His Chosen Wife: Antonides' Forbidden Wife / The Ruthless Italian's Inexperienced Wife / The Millionaire's Chosen Bride. Susanne James
Читать онлайн книгу.
laughed. “You put a spell on her!”
“No. She put one on herself. I told her the truth—and she embroidered it to fit her view of the world.”
“That’s pretty much Cristina in a nutshell. Still, you apparently handled her very well.”
“If I had, she wouldn’t have assumed I was staying.”
“Why didn’t you tell her that you weren’t?”
“I thought it was your place to do that.”
“Mine?”
“Because you said we were married. I felt you should be the one to tell them we’re getting a divorce.”
“I’m not. You are.”
And they were back to that again, damn it. “All right, fine. That I’m getting a divorce! Anyway, I didn’t think you’d appreciate me announcing first thing that I’d come to get a divorce. And Cristina didn’t ask why I was there. She just assumed … and then she assumed some more. And more. And finally she just leaped to the conclusion that I’d be coming with you on the weekend.”
“Imagine that,” PJ murmured.
“You could have told her I wasn’t!”
“But I want you to come.”
“What?” She stared at him. “Oh, come on, PJ.”
“Why not? It’s a family reunion among other things. You’re family.”
“I am not!”
“Legally, you are. And of course you should come. Let my folks meet you. See that you’re real. That I didn’t make you up.” He grinned.
“Raise their expectations,” Ally muttered.
The grin widened. “Save me from the clutches of Connie Cristopolous.”
“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “You can save yourself.”
“I did you a favor once.”
The words dropped quietly between them. An observation. A statement of fact. A reproach. All of the above.
Ally wanted to rake her hands through her hair. Her fingers tightened on the ball, as if she would squeeze it to death.
PJ didn’t say a word, just stood there, watched her. Looked expectant.
Ally ground her teeth. “Damn you. I never should have come. I should have mailed you the damn papers.” She spun away and paced around the room, furious at having been trapped, knowing she had no choice.
She sighed and tried one last time. “It’s a bad idea. Going out to your folks’ place will just make things worse.”
“For who?”
“For you! If I show up with you, they’ll expect us to be a couple after that. And they’ll be appalled when you tell them we’re getting a divorce.”
He propped an arm on the mantel of the fireplace. “Why would I tell them that?”
“Because we are! I am!” she said before he could correct her pronoun.
“But I don’t want a divorce.”
“Damn it!” She wanted to wring his neck. “Why not? And don’t tell me you’re so afraid of Connie Cristopolous that you want to stay married so your parents don’t try shoving her down your throat.”
“Well, it is a consideration.”
“I’m sure it is,” Ally said bitterly. “You’re just trying to be difficult.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Not really.”
“Yes, you are! I shouldn’t have come here. Not to New York. Not to dinner! And now I need to leave.” She grabbed her purse off the bookcase and headed for the door.
PJ stepped in front of it. “Don’t be in such a hurry.”
“What point is there in staying? We’re not getting anywhere.”
“We might be.”
Her gaze narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’re getting to know each other again.”
“Just what we want,” Ally said acerbically. “PJ, enough! I realize I’ve handled things badly. I know I should have got the divorce out of the way before I ever let things go so far with Jon. But I had no idea where you were. And I didn’t realize things were going so fast. My dad’s illness just sort of … accelerated things, and it just seemed like it was meant to be—between Jon and me.”
“Jon and me. Jon and me.” His tone was mocking. “If he’s your dear true love, where is he? Why didn’t he come with you?”
“Because he’s busy. He’s a doctor, for heaven’s sake! He doesn’t have time to run around chasing down my soon-to-be-ex-husband.”
“Does he have time for you?”
“Of course he does! He takes time when I’m there. I give him a reason to take time,” she said. And that was the truth. Without her Jon was consumed only by his work. “He loves me. I love him. And we want to get married, have a family, give my dad a grandchild. He wants a chance to meet his grandchild. And his health is poor. Time is of the essence.”
“So stick with me. We’re further down the road.”
“What?” She stared at him.
He spread his hands. “We’re already married. We wouldn’t have to waste time. No waiting for a divorce. We could have a family,” PJ said. “Give him a grandchild. What do you say?”
She wanted to scream.
And worse—in some tiny deranged part of her brain—she wanted to say, Yes!
Because Ally knew that if PJ had said those words ten years ago, after one night in his arms, no matter that they had planned it to be purely a marriage of convenience, she would have flung good sense and caution to the winds and believed they could make a marriage work.
Because right then—on that one night—PJ had touched her with such a mixture of passion and reverence, eagerness and gentleness that she’d actually dared to think he might really love her.
But this PJ?
This PJ was toying with her.
Oh, she had no doubt he was perversely serious about wanting her to come to his parents’ place. It would doubtless suit him to make sure his father and Connie Whosits knew he really was married.
In fact, he might simply want to stay married to her as a way of avoiding all future entanglements.
But there was no love involved.
As for wanting a child, well, maybe he did. Cristina seemed to think he was ready to settle down and have children. And of course, to his mind she would be convenient for that, too.
“I have half a mind to come with you,” she snapped. “Then go back home to Hawaii and leave you to sort things out. It would serve you right. Your mother knows I’m here. Did you know that?”
PJ shook his head. “No. But I can’t say I’m surprised. Cristina never could keep a secret.”
“Did you expect her to?”
“Not really.”
It was the last straw. He’d planned this whole thing, had been manipulating her all evening.
He’d set her up to deal with Cristina, had known his sister would pressure her into coming. He’d fully expected his sister to tell his mother. She supposed she was lucky that Mrs. Antonides hadn’t turned up on the doorstep, as well.
Well,