prison term.”
She slowly retraced her steps to stand several feet away from him and tried one last time to reason with him. “Mr. Chandler…”
“Derrick.”
“Mr. Chandler.” At her refusal to use his first name, she received another one of his mocking smiles, which she had quickly grown to hate. “We’re virtually strangers. How can you expect me to marry you and become your wife in every sense of the word?”
“First of all, we are hardly strangers, Alesha. Secondly, when you grow a little older and a little wiser, you’ll realize a lot of people do things that they don’t want to do every day because their survival or the survival of those closest to them requires it.”
“Is that supposed to make your ridiculous offer easier to accept?”
“You might surprise yourself and actually enjoy being married to me.” He silently promised himself that would be the case.
She glared at him. “Never!”
“Never say never, Alesha.”
He pushed away from the desk and walked over to stand inches from her. Reaching out his hand, he trailed a finger lightly down her soft cheek, and he nearly groaned at the contact he had longed for since she had first entered his office.
She shuddered at his touch. He merely smiled before his finger moved to trace the outline of her lower lip, causing her flesh to tingle uncontrollably—and not from revulsion. His intense gaze mesmerized her and she was unable to step away, even when he removed his finger from her face. Ravenous eyes slowly, carefully studied every inch of her from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.
It was difficult to take in enough air to properly expand her lungs. Where his fingers had lightly touched, she burned and yearned for something forbidden. The spicy scent of his aftershave wafted up to her nostrils, causing her mouth to water. Despite her qualms, she wanted to be pressed close to his hard body and feel his strong arms around her.
She remembered how those lips had felt against hers and longed to see if her memories were accurate. She swayed toward him slightly, and he smiled even more, yet he made no further attempt to touch her, much to her dismay.
His inaction and her bizarre reaction to him cautioned her to get as far away from him as possible, but her limbs refused to obey the silent command. What was the matter with her? Was he hypnotizing her? Why didn’t she turn and run away?
As his eyes admired her beauty, he knew exactly how she felt—he felt the same way, too. It didn’t make any sense. This strong attraction between them was the last thing he needed, yet here it was, and he was absolutely helpless to do anything about it, except try to assuage it in hopes of finally purging it forever.
He continued his perusal, eyes moving to the soft curls of her hair, which was pulled away from her face by a clasp. He longed to free the soft tresses he knew would be smooth and silky. Her face showed the barest traces of makeup, yet her type of beauty didn’t require any artificial enhancements. Her brown eyes were distraught, her smooth brown skin begged to be touched, her lightly tinted full lips were made for kissing—an invitation he had accepted often in the past and almost consented to now. The bulky sweater she wore hid her attributes from his piercing gaze, yet he knew from experience that beneath it was a curvaceous, beautiful body that he was certain would give him the most intense pleasure.
She could barely breathe. His eyes thoroughly destroyed her equilibrium as they sensuously appraised her. She didn’t allow herself to speculate on his thoughts—knowing instinctively that they would disturb her more than his blatant perusal did. She felt hot, uncomfortable and something else she refused to put a name to.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Alesha, but then you’ve always known that, haven’t you?” His voice hardened perceptibly as his hand moved up to cup the side of her face, his lips mere inches from hers.
“How dare you!”
His condescending tone propelled her into action. She pushed his hand away from her face and moved several steps back, placing much-needed distance between them. She silently willed her wayward pulse to return to normal—impossible until she was no longer in his presence.
“You’ll find that I dare quite a lot.”
Silently, he promised himself he would taste those lips again soon enough. For, try as she might to find another way, his was the only course of action she could take to save her brother. He knew that and so did she. He was certain she would agree to his terms.
“What makes you so sure I will be around you long enough to realize anything about you?”
“Because your brother’s life is in your hands. I think you’ll do anything to save him—even marry me.”
She was tempted to tell him to go to hell and take his demented proposal with him. Unfortunately, she knew it wasn’t a question of whether she could live with his unreasonable proposal, but rather whether she could live with herself if she didn’t even try. This was the only way to save the two people she loved most in this world.
He walked back behind his desk and sat down in his chair. He knew she loved her brother and would do anything to get him out of this horrible situation—her presence here was evidence of that. However, maybe this was too high a price for her to pay. But could she live with herself if she didn’t try to help him? Could she live with herself if she did?
“If I agree to marry you, why can’t it be a marriage in name only?” To her horror, Alesha blurted out a question that made it obvious she was considering his offer.
All she had to do was take one look at him to answer her own question. Derrick Chandler was a handsome, virile man. He wouldn’t go without a woman for days, let alone months—he would never have to. Besides, their past relationship wouldn’t allow him to marry her only for show. He wanted what she had denied him—of that, she was certain.
“Alesha, I expect our marriage to be real, because that’s the way it has to be.”
“Why?” She grudgingly admitted, “You’re a handsome man. You can have any woman you want. Why me?”
“Thank you for the compliment.” He smiled. “I’m running for public office. I can’t be married to you and then be seen around town with other women.” He felt compelled to add, “And I have no intention of living the life of a monk.”
“But why me?”
“I think you already know the answer to that question.” He reclined in his chair, studying her distraught countenance.
“But…”
“I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
His statement was true. However, more to the point, he needed to get her out of his sight so that his pulse could return to normal. This reunion was more upsetting than he had anticipated. Why, after the hell she had put him through, did she make him feel like a damn schoolboy asking a girl out for a first date?
“I’ll give you twenty-four hours to decide. If I haven’t heard from you by this time tomorrow, I’ll take that as a no and contact the police.”
He was proud his voice remained steady, when he felt anything
