Read Online The Millionaire Claims His Wife by Sandra Marton - Free Book Online

taken her a while to realize that, but realize it she had.
    He was playing the same ugly game tonight. And she’d made it easy. Responding to him, when she knew better. Kissing him back, when she didn’t feel anything for him. Whatever had seemed to happen, in his arms just now, was a lie. She didn’t feel anything for Chase, except anger.
    â€œMother? Are you all right?”
    Annie took a deep, deep breath.
    â€œFine,” she said, and cleared her throat. “I’m perfectly fine, Dawn.”
    A puzzled smile broke across Dawn’s mouth. She looked from Annie to Chase.
    â€œWhat were you guys doing?”
    Annie waited for Chase to respond, but he remained silent. That’s right, she thought furiously. Let me be the one to figure out something to say. He knew, the rat, that she wouldn’t tell Dawn the truth, wouldn’t say, “Well, Dawn, your no-account old man was on the losing end of an argument so he did what he always used to do whenever that happened...”
    â€œWell,” Annie said, “well, your father and I were, ah, we were talking about you. And Nick. And—and—”
    â€œAnd your mother began to cry, so I put my arms around her to comfort her.”
    Annie swung toward Chase. He was standing straight and tall, the portrait of honor, decency and paternalism in his chinos, open-collared shirt and long-sleeved, forest-green cashmere sweater. His hair was a little ruffled and he had end-of-day stubble on his jaw, but on him—she hated to admit—it looked good.
    She, on the other hand, was a mess. Old jeans. Old sweatshirt. Hair that had been allowed to dry without benefit of a dryer or a brush, and a face that was painfully free of even the most basic makeup.
    â€œYour poor mother is very upset.” Chase said, putting his arm around Annie’s shoulders and giving her his best “chin-up” smile. “She needed a shoulder to cry on. Isn’t that right. Annie?”
    â€œRight,” Annie said, through a smile that was all clenched teeth. What else could she do? Blurt out that Chase was lying? That the two of them had been standing in the dark, locked in a kiss that had left her knees buckling, because he was a manipulative bastard and she was too long without a man? That was the truth, wasn’t it? The real truth. She’d never have responded to him if she hadn’t been living like a nun.
    â€œReally?” Dawn looked at them both again, and then the faint smile that had been lifting her lips trembled and fell. “I understand. It was foolish of me to think... I mean, when I saw you guys kissing, I thought... I almost thought... Oh, never mind.”
    â€œKissing?” Annie said, with a slightly wild laugh. She stepped carefully out of Chase’s encircling arm, went to the stove and began making what had to be the hundredth pot of tea she’d made this evening. “Kissing, your father and me?”
    â€œUh-huh.” Dawn slouched to the table, pulled out a chair and dropped into it. She propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her cupped hands. “Kissing. Just goes to show how utterly dumb I can be.”
    â€œNo,” Nick said quickly. Everyone looked at him. It was the first word to come out of his mouth since he and Dawn had switched on the light. His fuzz-free cheeks pinkened under the scrutiny of his bride and her parents. “You aren’t.”
    â€œI am. Getting married when anybody with half a brain could see it was a mistake, because marriage doesn’t last. We all know that.”
    â€œWe don’t know any such thing,” Nick said, hurrying to her. He squatted beside her chair and reached for her hands, taking them gently in his.
    â€œJust look around you, Nicky. Your guardian, your uncle Damian? Divorced. My parents? Divorced. Even Reverend Craighill—”
    â€œThe guy who performed the ceremony?” Chase said.
    Dawn