without conditions.” Though he had negotiated a marriage of convenience without promising to love, honor, and cherish other than on paper, more than awesome sex and mutual respect bound them now.
And that freaked him out more than he cared to admit. Because he’d never let anyone become that close for years.
“What about your father?” Cassandra asked, feathering her fingers across her chest. “Did he love you?”
“He loved me in his own way, but my stepmother? Not so much. And though he was a powerful financier and industrialist, he never said no to her.” Sometimes even benign neglect could leave a scar, however unintentional. “I learned to live with it because I had to.”
Her fingertips suddenly turned to ice against his skin and she stilled her movement. He heard her swallow hard. “But he died so soon after the head injury. If it hadn’t been for my…” her voice trailed off.
Dios. He hated hearing the pain behind the words. The guilt resurrecting again when he’d hoped he had convinced Cassandra she shouldn’t blame herself for what had happened. “You have had catamarans winning trophies in the years since that terrible day, so perhaps I should bear some of the responsibility.”
“There wasn’t any validity to my father’s accusations.” Cassandra rested her cheek against his chest and he could feel her eyelashes fluttering. “You weren’t at fault. Grief made everyone crazy afterward and none of us could see the facts.”
Her voice sounded strained and hoarse like she had to struggle to speak. An arrow lanced him deep in the heart. Marco tilted her chin up and gazed into Cassandra’s luminous indigo eyes. “At the end of the day, my father made the choice to race like your brother did,” he said, not wanting Cassandra to carry the burden of guilt any longer.
“But my father destroyed your reputation.”
“And, because of your clever proposal, we’re on our way to fixing that problem.” Marco kissed Cassandra’s forehead and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Once we do that we can move on.”
“Together, right?” she asked while she scooted out of his embrace and pulled herself on top of him. “Because I won’t go back on my end of the bargain. Turns out I happen to like being married to you, too.”
“Most definitely together.” Marco pushed up, caressed her cheek, then anchored his hand behind her head. “In fact, I think we should finalize the bargain again to fine tune the contract’s details.”
When he caught her mouth with his, tasted her all over again, more than lust and passion unleashed and whipped through his brain. Kissing Cassandra felt like he’d finally come home to the one place he belonged. And though he hadn’t expected this to happen, and it surprised the hell out of him, Marco realized that he’d gained more than a marriage of convenience with sexy side benefits when he’d agreed to Cassandra’s proposal. He’d also gained an ally, someone he could trust.
###
The following morning, after an intense night of incredible sex, Cassandra snuggled in the shelter of Marco’s arm. The yacht swayed and early morning sunlight illuminated the master bedroom’s interior through the porthole. Outside she could hear birds calling and the waves lapping against the stern.
Soon, Marco would wake up and they’d begin a day of sightseeing and—she hoped—so much more. But for now, she had a few minutes to gather her thoughts while she gazed at him. His lush dark lashes swept across his cheekbones, which gave her a peek at the boy hiding behind the man. He had incredible passion and, as she had predicted, he had been a tender and attentive lover.
She listened to his heart beating. Steady and strong and sure. Just like Marco. Here was a man she could count on. Though she hadn’t told him all the details about the events leading up to the crash, Marco had been right about one thing: the design hadn’t been the flaw. Justin’s dyslexia had
And that freaked him out more than he cared to admit. Because he’d never let anyone become that close for years.
“What about your father?” Cassandra asked, feathering her fingers across her chest. “Did he love you?”
“He loved me in his own way, but my stepmother? Not so much. And though he was a powerful financier and industrialist, he never said no to her.” Sometimes even benign neglect could leave a scar, however unintentional. “I learned to live with it because I had to.”
Her fingertips suddenly turned to ice against his skin and she stilled her movement. He heard her swallow hard. “But he died so soon after the head injury. If it hadn’t been for my…” her voice trailed off.
Dios. He hated hearing the pain behind the words. The guilt resurrecting again when he’d hoped he had convinced Cassandra she shouldn’t blame herself for what had happened. “You have had catamarans winning trophies in the years since that terrible day, so perhaps I should bear some of the responsibility.”
“There wasn’t any validity to my father’s accusations.” Cassandra rested her cheek against his chest and he could feel her eyelashes fluttering. “You weren’t at fault. Grief made everyone crazy afterward and none of us could see the facts.”
Her voice sounded strained and hoarse like she had to struggle to speak. An arrow lanced him deep in the heart. Marco tilted her chin up and gazed into Cassandra’s luminous indigo eyes. “At the end of the day, my father made the choice to race like your brother did,” he said, not wanting Cassandra to carry the burden of guilt any longer.
“But my father destroyed your reputation.”
“And, because of your clever proposal, we’re on our way to fixing that problem.” Marco kissed Cassandra’s forehead and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Once we do that we can move on.”
“Together, right?” she asked while she scooted out of his embrace and pulled herself on top of him. “Because I won’t go back on my end of the bargain. Turns out I happen to like being married to you, too.”
“Most definitely together.” Marco pushed up, caressed her cheek, then anchored his hand behind her head. “In fact, I think we should finalize the bargain again to fine tune the contract’s details.”
When he caught her mouth with his, tasted her all over again, more than lust and passion unleashed and whipped through his brain. Kissing Cassandra felt like he’d finally come home to the one place he belonged. And though he hadn’t expected this to happen, and it surprised the hell out of him, Marco realized that he’d gained more than a marriage of convenience with sexy side benefits when he’d agreed to Cassandra’s proposal. He’d also gained an ally, someone he could trust.
###
The following morning, after an intense night of incredible sex, Cassandra snuggled in the shelter of Marco’s arm. The yacht swayed and early morning sunlight illuminated the master bedroom’s interior through the porthole. Outside she could hear birds calling and the waves lapping against the stern.
Soon, Marco would wake up and they’d begin a day of sightseeing and—she hoped—so much more. But for now, she had a few minutes to gather her thoughts while she gazed at him. His lush dark lashes swept across his cheekbones, which gave her a peek at the boy hiding behind the man. He had incredible passion and, as she had predicted, he had been a tender and attentive lover.
She listened to his heart beating. Steady and strong and sure. Just like Marco. Here was a man she could count on. Though she hadn’t told him all the details about the events leading up to the crash, Marco had been right about one thing: the design hadn’t been the flaw. Justin’s dyslexia had
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