Filed to story: A Matter of Sin and Love Novel Read Free Online
‘What is it, Elena?’
She met his eyes. Her own blazed. ‘If there’s a loophole he’ll take it. If there’s a way he can feather his nest at your expense he’ll do it. Whatever the deal is on paper, whatever you’ve agreed, don’t trust him.’
Christian stared up into her taut features, the twisting line of her mouth, as if she’d swallowed something foul, and began to understand.
‘It’s all right, Elena. I take precautions. He won’t get the better of me. The contract will see to that.’
‘You don’t understand. I’m not talking about him jockeying for the best deal on paper.’ Her gaze slid away. ‘I’m talking about him breaking the rules, even the law. Don’t trust him an inch. He uses people to get what he wants.’
Christian read her pain, felt the tension in her and wanted to smash George Morrison’s face.
‘Elena?’ He kept his voice soft as he brushed her shining hair back. ‘What’s he done to you?’
‘This isn’t about me. It’s about you. You need to be prepared. I don’t understand why you want to do business with my dad but you deserve to know he’ll cheat and lie and use you any way he can. If I were you…’ She looked away. ‘If I were you I wouldn’t do business with him at all.’ The hoarse conviction in her voice told its own story.
‘Why are you sharing this?’
She frowned. ‘Don’t you want to know what you’re dealing with?’
What. As if George Morrison were a thing not a person. Christian’s pulse quickened. ‘Has he hurt you?’ He wrapped his arms around her, lashing her naked body to him.
‘You think I’m telling you this out of spite?’
‘Of course not.’ He just wanted to know what else to add to Morrison’s account. He was sure there was something, probably many somethings. His jaw tightened. ‘But I’d give a lot to know why you are telling me.’
Her brow wrinkled. ‘You’re not the man I believed. You’re decent and real and… I care for you.’
It felt as if an unseen fist smashed through his ribs to pummel his lungs and heart.
How long since anyone had cared about him?
How long since anyone had looked out for him?
The rarity of it had to explain this overfull sensation.
‘Can you give me an example?’ He didn’t need one but he wanted to know what Morrison had done to Elena.
Her eyes when they locked with his were the colour of a stormy sky, her features pared back as if her flesh shrank on her bones. ‘He stole from my brother. Rob inherited money from our grandfather which George invested for him. Now Rob needs his money for a project he’s co-financing. But most of the funds have disappeared, stolen by our father. He says he can’t pay it back till his deal with you is finalised.’
‘Which is why you didn’t tell me about this sooner.’ Now the pieces fell into place. This explained Elena’s willingness to play along with the wedding scheme, albeit under sufferance. ‘He was holding it over your head.’
Elena shifted, trying to roll off him, but Christian held her close. Skin to skin, eye to eye, this was his chance to discover all he needed to know.
‘At first I thought it didn’t matter. I thought you were like him.’
Christian grimaced at the idea and Elena brushed her fingers across his mouth in a caress that made his heart leap.
‘But you’re not, are you?’
Before he could think of a response she went on. ‘It’s been eating at me. I’ve seen another side to you. The way you are with me, the things you do for other people.’
Christian frowned, wondering what she’d found out. Mostly he kept his charitable activities out of the limelight.
‘I felt guilty, not telling you what he’s really like. Today, when you told me about your mother…’ Her mouth turned down. ‘How could I ask you to share that and not warn you?’
‘So this is quid pro quo?’ His grating tone hid confusion. He’d been unsettled all day. Unsettled by Elena’s sympathy and how, despite what he said, it warmed the dark places in his soul.
Elena stiffened, her chin jutting at a familiar angle. ‘If you like.’
‘I didn’t mean it like that.’ He ran the backs of his fingers down her peach-soft cheek. ‘I appreciate you telling me. But it makes no difference. I knew already.’
He knew more about her father than he suspected Elena did. For the first time it hit him that revealing the enormity of Morrison’s crimes would have repercussions for Elena. How would she react?
‘You’re still going to do business with him?’
‘Oh, yes.’ Familiar satisfaction stirred. ‘But with one change.’ He palmed her hair from her face, feeling an unaccustomed protectiveness at the idea of Elena growing up under Morrison’s roof. He thought of her prickly defensiveness, her difficulty in believing she was attractive and knew he could lay that and more at Morrison’s door.
‘What change?’ Her eyes were wary, and why not? She’d been an unwilling pawn in his tactics.
Christian rolled over till she was beneath him, all that delicious femininity and warm silky skin.
‘I’ll make sure your brother gets his money.’
Watching the light in Elena’s eyes was like watching dawn break over the ocean, except the warmth he felt was far more than skin-deep. She made him feel like a different man. A man who might believe in things he’d learned never to expect.
He felt her jolt of surprise. ‘You will? But it’s not your responsibility.’ A smile hovered on her mouth but didn’t quite settle, as if she feared to believe. It struck him how much stress she’d been under. From her father, and from him.
Something heavy dragged at his gut. Regret? Guilt?
‘I’m making it my responsibility.’
Her smile broke wide then and its brilliance set off little tremors inside. Of pleasure, and relief.
See? He could make things okay for her. He could make her happy and still get the revenge he needed from her father.
‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘Don’t say anything.’
‘Thank you, Christian.’ Her hands cupped his jaw, her gaze met his. ‘That means so much.’
‘Good. Perhaps you can show me how much.’ He basked in her approval, thrusting aside the knowledge he’d used Elena for his own ends. That she deserved to know the whole truth. He’d make it up to her. As for the truth, that would come soon enough. Probably too soon for Elena and her siblings.
He swept his hand down the sleek curve of her spine, desperation rising as he deliberately pushed aside the hovering shadow cast by his conscience.
It was far easier to lose himself in passion than to analyse these new troubling feelings.
ELENA REREAD THE NOTE, not recognising her father’s writing. He’d never written her birthday or Christmas cards, yet the slashing scribble could only be his.
Urgent…designer insists you meet for a fitting but has sent this…only agreeing to work because of Edwards’s high profile…demand you be there Friday three p.m…everything rides on this…no time for selfish games…
The missive turned into a tirade and her empty stomach churned. She screwed up the paper and let it fall. Thanks to Christian’s intervention she’d had no contact with her father for weeks and had almost forgotten how he made her feel. Now her flesh crawled as if someone had dropped a bucket of spiders onto her back.