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was a virgin?
 Now I can t even annul this marriage.
 No, you can t, he conceded in a quiet tone.  Was that what you
wanted to do? His heart became a crushing vice inside his chest as he
waited for her to answer.
 What I want is to make one thing perfectly clear. Just because I
have to live out the next year with you doesn t mean I have to go to bed
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with you again. I did my duty. I consummated the marriage. Once is
more than enough.
His expression tightened at her words.  You saw last night as your
duty?
 It s part of the contract. She glared at him.  The contract you
refused to tear up.
He winced inwardly; her lovemaking had been due to a piece of
paper and not because she wanted him. Damn, that hurt. He adjusted
his long frame on his chair, attempting to ease the bite of her admission
and the truth of his father s words.
 I want to go home. We ve consummated, your precious company
is safe. Why should it matter where I live?
Home? His heart pumped desperation into his veins.  You can t go
home now. Not after 
She released an impatient sound, interrupting him. Jane clenched
her fists at her side.  Now. Right now. I m an adult, I don t need your
permission to go home.
 You re my wife, he reminded gently, his mind searching for an
excuse to make her stay.
 The word wife doesn t translate into possession.
 I never said it did.
 You don t have to say it, you re behaving true to form. Hildy said
the Rodham men are cursed.
 Cursed? I suppose you re talking marriage? That s speculation,
superstition. Marriages fail because of the people involved, not because
of some crazy curse. He frowned at her description, unsure that the
curse wasn t real.
 Ever asked yourself why Rodham marriages never last?
 Because women can t be trusted.
 Maybe it s because women aren t trusted.
Her words ripped apart a cobweb concealing an aging memory.
He d heard this conversation before, lived it. His mother said these
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same words to his father, her voice pleading at first, then bitter. A cold,
icy hand squeezed his heart. Was he becoming as overbearing, as
controlling as his father? He stifled a shudder of revulsion.
 You can t go home right now because, because I ve arranged a
little trip. Wincing inwardly, he created his own fabrication.
Her stare narrowed at his words.
 I think a little time away might do us some good, he hedged. Yes,
that was it. They needed some time alone. His face brightened and a
smile pulled at his mouth.
 Time away? She crossed her arms over her chest, her scowl
deepening.
 We could both use a vacation. I have a cabin in the middle of
nowhere. It hasn t been used since before my father s death. It ll give
us a chance to spend some time together alone.
 No.
 Please?
His use of the word please made her eyes widen momentarily. Her
lips thinned.  It won t work. I won t let you seduce me into staying.
 It s a vacation, Jane, nothing more. You can have your own room
if you like.
 I have your word? Her fingers tapped a rythmn against her upper
arm.
 Yes. He released a breath of resignation.
 Then I guess I ll find out just how good your word is, won t I? I ll
find out how much I can really trust you. She flounced toward the
door, then turned. Her stare held challenge and warning.  When are we
leaving?
 Later this morning.
 I ll go pack then. She opened the door.
 Oh, Jane?
 Yes? She turned to face him once more.
 Have Hildy pack a bag for me, would you? I m looking forward to
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our time alone together.
 I m not. The door slammed shut behind her.
He couldn t help but grin. Damn, she was cute when she was mad.
* * *
Eric drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and scowled at the
driver before him, rapidly losing patience. Not that he had his usual
share of that particular virtue today. They d gotten a late start, thanks to
his dawdling wife who kept attempting to reach her sister by phone.
Now he was in a hurry to beat the lunch hour rush and the seventy-
year-old man in front of him was going twenty miles below the speed
limit. The other motorist suddenly slammed on the brakes. Eric
slammed on the horn.
 Why don t they make senior citizens take another driving test after
they reach a certain age? he complained aloud.
 Someone ought to have you tested for road rage, Jane snapped.
 Do you make it a habit of being unkind to the elderly?
Eric swallowed down the swear word that was dangling on the tip
of his tongue.  The old gent s weaving all over the road, for God s
sake. You can barely see the top of the man s bald head. It s a wonder
he can see over the steering wheel, he complained.
 So now you have a prejudice against short, bald people as well.
 No, I don t. I m not prejudiced. Not against the elderly, not against
short people hairy or hairless, not even against nagging wives. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]