Page 26 of Fairy Tale Husband

Wynne sighed. “You’d have to meet her to understand.”

“I gather she wants custody?”

“Yes. After her brother died, she threatened to take me to court in order to keep the children. I’ve spent the last year doing everything I could to prevent that from happening.”

“Not an easy task.”

“No.” That one word spoke volumes. “Besides the issue of school, finances are tight. Rob and Tracy left some insurance money in trust for the boys.” Wynne made a face. “Mrs. Marsh had it frozen. Even if she hadn’t, Iwouldn’t have wanted to dip into the money. Better to save it for their education.”

“But it’s made supporting them difficult,” he guessed.

“I’ve managed.”

“You’re working like a dog and are broke. Is that about the size of it?”

He saw far too much, she realized uneasily. “Yes,” she admitted. “I’m afraid it is.”

“So your solution is to marry?”

She shot him a direct look. “I wasn’t after a meal ticket, if that’s what you’re suggesting. The reason for the marriage was Mrs. Marsh. If I have a husband, she no longer has grounds for going after the children.”

“And without one?”

“She has a case,” Wynne admitted grudgingly.

He took a minute to absorb the information before nodding. “Okay. If this marriage is going to work, even temporarily, we’ll both have to do our part. So, for the length of our association I’ll do my best to protect you and the boys from Mrs. Marsh.”

“And I’ll uphold my end of the bargain, as well.”

He cupped her face between callused hands. “This isn’t what I’d planned. You know that, don’t you?”

She could hear the frustration underlining his quietly spoken question, the thread of anger he still hadn’t mastered. All the while, his eyes revealed another emotion altogether, one of blatant desire, apotent, overwhelming need he seemed helpless to control. Her reaction followed swiftly. Warmth pooled in the pit of her stomach, spreading outward with each beat of her heart. Ahelpless lassitude paralyzed her limbs, holding her in place. Even if she’d wanted to, she couldn’t have pulled free of his grasp.

“Jake,” she whispered.

His laugh was half groan. “I know, elf. Iknow. Idon’t understand it, either.”

He nuzzled the curve of her throat, just below her ear and she gasped, her eyes falling closed. He hadn’t buttoned his shirt and she spread her hands across his chest, fanning her fingers through the generous mat of hair. Her palms tingled from the delicious abrasion and she followed the compact line of muscles from shoulder to abdomen. He felt wonderful, strong and hard and deliciouslymale.

“You drive me crazy,” he muttered.

Thrusting his hands beneath the bottom of her blouse, he skimmed the length of her spine until he found the fastening for her bra. With one quick flick, he unhooked it, freeing her breasts for a more thorough exploration. It was still too restrictive, the fitted blouse too great a barrier. He didn’t waste time unfastening the buttons, but simply yanked her top over her head, baring her to his heatedgaze.

“Jake—”

Dark color emphasized the high arch of his cheekbones. “Don’t fight me. Not now.”

“We can’t.” The objection sounded reluctant even to her own ears. “Laura and the boys are waiting.”

“Let ’em wait.”

“They might come back.”

“I’ll lock the door.” He cupped her softness, his eyes a molten gold. “They’ll get the message when we don’t answer.”

She struggled to think, to put words into a coherent whole. “You don’t know Laura,” she managed to say. “She’s tenacious.”

“We’ll hang up the Do Not Disturb sign. She’s no fool. She’ll understand.”

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