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you as long as she says she s married to you.
What? His scowl deepened.
Janice shrugged. You can t actually prove it wasn t Jane who
attended the ceremony unless Jane says it wasn t her.
Well, was it Jane, or wasn t it Jane? he demanded.
That isn t the important part. What you have to worry about is if
Jane says she was there.
And if she denies it? He was having difficulty holding his rage in
check.
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Then you re not married to anyone.
The reality of her words punched him hard in the chest.
Janice s look held little sympathy. The way I see it, you can t
prove which one of us attended the ceremony. You can t remember if
the marriage was consummated. You don t even know if you re going
to be a father or not. That doesn t make you very bright, does it?
Get to the point, he ground out.
If I were you, I d start being damned nice to Jane.
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CHAPTER 11
Jane was waiting for Janice as she came out of Eric s study.
Your turn, Janice said, winking. She ran an appraising eye over
Jane s clothing and frowned. It should only take me a few minutes to
change before I can rescue you.
Jane nodded, then stiffened her shoulders. She ran sweaty palms
down the legs of her tattered jeans and knocked on the door to Eric s
study.
Come in.
Jane opened the door and was immediately aware of the pungent
smell of leather and books. Eric s desk was buried beneath a pile of
papers. His attention was equally buried. Jane cleared her throat.
Eric looked up, obviously distracted.
You summoned me?
He nodded, then turned back to his papers. Jane waited in silence,
her frustration on the rise. Finally, she could stand it no longer. You
wanted something?
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I have only one question. His voice was cool, oddly void of
expression.
And that question is? With her throat constricted, her voice was a
mere whisper.
Who s baby is it, Jane? His stare sliced through the air, dissecting
her pretense.
Oh, the baby. She swallowed hard.
Yes, the baby. Does it belong to me, or someone else?
Janice didn t tell you?
No. He glared at her. Look, I don t know what kind of game the
two of you are playing, but I think I have a right to know what did or
did not happen on my wedding night. I don t want either you or your
sister trying to pass off someone else s child as mine.
We wouldn t do that.
No? His right brow lifted. Then don t you think that I at least
have the right to know if I m going to be a father or not?
I think there s something more important that we need to discuss
first. She evaded his eyes by looking out the window.
More important than a child? His jaw tightened.
I would think you d want to know if you have a marriage.
According to your sister, that answer lies with you. He crossed
his arms over his chest and leaned back on his chair, his stare hardening
to steel.
I m willing to make a deal.
A deal? A tiny beam of curiosity cut through the black granite of
his eyes. What sort of deal?
We ll see after I ve read the original contract.
After a barely perceptible nod, he shoved the papers he d been
reading forward on his desk. I was just going over it again myself.
Looking for loopholes?
Something like that, he admitted.
Jane reached for the papers with a trembling hand, then settled back
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on her chair and took a few minutes to read the contract carefully,
taking in every tiny printed word. Just as Janice warned her, this
marriage was not in name only. She faced him squarely. It s pretty
specific.
I didn t want any misunderstandings.
She tossed the contract back at him. No, under the circumstances, I
would think you d want all the cards on the table.
Exactly.
Jane tilted her chin upward and met his acute stare.
You said you were ready to deal, he reminded her.
Jane forced her pulse to steady; her gaze remained unflinching.
Yes, I m ready to deal only I want a brand new hand.
Meaning? His eyes narrowed.
I want you to tear up this contract.
I see. His features relaxed, his expression growing neutral as he
straightened the contract into a neat pile. Just what part of this
agreement bothers you?
The, er, consummation. You can t expect me to go that far.
Why not? Haven t you gone that far before? His smirk made her
want to slap him.
Jane refused to answer.
Ah. His look was knowing. I get the feeling that your claim of
motherhood is a complete fabrication.
She still didn t answer.
Jane, it isn t feasible for a man of my age to remain celibate for
one year. I doubt it s even healthy. And I m sure you d expect me to
remain faithful to you.
Jane released a tight breath. Considering the health risks in this
day and age, faithful should be your choice.
Then you agree that sleeping with one s spouse is the safe
option for both of us?
I I hardly know you and I refuse to jump into bed with a
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zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl rafalstec.xlx.pl
you as long as she says she s married to you.
What? His scowl deepened.
Janice shrugged. You can t actually prove it wasn t Jane who
attended the ceremony unless Jane says it wasn t her.
Well, was it Jane, or wasn t it Jane? he demanded.
That isn t the important part. What you have to worry about is if
Jane says she was there.
And if she denies it? He was having difficulty holding his rage in
check.
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DOUBLE TAK
Then you re not married to anyone.
The reality of her words punched him hard in the chest.
Janice s look held little sympathy. The way I see it, you can t
prove which one of us attended the ceremony. You can t remember if
the marriage was consummated. You don t even know if you re going
to be a father or not. That doesn t make you very bright, does it?
Get to the point, he ground out.
If I were you, I d start being damned nice to Jane.
172
DOUBLE TAK
CHAPTER 11
Jane was waiting for Janice as she came out of Eric s study.
Your turn, Janice said, winking. She ran an appraising eye over
Jane s clothing and frowned. It should only take me a few minutes to
change before I can rescue you.
Jane nodded, then stiffened her shoulders. She ran sweaty palms
down the legs of her tattered jeans and knocked on the door to Eric s
study.
Come in.
Jane opened the door and was immediately aware of the pungent
smell of leather and books. Eric s desk was buried beneath a pile of
papers. His attention was equally buried. Jane cleared her throat.
Eric looked up, obviously distracted.
You summoned me?
He nodded, then turned back to his papers. Jane waited in silence,
her frustration on the rise. Finally, she could stand it no longer. You
wanted something?
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I have only one question. His voice was cool, oddly void of
expression.
And that question is? With her throat constricted, her voice was a
mere whisper.
Who s baby is it, Jane? His stare sliced through the air, dissecting
her pretense.
Oh, the baby. She swallowed hard.
Yes, the baby. Does it belong to me, or someone else?
Janice didn t tell you?
No. He glared at her. Look, I don t know what kind of game the
two of you are playing, but I think I have a right to know what did or
did not happen on my wedding night. I don t want either you or your
sister trying to pass off someone else s child as mine.
We wouldn t do that.
No? His right brow lifted. Then don t you think that I at least
have the right to know if I m going to be a father or not?
I think there s something more important that we need to discuss
first. She evaded his eyes by looking out the window.
More important than a child? His jaw tightened.
I would think you d want to know if you have a marriage.
According to your sister, that answer lies with you. He crossed
his arms over his chest and leaned back on his chair, his stare hardening
to steel.
I m willing to make a deal.
A deal? A tiny beam of curiosity cut through the black granite of
his eyes. What sort of deal?
We ll see after I ve read the original contract.
After a barely perceptible nod, he shoved the papers he d been
reading forward on his desk. I was just going over it again myself.
Looking for loopholes?
Something like that, he admitted.
Jane reached for the papers with a trembling hand, then settled back
174
DOUBLE TAK
on her chair and took a few minutes to read the contract carefully,
taking in every tiny printed word. Just as Janice warned her, this
marriage was not in name only. She faced him squarely. It s pretty
specific.
I didn t want any misunderstandings.
She tossed the contract back at him. No, under the circumstances, I
would think you d want all the cards on the table.
Exactly.
Jane tilted her chin upward and met his acute stare.
You said you were ready to deal, he reminded her.
Jane forced her pulse to steady; her gaze remained unflinching.
Yes, I m ready to deal only I want a brand new hand.
Meaning? His eyes narrowed.
I want you to tear up this contract.
I see. His features relaxed, his expression growing neutral as he
straightened the contract into a neat pile. Just what part of this
agreement bothers you?
The, er, consummation. You can t expect me to go that far.
Why not? Haven t you gone that far before? His smirk made her
want to slap him.
Jane refused to answer.
Ah. His look was knowing. I get the feeling that your claim of
motherhood is a complete fabrication.
She still didn t answer.
Jane, it isn t feasible for a man of my age to remain celibate for
one year. I doubt it s even healthy. And I m sure you d expect me to
remain faithful to you.
Jane released a tight breath. Considering the health risks in this
day and age, faithful should be your choice.
Then you agree that sleeping with one s spouse is the safe
option for both of us?
I I hardly know you and I refuse to jump into bed with a
175
DOUBLE TAK [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]