An Heir for the Millionaire (13 page)

Brad's face was florid with anger as he glared at the two of them.

‘Damn it to hell, Xander! Sam Bridges' widow?' he repeated, shaking his head in utter disbelief.

‘That's correct.' Casey was the one to answer huskily. ‘I'm sure Xander—and Lauren, of course—would be pleased if you'd care to attend the wedding next month?'

Brad's response to that was completely predictable. ‘You haven't heard the last of this, Xander,' he warned fiercely.

But the threat was bluster, pure bluster, and they all knew it…

‘W
HEW
,'
Casey breathed weakly as she collapsed down into one of the sumptuous armchairs. Brad Henderson had stormed out of the room—and the house—only seconds ago. ‘What a truly obnoxious man!'

‘Here.' Xander sounded amused as he handed her one of the two glasses of brandy he had just poured. ‘He really isn't such a bad guy normally,' he excused with a grimace.

Casey looked up at him, brows raised. ‘I'll take your word for it!' she said, before taking a reviving sip of the brandy.

It was obviously an expensive brand—unlike the cooking sherry two evenings ago!—and it slid smoothly down her throat to warm her inside and take away some of the shock of the last ten minutes.

‘And can I take your announcement to Brad as yours?' Xander asked as he stood beside her chair looking down at her.

Her announcement that she was his fiancée.

That the wedding was going to be next month.

She avoided Xander's searching gaze. ‘I'm sure that normally Brad Henderson is a reasonable man.' She wasn't sure of any such thing, considering his behaviour just now, and the selfish way his daughter had turned out, but she was willing to take Xander's word for it if he claimed otherwise. ‘But he certainly isn't fit at this moment in time to have the care and control of an already emotionally traumatised six-year-old girl!'

‘You didn't answer my question, Casey…' Xander prompted dryly.

No, she hadn't, had she? Because she felt a little shy with him now that the two of them were once again alone—was very aware that before Brad Henderson had interrupted them she had been on the point of raising her face for Xander's kiss.

The man she had just announced she was engaged to marry!

Xander gave a low chuckle. ‘I thought he was going to blow a complete gasket when you invited him to attend the wedding next month!'

Casey winced at this reminder that she had done exactly that. And, considering that tomorrow was the start of the next month, the wedding was destined to take place some time in the next four weeks!

‘I did, didn't I?' She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked up at Xander. ‘Pure bravado on my part, I'm afraid. I don't think I would be too thrilled if he changed his mind and decided to attend after all!'

Xander smiled as he looked down at her, finding this woman more and more intriguing by the minute.

The two earlier occasions they had met, she had been ruffled at having to collect Josh from the house his father had shared with Chloe, let alone seeing Xander there, too.

Two evenings ago she had been tired and looking less than her best after a hard day working at two jobs.

But tonight—tonight she looked a beautiful and sophisticated woman. Someone he had been proud to present to Brad as his future wife.

If, indeed, that was what she was going to be…

His mouth tightened. ‘Casey?' he pressed again.

She couldn't prevaricate any more, Casey knew. It was cruel. She had to give him answer. After all, she'd had no qualms about telling Brad Henderson what her decision was to be!

She sat up straighter in the chair. ‘After careful consideration, I—I've decided to accept your proposal—your business proposition,' she amended firmly, determined that Xander should realise that as far as she was concerned this was
only
to be a business arrangement.

Not that Casey imagined he thought of it as anything else—
if Chloe Fraser's exotic beauty was anything to go by, she was hardly his type, now, was she?

Which brought her to one of the things that definitely had to be sorted out before any marriage between them took place…

‘That's good, Casey.' Xander murmured his satisfaction before she could voice her other concern.

Was it good? she wondered, still filled with doubts about her decision, but knowing—as, no doubt, did Xander!—that it was the only one she could have made.

She couldn't quite meet his triumphant gaze. ‘Obviously we still have to work out the—details of the arrangement—'

‘Dinner is served, Mr Fraser.' The tall, imposing butler stood in the doorway, looking completely unconcerned by the fact that there were now only two people left to eat the meal that had been intended for three. Although Casey didn't doubt that Hilton, and the rest of the household servants, were all well aware of the way Brad Henderson had stormed out of the house minutes ago. If not the reason for it!

‘Shall we…?' Xander held out his arm to take her through to the dining room.

She didn't really need to stay to dinner now that Brad Henderson had left so suddenly, Casey realised. Although it would probably look even more odd to the staff if she were to leave without eating too!

‘Of course,' she answered, and she stood up to place her empty brandy glass down on a side table, her hand trembling slightly as she moved to place her hand in the crook of the arm he held out to her.

‘Bring some champagne through, would you, Hilton?' Xander instructed the butler.

Champagne?

To toast their engagement, Casey realised.

Or, rather, she corrected herself firmly, to seal their bargain.

The decision made, the commitment voiced, Casey could feel her panic starting to rise again at exactly what she had done.

She didn't doubt that Josh would blossom in the ease and comfort to be found in the Fraser household, nor that her young
son would be thrilled at finding Lauren was to be his stepsister, and he would benefit from a change of school, too.

Her anxiety was more because she still wasn't sure quite what
her
role was going to be!

Xander's wife, obviously.

No doubt his hostess, too, if he entertained.

But what else?

‘Stop worrying so much,' Xander murmured close to her ear as he pulled out a dining room chair for her to sit down. ‘It will all work out—you'll see,' he promised.

Would it? Casey wondered, slightly disconcerted by the warmth of his breath against her neck. Would it really?

The fact that the high-ceilinged, ornately decorated dining room was formally set for two—the third placing having been hastily removed, no doubt—didn't exactly instil her with confidence, either. She couldn't help but notice that the snowy white napkins, cut-glass wine goblets and the silver candelabra with candles already alight were a complete contrast to her own cramped kitchen, where most of their last conversation had taken place.

Once again Xander watched the play of emotions that flittered across Casey's telling face. He looked up to give Hilton a frowning glance as the other man returned carrying a silver tray with the requested bottle of champagne and two glass flutes.

‘Just leave it on the side there, Hilton,' he said impatiently. ‘I'll deal with it myself,' he added less harshly, shooting the butler an apologetic glance as he did so; after all, it wasn't the other man's fault that Xander's bride-to-be was becoming jittery now that she had actually committed herself to the marriage.

‘Very well, sir,' the elderly man acknowledged with an inclination of his silvery head, before quietly leaving.

Xander crossed the room to pick up the chilled bottle wrapped in a white linen napkin and loosen the cork; perhaps if Casey got some champagne inside her she might start to relax again.

The sparkling wine poured, he moved across the room to hand her one of the two-thirds-full glasses before raising his own glass. ‘To us,' he toasted huskily.

Casey swallowed hard, her fingers tight around the delicate
champagne flute. ‘To us,' she echoed awkwardly, before taking a grateful gulp of the bubbly wine.

Except it didn't quite work out that way. The chilled wine hit the back of her throat, which was tight with nervousness, and then refused to go down!

She began to cough and choke as the bubbly liquid went up her nose, causing her eyes to water, too, holding the glass away from her so that she shouldn't spill the rest of the champagne down herself or over the ornate Aubusson carpet.

She couldn't even see properly when Xander took the glass from her unresisting fingers, patting her lightly on the back as he stood in front of her to use one of the snowy white napkins to wipe away the tears that were now streaming down her face.

This was just too embarrassing, too awful, on top of everything else! What on earth was Xander going to think of her? That she was too gauche even to drink champagne properly without—

Casey became suddenly still as, the choking stopped, her cheeks wiped, she found herself standing only inches away from Xander, looking up into the handsome ruggedness of his face.

Her breath felt strangled in the tightness of her throat and she was completely captured by the sensual heat of Xander's gaze, her heart starting to beat so loudly that she was sure he must be able to hear it, too. She felt so sensitised, so aware, that it seemed as if she could feel the blood rushing through her veins.

She must look a fright, an absolute mess—her eyes teary, her nose red, her cheeks flushed—

None of which seemed to bother Xander in the slightest as he slowly lowered his head and his mouth claimed hers.

Casey melted against him as his arms moved about her waist to pull her into the hardness of his body, and the soft flick of his tongue against her lips encouraged them to part so he could deepen the kiss.

Her own arms moved up, her hands gripping his shoulders to feel the ripple of muscles there, the promise of power as he tensed beneath her touch—a leashed power that she sensed could be so easily released, overwhelming her…

One of his hands caressed the length of her spine as his mouth
continued to plunder hers, fingers light against her before his hand cupped the curve of her bottom and drew her even closer against him.

She could feel his body, that leanly muscled force, hard with desire, pulsing against her thighs, filling her with the warmth of her own rising need—a need that was rapidly spiralling out of control—

‘Mr James is on the telephone from New York, Mr Fraser,' a voice interrupted them regretfully.

Casey drew back guiltily and turned to look at the butler, standing so stiffly in the open doorway. She couldn't miss seeing the amusement in Xander's gaze before she pulled abruptly away from him to move over to the window and stare out sightlessly into the darkening evening.

What was she
doing?

Minutes ago she had realised that any relationship between herself and Xander had to be clearly defined—that they would both need to know exactly what each would expect from the other during their marriage—and that it wouldn't include any sort of physical relationship between the two of them.

What had happened between them just now only increased the urgency for that conversation!

‘I'll take the call in my study, thanks, Hilton,' Xander said. ‘That will be all,' he added, dismissing his servant and waiting for the other man to leave before turning back to Casey. ‘We—'

‘Please go and take your call, Xander,' she told him shakily, without turning.

Xander stared in frustration at the rigidity of the slender back Casey kept so firmly turned towards him.

Maybe kissing her hadn't been the most sensible thing in the world. But, no matter what she might be thinking now, it hadn't been the worst thing that could have happened, either. The two of them were getting married, for goodness' sake, and if their response to each other just now was anything to go by then it didn't have to be a celibate marriage. For either of them.

‘Casey—'

‘Would you please go and take your call, Xander?' Her voice was brittle with the tension obvious in her expression as she
turned to face him. ‘And then I think it would be a good idea for us to discuss the—details of our marriage, when you come back,' she told him coolly.

Details of their marriage?

She had mentioned something about those details earlier, too, hadn't she…?

And, if that determined look in her face was any indication, Xander didn't think he was going to particularly like them!

C
ASEY
had her emotions, and herself, firmly under control by the time Xander returned to the dining room ten minutes later.

It had just been a kiss, she tried to persuade herself. A kiss that shouldn't have happened, and must never be repeated, but nevertheless still just a kiss. And once she and Xander had discussed the terms of their marriage she need never worry—fear?—that it would happen again!

Xander seemed to have put the incident behind him too, as he moved once again to hold a chair for her to sit down at the dining table. ‘I think we should start to eat some of this delicious meal my cook has prepared for us, don't you?' he suggested, before taking his own seat opposite hers at the twelve-foot-long table.

It would certainly be easier with Xander seated so far away for her to gather her chaotic thoughts together. To start the discussion that had been interrupted twice already.

But she took a sip of the white wine the butler poured to go with their smoked salmon and waited for the man to leave before attempting to do so. ‘I think it might be better if there were some sort of formal contract drawn up between us before we marry,' she told Xander, her long lashes fanning over her cheeks as she looked down at her food, rather than down the table at him.

‘A formal contract…?' Xander repeated guardedly.

‘Yes.' She chanced a glance at him, and as quickly looked away again as she met the hard glitter of his gaze. ‘I think that
would be best,' she added nervously. ‘So that we both know where we stand and what—what to expect of each other.'

A silence heavy with tension stretched out between them. She really wasn't going to be able to eat any of this lovely food at all if Xander continued to look at her so fiercely, his mouth unsmiling, his jaw clenched.

‘A prenuptial agreement, you mean?' he finally bit out.

‘Something like that, yes.' Casey nodded, relieved that he was the one who had actually given it that label. For her to have done so would have sounded—well, rather materialistic, perhaps.

But it wasn't just her future she was talking about, was it? She had Josh to consider, too. In fact, if it weren't for her young son she would never have considered Xander's businesslike offer of marriage in the first place.

Besides, she had no idea why he was so obviously displeased by this conversation when the marriage of convenience had been his idea. After all, there had to be guidelines, didn't there? For both of them. Otherwise the whole thing would just be a mess.

And so it began, Xander acknowledged with weary cynicism as he leant his elbow on the table and took a swallow of his wine. He somehow hadn't seen Casey Bridges as mercenary, but he really should have known better. He hadn't met a woman yet who wasn't.

‘And what exactly do you have in mind for the contents of this prenuptial agreement?' he asked, almost pinning her to her chair with the force of his piercing gaze.

She made a fluttering movement with her hands. ‘I don't know—Well, I would obviously like something in writing concerning the security of Josh's future,' she amended quickly, as Xander raised dark, mocking brows at her prevarication.

He showed his teeth in a humourless smile. ‘And of course your own?'

Casey really wished he would stop looking at her like that. Almost as if she were a specimen he had placed under a microscope!

She shook her head. ‘I'm more interested in securing Josh's future than my own.'

‘Oh, come, Casey—let's not be coy about this,' he drawled, ignoring the food in front of him but continuing to drink his
wine. ‘Once your house is sold, and you move here, I will obviously pay all household bills, school fees, and so on, but I appreciate you will need access to money of your own for other—expenses,' he rasped. ‘In return you will be expected to give up both the jobs you have been working at in order to become a full-time mother to Lauren and Josh.'

Well…yes. She had already worked that out. It wouldn't be too much of a hardship when being a full-time mother was exactly what she had always been—until Sam's desertion a year ago had forced her to juggle motherhood with two jobs in order to support them both. She accepted that it might not be every woman's ideal to be a full-time mother, but she had always enjoyed the role, and had no doubt she would enjoy being stepmother to Lauren, too.

Although she wasn't so sure about selling her family home…

What if Xander changed his mind and this arrangement only lasted a few months? Brad Henderson might calm down more quickly than Xander expected, and so remove the threat of a court battle over Lauren, in which case he wouldn't need a wife any more.

Whereas she would still need a home for Josh and herself…

These were exactly the sort of details that needed to be worked out before they were married, so she had no idea why Xander should continue to look at her in that sceptical way.

‘Is that all?' he snapped.

‘Er—no. There's also the matter of the—the intimacy, or lack of it, in our relationship,' she added uncomfortably. ‘Of course I accept that you're only in your thirties,' she rushed on, before she lost all her courage under Xander's steely gaze, ‘that you will want—er—have needs… But as long as your—relationships are kept discreet, I see no reason why they should interfere with our arrangement in the slightest,' she concluded awkwardly.

Xander continued to look at her for several long seconds without speaking, his hooded blue gaze unreadable. ‘You don't think,' he finally said softly, ‘that after our earlier—exploration of the possibility, perhaps it might be easier—less complicated—if we were to have that sort of relationship ourselves, in order to satisfy those
needs?
'

No, she didn't!

She didn't care about his previous claim that there were thousands of couples who had a sexual relationship but didn't love each other. She had already had that with Sam, and she had no intention of repeating the experience with Xander Fraser!

‘No, I don't,' she told him firmly.

Xander's fingers clenched so tightly around his wine glass that he was in danger of breaking it. Damn it, that earlier kiss might have been a little—unwise on his part, and the timing absolutely lousy, but couldn't this woman see that there was a sexual attraction between the two of them that they would be foolish to ignore?

That it could be dangerous to ignore!

Did she seriously expect them to live together in close proximity, as husband and wife, and not explore the possibilities of the desire they obviously felt for each other?

He could see that she did. That green gaze was clear and determined as she looked down the table at him so intently.

‘We will, of course, have separate bedrooms,' she added briskly.

That would be no hardship—he and Chloe had occupied separate bedrooms for years, by his choice!

He raised a mocking eyebrow. ‘And what of your own—needs? Do you intend to satisfy them
discreetly
too?' His voice hardened. He was not at all happy with the thought.

The blush that he found so intriguing once again brightened her cheeks. ‘Certainly not!' she denied indignantly.

Xander frowned, but something inside him eased a little, and he loosened his death-grip on the wine glass before he shattered it. ‘Then what do you intend doing about them?'

She shook her head, the candlelight bringing out the gold highlights in her hair. ‘I don't intend doing anything about them!' she assured him tartly. ‘The—physical side of marriage is not something that interests me in the slightest.'

She really thought she meant that, Xander realised as he took in the set of her mouth and the determined tilt of her chin.

For a woman who had been married for seven years, who had a six-year-old son, Casey was surprisingly naïve if she didn't
realise exactly how sexually responsive she was—of how she had melted against him minutes ago, her mouth as hungry as his own.

Xander's gaze narrowed as he wondered again about her marriage to Sam Bridges.

He had despised the other man almost as much as he had despised Chloe—had thought them two of a kind, considering only their own interests of importance. But had that selfishness also permeated Bridges' physical relationship with his own wife?

What business was it of his? Xander instantly rebuked himself; Casey was very firmly setting down the terms of their marriage, making it perfectly clear that the financial security he offered was all that interested her. That he would have to look elsewhere if he wanted to satisfy his physical ‘needs'!

‘Fine.' He gave a sharp inclination of his head. ‘Is there anything else you want written into the contract besides what we've already discussed?'

Casey looked at him uncertainly, knowing she had displeased him in some way, but completely at a loss to understand how. She was being reasonable, wasn't she? More than reasonable, she would have thought.

‘No, there's nothing else,' she confirmed.

‘Then I'll go ahead and make the necessary arrangements.'

The arrangements for their wedding.

The arrangements for her and Josh to move into this house.

The arrangements for her to be Xander Fraser's wife. In name only…!