the mood struck her. Ariadne had given her a spare set of keys as a security measure, but her mother had no qualms using it anytime she so desired.

  “Is she likely to notice anything amiss between us? Like us sleeping in separate bedrooms?”

  She shrugged. As much as she loved her mother, she was weird and just plain flighty. “Maybe,” she admitted, “but you’re still not sleeping in my bed.”

  He grinned. “Then I’ll store my belongings in your room and sleep in the guestroom. If anyone notices, we can say that you snore.”

  “I don’t snore.”

  “How would you know? You’re sleeping.”

  “Could we stay on topic, please?”

  “Where is this family reunion taking place?”

  “This year we’re all going to a
lodge in Virginia. There will be a picnic in the park the first day. It’ll be a casual get together. That will more than likely go on all day. The second night, there’s a ball and catered dinner. After that, we’ll board a yacht to view fireworks.”

  “We’ll be staying at this lodge?”

  “No. My Aunt Rebecca offered to let some of us stay with her. My mom, a few of my cousins, and I-” She broke off, realizing that if she took Asher with her to the reunion, she couldn’t very well ask for a separate bedroom for her husband. “Oh, crap.”

  Asher laughed that husky laugh of his, putting her on edge. She clenched her knees tighter together. “Ash, nothing is going to happen between us. Get that through that thick skull of yours right now. I didn’t agree to this to become your latest bed buddy.”

  “What? I didn’t say a word.” He stood and stretched, putting on such a fine display that she swallowed. He had just the right amount of hair on his chest. Not so much that he reminded of an ape, but enough to let her know that he was a man. His grin was too self-satisfied for her liking. “See you in the morning.”

  Chapter Five

  The three story brick mansion his father lived in with his wife Terri was not the same house that Asher had grown up in with his parents. David Hollister had sold the house in Greenville during Asher’s senior year in college. Asher hadn’t been thrilled, but after all the shit he’d put his father through, he couldn’t object. His father was finally trying to move on with his life, having lived in a state of mourning since the passing of Ash’s mother, Joanna. Not that Ash had recognized his father’s mourning for what it was. He’d been a selfish and very angry teen. While he chose to display his grief by spiraling into increasingly bad behavior, his father had withdrawn into himself. That had only made Asher angrier. It had seemed to him that his father hadn’t cared. But no matter how much he acted out or lashed out at his father in anger, his father had responded with nothing but patience.