Momentary Marriage(92)
Cringing inside, she tried to fortify her wavering smile long enough to see the woman on her way.
Where the hell was he? Out partying with a bevy of women? Or, even worse, was he tucked in an intimate booth with just one, special woman? One woman he was making to feel as special as he made her feel?
The thought made Kelsey dizzy with pain, her stomach wrenching. How stupid she’d been, gullible and naïve.
It was then that she saw Jared, striding grim-faced up to the door. He paused a moment to exchange a word with Anthony. Through the glass, she saw the uniformed doorman smile and reach to open the door for Jared.
Seeing him sent something hot and angry bursting through her. Only weeks ago, her heart would have been thudding in anticipation, joyful to be with him again. Bounding around like a brainless puppy.
Because of him, she was reduced to breathless misery. Reduced to being…Chloe. The one person she’d always promised herself she wouldn’t become.
He’d done that to her, him with his melting smile and his strong arms around her—all that and his lying, conniving, faithless heart.
Jared came through the double doors, surprise on his face when he saw her.
“Kelsey? What—“ he broke off as if he didn’t know what to say.
Angry tears threatened her burning eyes and Kelsey burst into speech as the doors closed behind him. “Why did you offer Amy that job in London?”
“What?” He came closer to where she stood, his footsteps echoing on the cold marble.
“Why did you tell her she should do something to force Doug to get over me?” Kelsey demanded in a rush, battling the tears back. “And why didn’t you bother to tell me about your Machiavellian plans?”
Angry surprise flashed on his face. “My what?”
“You put Amy up to leaving the country,” Kelsey told him, drawing in a sobbing breath. “You deliberately created a crisis with her for some devious purpose of your own.”
“Kelsey,” he said, reaching out to take her arm. “Please come upstairs.”
“No!” she hissed, jerking back. Letting him touch her would send her over the edge, she knew.
The main doors behind him opened and a family of man, woman and child came through the lobby.
“Please,” Jared repeated, his hand dropping to his side, his eyes dark with an unreadable intensity.
Her teeth chattering together from the emotional storm raging in her, Kelsey shook her head.
“You talked to me about trust and honesty the day I left. When have you ever been honest with me?”
“Kelsey,” he started, his voice less calm.
“And why did you really offer to marry me?” she demanded, the fresh rush of anger making it hard to talk. “Don’t tell me it didn’t include some deceitful plan of yours. Do you do anything without an ulterior motive? How can you even suggest that I deceived you that day? You’ve been nothing but underhanded with me from the beginning. Sending me roses and reminding me of our agreement!”
He’d made her hope, damn him, made her want what she knew she couldn’t have. All in some heartless, manipulative attempt to arrange other people’s lives. Liar! she wanted to shout.
She gulped back a sob, struggling to control her tears, the sound drawing the stare of an elderly man just exiting the elevator.
“Can we discuss this upstairs?” Jared asked, his voice low.
“No.” She drew in a rough breath. “I-I don’t want to go up. Just answer my questions.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, his dark, intent gaze seeming to take in everything about her.
“The job in London. You offered it to Amy,” Kelsey accused, her hands trembling so much she had trouble holding the strap of her purse. Slinging it over her shoulder, she glared at him.
“So what if I offered Amy a job?” he said after a moment.
“Why? Why did you do it? You started this whole, insane mess. Amy and Doug. Our ending up married.”
He glanced down briefly, his lashes shadowing his eyes for a moment. “Maybe I did start it, but is that so bad? Amy and Doug have worked everything out. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
The hard note in his voice, the burning intensity in his gaze, slashed at her.
Maybe her sister was happy, Kelsey thought, but she was being destroyed in the process. She, Kelsey, had fallen over the precipice she’d feared her whole life.
“I realize now,” she said, her voice shaking, “that you don’t do anything without a reason. So why did you tell my mother we were going to give her grandchildren? You say you don’t have to trap a woman into having your children, but you said that to my mother. You admitted to me that you wanted to change our deal to include children.”