Free Melting the Millionaire's Heart by Linda Morris

poker. “You did?”
    “Yeah.” Surely he’d gotten the worst part out of the way. She knew something bad was coming. The open tenderness he’d seen on her face after they’d made love had vanished, replaced by wariness. Nothing could make him feel worse than that.
    “You’re married.” She said it as a statement, not a question. Okay, he actually could feel worse. She’d thought him low enough to lie to her about his marital status and confess it right after he’d gotten laid? That stung, but what else did he expect when he admitted to lying to her?
    “No, no. I’m not married, don’t have a girlfriend.”
    “You’re gay.”
    He snorted. “Seriously? After last night, you can ask that?”
    “Sorry, knee-jerk reaction. Three-fourths of the interesting guys I meet are gay or married, so I figured it might be possible.”
    “Not in this case.”
    “Well, then what is it? You’re making me nervous. Spit it out!”
    He stood and paced to the fireplace, and then turned to face her. Through the window, he noticed the snow had finally stopped. The plows would soon be making their way down the road. Next year was here. No more putting off the ugly and inevitable scene to come, but he’d brought it on himself.
    “Remember how I told you I was coming home from a business trip?”
    “Yeah,” she said, drawing the word out.
    “And your friend told you that Ryan Langford was traveling home but never made it to the event because of the bad weather? Because his flight was delayed?”
    “Yesss.” Her brows lowered. “Wait a minute. I never told you his flight was delayed.” She stared at him. He let her stare, waiting for her to put two and two together. The moment dragged out. Obviously she wasn’t going to help him out. She was going to make him say it, but who could blame her?
    Just be honest.
    “I’m Ryan Langford.” The words hung heavy in the air. Her face went unnaturally still. “My flight was delayed, and I was on my way back from the airport when I saw you walking by the side of the road. I pulled over to help you, but when you said you were going to an event at the Langford estate, I decided to keep my identity to myself.” The admission didn’t make him feel any better. He wouldn’t breathe easy until he could apologize, make her understand, hear and see that she forgave him.
    “Why?” She packed a wallop of disillusionment into the single syllable. He took a deep breath. Obviously, that moment of forgiveness wouldn’t come anytime soon.
    “When you said you were going to the event at the Langford estate, I knew you must work for Horizons. I thought if you knew who I was you’d be all over me for money, and I’d be stuck with you all night. Besides, I wanted to know more about the school, and I didn’t think you’d be honest if you knew a donation hung in the balance.”
    “I see.” Her chin jerked. Not a good sign. “So this was all a lie?” She nodded at the pile of blankets, but Ryan knew what she meant.
    “No!” How could she think that? The chemistry they’d shared had been real, more real than anything in his life. “You have to believe me. I didn’t go to bed with you for any reason other than that we both wanted to. When I pulled over, I just meant to bring you back here, to my parents’ house. I sent them and my brother to the Caymans for the holidays. I was headed here because it was close. It wasn’t safe to be out on the roads. The state troopers had declared a state of emergency.”
    “Or maybe it was because you knew that if you took me back to your estate, you would instantly be outed as Ryan Langford, and then you wouldn’t be able to do your little detective routine.”
    “I suppose I have that coming.” He did have it coming, but his heart sank all the same. Unreasonably, he’d hoped she would believe him now. “I guess you think I’ve lied to you once, so why wouldn’t I be lying to you this time?”
    “After you figured out I wasn’t going to