Inherited:OneChild(22)

He held her gaze with his. "Without question."

She spared a brief glance in Isabella's direction. His niece was sitting   beneath the tree with her Nancy doll. Madam hovered nearby. "I assumed   my room would be adjacent to Isabella's and we wouldn't need Mrs.   Walters any longer. After all, that's why I'm here."

"You're my wife now. You'll share my room."                       
       
           



       

Alarm flared to life. "Jack, this isn't a real marriage," she whispered. "We shouldn't be sharing a bedroom."

"This is a real marriage and we will share a bedroom and a bed." He   caught her hand in his and drew her closer, keeping his voice low and   reassuring. "CPS will notice if we're not living as husband and wife. So   will Sara and Mrs. Walters. Even Isabella will sense that something's   off. She's too young to understand what, but I want her to feel safe  and  secure on every level. Having two parents who act like parents will   help her do that."

"We never discussed this aspect of our marriage," she protested. "I assumed-"

He smiled. "You assumed wrong."

"How far do you plan to take this?"

"Take what?"

She regarded him with naked apprehension. "Take our relationship."

"As far as you let me," he answered calmly.

"And if it's not as far as you'd like?" she shot back.

"You draw the line, Annalise, wherever you want it. The real question   is-" he snatched a quick kiss that had Isabella giggling "-what will you   do when one of us steps over it?"



Dinner that night passed on wings, filled with laughter and delicious   food, while the conversation flowed with surprising ease. It wasn't   until afterward that time slowed and stuttered. Much to Jack's   amusement, Annalise did her best to drag the evening out. Still dressed   in their wedding finery-at Isabella's insistence-they played games  until  bedtime, at which point Mrs. Walters came to collect his niece.

There was a moment of concern when she protested being escorted to bed,   but Annalise stepped in with surprising firmness, and Isabella gave  them  a reluctant hug and kiss before retiring. The instant they were  alone,  Jack scooped his bride into his arms and carried her to their  bedroom.

"This isn't necessary," she protested.

"Indulge me. It's not every day a man marries."

"Jack, please."

"I intend to please you."

He shouldered open the door to the master suite and stepped across the   threshold before gently setting his bride on her feet. She stood,   unmoving, examining her surrounds with a combination of curiosity and   nervousness. He tried to see the room through her eyes.

The furnishings were sturdy pieces with clean, simple lines, stained to a   deep golden sheen. They weren't overwhelmingly masculine, yet they  were  a bit stark. The candles helped, giving the room a warm, welcoming   glow. Sara had provided a few romantic touches of her own by  scattering a  pathway of ivory and blush pink rose petals from the  doorway to the  bed, as well as across the duvet covering the mattress.  Two crystal  flutes stood at the ready alongside a bottle of champagne  that rested in  a bucket of ice. He studied the scene with an  uncertainty he'd never  experienced in the business world, concerned  about Annalise's reaction.

For more years than Jack could count, he'd lived in an emotional   wasteland. His father had been a cold bastard and still was, and he   treated his son as little more than a commodity.

His mother had left him, though he didn't doubt it had been against her   will. Not that it had changed those lonely years of his childhood. And   Joanne … God, how he missed her. He'd survived her loss, of course.   Barely. But ever since his parents' divorce, he'd learned to keep tight   control over all aspects of his life. To hold people at a distance. He   had no intention of ever being deserted, physically or emotionally,   again.

As though sensing the dark direction of his thoughts, Annalise offered   him a tentative smile. "This is lovely," she said. "Like something out   of a fairy tale."

With the gift of one simple smile, warmth flooded through him and the   cold and dark faded. This was his wife. His woman. It didn't matter how   or why they'd come to exchange those vows. In this moment, they  belonged  together and he'd do whatever necessary to make this night one  she  never forgot.

"I'm glad you like it." He gestured toward the champagne. "Would you care for a glass?"

"I don't drink," she confessed.

He tilted his head to one side. Interesting, considering Derek's report. "Not at all?"

Her mouth twisted. "I had a small run-in with alcohol when I was sixteen. It didn't agree with me."

"This might be a good time to confess that I already know about the incident."

She froze. "How is that possible?" she asked carefully.

"I have an excellent PI. I had you checked out after I hired you. I   believe he referred to it as a youthful indiscretion." He attempted to   interpret her reaction to his confession with only limited success. "Are   you angry that I had you investigated?"                       
       
           



       

She drew a cautious breath. "I guess that depends on why you did it."

He didn't hesitate. "I did it to make sure you were a safe and trustworthy person to have around Isabella."

She seemed to breathe a little easier. "Yes, of course. Since we're now married, I assume I checked out?"

"With that one exception." He still couldn't get a read on her and it puzzled him. "Did you want to talk about it?"

She shrugged and wandered across the room to the bow window that   overlooked the courtyard where they'd been married. Her gown rustled in   the silence of the room. She perched on the edge of the window seat,  her  skirts settling around her in a graceful arc. Moonlight cascaded   through the beveled panes and bathed her in silver, while leaving her   expression in shadow.

"There's not much to tell. I got drunk."

"It happens to most of us at one point or another. That's when we learn   there's a reason for our current drinking laws." He approached her the   way he would a wounded animal, slowly and with utmost caution. "Is  there  more to it than that?"

She sat without moving and simply stared at him. "To be honest, I don't remember a lot about that night."

A hideous suspicion took hold. "Did someone take advantage of you?" he asked sharply. "Were you drugged?"

"Not exactly. At least, I don't think so," she whispered. "But I did lose my virginity."

Fury consumed him. "You were taken advantage of. What sort of bastard-"

She stopped him with a quick shake of her head. "He was no more capable   of making rational decisions than I was. Trust me, he paid a steep  price  for it."

"I gather your father found out?" Jack guessed.

"And his. It … wasn't pretty."

"I can imagine." It explained so much about her, especially her need to   keep herself under such tight control. He closed the remaining distance   between them and sat beside her, taking her hand in his. Her fingers   were like ice. "Why are you telling me all this, Annalise?"

"Because you should know that I haven't had any alcohol since that   night." She lifted her chin and met his gaze with a directness that   sliced straight through to his soul. "And I haven't been with anyone   sexually since then, either."

The air burned in his lungs and he slowly exhaled. "Never?"

"No."

"Because of one youthful mistake?"

She hesitated, as though considering the matter. "It didn't seem … wise.   Plus, I've never really been tempted." Her eyes burned in the darkness.   "Until now."

He stilled. He hadn't realized until that moment how desperately he   wanted her. But he couldn't take her. Not after what she'd told him.   He'd been so cold for so long, had looked forward to warming himself in   the fiery heat of Annalise's desire. But he couldn't take advantage of   her like that callous boy from her youth. He wouldn't.

He fought for control, fought for the cool, calm deliberation that had once come with such ease. "Annalise-"

"You're going to send me away, aren't you?"

"What?" He shook his head. "No, not away. Just to the room next door."