The Temporary Wife - By Jeannie Moon Page 0,22

to believe that the relationship would survive was simply foolish. The men in his study were his best friends, friends who’d known him almost as long as she had, and they’d never even known about her. It wasn’t just that Jason worried about her not fitting in with his friends; he had kept her a secret. That was the moment Meg realized if she didn’t secure her heart, keep the wall in place, she’d be heading for another crash landing. This was going to be a beautiful house, but it would never be a home.

Charlotte was next to her, grinning before she’d even gotten through the drawings. “You could do worse than him.”

“I know.” It was true. He wasn’t a bad guy. He was smart, gorgeous, and rich, but he’d never love her. He never had.

“Are you sure about this? I get the feeling this marriage isn’t what it looks like on the surface.”

Meg shrugged. “Things are complicated.”

Charlotte picked up two of the sketches and put them side by side. “This house is going to be beautiful, but these two rooms are interesting.” Charlotte examined the drawings, which were labeled Master 1 and Master 2. “Two master bedrooms? Where will you keep your toothbrush?”

Meg looked away from the drawings, which were full-color representations of their lie. “Like I said, it’s complicated.”

***

It had been a busy day, and Molly had conked out the minute her head hit the pillow. They’d had fun. Even with all her misgivings, Meg had to admit the dress buying expedition had been everything she’d always hoped it would be. Molly’s dress was beautiful, a frothy white confection with yellow flowers embroidered into the bodice. It was adorable, and she couldn’t wait to see her in it.

Her own dress was the stuff of bridal daydreams. The shop, knowing they had carte blanche from Jason, brought out one expensive dress after another, but there was only one that took her breath away. She hoped it would take his breath away, too.

Meg’s problem was that every dress conjured up the memory of the kiss from the other night—a kiss that made her feel like a real bride with a groom who truly loved her. Jason’s hands, his warm breath—everything had her wanting him, and that was a big problem. It was bad enough that he’d never entirely left her. Thoughts of him had always drifted in and out of her life, and it was only in the past couple of years that she could seriously consider moving on. There had been other boyfriends, other experiences, but she’d never loved anyone else. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be in love; it was that no one ever measured up. Even as teenagers, their relationship was magic. At least she thought it was. He thought it was something to be hidden.

She hated that it still upset her. Putting it behind her would be the best thing, so they could move forward on this plan without complications. Meg would have to be strong, or she’d have to find a way to get the upper hand.

Doing chores at the end of the day was a way for Meg to unwind. The mindlessness of stacking the dishwasher or putting away toys helped her put the day in order. Wiping down the kitchen counters was the perfect remedy to her carnal thoughts. That was, until she saw the familiar halogen headlamps turn into her driveway.

Jason. Of course. She was concentrating on getting him out of her head, and here he was. Nothing was easy with him. Nothing. She needed him to go the hell away so she could think about how she was going to deal with all these mixed-up emotions. Meg needed one emotion where Jason was concerned. Indifference would be best, but she’d never pull that off. Getting really pissed off would do, but she didn’t know if that was going to work, either. She liked him too much. She might hate him for what he did to her, but Jason always got to her, without fail.

The car door thumped closed and, not wanting Molly to wake up, she wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked to the foyer.

***

He hadn’t even gotten up the front steps when she pulled open the door and folded her arms. Defensive. Great. Not what he needed tonight. After setting up the home office, he’d had to deal with an emergency that developed at a Hong Kong bank and had barely gotten up from his