Page 8 of Temporary Wife Temptation

“Good call,” he said with equal parts irritation and relief. To his chagrin, her reluctant not-quite-assent stung his ego, but his rational side was relieved she would even consider his preposterous proposal. Natalie Sobol was practical to a fault, but this time it worked in his favor.

“I highly doubt that,” she said with a quirk of her red lips.

Of course she did. The more she thought about it, the more dubious everything would seem. He couldn’t give her too much time to think things through. “Given this is a time-sensitive situation, you have until tomorrow at midnight to give me an answer.”

“Tomorrow? You’re impossible.” With an exasperated glare, she spun away and stalked toward the staircase inside. His mouth curved into a grin. He’d spiked the ball into her court and she wasn’t the kind of person who would back down from a challenge. He was looking forward to her next move. Before he could turn away, the sight of her softly swaying hips recaptured his attention and his smirk morphed into slack-mouthed admiration.

When she disappeared from sight, Garrett leaned against the railing and frowned at the starless sky. Why is she so desperate that she’d consider giving up a year of her life for a second chance at a promotion?

Three

Natalie shut down her computer after a long day and stretched her back with a groan. She was determined to catch up on the projects that had fallen behind while she was on bereavement leave. Challenging work kept her mind sharp and focused, and made a great excuse for avoiding Garrett. Her heart leaped at the mere thought of him, as though it was startled awake by his magnetic pull. Gah.

After tidying up her desk, she left the office and drove home on autopilot with tension tightening her shoulders and pain drilling into her temples. A bubble bath and a glass of wine should take care of that. But as soon as she sank into the fragrant bath, Garrett invaded her thoughts. The way his hand had trailed down her naked back and how her softness had molded to fit his hard lines. She sighed as she ran the washcloth down her legs, her oversensitized skin trembling with pleasure. Her body begged for release, and the warm water and her slippery skin tempted her hands to slide up her thighs.

“No, no, no.” Natalie scrambled out of the tub. She would not pleasure herself daydreaming about her boss.

Why the heck did he want a temporary wife anyway? His proposal was pure, unadulterated madness. They would have to live a lie for the duration of the contract. And how could she weather the vicious rumors that were sure to come? There had to be another way to secure Sophie’s adoption.

With Tin Man–stiff shoulders and a migraine, Natalie sprawled out on the living-room couch and glared at her ceiling. There was no other way. If she agreed to Garrett’s crazy scheme, she and Sophie could move to New York in seven months. Maybe a few months longer if her and Garrett’s objectives weren’t met by the end of the year. But still, Natalie could start a new life in no more than a year. The custody battle alone could last longer than that and would likely bankrupt her.

With Garrett’s help, Natalie could convince the Davises to reconsider contesting her adoption application. They couldn’t want a drawn-out custody battle any more than she did. Even if they continued to contest the adoption, having a wealthy husband with a recognizable name would support her position that Sophie would have a secure, stable home. And with her promotion, Natalie could afford a nice place and excellent childcare for the baby even without a rich husband.

More importantly, something about Garrett Song centered her. True, he made her hormones streak naked across her mind, but on a deeper level she trusted him. He was too arrogant to say something he didn’t mean and he valued his word too much to go back on it.

As for the anticipated gossip, Natalie could handle the ugliness for a few weeks. The wedding bells would soon soothe her coworkers’ ruffled feathers. An office fling was fodder for gossip, but love and marriage wrought oohs, ahhs and well wishes.

With a long, frustrated growl, Natalie sat up on the couch. She needed to handle some time-sensitive work before making a decision about Garrett’s proposal. She reached into her bag to retrieve her laptop, but her hand came out empty. In her rush to leave the office—and Garrett Song—she’d forgotten it. Grr. She exhaled with enough force to collapse the third pig’s house.

Reining in her temper, Natalie left for the office. From her Koreatown apartment, it took only fifteen minutes to reach downtown Los Angeles.

When she got there, Natalie tapped her toes as the elevator crawled up to the fifty-fifth level. Once she arrived on her floor, she sidestepped through a six-inch gap in the elevator doors, while rummaging around her purse for her office keys. Half of her head was crammed into her tote when she walked straight into something big and solid. She wobbled and a pair of strong hands reached out to steady her.

She didn’t need to see whom she’d run into. Her body already recognized Garrett Song. Fire kindled where he held her and blazed across her skin. Keeping her head bent, she focused on slowing down her pulse.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here.” Natalie tried to back away, but his hands stayed firm on her arms. She raised puzzled eyes toward his face and her voice caught in her throat—his gaze was boring into her with unsettling intensity.

“Are you all right?” Garrett’s voice sounded husky.

When she nodded, he stepped back and folded his arms across his chest.

“I forgot to bring my laptop home.” Nerves on hyperdrive, Natalie babbled on with her explanation. “I need to finish up some work tonight. A good HR director never rests.”

He didn’t respond and continued staring at her, as if trying to decide whether he was amused or bored. She couldn’t help noticing how well he filled out his jeans and T-shirt. He looked younger, more approachable, in his casual outfit. Without her consent, her eyes traveled down to the sculpted pecs pushing against his white shirt. He could’ve been used as the mold for one of those anatomically correct Batman suits. Dual forces fought inside her—part of her wanted to run as far from him as possible, but a troubling and foreign part of her wanted to run straight into his arms.

“Okay.” Natalie willed her lips into a polite smile, making sure no hint of her inner war showed through. “Have a good night.”

“I was on my way out to see you.” His expression was unreadable but his eyes looked predatory. “I believe we have unfinished business to discuss.”

Her drumming heart bruised her ribs, and her mouth opened and closed in her best goldfish imitation before she could form her next words.

“Tell me why.”

“Why what?”

“Why do you need a temporary wife?”

She might think he was overreacting or being a coward for taking such drastic steps to escape his grandmother’s control. Some people had a difficult time grasping how sacred family, duty and respect were in his culture. Perhaps Natalie had been raised similarly and would understand. He was accustomed to derision for what others perceived as weakness, but he didn’t want her to see him as some stunted man-child.

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