Page 21 of Contractually Wed

“Attend to you? You’re not my bloody—”

“I have a wedding gift for you.”

Her eyes widened and her lovely mouth fell open. She was all lean, taut curves but her mouth...it was wide and lush and utterly sensuous. And he loved how she melted when he licked it, how she jerked when he nipped it. “You do?”

“Yes.”

“And that’s what you want to show me?”

“Among other things.”

She blushed then and it was the most glorious sight Apollo had ever seen. Her gaze slipped to the small gift bag in his hands and then back to his eyes, via a lingering detour at his mouth. Her soft exhale coasted over his lips, taunting.

The little frown was back between her feathery brows and he swallowed an impatient curse. Only now did he understand what a distrustful creature she was. Just like him. “Why can’t you show it to me in front of everyone?”

“I didn’t want to embarrass you. But if you prefer—”

“No, they’re already teasing me because I made up all that stuff in your office,” she said, stepping down and then walking up with him.

He hid his grin. “Why didyou make up all that stuff? Why hide the reality of what this is?”

“Your mother and sisters...” A soft, almost wondrous note entered her voice. “I could tell at one glance how lovely and kind they are. How much they adore you. My family already thinks I’ve betrayed them. There was no point in letting yours see what a monster you are.”

“I thought I was a villain, not a monster.”

“Interesting that you see the distinction.”

He laughed and like clockwork, her gaze clung to his mouth.

“Tell me.”

A breathy sigh. “A monster can’t help acting on his instincts.”

“Ahh... I’m growing in your estimation.”

She shrugged, just as they reached the landing and then started up the second set of stairs. “This home... Maria told me you designed and built it. For her.”

It was his turn to shrug.

“I spent the first day just exploring all the clever little nooks and crannies. Every inch of it gets natural light. And, oh, my God, that office on the ground floor... You used the wood from the trees that were cleared to make space for the home, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “We used every inch of it that we took from the land.”

Not even a sunbeam could match the brilliance of her smile. “It’s the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen, Apollo. Like, if I was given a choice where to live the rest of my life, it would be here.”

He was stunned enough to stare at her. This time, the pleasure that filled him was...different, almost insidious in nature, creeping and settling into places and pockets he hadn’t realized were empty in him.

“What?” she demanded as he continued to stare at her. “No one can deny you’re a brilliant artist. Although, you haven’t done anything like this in the last few years, right?”

“Something like this?” he said, awed at this woman who so easily saw through to his burnout that no one, not even Christina, had seen.

“This place is kind of magical. Your latest designs are much more...commercial and soulless.”

“Ouch,” he said, laying a hand on his chest.

“Tell me about how the solar panels work. All the glass must make it cool in winter but I saw that there’s no central heating.”

It was the last thing Apollo had expected her to ask him. No one in his family had realized how special this project was to him. Which was why Mama’s almost instant rejection and continued refusal had hurt so much. “My father was the one who did the initial designs,” he said, finding his voice suddenly rusty.

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