Paper Marriages. Jacqueline Baird

glance. ‘As I’m sure you know—I seem to remember she was a friend of yours before she met my father.’

      After Penny had split up with Solo she’d had a long time to think over the past and, from countless little digs Veronica had made, she couldn’t help wondering just what relationship Solo had had with her stepmother.

      His eyes narrowed and his expression became darkly forbidding. ‘Veronica was never my friend, an acquaintance at best, but I think you better stop right there, and show me the rest of the place. That is why I am here.’

      Penny gave a casual shrug, surprised to find she believed him, but refused to admit she was relieved he had denied knowing Veronica on a more intimate basis. Anyway, what was the use of raking over the past with the man? Best to get rid of him. With that in mind she led the way to the dining room.

      Solo assumed the mantle of sophisticated buyer, and he asked pertinent questions as if they were two complete strangers as she showed him around all the rooms on the ground floor.

      Penny told herself she was glad, an aloof, businesslike Solo she could deal with; at least she thought so, until she had to lead him upstairs.

      ‘I see what you mean about colour,’ Solo drawled with a touch of mockery, walking into the master bedroom and stopping at the foot of the bed.’ Knowing your father, I can’t believe this bright fuchsia and leopard pattern was very conducive to a good sex life.’

      The master suite was horrendous, Penny freely acknowledged, standing a couple of steps behind Solo and glancing around with sad eyes.

      A bittersweet memory of another time, when her own mother was alive, and the décor was warm almond and elegant. The bed had been a place to curl up in as a child with her parents on freezing cold mornings. There had been no central heating then.

      Veronica had been responsible for installing all the mod cons and the horrendous fuchsia wallpaper, not to mention the faux leopardskin bedcover. No one with the slightest taste would like this.

      ‘I’m never going to sell this place,’ she thought and didn’t realise she had said the words out loud. Not without painting it, at least…

      ‘Ah,’ Solo said softly and turned to face her. He had wondered when she would finally admit she didn’t want to sell the house, and what she was prepared to do to keep it. ‘We get to the truth. I was wondering when you would show your true colours.’ A steely note crept into his voice. ‘I should have guessed you would choose the bedroom.’

      Penny stared up at the grim lines of his face, lost in memories of the past; she hadn’t the slightest idea what he was talking about.

      ‘It is awful, but I could hunt out the old furnishings, and with a pot of paint it could be okay,’ she said distractedly, thinking if she got rid of Veronica’s worst excesses they might get a better price for the house. As it was it would make most people bilious.

      ‘Or an interior designer, and a lot of money, my money,’ Solo suggested with a cynical smile.

      ‘Well, you could afford it,’ Penny snapped as it hit her she really was going to lose her home anyway, whether to Solo or a stranger, it didn’t matter. Determined not to let him see how the loss of her home hurt her, she pinned a bright smile on her face and glanced up at him.

      ‘Come on…’ She gestured towards him with one hand. I’ll show you the rest was what she meant to say, but never got the chance.

      A large hand curled around hers, and a lazy forefinger trailed a tingling path across her cheek to the edge of her mouth, where it delicately outlined the shape of her lips. ‘Sweet, sexy Penny,’ he murmured provocatively.

      ‘Hey, what do you think you’re doing?’ Penny jerked her head back indignantly, her lips tingling where he had touched, and tried to wrench her hand free, suddenly aware of the intimacy of their position, alone in the bedroom.

      ‘Agreeing with you, Penny.’ And the hand holding hers effortlessly wrapped around her back and pulled her close to his large male body. With his other he dispensed with the band holding her hair in place so it fell in a tumbled mass around her face.

      After the first shock and her own hair blinding her, Penny began to struggle, and launched a hefty, kick at his shin, but all she succeeded in doing was knocking Solo off balance so he tumbled backwards on the bed, with a dishevelled Penny sprawled on top of him.

      ‘Get off,’ she cried.

      ‘I’m not on you,’ he drawled sardonically. ‘Yet.’

      Then with one swift movement their positions were reversed, and Penny found herself flat on her back on the bed, with Solo’s great body lying half over her. She struggled wildly in an attempt to free herself, and he let her, restraining her effortlessly with his superior size and strength until eventually she gave up and lay helpless and panting, looking up into his strikingly handsome face.

      ‘Let me go,’ Penny demanded, her eyes wide with fear and something more.

      ‘Oh, no.’ He smiled slightly, but only with his lips; the grey eyes remained watchful, and slightly cruel. ‘This time I am going to sample the goods before I pay.’

      ‘Pay! You mean—you—’ She stopped, spluttering, then started again on a rising note of incredulity. ‘You mean me? You think I am for sale with the house?’ she screeched, renewing her efforts to scramble from under him.

      Solo stopped her by grabbing her wrists and pinning them above her head in one strong hand, and throwing a long leg over her slim hips. ‘I’m accepting your offer, Penny.’ His grey gaze was intent on her furious face. ‘So long as I get exclusive rights to your body for as long as I want.’

      ‘My offer… My body!’ she gasped.

      ‘Yes.’ His eyes didn’t leave her face. ‘Starting now,’ he insisted with silken emphasis.

      CHAPTER THREE

      PANIC-STRICKEN, Penny arched up, trying to dislodge Solo’s weight from her body, but it was a futile exercise as his mouth with unerring accuracy covered hers. Forcing her head back onto the bed, and prising apart her soft lips, he began a ravishing exploration with tongue and teeth in a kiss that shattered her romantic concept of a kiss for ever.

      Before when he had kissed her it had been a gentle invasion, but now it was a blatantly sensual demand to possess, and to her shame she felt the rising heat of desire scorch through her, heating her blood to fever pitch.

      As he sensed her capitulation Solo’s mouth softened on hers, and with the tip of his tongue he soothed her swollen lips, before raising his head. Her glorious eyes were dilated with desire and her lips softly parted. She was his for the taking…

      Penny drew in a deep, shuddering breath of air. She was so caught up in him she was hardly aware he had released her wrists. And before she could recover from the shock of his kiss his hands slid to her hips and in one swift movement had flipped her jumper up and over her head, and tossed it aside.

      ‘I’ve waited a long time for this,’ Solo opined huskily, his sweater removed in a flash. His eyes bored into hers with undisguised sexual intent.

      ‘No. Please,’ Penny breathed, shaken to the core by the devastating awareness of the powerful naked torso looming over her stirring a terrifying weakness in her. She was compelled to touch the hair-roughened chest so that her no please sounded weak even to her own ears. But he was not listening. His arm slid around her waist, and arched her slender body off the bed, removing the lacy scrap of bra with a deftness that smacked of long experience.

      She spread her hands on his chest in a belated effort to push him away. ‘No.’

      ‘You invited me.’ His face tightened, and his silver eyes glittered with a deep angry passion over her face and lower down to her firm, lush breasts.

      Invited! Was he mad? ‘No way,’ she cried. ‘I don’t want this!’

      Molten silver eyes