Charlie found it difficult to swallow the lump that rose in her throat at his reason for buying the painting. It had been a noble gesture to prevent the people he cared about being hurt. But his last comment had confirmed yet again what she already knew: he did see her as a selfish, greedy bitch. Not a good basis for marriage.
Suddenly her pain gave way to angry resentment. She could explain the money was for charity, but the arrogant swine did not deserve to know. Jake was so damned sure of himself—so confident he was right about everything. Not two minutes ago he had been telling her he knew her well. What a joke! 'You assume I am a money-grubber, but you don't really know me at all,' she said bitterly. He could think what the hell he liked for all she cared.
Jake shook his head in disgust at himself. His image of Charlotte as a calculating woman who had been lucky enough to inherit a business and exploited her father's inheritance had mellowed in the two weeks they had spent together. Being brutally honest, he would probably have seen the art exhibition as a wise business decision, if it hadn't contained the picture of Anna. And Charlotte's refusal of a designer wardrobe and her delight in a soft toy, plus Dave's revelation about her rescue work, had blasted any doubts he had had into oblivion.
'Maybe I don't, but I want to. Which is why we need to talk,' he said quietly, his long, lean fingers tightening the belt of his robe around his waist. Watching him, Charlie had the oddest notion he was nervous. Glancing at his face, her blue eyes met guarded black, and, intrigued, she bit back the denial that hovered on her lips.
'My fault, if you could call it that, was in not revealing the intimate details of people I cared about when we met. And let's be honest, you are as guilty of concealing aspects of your life as I. It took a wedding guest to tell me you were in the mountain rescue team, and Dave's revelation that you worked for him with the International Rapid Rescue Team was a hell of a shock.'
'The subject never came up,' Charlie said defensively, watching him with wary eyes, not sure where he was leading.
'Perhaps we have both been less than open with each other, Charlotte. But as of now it has to stop—along, I might add, with any notion in that crazy head of yours that you will ever risk your life and limb with a rescue team of any kind again.' His eyes were narrowed intently on her face as he paused for a moment. 'We owe it to our unborn child to try and make this marriage a success, and with that in mind the first thing is we forget about the past, and move on from here. We have a lot going for us. We are great in bed together—you can't deny the chemistry is there—and I am a wealthy man. I can provide you with everything you need. Neither you nor our child will ever want for anything. What more could a wife want?' he demanded, and had the barefaced nerve to smile at her.
Love, she thought, but could not say it, as her throat ached with the effort to hold back the tears that threatened for her lost dreams. 'Nothing, you're right,' she agreed, not believing him for a second. His concept of marriage horrified her. It was nothing more than a business deal: he paid the money and got the wife and child. But what were her options?
She couldn't think and the pressure of trying to retain her composure instead of bawling her eyes out stopped her from arguing with him. She lifted a hand and rubbed her temple in an attempt to ease the dull throbbing there.
'Here, let me do that.' Jake reached out and cupped her head in his hands.
For a moment Charlie stiffened, but only for a moment as his thumbs gently massaged her temples, soothing and unthreatening. Charlie's eyelids drifted shut in helpless response to the incredible sensitivity of his touch. The pressure in her temple eased and she breathed in deeply and sighed.
'Better?' Jake asked.
'Much,' she murmured, slowly opening her eyes. His face was only inches from her own, and the hands that had been holding her head dropped to her shoulders as his wide, sensual mouth closed over hers. Taking advantage of her open- mouthed surprise, he slid his tongue between her parted lips.
She raised her hands to push him away, but they met with the hard, hot wall of his chest and lingered as he deepened the kiss with a skilful, persuasive expertise. Her passionate response was humiliating but undeniable, and when his mouth moved from her lips to suck the sensitive hollow at the base of her throat, a low moan escaped her.
I want you,' Jake rasped. His dark eyes, black with barely controlled desire, seared into hers as his hands on her shoulders eased her back against the pillows, his body following her down. 'You're mine, Charlotte. Forget the rest and let our marriage start here.'
The intensity of his gaze thrilled even as it threatened her, and she willed herself not to respond, but it was hopeless. The husky sound of his voice alone seduced her even as his sensual mouth claimed hers once more. His teeth nipped at her lower lip, and then soothed with a lick of his tongue, before probing the soft inner tissue of her mouth.