Free His Wedding-Night Heir by Sara Craven Page A

that cool,
    understated masculinity, and the unwelcome stir of her own
    senses in response.
    To her embarrassment, he saw her watching his approach and
    smiled across at her. She looked away, swiftly and blindly.
    As he put down the drinks and resumed his seat Cally said,
    quietly and urgently, 'Nick, it's still not too late. We don't have
    to do this.'
    His brows lifted. 'You want to change your order? Or go
    somewhere else? I thought you'd like it here.'
    Her voice shook slightly. 'That's not what I meant, and you
    know it.'
    His mouth twisted. 'Well—perhaps,' he conceded drily. 'So,
    what exactly are you saying?'
    Cally lifted her chin, "That if you announced you were look-
    ing for a surrogate mother for your baby the queue would
    form on the right. Because that's all you really want—isn't it?
    You—you don't need to involve me.'
    'Oh, yes, I do, darling,' he said softly. 'And that's why I'm not
    going for surrogacy, or adoption, or even down the IVF route,
    or any other potential means of escape that fertile brain of
    yours can summon up.' His smile was hard—implacable. 'You
    married me, Cally, for better or worse. And now, a little
    belatedly, you're going to learn to be my wife.' He added
    harshly, 'The number of lessons required will depend entirely
    on yourself.'
    Her breath caught. She said huskily, 'You—really want your
    pound of flesh, don't you?'
    The grey eyes narrowed as they studied her. lingering with
    explicit appreciation on the deep neckline of the yellow dress,
    the way its fabric clung to her small high breasts.
    He said quietly, 'I want all of you, Caroline. No protests and
    nothing held back. And no less will do.'
    She swallowed. 'I—think I just lost my appetite.'
    'Unfortunate,' he said. 'Then you'll just have to watch me eat
    instead.' He paused. 'Tell me something, Cally. Is it the whole
    idea of sex that repels you, or merely the thought of having it
    with me?'
    She stared down at the table. 'I ran away from you,' she said,
    expressionlessly. 'I'd have thought that made my feelings
    clear.'
    'No, darling,' he said. 'Now, as always, your emotions remain
    an enigma.' He lifted his beer glass mockingly. 'To marriage,'
    he said, and drank.
    In spite of her previous disavowal, Cally found that lunch,
    when it came, was irresistible. The pies arrived, golden-brown
    in individual earthenware pots, accompanied by dishes of veg-
    etables, and were served by the waitresses onto their plates.
    As the crusts broke, spilling their fragrant contents across the
    porcelain, the aroma literally made her mouth water.
    There was no way she could refuse to eat. Nor would she
    achieve anything by starving herself, she admitted resignedly.
    She was expecting a sarcastic comment from Nick as she
    reached for her cutlery, but he only permitted himself a swift,
    ironic glance before applying himself to his own food.
    'Dessert?' he asked, when she finally put down her knife and
    fork.
    She said stiltedly, 'Just coffee, please. Black, no sugar.'
    'I'll have the same.' Nick offered a brief smile to the girl who'd
    come to clear their plates, then bent to help retrieve the cutlery
    she'd instantly and blushingly dropped on the grass.
    'Poor girl,' Cally commented as the waitress retreated. 'You
    seem to have a devastating effect on women.'
    'Not often,' Nick returned silkily. 'And certainly not on you,
    my sweet.'
    Ah, but that's not true, she thought. Or how did you so easily
    persuade me to marry you—against all my better judgement?
    I wasn't proof against your smite either—or the way you
    looked at me. Or the kisses and caresses that always left me
    aching for more.
    'You're attracting a lot of attention yourself,' Nick added,
    breaking into her reverie. 'But that's hardly surprising. In that
    dress, you look like part of the sunlight.'
    Cally flushed and looked away self-consciously from the
    sudden intensity of his gaze. 'Please—don't say things like
    that'
    'I'm not even allowed to pay you a mild