Free Marriage by Mistake by Alyssa Kress Page A

initiative."
    "A science project," Kelly repeated. "You
mean he just got this out of a book or something?"
    "Mm. And I was his 'test subject.' Nobody
expected I would actually go under." His lashes lowered. "It
just...happened."
    Kelly could only stare at him, more baffled
than ever. Robby was just a kid, and a kid who'd only been fooling
around, for heaven's sake.
    Dean waved a hand. "An accident."
    "Yes," Kelly said. "I believe you." It
certainly hadn't happened on purpose. But how had it even happened
by accident? Dean didn't seem like he'd easily fall under the
influence of anything, much less a nine-year-old horsing around. If
he'd fallen into a trance, a deep one, it could only have been
because on some level, deep down...he'd wanted to.
    But why would he want that?
    Kelly frowned, trying to puzzle it out.
Meanwhile, Dean took a step back. "About Robby," he said. "Since
you bring up the subject."
    Kelly blinked.
    "You're only going to be here for two
months." Dean's jaw tightened. "Leave him alone."
    The words were so unexpected that it took
Kelly a moment to understand. Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
    Dean's gaze was cool. "You'll only hurt
him."
    "Excuse me?" Kelly said again, louder.
    "You know you will." Dean said this as if it
were a foregone conclusion. "Stepmothers    Anyway,
you'll be gone in two months."
    "I will?" queried Kelly, and hastily changed
her question to a statement. "Oh, yeah, you bet I will." She'd be
gone in two months    or less. "But so what?"
    "So what?" He appeared nonplussed.
    "As if that has anything to do with
   " Kelly rose to her feet. He'd accepted her two-month
deal, only to inform her now that the outcome was predetermined.
And he topped it off with this insult. "It would hurt Robby more if
I ignored him." Indeed, how could she ignore that needy
child?
    "No." Dean gave a sharp shake of the head.
"With all due respect, I know more about this type of situation
than you do."
    "You do." Oh, yeah, he was the big expert.
His clear thinking about children led to Robby running away on a
regular basis.
    "I do," Dean insisted. "Furthermore, Robby is
my responsibility, at least for the moment. So I would appreciate
it if you would    "
    "If I would use my own good judgment in the
matter." Yes, he understood children, the man whose first
words to Robby had been, "you're filthy." The man who she now
realized was responsible for Robby not coming to join her for
breakfast.
    "I mean    "
    "Yes," Kelly bit out. "I know what you
mean." He thought she was completely insensitive, an idiot.
    Dean's eyes narrowed. Kelly met his gaze
directly. He'd done it, made her angry, and she didn't mind if he
saw it, the jerk. He assumed she couldn't figure out how to behave
toward Robby. Who did he think she was ?
    They stared at each other, the air
practically crackling between them. Despite his utter wrongness
here, he projected power with his gaze, and surrounded himself with
an aura of inner strength. Facing him, Kelly felt her own strength
hum in response, felt a novel exhilaration. Typically she backed
down in the face of male anger, but not with Dean, not with the
most powerful man she'd ever met. Against she him stood strong;
heart pounding, nostrils flaring, blood tingling...
    And turned on, she realized suddenly.
Passionately so.
    Kelly stopped breathing. In the middle of
this nasty dispute she was feeling...sexual? But she couldn't deny
it. Heat was flooding all her interesting parts.
    She saw Dean swallow, saw his eyes darken,
which told her he was feeling it, too. Something dangerous and
unexpected.
    This was too weird. And yet, Kelly couldn't
look away from him. No, she just kept looking into his intense blue
eyes, feeling angry and...sexual.
    Finally, he took a big step back.
"I'll...tell Maggie to put your things in the Lilac Suite."
    Kelly didn't have to ask to know the Lilac
Suite would be at the opposite end of the house from his own
bedroom. "Yes," she murmured, "you do that."
    But he