Strategy For Marriage. Margaret Way
had never known this man, Christy thought, gazing at him with a mixture of dismay and pain.
“You really think I’m going to swallow that?” Ashe near choked, he was so angry. He couldn’t, absolutely couldn’t, relate to this guy. What in the name of God did Callista and this girl, Christy, see in him? He was ninety-five per cent toxic waste.
“It’s true.” Christy picked that moment to be utterly selfless. Not for Josh. Sometime in the future Josh would get his comeuppance. But for Callista. She had no desire to hurt Callista. Callista was just another woman who thought herself deeply in love with a man she couldn’t see clearly. “I came here to tempt him.”
“What rot!” Ashe bridled afresh. “About as good as it gets.” He studied Christy with contemptuous eyes. “You’re trying to save his worthless skin.”
“Your cousin Callista doesn’t deserve this. She’s the innocent party. I owe her something. The question I ask myself now is why did you, astute old you, let her marry him?”
Ashe’s dynamic face mirrored his frustration. “The fact is Callista is nearly thirty years old.” He rounded on Christy, his anger abruptly abating when he saw how pale she was. Her eyes were enormous, a dead give-away she was deeply disturbed.
“Get the hell out of here, Deakin,” Ashe ordered, his voice cracking like a whip. “Your playing around with other women ends today. If I hear one word…!”
“I’m going to be the best husband ever,” Josh proclaimed like a professional con man, looking Ashe in the eyes.
“You’d better be, my man.” Ashe nodded, his expression grim.
“I love Callista,” Josh poured it on while Ashe McKinnon threw back his dark head and roared.
“I have grave misgivings about that. You’re dirt.”
The rest of Josh’s words dried up. Hastily he crossed to the door, pausing a moment from its relative safety. “As far as I’m concerned Christy is the culprit here. Ex-girlfriends aren’t supposed to gatecrash a man’s wedding.”
Ashe swore beneath his breath in a near ecstasy of anger. “Get out of here.” The attitude of his body suggesting a panther about to spring into action.
Josh wasn’t entirely insane. With one last aggrieved look he took to his heels.
“Not his finest hour,” pronounced Ashe in disgust.
When the time came—by now time had no meaning for Christy—for the happy couple to leave on the first leg of their honeymoon—an overnight stay in the honeymoon suite of a leading hotel before jetting off for three weeks in Thailand—the guests had assembled on the grand sweep of front lawn of the McKinnon mansion to wave them off.
Callista, as pretty as a picture in her pink going-away outfit, turned to throw her bouquet. A surprisingly high sweep. Christy, battling with the illusion she was trapped in a dream, made no move to catch it. She felt quite naturally it was inappropriate as well as the fact she had gone off weddings. She didn’t even make a playful gesture of reaching up as all four bridesmaids were doing, but in earnest. The bouquet simply descending gracefully but in a mesmerizing way, twirling and twirling a lovely posy of perfect pink and white roses threaded with traceries of green.
The bridesmaids were running forward, palms up, fingers steepled, each one determined to catch this wonderful forecast. I’m next! Their faces were bright with excitement and anticipatory pleasure.
Me. Me. Let it be me.
But life is full of disappointments and preordained events. Callista’s bouquet fell with a soft fragrant weight into Christy’s nerveless hands.
She saw the muscles along Ashe McKinnon’s clean-cut jaw tighten cynically before two of the women guests grasped her in affectionate camaraderie and kissed her on either cheek.
“Lucky girl!” They batted speculative glances at Ashe. God, wasn’t he a drop-dead hunk!
And why not? Ashe had scarcely left her side. Mercedes had berated him fondly for trying to fool her. Everyone seemed to think she was the new woman in Ashe McKinnon’s life. An irony not lost on either of them.
And so it was that Christy and Ashe McKinnon left the wedding together. Christy heading into very deep waters indeed.
CHAPTER TWO
FROM nowhere a chauffeured limousine appeared. At least there were some pluses to being rich. Christy stepped into the back seat. After a moment Ashe McKinnon joined her.
In the silence that followed, Christy stared out the window, devastated by the whole day.
“Silly me, I’ve forgotten where you live,” he said in an ironic tone.
She surveyed him gravely, her faith in life shattered, yet it was he who had rescued her from a very bad situation.
“Goodness me, and you were thinking of moving in. Number 10 Downing Street.” At least that was a world away.
“My dear girl they’ve changed the locks.” His black gaze fell on her lovely face, desire lapping in his blood.
“Then I suggest you try 121 Shelly Beach Road.”
He lowered the partition window to give instructions to the chauffeur.
“I feel ashamed of myself,” Christy confessed after a few unhappy minutes of studying the stars. “Really ashamed.”
“Perhaps you ought to be put in prison,” he suggested in a mocking voice.
“It wasn’t that serious, was it?” She looked back at him. Why was she with this man?
“You do this for a living, gatecrashing receptions?”
“I couldn’t face seeing Josh marry your cousin. How petite she is! Doll-size.”
“Up until recently I thought she had a woman-sized brain. As for you, you have to get on with your life.” He didn’t want her mourning Deakin. Not for one minute.
“I don’t want to even think about it for at least forty-eight hours. I had maybe one too many glasses of champagne,” she apologised.
“That’s perfectly understandable. It’s also the reason why I hired the limousine. I couldn’t drive you myself. Not only do I not keep a car in the city but I’m well over the limit. Three glasses of anything is surely not enough to celebrate a wedding? Even an insufferable one.”
“I should have known better.” Christy gave a bruised sigh.
“Indeed you should.” His tone used up a lot of censure.
“You’ve never made a mistake in your life I suppose?” Christy pressed back exhaustedly against the plush upholstery.
“I think I hate the way you say that. All my ex-girlfriends speak to me.”
“I bet you gave them a hard time,” Christy answered. He wouldn’t lie to them. If anything he was too much upfront. “I know some women go in for excitement and danger. It must make them feel more alive. It’s my professional judgment that you’re a dangerous man.”
“All it might take is a little getting to know me.” He flung out an arm and drew her close to him. His desire for her was blocking out his usual tight control. And he wanted to comfort her. All of a sudden she seemed very vulnerable.
Christy allowed her head to come to rest against his shoulder. “You know you’re not my keeper.” But he was very masterful.
“I am for this evening.” He brushed a few glinting golden strands of hair from her cheek. “To be honest, I’m concerned you might go after them.”
She came upright in despair. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
“I sincerely hope so.” He didn’t sound impressed. “Your ex-boyfriend