She heaved a sigh of relief. This was the Andrew she knew and didn’t find dangerously endearing.
“No, that’s not necessary.” She knew she had to clamp down on thoughts of
She closed the door behind her on the thick silence.
Sometimes self-preservation was a bitch.
4
DAMN HIS WIFE with her perky breasts and sleek legs! Andrew stalked into the bathroom and splashed cold water over his face. Twice now in as many weeks, she’d referred to intimacy with him as a waste of time unless it involved procreation. What, did she consider his ego her own personal trampoline to trounce on whenever she felt the urge?
Spending plenty of time at the office in the upcoming months sounded like a plan. He could decidedly do without desperately wanting to bury himself in that quixotic woman while she casually announced making love was a chore they could postpone until she was ovulating.
Cold water trickled under the edge of his collar. The cool marble counter beneath his fingertips soothed his male pride. His partnership hovered within his grasp. It was all that had ever mattered. It was all that mattered now.
He heard his
He opened the bathroom door and found her engaged in a futile wrestling match with a suitcase nearly her size. Her contortions molded her dress across her rounded behind and hiked her hemline to midthigh.
Desperate for a distraction, he offered, “If you let me help you with that, I’ll still respect you in the morning.”
The faint blush that crept up her cheeks surprised him.
“I guess I could use some help,” she conceded.
He hauled the behemoth on top of the bed and felt a rising tide of annoyance at the thought of her dragging the heavy case all the way from her car rather than accept his earlier offer of help.
However, his irritation vanished as insight blindsided him. Kat hadn’t conceded anything to him when she’d agreed not to touch his money in their prenuptial agreement. Oh, she’d used it as a selling point when she’d presented her case, but he’d bet not touching his money was more important to Kat than to him. Beneath her unorthodox manner lay a formidable streak of independence.
“It must’ve been galling to need a husband,” he said casually as he dropped to the bed.
She unzipped her suitcase and faced him clutching a handful of serviceable white underwear. “Which dresser drawers do I get?”
“Those three.” Andrew motioned to the trio nearest the bathroom.
She didn’t respond until she’d pitched the cotton panties into the drawer and turned to stare him in the eye, her blue gaze unwavering. “Not particularly galling. More along the lines of inconvenient.”
He groaned mentally. Now she’d relegated him to an inconvenience. “One thing you couldn’t take care of on your own?”
“You don’t have to make it sound as if I’m eccentric.”
“I’d settle for unusual.”
“Nothing unusual, nothing eccentric, nothing hidden. What you see is what you get. This is it.” She threw her arms wide and then dropped them to her side. “I just don’t want to be played for a fool again. Ever. I freely admit to making a fool of myself occasionally. And I’ve been known to do things others considered somewhat foolish- marrying you, according to Jackson-but I will never, ever allow anyone to play me for a fool again.”
Andrew uttered a single word. “Nick?”
Kat carried another handful of underwear to the drawer and nodded. “While an international audience watched-so, thank you very much, once was enough.”
Would she think he’d played her for a fool? That hadn’t been his intent in changing the terms of their prenuptial agreement. Rather he’d seen it as simply protecting his own. He knew Kat’s interpretation would differ. It was a good thing he wasn’t in this for the long haul or committed to a real marriage because he’d shot that chance to hell with those contract changes.
“Devereaux was a fool.” A nagging sense of guilt lent his voice harshness.
Her sunny smile seared him. “I appreciate your gallantry, but actually Nick did me a favor. I took a good hard look at my life, reevaluated my priorities, and learned an important lesson.”
Kat brushed her hands together, dismissing the subject, and rooted through the jumbled mess in her suitcase. She pulled out a gift-wrapped package and tossed it onto the bed between them. “I bought you a wedding gift this morning.” Her voice was demure, but her eyes danced with devilment.
Andrew played her game and prodded the package with one finger. “Should I expect an explosion?”
A sly smile curved her full lips. “That depends on you.”
He picked up the package-obviously a book-and ripped at the paper, fully expecting how-to instructions on becoming pregnant with the least amount of bother.
However, one glimpse at the cover and a gut-wrenching laugh rumbled through him. “I’ll treasure it always.” He grinned at her cheekiness. “It was far too thoughtful.”
His own playful attitude sobered him. He reminded himself she was a means to an end. The key to his partnership. Nothing more.
He shoved off the bed. “I’m heading into the office for a couple of hours. I’ll be back around five. Make yourself at home.”
Andrew placed
KAT HUMMED A NOTHING TUNE as she tamped potting soil around the final clump of fuchsia petunias. She wiped her grimy hands across her thighs and lugged the clay pot around the corner of the house as Andrew turned into the driveway.
He’d told her to make herself at home and she’d taken him at his word. With a quick visit to a nursery and the lovely potting shed out back, she’d added some much needed color to the monochrome landscape.
All the plants she’d bought, she’d potted. Like herself, none were here to stay. She’d take them with her when she left. In the meantime, they offered friendly faces in a strange place. Not to mention she’d worked off a little tension. Even though it was her idea to marry Andrew, she’d been nervous earlier.
Kat arranged the newcomer at just the right angle to complete the grouping of potted plants now sitting by the front door. The mix of gaily colored flowers spilled forth a welcome, their perfumed sweetness hanging in the humid heat. The crunch of Andrew’s footsteps and the feel of his gaze on her back sorely tested her concentration.
“I see you found the nursery center and the potting shed.”
She turned to face him. He stood as handsome and immaculate as he’d been when he’d left earlier in the day. No wrinkled shirts or mussed hair on her husband. In contrast, Kat felt positively grubby in her sweaty T-shirt and dirt-stained shorts.
She indicated the mass of color with a flick of her wrist. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s different.”
The rioting reds, yellows, purples and hot pinks overflowing the clay pots punctuated the endless green of the landscape. Judging from his tone, Andrew didn’t find that pleasing.
“Why does
“I don’t mean for it to. It just takes some getting used to.”
“Well, you told me to make myself at home. Once I unpacked my one suitcase there wasn’t really anything for me to do and I noticed the nursery on my way over this morning. And, there’s really nothing I’d rather have been
