Page 24 of Temporary Wife Temptation

Maybe she should come down with a sudden, blinding migraine. Natalie suppressed the childish impulse. A deal was a deal. She would do her best to help Garrett. No matter how infuriating he was.

Silence had been a staple during their short marriage, and it followed them on their drive to the ball. Most days, Garrett left for work before she woke up and came home after she went to bed. She hardly even ran into him at the office. Being busy was one thing, but she didn’t understand why their conversations had become so stilted. Couldn’t they be business partners who talked to each other?

“What’s our plan?” She hoped strategizing would break some of the tension between them. “You said Sebastian’s attending with his wife, but what about Clark? Is he married?”

“No, he’s a widower.”

“Oh, no. That poor man.”

“Life goes on.”

Something in Garrett’s tone sent chills down her spine. Is it because James is a widower, too? She could let it go and enjoy the stifling silence again. Or not. She sensed an old hurt there and found herself wanting to ease it.

“How did your mom die?” she asked softly.

Every muscle in Garrett’s body tensed, and Natalie thought she might have crossed the line he’d drawn between them.

“Cancer.”

“I’m so sorry.” She knew the pain of having someone she loved being stolen from her too soon. “I didn’t know.”

“Not many people do.” Garrett kept his gaze on the road. “It wasn’t a long battle, though. She went quickly.”

“How old were you?”

“Fifteen.”

“Oh, Garrett.” Natalie reached out and put her hand on his arm.

“My parents were crazy about each other,” he continued in a voice so low she almost didn’t hear him. “My father...he broke down, as though someone cut off his life source.”

“You had to grieve for both your parents.”

His eyes snapped to her, and in that moment, the vulnerability and loneliness of the fifteen-year-old Garrett stared out at her. Natalie’s heart bled for that boy.

“I want you to introduce yourself to Sebastian Diaz and his wife. They’re visiting from Spain. Sebastian is a substantial shareholder and the COO of Vivotex. His opinion carries tremendous weight,” Garrett said, regaining his composure and severing the brief connection they’d shared. Natalie pulled her hand from his arm, knowing her touch was no longer welcome. “I know everything about him on paper, but I don’t know what really makes the man tick. Meeting him socially might show you something I haven’t learned.”

“What about you?”

“I’m going to chat with Clark Nobu, the head of Vivotex’s US headquarters.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said with false bravado.

Her emotions collided with each other hard enough to give her whiplash. Empathy, anger and hurt churned in a primordial soup in her stomach, but she focused on the most pressing emotion at the moment. Nervousness. Major panic-inducing nervousness.

Natalie clenched her teeth, determined not to let Garrett see through her calm facade. She’d never been to a ball before and he planned on leaving her on her own. Before it could take form, she stomped down on the twinge of resentment prickling inside her. He had no reason to know she felt like Cinderella five minutes before midnight. Even if he did, she didn’t need him to protect her. If her designer gown turned into rags when the clock struck twelve, she’d rock it as the grunge-chic look and rescue her own behind.

They arrived at the famed Music Center, the venue for the charity event, and maneuvered through the glamorous mob to enter the grand hall. The modern building emanated subdued opulence through deep, dark wood and rich royal blues.

Garrett scanned the crowd from the elevated entryway, then guided them down the steps. He placed his big hand over her cold fingers curved on his tuxedo sleeve. The night air brushing her bare shoulders had chilled her, but his touch warmed her up—far too efficiently. When he lowered his head and nuzzled her ear, a shiver ran down her spine and her toes curled.

“I’ll come find you in an hour.” Unlike the intimacy of his touch, his voice was cold and businesslike.

Her body’s response to his proximity and his apparent immunity to hers made her temper flare. Before she knew what she was doing, she snaked her hand around the back of his neck and tugged so she could capture his startled mouth in a hot, demanding kiss, daring him to respond.

Garrett didn’t back away from the challenge. He crushed her body against his and cupped her face as he deepened the kiss, his tongue plundering her mouth with frantic, deep plunges. Even as her body softened and opened in response, her mind retained a strand of reason. She’d made her point and she needed to end the kiss before her self-restraint broke.

Natalie managed to maneuver her hands against his chest, which proved challenging since there was no room between them from chest to thigh. God, he has magnificent pectorals. She leaned back at the waist at the same time she pushed against his chest with all her strength.

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