He believed her, had seen her with Andrew and knew she’d never deliberately hurt him. She made the whole package sound so appealing, but something dark and deeply buried rebelled, reminding him of another woman’s promises… and her ultimate rejection.
Apprehension closed in on him, clouding his judgment. “I don’t know, Megan,” he said, staring at his hands, clasped between his spread thighs. “I never planned on marrying again.”
“I understand,” she said quietly, though there was enough optimism in her voice to make Kane realize that she didn’t understand his reluctance, or his fears. “But please think about my proposition…for Andrew’s sake.”
Megan watched the large, shadowy figure approach the house. She knew it was Kane finally returning from wherever he’d disappeared to after dinner. Her heart skipped a beat, and her fingers curled around the chain holding up the porch swing.
Had he come to a decision? For the rest of the afternoon and early evening she’d replayed their conversation in her mind. And with her realization that living in Linden and helping to raise Andrew was what she wanted came the acceptance that she was in love with Kane.
The emotion had crept up on her, slowly taking residence in her heart right next to the love she harbored for Andrew. Being in love with Kane was both a frightening and exciting experience, much like being on a nonstop roller coaster. A small smile touched her lips. No doubt life with Kane would be just that, a wild, reckless ride full of dips, turns and surprises.
He shuffled up the steps, and when the light swept over his face, she saw the day’s accumulation of weariness reflected in his eyes. He’d obviously struggled to come to a decision, and she silently prayed he’d realized how much they could offer one another.
He sat on the opposite end of the swing, his weight causing the wood to creak. “Where’s Andrew?” he asked, casting a quick glance through the screen door.
“Taking a bath.”
“Good.” His gaze met hers, dark and stormy with reluctant acquiescence. “Andrew is the most important thing in my life, and I don’t want to lose him, and I don’t want him to be torn between a custody battle between me and his grandparents.”
“I don’t, either,” she said softly.
He rubbed his palms down the denim encasing his thighs. “I’ve decided to accept your proposal.”
“I’m glad,” she said evenly, suppressing the impulse to throw her arms around his neck and express her gratitude with a kiss for the precious gift he was giving her.
He slanted her a wry look. “Yeah, well, before you sacrifice yourself at the altar, there’s a few things I want you to know up front.”
“Okay.” She waited for the first bombshell to drop.
“I’m not in love with you, and I doubt I ever could be.”
She saw past his statement to his subconscious ploy. He was trying to secure those walls of his, erecting them like a steel fortress around his heart. Don’t bother, Kane. I’m gonna spend every day of our married years together proving you wrong.
“Do you care about me?” she asked, tilting her head curiously.
A startled look passed over his features, immediately masked by a frown. “Yes, but don’t mistake it for love.”
She dismissed the warning in his words. Caring was a good enough start for her. “What else do you want me to know?”
“I’m no good at being married,” he said gruffly. “I already told you how disastrous my first marriage was.”
She glanced at her lap to conceal her smile. She was quickly learning that Kane tried to intimidate her whenever he was feeling vulnerable or threatened. She took it as a positive sign. “I’ll take my chances. What else?”
“The town has their own opinion of me, and my in-laws can’t stand me.” He rested his arm along the back of the swing, stretching his shirt taut across his chest. “By default of marriage, you’ll have to put up with your share of conjecture.
In time, she hoped to remedy the situation with the Lindens. “I already told you I can handle the town’s speculation. As for your in-laws, be grateful you only have one set to put up with.” She pushed the swing into action with the toe of her shoe. “Anything else I need to know?”
“I prefer being alone.” His tone was low but lacked the harshness he would have displayed less than a week ago.
“I don’t believe that.”
“Okay, the nights get cold and lonely,” he admitted, a brief, rakish smile lifting his lips. “Which brings me around to my next stipulation.”
“Which is?”
He fingered a strand of hair near the side of her neck, then gently tucked it behind her ear. “A marriage of convenience is out of the question.”
Her pulse tripped all over itself, and she dampened her suddenly dry lips with her tongue. “Meaning?”
His fingers fluttered along her neck to the pulse thrumming at the base of her throat. The soft, butterfly caress made her nerve endings tingle and the tips of her breasts tighten. He must have noticed her soft catch of breath, because his gaze darkened with a sensual hunger that matched her own.
“Meaning?” she prompted again, her voice husky.
“Meaning, you sleep in my bed, every night, and I want my husbandly rights.”
Those wonderful fingers of his continued their light, provocative dance up the side of her neck, making her shiver and nearly groan.
He smiled. “I want you, Megan. Considering the way you respond to my touch, I believe the feeling is mutual.”
Oh, it was, and her body was responding in ways that made her ache for a more intimate contact than the two feet separating them allowed. There was no way she’d refuse something she wanted so badly. He made her hot and restless, and feel more desirable than she had in years.
“Are you agreeable with my terms?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
“Any stipulations of your own?”
Only that you trust me, and in time learn to love me. She tucked her coveted wish away, knowing he wasn’t ready to hear something so forthright. “Only one.”
He arched a dark brow. “You want your wifely rights?”
Sensing him relaxing and growing comfortable with her, she took a gamble. “Kane, I don’t want any lies or secrets between us.”
His body visibly tensed. Dark shadows passed over his features, drawing him into his protective shell where no one could trespass. “Everyone has secrets,” he said roughly.
“And I shared mine with you, about my divorce and my past.”
His bitter laughter grated on her nerves. “You know that I killed my wife.”
She didn’t bother correcting him. “I think there’s more.”
As if she’d crossed a fine line, he narrowed his gaze. His eyes flared with emerald heat. He leaned toward her, his lips curling into a feral smile that should have sent her bolting into the house. It would have, if he hadn’t reminded her of a wounded animal trying to ward off an enemy. But she wasn’t the enemy, and that thought kept her rooted to her seat.
“They call them secrets for a reason, Megan-because they’re better left buried,” he said, his voice harsh.
“And sometimes you have to trust someone enough to share them.”
“Trust me, Megan. There are things about me you don’t want to know. Just remember that, and we’ll get along fine.” He abruptly stood, ending the conversation. “If it’s convenient for you, I’ll make an appointment on Friday with Judge Griffen for a civil ceremony.”
She looked at him. Her heart sank at his grim expression. This certainly wasn’t the romantic proposal of her first marriage, but then Phillip hadn’t turned out to be the prince of her dreams, either, she reminded herself. “That’ll be fine. I’ll start settling my affairs in Seattle.”