The Man's Outrageous Demands Page 0,27

up,” he said and chuckled at her horrified expression. “Like I said, we need to talk.”

“No we don’t. I don’t have anything to say to you,” she said and tried to get off the sofa.

Sam set his brandy on the table next to him and turned back to Marabeth. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way,” he said and waited for her response.

“No way,” Marabeth countered and smacked at his hands.

Sam decided more drastic action was needed. He grabbed both her hands and gently but efficiently pulled her so she was sitting in his lap. “Now, one more word out of you and I’ll have to silence you the only way I know how,” he said and looked down into her shocked eyes.

“I can’t believe….” Marabeth started, only to be stopped by his lips descending to hers. Marabeth gasped at the first touch, but then her mind went blank as his mouth moved softly over hers, touching, caressing. She wasn’t sure what she should be doing, but held on to his lapels for dear life and waited for the sensations to stop making her head spin.

He lifted his head and looked at her. She didn’t say a word. “That’s better,” he said and nodded his approval at her silence. “I was about to explain that I think we should get married,” Sam said.

Marabeth couldn’t utter a word. This was a bizarre world where nothing was making any sense. She stood up and was grateful that he allowed her to take a few steps away. “I’m sorry?” she said carefully. “Could you repeat what you just said?”

Sam stood up as well. Looking down into her eyes, he repeated, “I think we should get married.”

Marabeth took a deep breath and shook her head. “That’s what I thought you said. Why would you say something like that?” she asked.

“Because I want you,” he replied. “And you want me too.”

The first comment was outrageous but the second just floored her. “Is that so?” she asked, taking several steps away from him. “That’s an awfully bold assumption. Where on earth would you get that impression?”

He followed her, not giving her any breathing space. “Because it is true. Want me to prove it?”

“No!” she said and put a chair between them. “Not that you could, mind you.”

“Don’t throw challenges out there.”

Marabeth couldn’t even imagine why he was doing this. “It doesn’t matter anyway. My father wouldn’t agree to our marriage. He and my mother have several men already picked out….” She didn’t continue. The confident look in his face told her the news. “You’ve already spoken to him about it, haven’t you?”

Sam laughed. “I think it was more along the lines of him talking to me, but regardless, yes. You’re father has already given his seal of approval on the wedding. I believe he even demanded that I produce a grandchild or two as rapidly as possible.”

Marabeth couldn’t believe this. “You’re lying,” she said.

Sam shook his head. “I never lie, Marabeth.”

“No.”

“Yes.” He countered. “I know this has been quite a shock. I’ll leave you with one final thought,” he said as he came around the chair. She was so confused, she didn’t even try to evade him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently, his arms wrapping around her waist, his hands splaying open on her back. His kiss felt something like a branding, so hot and amazingly sensuous.

And it was over before she could even react to it. “We’ll have dinner together tomorrow, just the two of us and we’ll talk about it further,” he said and left her standing in the corner of the salon, staring after him with a dazed look in her face.

Marabeth barely slept, too confused and feeling betrayed by her parents. They didn’t even ask her opinion on the situation and they’d already put their approval on the arrangement.

She met her mother for breakfast the next morning, hoping her appearance looked more serene than she was feeling.

“Good morning, dear,” Queen Natasha said as Marabeth took her seat at the breakfast table. “You look like you had a rough night.”

“Yes. It wasn’t very restful.”

“Why is that?”

“Perhaps because you went back on your word, mother.”

“How did we do that?” she asked calmly, taking a sip of her tea and staring at her furious daughter over the rim.

“I understand you’ve both promised me to our illustrious Minister of Defense,” Marabeth said, not looking at her mother for fear that the pain she was feeling would show