not? He was willing to put months, maybe even years of his life on the line for her and Ashley. How many men would do that and ask nothing in return? That was what he was saying, wasn’t it? She faced him squarely, determined to get every detail spelled out, no matter how embarrassing.
“This would be a marriage in name only, right? That is what you’re suggesting.”
He stirred uneasily at that, but then his gaze locked with hers, held it until the blood seemed to pool low in her body, sending waves of warmth flooding through her. The sensation—the pull—was strong enough to make her wonder if she could live with that.
“If that’s the way you honestly want it,” he said.
Did she? Did she want nothing more than a marriage of convenience? She thought of all the kisses they’d shared, of the one time when it had almost gone beyond that. She would have to be a fool or a liar to say that there wasn’t a powerful attraction between them. If they married, if they were living in close proximity day after day, would it be possible not to act on that attraction? Would willpower and resolve be enough to keep things from getting wildly complicated?
“Sleeping together would be dangerous,” she said in a choked whisper.
He gave her a knowing look. “Make it harder to walk away when the time came? Is that what you mean?”
She nodded.
Cord regarded her with a rueful grin. “Would that be so awful then?”
“What?”
“To not walk away. To make it a real marriage.” Before she could reply, he pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t answer that. It’s not something we need to decide right now. We can take this one step at a time. Go as slow...” He grinned. “Or as fast, as you want.”
The gentle teasing should have reminded her of how easily he was capable of setting off sparks in the pit of her stomach, but instead she found it oddly reassuring. If they could talk like this—and joke—wouldn’t they be able to get through anything? Wouldn’t they be able to make this work for as long as they needed to?
Her hands felt icy. She picked up her mug of coffee again and clung to it for the warmth it provided. She felt steadier then, as well, and filled with resolve. She lifted her gaze and met Cord’s anxious glance.
“I’ll do it,” she said quietly. “For the baby.”
“For the baby,” he agreed softly.
The air around them seemed suddenly charged with electricity. There was a new awareness, a new, but thrilling tension between them.
“So, what do we do next?” she asked at last.
For an instant, he seemed stymied. She found that oddly reassuring, too, for some reason. Even though he’d had longer to consider this option, he obviously hadn’t taken her reply for granted. He’d known there were doubts and uncertainties she would have to overcome.
“Buy an engagement ring,” he suggested finally. “Tell your family.”
“Oh, boy,” she murmured as she thought of the chaos likely to ensue. “Maybe I should break the news first, by myself.”
“No way, darlin’. From this moment on, we’re in this together. I’m going to be right there by your side, every bit the proud fiancé.”
“Cord, we won’t...we don’t have to tell them about the arrangement, do we?”
“Absolutely not. That’s why we need a ring. We’re going to do this by the book.”
She thought of another wedding not even a year before. She couldn’t go through another fancy ceremony, another lavish reception. Besides, there was no time for that.
“Couldn’t we just elope?” she asked wistfully.
He tucked a finger under her chin and turned her head until they were facing each other. “I promised I won’t ask more of you than you’re ready to give, but I will ask this. We are not going to slip away as if we’re doing something wrong. I’ll agree to a quiet ceremony with just family there, because there’s not time for more, but we want this to be believable. We don’t want anyone thinking for an instant that we’re not ecstatic about this marriage. It wouldn’t look good to the judge.”
She considered that. “Yes, I see what you mean.” She could also see that to do otherwise would hurt his pride. He might not say it, but no man would want the world thinking that he was marrying for anything other than love. Come to think of it, she didn’t want that, either.
He held out a hand, waited until she’d placed hers