Free The Billionaire's Bargain by Sam Crescent Page A

the crowd like a pro.
    He knew her smile was stuck in
place. From the short time he’d known her, he knew she
didn’t like the attention.
    When it came to the dancing Tess
made sure to be as far away from him as possible. He watched as she was spun
around by every available male. While he got to watch her, he noticed how stiff
she was with all the men. Even as they tried to talk, it looked to him as if
she spent a great deal of time tuning them out.
Duncan
got the opportunity to look at his
bride without her running away from him. He tried to cover up his obsessive
watching by speaking occasionally to the circle of acquaintances constantly
forming around him. All of his business associates were happy to see one of the
most eligible bachelors tied in the chains of marriage. He knew he’d have the
last laugh. Tess wasn’t a woman to feel chained to.
    Mark had already given him marital
advice, gloating about marriage being unknown territory to him.
    As if I don’t know that already.
    To add insult to injury, Tess seemed
to find every opportunity to stay away from him. He’d hoped his lack of contact
with her the last two weeks would have increased the intimacy between them. If
he made a move towards her she simply turned the other way, completely blanking
him. The kiss at the church had disturbed her. He knew he’d taken it too far.
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    His gaze searched out his wife. For
the few seconds his attention had been pulled away someone had zoomed in to
grab her attention. She was laughing with one of his client’s son, Tyler Ward.
Jealousy struck hard and fast like lightning through him.
Duncan
ignored his companions as he moved
away. He went with intent towards his bride, his stride full of purpose.
    “
Duncan
doesn’t deserve a gorgeous woman like
you.” He heard
Tyler
say with a smug sound to his voice. He watched Tess smile at her companion. She
sipped her glass of
    champagne , her gaze wandering over the dance
floor.
Duncan
felt his anger rise. Tess should be arguing
Tyler
’s claim, not smiling in some sort of
agreement with this foul-mouthed
    hooligan . There was a reason he didn’t like
Tyler
, and his dislike was
increasing with every passing second.
    “I may not deserve my gorgeous wife,
but she’s my wife so back off,
Tyler
.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist in an obviously possessive gesture.
Duncan
pulled her closer
to his body. He noticed
Tyler
looked shocked and took a step back.
Duncan
kept his gaze on the other man until he’d put enough space between himself and
his bride. Within seconds
Tyler
excused himself from their company, leaving Tess alone with him. He knew he’d
acted like a jealous, dominating husband, but he didn’t care. No one touched
what was his.
    “I never want to see you with Tyler
Ward again,” he said. His voice was filled with warning. He pulled her around
to face him, making her body flush with his.
    The desire to mark her came over
him.
Duncan
sank his fingers into her hair as he broke the distance between them. He
slammed his lips down on hers, commanding her to accept him.
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    She submitted to his kiss. He felt
her reluctance in the tenseness of her body.  
    “Why not?” she asked the moment he
pulled away. Tess moved away from him putting as much distance between them as
possible. Her hands rested on her waist, showing her full hips off to
perfection.
    “He treats women appallingly,” he
said while steering her to a quiet alcove away from all the guests.
Duncan
wanted her to
himself for a change. He placed her against the wall, one of his hands covering
her waist while the other cupped her cheek. He couldn’t keep his hands off
her.  
    Tess laughed. “As
opposed to you?”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked. His temper rose as she
continued to argue with him. Many women would love to be branded as his.
    “First, your reputation as a playboy. You have a new woman on your arm
every other night. Isn’t that part of the