Page 45 of The Billionaire's Marriage Dare

“Are you angry?” he asked tautly.

She slowly turned to look at him. “What do you think?”

Christian jerked. “I think...” His breathing came out in a painful sigh. “I think I have the better end of the bargain, but I’m too selfish to let you go.”

Jane bit her lip. “I hate it when you suddenly act sweet.” And then she couldn’t help it. Throwing herself at him, her arms going around his neck, she whispered, “I’m going to miss you.”

She felt another powerful sigh rack his chest.

“Same here, pet.” His lips pressed to the top of her head, and he muttered against her hair, “I hate it when you suddenly act sweet, and I don’t deserve it.”

She laughed against his chest.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m leaving?”

“Well...” She lifted her head. “It’s just occurred to me that there was a scene just like this in Bridget Jones’ Diary.”

“I know what you’re talking about, pet.” Christian smirked. “And you really have a good imagination. I should hire you as my writer for my adult game.”

Jane’s eyes shone. “Because I’m letting you off so nicely, will you finally tell me what game that is?”

He chuckled. “Deal.” He cupped her face, kissing her hard. “And thank you.”

Twenty minutes later, she returned to the dining room, hair a little mussed, lips a little swollen, and the rest of her suffering from a little sexual tingle, thanks to Christian Ravenhearst’s rather excellent quickie skills.

“Let me guess,” Emma said dryly, taking one look at her older sister. “There was an earthquake again.”

“Shut up.” But the words were spoken without heat. As Jane started placing forks and knives on the table, she could feel everyone’s gazes still on her. Without looking up, she asked, “What?”

“Does he have a red room?”

And since the question came from Mike—-

The three women of the Cooper family burst into laughter.

“Oh my God, Dad. Really?”

“What?” Mike was defensive. “I was asking for my daughter’s sake.”

“Or you could ask for his advice,” Hetty suggested primly, “so you can build your own one.”

Jane and Emma started to puke. “Yuck.”

Dinner was a quick and lively affair, with everyone tacitly agreeing not to talk about Christian. By six-thirty, they were already out at the porch. It was a long-standing Cooper tradition for everyone to give out candy to trick-or-treaters – but only after scaring them with a ghost story or two.

When she made it to bed, Jane was telling herself feverishly, Don’t text him. Don’t text him. DO NOT—-

But she did.

Jane: Christian?

Jane: Baby?

Jane: Anyone there?

Chapter Ten

Christian Ravenhearst’s grip on the steering wheel remained throughout his drive back to Miami. His conscience, dormant for most of his life, was now giving him hell. He had never lied about his work, and yet he had found himself doing exactly that, using it as an excuse to bail on Jane, the one woman who didn’t deserve it.

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