Free The Driven Snowe by Cathy Yardley

I’d offered to pay you?”
    He laughed with her. “I don’t mean that kind ofcontract. I meant an agreement, a clear definition of what we’re doing before we do anything.” He smiled, stroking a hand over her hair. “I just want you to feel comfortable, Angela. No pressure, no regrets. And I’ll make sure you enjoy every single minute.”
    She eyed him warily. “You’re not serious about this.”
    If he thought it would get him closer to her, he’d sign his name in blood. He threaded his hand in her hair and tugged her down for a quick, searing kiss. “Did that feel like I was joking?” he asked.
    She shook her head, her eyes looking a little wild…a woman at war with herself. “How will I know that we won’t get involved?” she said, in a small voice. “I don’t know, Josh. This is all so sudden. I just want you so much. I’m not thinking. I can’t think.”
    He needed to keep her in that state. At least until he could convince her that this was the right thing, for both of them. He needed to show her that she wouldn’t be trapped by him, of all men. “I don’t have a track record with relationships,” he pointed out, hoping to reassure her.
    Her eyes narrowed. “But you do have a track record,” she said slowly.
    He hadn’t even been thinking of other women, so her statement caught him off guard. “Yes, I do. I can’t pretend that I don’t, Angela.”
    â€œYes, but how will I know that you aren’t…” She trailed off, staring at him, obviously hoping he’d understand.
    It took him a second, then he sighed. “No. If you decide to, ah, spend time with me, I promise I won’t be spending time with any other women. If you knew me,you’d know you wouldn’t have to worry…but then, you don’t know me, do you?” He thought for a moment. “I said it’d be like a contract. Let’s make it semi-official then.”
    â€œYou want to run this by a lawyer?”
    He chuckled. “No. I mean, we can set a time limit, and I promise that during that set limit, I won’t see any other women. And after that set limit, we call it quits. No harm, no foul, no regrets.” He looked at her meaningfully. “Unless, of course, we agree to extend the bargain.”
    She bit her lip. “I…I don’t know. This is all so fast. And it’s strange. It’s like something out of a movie.”
    â€œI know,” he said, leaning his forehead against hers. She moved to press a satin-soft kiss against his temple, and he felt a tremor that wasn’t purely sexual hit him in the gut. “Clubs are always sort of unreal…and the way I met you was practically alien. Maybe this is dumb. All I know is, I want you, and I want this.”
    She pulled back enough to look at him, then kissed him…one of the sweetest kisses of his life. “A month.” Her voice quavered. “I think I could handle a month.”
    â€œA year.”
    She pulled back a little more. “Are we…bargaining?”
    â€œLike I said, it’s a contract.” He grinned at her shock. “I’m a tough negotiator. Ask anybody.”
    He held his breath, waiting for her reaction. To his relief, she smiled slowly, moving back to him again. “Two months,” she said, her voice holding a hint of challenge.
    He stroked her cheek. “What say we just split the difference, and go for six?”
    She stayed quiet for a long time, and Josh suddenly wondered if he’d blown it for good.
    â€œThat Friday night…” She took a deep, shuddering breath, and for a brief moment, Josh ignored his need to ravish her. The shadows in her eyes, the clenched tension of her body, all made him want to just hold her until her fear subsided. She might categorize it as concern or reasonable apprehension, but it was obviously fear. “It was