She’d only been five when her mother and father had been killed in a car crash. She could still vaguely remember them—hazy memories filled with the warmth of their love. Which was just as well. Without those memories, she might have grown up believing that love was a myth, at least for her. Or maybe that she was unlovable.
She’d certainly never felt even the slightest smidgen of warmth from her grandmother. But over the years, she’d come to recognize that her grandmother was not a good woman. She was selfish and manipulative…and all the family Lexi had.
She let out a sigh as the door opened, and straightened her shoulders as Sadie ushered them in, her grandmother at the front, Daniel close behind. Usually, they waited for her annual visit to New York to make their fiscal requests. Money must be short.
Fixing a smile on her face, she waved a hand at the seats in front of her desk, and then she rose to her feet as they sat down. She wandered over to the window and peered out through the blinds. Her office was on the first floor of a converted house in what had once been a posh residential area but had now been taken over by a number of small businesses. The rent was expensive, but the position was good. There was a crescent of garden below, a lawn with a bench, bordered by a shrubbery. She caught sight of Josh heading across the road toward her. He’d gotten changed and wore dark pants and a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
He looked good, but he’d looked better half naked. It was a real shame to cover up a body like that.
He moved with an easy grace, though as she watched him, she could tell he was favoring his right leg. Should he have been sparring if he’d recently broken it? He needed someone to look after him. Clearly, he wasn’t capable of it himself.
Sadly, it wouldn’t be her. Because whatever he believed, she was a no-strings sort of girl. All she wanted from him was sex. Really. Even if he did make her feel all warm and fuzzy.
Without that phone call, she was convinced Josh would have kissed her. He’d been so close. Even now, the memory of his touch lingered on her skin. And it was scary how much she’d craved that kiss.
She exhaled long and loud. The interruption was probably for the best. A kiss would only blur the lines between fantasy and reality even further. She wanted a real husband as little as Josh wanted a wife.
Especially a husband like Josh.
In her dreams, he’d known his place—in her bed and not in her business. In real life she guessed he wouldn’t be quite so amenable. She’d had one person controlling her life; she wasn’t about to let anyone else have a say.
And she had an inkling Josh would have a lot to say. He was clearly bossy as well as gorgeous. She sighed as he disappeared into the building below her.
“Have you heard a word I’ve said, Alexia?”
She sighed again and turned around. “No.”
Shock flashed across her grandmother’s face. Lexi had always taken great care to treat their meetings with scrupulous politeness. It was ingrained in her. Her grandmother had always had an uncanny ability to hit where it hurt, and no scruples about using that talent, so Lexi had learned at an early age not to antagonize her.
“Things not going well with your…husband?” Daniel asked
Had she heard a slight question when he used that word? Did they suspect all wasn’t rosy between her and Josh? Sometimes it amazed her that she’d kept the pretense up for so long. Though, it did help that there was usually an ocean between them.
She wasn’t quite sure what would happen if they discovered the truth. Her father had made vast amounts of money before he died. His own family had wanted him to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a lawyer, which hadn’t interested him in the least. So he’d gone into business with Uncle Jamie, who had provided the start-up money. He’d been a brilliant entrepreneur at a time when fortunes could be made in the emerging internet markets.
After he’d died, the money had been put into trust for her, with her grandmother in control until Lexi was twenty-four, or until she married. If they found that her marriage had been a sham, her grandmother would likely try and get back that control. While Lexi didn’t think she would succeed, she guessed it would tie the money up, and she had a number of ongoing projects. She needed that money.
So they couldn’t find out the marriage was a sham.
The door opened and there he was. He stood for a moment, taking in the occupants, one eyebrow raised.
Earlier, he’d threatened to go talk with her grandmother. He wouldn’t, would he?
She bit her lip and shot him a pleading glance.
He gave a small nod, and a smile curled his sensual lips. “Sweetheart,” he murmured. Then he strode into the room, straight toward her, wrapped his arms around her, lifted her up on tiptoes, and lowered his head. Time seemed to slow and her surroundings vanish as his lips parted on hers, and he kissed her like he would never get enough.