Re-Read: (June 2, 2024)

2 stars.

- Typical marriage convenience store.
- A narcissist with a commitment phobia trope
- Honorable heroine with a good heart

Check for some much-needed spoilers if you are a safety freak.

Spoiler

*

The hero: I can sleep with anyone discreetly but you can't trope. (In the end, the heroine convinced him to stay celibate during the marriage.)

See, we need to be extremely discreet with, uh, our extracurricular activities.”
“Discreet?”
“Yes. I deal with some very high-end clients, and I have a reputation to protect. Let alone the terms of the agreement would be broken if our marriage was questioned. I think it best if you agreed to remain celibate for the year. It’s doable, don’t you think?”
“Or a lot of non-doing.”
He gave an obvious fake laugh and she wondered if she caught a gleam of sweat on his forehead or if it was just a trick of the light. He stopped pacing and watched her almost warily. Suddenly, the true meaning of his words caught fire in her brain and the lightning rod of knowledge sizzled. Nick wanted her to be the perfect wife, which included holding a chaste marriage bed under their ruse.

But he hadn’t mentioned his own celibacy. Maggie had spilled all the details about Gabriella, so she knew Nick was involved in a relationship. Alexa still didn’t understand why he wouldn’t marry his girlfriend, but his choice wasn’t for her to judge. All she cared about was the chauvinistic, male pig before her and her desire to call the whole deal off.
Almost.
She shook with anger but kept her face serene. Nick Ryan wanted to cut deals. Fine. Because when she walked out this door, Nicky would sign the deal of a lifetime.
She smiled. “I understand.”
His face practically lit up. “You do?”
“Of course. If the marriage is supposed to be real, how would it look to find your wife the gossip of an affair so soon after the wedding?”
“Exactly.”

*And he cheated ... A passionate very deliberate kiss with his Ex after marriage.

A warning bell clanged somewhere in his brain. “You need to decide this for yourself. It’s over between us. I’m married.”
“We had something real. I think you got spooked and jumped at the first female you could control.”
He shook his head with a twinge of sadness. “I’m sorry, that’s not true. I have to go.”
“Wait!” One moment she stood a few inches away, the next she was squished against his chest with her arms looped around his neck and her hips seriously grinding against his.
Jesus…
“I miss this,” she murmured. “You know how good we are together. Marriage or no marriage, I still want you. And you want me.”
“Gabriella—”
“I’ll prove it.” She dragged his head down to meet hers and he had a second to decide what the hell he’d do. Push her away and keep to the letter of the contract? Or take the opportunity to test the hold his wife had on him?
The thought of Alexa drifted past. He stiffened his shoulders and began to back away, but the taunting inner demon rose up and whispered its warning. His wife wasn’t real, just a fleeting image that would shatter into heartbreak and pain and remind him nothing lasted. Gabriella would make him forget. Gabriella would make him remember. Gabriella would force him to face the truth of his marriage.
The truth they had no real marriage.
So, he grabbed the opportunity and took her lips, plundering her mouth as he had in the past. Her taste invaded his mouth, and her hands frantically rubbed up and down his back in an invitation to drag her to the car and take her right there, and for a little while he’d be clear of his frustration and longing for someone else.
He almost bent to her will, but then another realization took hold.
He was on automatic. Once, he’d experienced arousal with this woman. Now, there was only a minor buzz, which paled to the earth-shattering reaction Alexa caused with just a touch. Gabby’s taste didn’t please him, and her breasts didn’t spill over into his hands, and her hips were too sharp and jabbed against his waist.
And he realized she wasn’t Alexa, would never be Alexa, and he didn’t want to settle.
Nick pulled away.
She took a while to accept his rejection. Sheer rage swept over her face before she managed to calm herself. He tried to stumble out an apology but she cut him off. “Something’s going on, Nick. All the pieces don’t add up.” Her spine straightened with a stiff dignity. Nick knew every action was calculated to cause the most dramatic effect. It was another element so different between her and Alexa. “Let me tell you my theory. You needed to get married fast for some business deal and she fit the bill.”
Gabriella laughed when she saw the surprised look on his face. “She’s playing you, Nick. You’ll never get out of this marriage without a baby or giving up a hell of a lot of money, no matter what she’s told you. Your worst nightmare will come true.” Her lips twisted in disgust. “Just mark my words when her little, ‘Ooops, I guess we made a mistake’ pops up.”
Gabriella walked away and stopped with her hand on the door handle. “Good luck. I’m going to take the job in California, but if you need me, call.”
She slid into the car and drove off. His spine tingled with icy foreboding. He’d bet his life Alexa could be trusted, and would never try to trap him for more money—who marries a billionaire and asks for only one hundred fifty grand? Gabriella was only pissed because she hadn’t been able to keep him.
Nick winced when he thought of the kiss. His first instinct was to ignore the whole episode. But he owed his wife honesty. He’d explain he and Gabriella met by the river in public, she had initiated the kiss, and would be moving to California. End of story. He’d be calm and rational. Alexa had no reason to be jealous. She may be a little annoyed, but a kiss was easily dismissed.
At least, that kiss was.
Some others were harder to forget.
With that thought, he walked to the car and drove home.

*The hero confessed about the kiss to the heroine.

“I wasn’t going to say anything but I wanted to be honest. You probably won’t even care.”
She’d call Maggie tomorrow and go to kickboxing. The class burned more calories and was good for self-defense.
“Gabriella kissed me.”
Her head shot up. “What did you say?”
He shrugged. “She called and wanted to meet me. She said she’s moving to California. I didn’t initiate, so I guess it was her idea of a good-bye kiss. End of story.”
Her eyes narrowed. His seemingly casual attitude masked a deeper truth. She also knew the way to get it was to play the whole thing off.
“A good-bye kiss, huh? Well, that doesn’t sound too threatening.” She watched him practically slump in the chair with relief. She pretended to be engaged with the leftover leaves from her salad to take the pressure off. “Cheek or lips?”
“Lips. Quick, though.”
“Okay. So no tongue, right?”
“Okay. So no tongue, right?”
The chair squeaked with his definite squirm. The son of a bitch was busted. “Not really.”
“Sure?”
“Maybe a little. Happened so fast I don’t remember.”
Even when they were kids, he’d sucked at lying. He got in trouble every time and Maggie escaped punishment because she was damn good. Nick’s nose practically grew and screamed the truth to the world.
“Okay. The main thing is you told me the truth. Where did this happen?”
“Down by the river.”
“After your meeting?”
“Yep.”
“She called on your cell phone.”
“I told her not to come but she said it was important so I waited for her. I told her I wanted nothing more to do with her.”
“Then she kissed you and you pushed her away.”
“Right.”
“Where were her hands?”
Confusion muddied his features. He seemed to think it over as if afraid it was a trick question. “What do you mean?”
“Her hands. Around your neck, waist, where?”
“Around my neck.”
“Where were your hands?”
“Before or after I pushed her away?”
Bingo.
“Before.”
“Around her waist.”
“Okay. So it sounds like it was a while before you finally pushed her away, and tongue was involved, and her body was plastered to yours for about how long?”
He looked at her empty Scotch glass with lust but answered the question. “Not long.”
“One minute? A second?”
“A couple of minutes. Then I pushed her away.”
“Yes, you said that already.”
She got up from the table and started clearing the dishes. He hesitated as if unsure what to do, but remained seated. An awkward silence descended. Alexa finished the task without speaking and let the tension build. She almost heard the visible snap as he broke.
“You have no reason to be upset.”
She stacked the dishes in the washer, turned the dial, then turned her attention back to the refrigerator. With methodical motions, she took out the ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherries.
“Why would I be upset? The kiss was nothing, even if you did break the contract.”
“We just said that sometimes the contract can’t be followed to the letter. What are you doing?”
“Making dessert. So, what did Gabriella do when you pushed her away?”
She continued creating the perfect sundae and let him dangle in discomfort. “She was upset because I rejected her.”
“Why’d you push her away, Nick?”
He looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Because we made some promises. Even if we’re not sleeping together, we agreed I wouldn’t cheat.”
“Very logical. I’m surprised you were able to think so clearly after such a kiss. With me, I understand. But Gabriella seems to inspire a more passionate response.”
His mouth dropped open. She swished the whipped cream and drizzled a few cherries on top, then stood back to admire her creation.
“You think I react more passionately to Gabriella?”
She lifted one shoulder. “It was obvious the night I met her you two tore up the sheets together. We don’t have that problem. The only times you’ve ever kissed me was when you were pissed off or bored.”
“Bored?” He rubbed his face with his hands and tore his fingers through his hair. A humorless laugh escaped his lips. “I don’t believe this. You have no idea how I was feeling when Gabriella kissed me.”
A sliver of ice pierced through her heart, as precise as a surgeon’s scalpel. This time there was no bleeding, just a numb acceptance the man she married would always lust after a supermodel, and not her. He’d always be weak enough to grab one last taste before his damn ethics took over. He was legally faithful, but mentally a cheater.
She was an afterthought and he’d never want her as completely as his ex. At least, not physically.
The anger took hold, fierce and satisfying, as she stared at her perfect chocolate sundae. Nicholas Ryan worshipped logic and reason and had carefully thought through her response. He used honesty because he was a fair man. What enraged her was his incapability of seeing her for a woman who had every right to be pissed off when she found out her husband kissed his ex-lover. He expected her to be calm, civil, politely forgive his indiscretion, and move on.
Screw him.
With one graceful motion, she lifted the heavy, dripping bowl, and dumped it on top of his head.
He let out a yelp and leaped up, knocking the chair over, his face registering pure disbelief as chocolate ice cream and syrup and cream dripped over his head, slid down his cheeks, and tunneled into his ears.
“What the hell?” His roar was filled with confusion and irritation and an honest emotion that made her feel immediately better.
With satisfaction, she wiped her sticky hands on the dishtowel and stepped back. She even managed a pleasant smile. “Being the clearheaded, reasonable man you’re supposed to be, I expected you to push Gabriella away and honor the contract. Instead, you made out with her in public, at the river, with your tongue in her mouth and your hands on her body. This is my clearheaded, reasonable response to your betrayal, you son of a bitch. Enjoy your dessert.”
She turned on her heel and walked up the stairs.

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Original Review: 4 Stars.
I read it maybe before 2016, and don't remember why I gave it a 4Stars.