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I nodded. ‘I got a part-time job, which lessened the financial burden. But Mum’s depression grew, and she couldn’t hold down a job. I think you get the picture of how things panned out eventually.’
‘Did you ever hear from your father? Did he give a reason?’
Anguish welled high, consuming my insides. ‘No. He stuck to his word and cut off all ties.’
Neo’s lips flattened and his eyes bored into mine with a knowing look. ‘So the facts speak for themselves. Wasn’t he a senior-level banker?’ he asked, shocking me anew with the depth of his knowledge about my life.
‘Yes.’
‘So he had the type of job that demanded respectability. He was fiercely competitive and ambitious, in a high-pressure job that often required cut-throat ruthlessness. Having a wife and child and a seemingly stable home served his purpose. Most likely got him up the rungs of his corporate ambition.’
‘You’re not telling me anything I don’t know, Neo. Yes, my mother and I were just accessories he used while it suited him, then threw away when he was done. So?’
A tic rippled in his jaw, even as his thumb drew slow circles on my shoulder. Did he even know he was doing that?
‘So face the facts.’
Unable to stand the waves of anguish, and that need to lean into his caress, I tugged myself out of his hold.
‘Is that some sort of warning, Neo?’ Had he sensed that occasional misjudged softening? Was this his way of mitigating it?
‘Sadie—’
‘Enough. Whatever it is you’re trying to prove, save your breath. I know what type of person my father was. What type of person you are. There’s no illusion on my part.’
His face tightened and he opened his mouth—most likely to challenge me.
‘It’s been a long day, Neo. I’d like to go to bed, if you don’t mind.’
The glint in his eyes morphed, attaining that hooded, sensual potency that sparked every nerve ending to life. But with that spark came greater warning. An edging closer to that dangerous precipice of longing and softening. Wondering if that ring on his finger meant more than simple evidence of the transaction he’d brokered.
‘It’s your wedding night, Sadie. Surely you wish to make it a little more memorable than simply retiring to your bed at a few minutes past sunset?’
The weighted question started my heart thudding to a different beat.
‘You’ve been at pains to remind me that this marriage is for the sake of the child I’m carrying. How I spend my time tonight is really none of your business.’
He inhaled slowly, and that animalistic aura wrapped tighter around me. ‘Perhaps I wish to make it my business.’
I was struggling to stop my pulse from leaping wildly at that statement when his fingers returned to my throat, their sensual caress enthralling, like a magician conjuring up the most delicious trick.
But wasn’t this an illusion? A dream from which I’d wake to disappointment?
With monumental effort I pulled away. ‘We agreed that sex wasn’t part of this bargain. It’s an agreement I intend to stick to. Goodnight, Neo.’
I hurried away, my footsteps stumbling at the dark promise in the heavy gaze on my back. The gaze that compelled me to slow down, turn around, find out if he really meant it. If this wedding night following a wedding borne of facility could be something else.
CHAPTER EIGHT
WHITE.
She needed to wear white every day for the rest of her life.
She was walking away from me, her ethereal dress floating about her like the purest cloud, and all I could think about was how enthralling she looked in white.
Sure, I was irritated. Unsettled by that conversation about her father. By her accusation that I wanted to hurt her by making her face the truth. I knew firsthand the consequences of burying your head in the sand.
In that moment none of it mattered except the way her hair shone like a living, breathing flame against the delicate white lace.
