Marriage by Mistake (18 page)

He wanted more, too. He wanted love. He
really did. In fact, he might even want to love
her
.

Kelly didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.
Dean wasn't the man she'd married, but he wasn't
not
him,
either. Oh, how complicated everything had become!

"Personally, I don't think Dean is anything
more than that cold, closed-off person you were talking about,"
Troy spoke up, sounding worried.

"Oh, but he is." Kelly couldn't dismiss the
truth. "He just needs    " What? What did Dean need?

"To change his personality?" Troy's eyes
widened. "Yes, I believe we could all agree on that."

"No." Kelly put her napkin down. She pushed
out of her chair. "What he needs...is to be able to
express
his personality."

"Uh...doesn't he do that already?"

"No." Kelly paced the length of the dining
room table. "He doesn't feel safe. And why should he? No one's ever
made him feel that way."

Troy's brows drew down. "Don't get me wrong.
I
like
having you here. But    " He grimaced. "But
come on.
Dean
, not feeling safe? I can't think of anyone
more supremely arrogant than my cousin."

Kelly arched her brows at Troy. "Is that
right?"

"Yeah." But Troy's gaze averted, and he
shifted in his seat. It was all the confirmation Kelly sought.

Troy seemed to know it. "Okay, fine," he
said. "Dean may have his...little problems. But I'm sure he feels
safe
. Or, even if he doesn't, how could
you
make him
feel that way?"

"I don't know how." Kelly gripped the back of
her chair. "I only know I have to try."

Troy's gaze narrowed. "You have to try." His
eyes became mere slits. "Why?"

Why
?

While Troy's regard was narrow, Robby's was
wide, and curious.

Why
?

Kelly refused to acknowledge the immediate
answer that came to mind. She stalked back toward her chair.
"How...? Now, that won't be easy, of course." In fact, she hadn't a
single, viable idea of how to make Dean feel safe, how to allow him
to be who he really was.

But she would think of something, because
this was important, vital, no longer a choice. She
had
to
help him.

"No, I don't know the how of it," Kelly
admitted and sighed with a wry smile. "But it looks like I have
'til Monday to figure it out."

CHAPTER TWELVE

It would have been a great weekend, Troy
thought, with Dean guaranteed to be gone, except that he had this
apology deal with Felicia to get over with on Sunday. Or at least
Troy thought he'd get the apology over with on Sunday, but late
Friday night he hit the button on the answering machine in his
bedroom and found out she was going to keep the wretched thing
hanging over his head    again.

"...so very sorry," Felicia's voice claimed,
in her best high-society accent. "I
completely
forgot about
this luncheon I absolutely
must
attend on Sunday for the
Head Start Support Foundation. Really, I don't know
how
it
slipped my mind. So, please, let's set another day. Next week
perhaps..." Her voice trailed off as she muttered a few other
inanities and said good-bye.

With one hand loosening his silk party tie,
Troy used the other to put a finger over the stop button on the
machine and slowly depress it. He could feel a muscle in his jaw
clench. She was putting it off    again.

He might not have minded, he might even have
approved
of Felicia's delaying tactics if it wasn't looking
more and more like his apology was going to be necessary.

Hell. Dean and Kelly looked like they might
actually take a stab at being married to each other. His stuffy,
uptight cousin had kissed her. Quite a smooch, if Robby was to be
believed. And at dinner that night Kelly had sounded far gone, like
she was falling in love, for heaven's sake.

Troy shook his head. Kelly was either heading
for one terrific drop or...she was going to end up married, really
married, to Dean.

The idea of Dean being permanently off the
market and of the position in which that placed Felicia caused all
sorts of conflicting and unpleasant emotions to churn in Troy's
gut.

The more time that passed, the more difficult
this apology was going to be.

He picked up the phone, about to call Felicia
right then and there, about to
demand
she not put him off
again, when he realized it was well after midnight. Cursing under
his breath, he set the phone back down. He took a pace across the
brown-gold carpet.

Perhaps it was just as well he couldn't call
her. He needed to think. He needed to plan and strategize and come
up with a guaranteed way to get Felicia to have this lunch date
with him. Troy expelled a disgusted breath. Yes, he had to
think.

Felicia had a way of forcing him to do
that.

###

After a miserable weekend in Atlanta, Dean
returned to Boston on Monday morning knowing exactly what had to be
done. He went straight from the airport to his office.

"Get Myers on the phone, would you?" he asked
Mrs. Barnes as soon as he walked through the door.

"Myers?" Mrs. Barnes looked up from her
computer. "Your attorney?"

"That's right. See if you can set up an
appointment for today."

"Yes of course, Mr. Singleton."

Ah, Dean thought, a woman who listened and
did what she was told. So...refreshing. He continued through to his
office, feeling good enough to whistle. The solution was so easy he
didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before.

Money. Everybody had his    or her
   price. Dean chuckled. He wouldn't be falling down on
his responsibility. Not if Kelly took it. That would mean she was
accepting compensation, money for breach of promise. He'd be
clear.

For the first time in countless days, Dean
sat behind his desk, ready to work.

Mrs. Barnes buzzed. Dean pressed on the
intercom. "Yes?"

"Would twelve-thirty do?" Mrs. Barnes asked.
"Mr. Myers is completely booked, but will take off lunch since it's
you."

Dean smiled hard enough to hurt.
"Twelve-thirty is fine. Tell him I'll bring lunch."

"Very good, sir."

Dean released the intercom button and leaned
back in his chair, steepling his fingers. This was so damnably
simple. By one o'clock, one-thirty at the latest, all his problems
would be solved. He'd have Myers draw up a cash settlement,
something not even Kelly could refuse. Yes, she would take the
money.

And she'd be out of his life.

No more sighings over opera, no more fishing
with bare hands. No more scary, out-of-this-universe kisses.
Sanity. Whistling for real now, Dean separated his hands and bent
over the papers on his desk.

Three hours of steady work later, Dean
checked his watch. His eyebrows jumped, and he smiled. Three solid
hours. Yes, he
had
been ready to get back to business. He
straightened the papers on his desk and reached for his jacket.
Mrs. Barnes buzzed.

Dean grimaced. Had Myers thought they were
supposed to meet here? He pressed the intercom. "Tell him I don't
have lunch yet."

Mrs. Barnes ignored that. "Your wife is
here," she said.

Dean froze, his finger on the intercom. No.
He hadn't heard that. He hadn't had a chance to meet with Myers
yet. He    he didn't have the information necessary to
strike a deal.

"Mr. Singleton?" Mrs. Barnes said.

Dean realized he was going to have to do
something. He straightened, took a deep breath, and depressed the
intercom button again. "My wife?" He did his best to sound casual.
"Why, send her on in." As if there was anything else he could do.
God.

One second later, the door of his office
opened. Kelly sauntered in.

Every cell in Dean's body jumped to
electrical awareness. It was almost painful. Almost.

"Well, hey," Kelly said, smiling.

Dean swallowed. He should have instructed
Mrs. Barnes to make her wait, not that time would have dulled her
effect. Her smile alone    It could warm the North pole.
And then there was what she was wearing, one of those knit tops
with spaghetti-thin straps, the kind that show a woman's bra
straps. Only Kelly wasn't showing any bra straps.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Kelly
sashayed in the direction of his desk. Her skirt was short. Very
short.

Dean was glad he was standing behind the
desk, and that the desk was piled sufficiently high with papers. It
wouldn't do for her to notice his immediate, and purely physical,
reaction.

He cleared his throat. "No, you're not
interrupting anything at all."
Except a meeting to get rid of
you
. He raised his eyebrows. "What can I do for you?"

Her eyes laughed at him. "Oh. So polite. So
helpful
." On the other side of his desk, she came to a
stop.

"Excuse me?" Dean tried to look innocent.

She wagged a finger. "You ran away."

Despite his best efforts to the contrary,
Dean could feel his face flush. "I    had to get to our
plant in Atlanta. It was an emergency."

"Oh, I'm sure it was." She rolled her eyes.
"Since you finally broke down and kissed me."

Dean crushed his teeth together. He could
still feel that kiss, its velvety excitement. "Is there a reason
you're here, Kelly?" As if he didn't know. She was here to...sink
her claws into him. Well, he wasn't going to let her. He was going
to make his meeting with Myers. They would concoct a plan to
extract her claws.

She twisted to perch a hip on the corner of
his desk. "I'm here so you can make it up to me." She threw him a
very naughty smile.

Dean tried to meet her gaze dispassionately,
but his inner temperature spiked. It was impossible not to
fantasize exactly how she'd like him to 'make it up.' As calmly as
he could, he lifted his watch. "Ahem, maybe some other time. You
see, I have an appointment."

She laughed. "Oh, no. I'm sorry Dean, but you
can't use that excuse again."

Her face had come alive with her laugh,
become radiant. Dean forced himself to breathe. "It's not an
excuse." Indeed, if he didn't manage to get Kelly out of his office
soon, he'd miss his chance to make sure she never ambushed him
there again.

"It is an excuse, but I'll tell you what."
Kelly's head tilted. "I'll consider us quits if you answer one
question."

Dean stared. That was it? One question? He
didn't believe she would make it this easy, but asked, "What?"

To his surprise, her teasing gaze dropped.
When she spoke, she sounded almost timid. "Tell me, Dean, what was
the hypnotic suggestion?"

He froze.

Kelly looked up. "I always assumed it was
   well, for you to go out and do something embarrassing.
But I asked Troy and he said it wasn't that, but he wouldn't tell
me. He said it would have to come from you." She gazed at Dean
steadily.

Dean gazed right back, even though it seemed
like all the air was leaving the room. The hypnotic suggestion. He
couldn't answer her. Not truthfully. She'd make all kinds of
assumptions    false assumptions. Like they really were
meant to stay together or that he actually wanted to fall in love
with her. He made himself breathe and his eyes narrowed. "I'm
afraid that information is...not forthcoming."

"Not
forthcoming
?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

This provoked a lengthy perusal from those
witchy green eyes. "You mean," she said at last, "it's too
personal."

Dean gave a curt nod.

Kelly held her fortune-teller eyes on him a
minute more, then lowered her gaze. "Okay," she said. "I guess I
can understand that."

Dean blinked. She could? She was going to
back off? Not that he planned to stick around and look a gift horse
in the mouth. "Thank you," he said stiffly, and began to come
around from behind his desk. "Then if you'll excuse me, I really do
have an appointment to make."

He thought he was going to get away, he
really did. He was halfway to the door when she stepped in front of
him. She put a hand on his chest. "Not so fast."

"Pardon?" Dean tried his best to look
unworried, though his heart was beating very fast beneath her
hand.

"You didn't answer my question." The corners
of Kelly's mouth curved. "So, now you owe me."

"I    what?"

"You owe me. Still. For running away the
other day. So    " She got a wicked sparkle in her eye.
"So no going to your appointment unless...you kiss me."

"
What
?"

"You heard. Kiss me. Right here." She tapped
her lips.

Dean's own lips parted. No way, no how. He
wasn't going to kiss her. It was exactly the kind of activity
   the dangerous kind    he was going to meet
Myers to prevent.

"You don't think you can do it." Kelly was
arch.

"Of course I can
do
it."

"Hmm, yes. You kiss very well." Kelly patted
his tie. "But you couldn't just kiss me and stop there. Not any
more."

"What are you talking about?"

Her eyes flicked up at him. "Your famous
self-control. You don't have it with me."

The look in her eyes sent a thrill through
Dean. "Nonsense." His own gaze averted. "You are no different than
any other woman."

"Oh, really?" Her hand moved up his tie,
lightly circling it. "Prove it."

Dean swallowed. That thing she was doing with
his tie made his knees feel weak, but he could do it. He could kiss
her, knowing it was a means to get out the door to meet Myers, and
that Myers was a means to get her out of his life altogether.
"Fine," he said. "I'll prove it."

Triumph    or was it arousal
   flashed across her face. Dean felt a simultaneous fire
blaze inside, but he could manage this. He
did
have the
self-control.