“Call me Josh.”
“Josh. And I’m Valerie. You must accompany Alexia when she joins us for dinner tonight. Meet the family at long last.”
Lexi spoke quickly. “Oh, I don’t think—
“Of course, I’d love to,” he said and then had no clue why, except maybe to wind her up. After all, she’d kissed him and now she couldn’t get rid of him fast enough.
“Wonderful.” The older woman turned to Lexi. “Isn’t that wonderful, Alexia?”
She pasted on a bright smile. “Absolutely fabulous, Grandmamma.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” he said. “I don’t know why we haven’t met before.”
“I have a few ideas,” her grandmother replied. “Now, I must be off. But I’ll see you both this evening. And why don’t you see if you can persuade Alexia into a dress, Josh.”
“I’ll do my best, ma’am.”
“I’m sure you will.”
They stood in silence as she left the room, the door closing softly behind her. Josh dropped his arm from around Lexi and stepped back. She didn’t move and didn’t speak. He wandered away, then turned so he could study her.
The girl he remembered from their one brief meeting in the registry office was still there. At the time, he’d not really paid attention to her. It had been obvious that they had nothing in common. She was just a rich kid, a business proposition, not his type at all—he liked tall, leggy blondes. She still wasn’t his type, but she had a lush little body, all soft curves shown off in faded jeans that clung to the swell of her hips, and a white T-shirt stretched over full breasts, her nipples poking at the material.
Had she been as aroused by that kiss as him? Or had it all been purely for show?
He forced his gaze upward. She had a mop of unruly red corkscrew curls, which she was continuously pushing behind her ears. She wore no makeup, but her skin was clear, except for the freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were huge and her most startling feature—golden, with flecks of brown, and fringed by thick, curly lashes.
He’d thought them black but this close he could see they were dark red like her hair. Her mouth was…perfect. Small and full, and he could remember the taste. He had no fucking right to be thinking about her mouth. Or how sweet she had tasted. He didn’t do sweet.
Anyway, it had all been pretense for her grandmother’s benefit. The older woman obviously believed them to be married for real. He hoped that wasn’t going to be a problem. He’d never given much thought to why his “wife” had needed to marry—it hadn’t been any of his business. It still wasn’t.
He was here for one thing: to get his annulment.
She still hadn’t spoken, but he could see her thinking, working out what she would say, so he strolled around the room, giving her some time, stopping at her extremely tidy desk. The only thing on the spotless surface was a photograph. His eyes slid past it and then back. He reached out slowly and picked it up. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was him on a beach he was pretty sure he’d never been to in his life.
He turned and waved it in her direction. When she didn’t respond, he stepped closer, snapped his fingers under her nose, and she jumped.
“Sorry,” she said. “I was thinking. Or rather, I was trying not to think, but…” She looked at the photo in his hand and gave a tiny shrug. “Our fourth wedding anniversary.”
“Really? Where did we go?”
“You took me to the Seychelles. We had a wonderful time.”
“I’m glad,” he said drily.
“Look, Mr. Slater…”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Josh. I really wish you hadn’t said you’d come to dinner tonight.”
He shrugged. “It’s no big deal. When I don’t arrive, you can say something came up.”
She shook her head. “Oh, no. You have to come now, or she’ll never let it drop. She’s tenacious. She’ll hunt you down and pry the truth from your bleeding and broken body.”
“I think you’re exaggerating.”
“You don’t know Grandmamma. God, I need a drink.” She batted those long lashes at him, gave him another of those pleading looks. “Please say you’ll come to dinner.” Her mouth was pink and full, but her skin was pale, and the hand she used to tuck a stray curl behind her ear was shaking slightly. “Honestly, it will only be this once. After all, I’ve managed to avoid you meeting my family for five years. This was a combination of bad timing. My grandmother never comes to London, and you…” She paused and looked at him, a little line forming between her brows. “Why are you here, anyway?”
Chapter Two
Lexi licked her lips, the taste of him still on her tongue.
Oh God, she’d kissed him. How many times had she fantasized about kissing him? And he’d kissed her back. She didn’t have much experience—except in her fantasies—but that had been clear.