Read Online Reckless by Cheryl Douglas - Free Book Online Page B

couldn’t get herself into trouble by marrying some scam artist who was only after her family’s money.”
    “And she didn’t want to divorce you?”
    Ty chuckled. “I’m sure she did. But her daddy told her that if she filed for divorce, he was gonna cut her off financially. She wasn’t about to risk that so she just kept her mouth shut and went along with it.”
    Avery shook her head, shocked at the lengths some people would go to in order to maintain their lifestyle. “What about you? What’s in this for you?”
    He looked her in the eye. “Money.”
    She got up, feeling disgusted with herself for being taken in by him again. She’d almost allowed herself to feel sorry for him; meanwhile, he was bilking his in-laws out of their hard-earned money. She hated opportunists almost as much as she hated adulterers. It seemed this guy had all the bases covered. She stood at the window, staring out over the bustling city.
    He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
    She struggled against him, but he held her tight, refusing to loosen his grip. “Damn it, Avery. You have to let me finish. I’m not keepin’ a dime of that money for myself.”
    She turned to face him. “What’re you talking about?”
    “My parents fell on hard times a while back. They were at risk of losing the ranch. It’s been in our family for four generations. I couldn’t let that happen.”
    “So you took the money from your in-laws to help your parents?”
    “No, it wasn’t a hand-out. It was a loan. They couldn’t secure a bank loan at the time because of their debt to equity ratio, so Abby’s parents stepped in with a loan offering very favorable terms.”
    “And in exchange you would stay married to their daughter?”
    He nodded. “It seemed like a small price to pay at the time. The loan was for ten years, which means it’ll be paid off in a couple of years. I’ll be free to move on with my life.”
    “So you intend to divorce her when the loan’s paid off?”
    “Hell yeah.”
    “And her parents are okay with that?”
    Ty sighed. “I think this arrangement bought them some time. They thought after ten years Abby would have grown up enough to start making good choices. Maybe even want to be a mama to that sweet little girl.”
    “But that hasn’t happened yet?”
    “I’m not sure that it ever will, if you wanna know the truth.”
    Avery shook her head, still trying to process the implications of his arrangement with his in-laws. If she were to believe his story, this was nothing more than a marriage of convenience, in name only. Still, he was technically a married man. “What makes you think Abby won’t fight the divorce?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t see why she would. I don’t think she ever loved me, not really.”
    “I’m sorry. That must’ve been difficult for you to accept.”
    “Not really; I don’t think I ever really loved her either. I thought I did at the time. But I was young. What the hell did I know about love, right?” His eyes travelled from her eyes to her lips. “But I’m older, wiser now, and I sure as hell know what it feels like have the woman I love share my bed.”
    She swallowed at his provocative words. She was still attracted to him, in spite of the fact that he was technically married, in spite of the fact that he was her client and it went against her professional ethics. She still had to resist the temptation to lean in, meet him halfway, and accept the kiss he offered.
    Thankfully, a knock on her office door interrupted them and he loosened his grip so she could step out of his arms.
    Avery cleared her throat. “Come in.”
    Lisa poked her head in the door. “Avery, I’m so sorry to interrupt, but Jeff’s on the phone. He said you two had dinner plans tonight and he needs to confirm the reservation.”
    Avery cast a glance at Ty, whose grim expression hinted at his reaction to the news that she was having dinner with another man. It was too bad if he didn’t like