Debra Regan - Marriage Confidential

When they entered the gallery where the prized white jade cup glowed under soft lights surrounded by guards, he was the only person close enough to catch her relieved sigh. She squeezed his hand. “Thank you, Sam. You saved me tonight.”

He couldn’t recall ever hearing similar words aimed at him. “We should dance,” he replied, noticing other couples dancing on the terrace where live music was under way.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said, resisting.

This was a new role. Not the one she’d created for him with the marriage ruse, but being the eager and willing dance partner. He tipped his head to the open doors, urging her to come along. “It’s a gorgeous night and it’s our public debut as a couple.”

“It’s not necessary,” she murmured as they lingered on the fringes of the dance floor.

“Afraid I’ll step on your toes?” He managed to keep the growing list of questions to himself, though he couldn’t wait to hear how she’d passed her security clearances with a fake husband. “Come on,” he cajoled. “We deserve a little fun.” Besides, he had more he wanted to say. Nothing as eloquent as the cheesy lines he’d just delivered—something far more relevant to his real reason for being here.

With a little spin, he turned her into his arms and they joined the flow of dancing couples.

“Impressive.” She gave him an open, friendly smile that suited her better than the cool reserve she’d shown all evening.

“My mom was a stickler for all the traditional manners.” If he focused on her, he didn’t mind the other people milling about, watching them.

Madison peered up at him through her lashes. “Was that before or after juvie?”

“Both, actually,” he admitted. Why conversation had always been easy with her was a perpetual mystery to him. She’d always been out of his league and yet she’d never been rude about what she needed when he tutored her. The sobering thought brought him back to the reason she’d called on him to help.

He bent his head close to hers and whispered in her ear. “There’s more to the problem you had tonight, isn’t there?”

Her hand smoothed a small circle across his shoulder. “Yes.” The serene mask she kept between the world and her emotions fell back into place.

“I’d like to talk about it in more detail.”

“As soon as I’m home I’ll call you and fill you in.”

“No.” Based on who she was, the people around them and the disjointed threats from the hacker and online chat rooms, he didn’t trust her phone or email right now. Knowing how she’d reached out to him, he had a few concerns about the security of his phone and email. “In person is better. Smarter,” he added.

Her body tensed under his hands. “Sam, stop. You’ve done enough for me. I can handle it with the FBI’s help from here.”

“I’m serious, Madison.” He guided her through a turn and brought her closer to his body. “You know the history of this situation. You know the protocols and risks in your world better than I do.”

When concern flared in her eyes, he knew she was following his line of thinking. If she’d used his name from the beginning of her marriage charade, he had reason to worry that his condo might be compromised. It wasn’t simply his fondness for spy novels fueling the paranoia. He and Rush had survived several corporate espionage attempts, from local to global threats. As he’d watched Madison work the room, he realized several people in the Chinese delegation recognized him and were reassessing her because of it. He sensed serious trouble brewing and he needed her insight to get ahead of it.

“How long have people believed I’m your husband?”

Chapter Three

Madison knew precisely what he was asking and she was ashamed for not thinking of it earlier. Her desperate action had put him at risk. She blamed her oversight on being near him, close enough to touch. Holding his hand, having that strong, warm palm pressed against hers, brought her persistent fantasy to life with vivid detail. Despite the crazy twists and turns of the evening, despite knowing there were likely more problems ahead, this past hour with him had been nothing short of a dream come true.

And now she was waking up with a jolt. “Only the security clearance team is aware the wedding set is only for show.” The rings had been enough of a buffer for her, until tonight.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” he stated, executing another perfect turn in the dance.

Of course it didn’t. Sam Bellemere, master of logistics and computer code, was searching for the bug—the flaw—in her story. “I have no reason to believe your home has been compromised.” She pushed the words through the tight smile she kept plastered on her face.

“A good start.”

“I never once used your full name in any conversation or correspondence until tonight.”

She felt more than heard his disbelieving snort. Did he have to push this here and now? She was worn out, had been working toward this evening for the better part of a year. She had a bottle of her favorite wine chilled and waiting at her apartment for her private celebration. “I will tell you the whole story. In person.”

“I know.” His hands flexed, underscoring the inevitability of those two words.

Was that a threat or a promise? Her body had an opinion, but that was nothing new. She’d worked her tail off through high school and college until finally realizing her goal of becoming a liaison with the State Department. The joy had dulled quickly when she ran up against the preconceived notions of men and women from different countries and cultures. It wasn’t a shock, she knew her research, yet facing it head-on day in and day out had challenged her resolve. The illusion of having a husband smoothed out those rough edges and gave her the respect and distance she needed to excel in her position. Even the team who handled her security clearance had been on board with the idea, since there wouldn’t be any issues with questionable romantic relationships.

At the office, with the people who knew her best, she’d found having a particular man in mind made the lie easier. Even if she didn’t share the details of the whirlwind wedding and happy marriage, it gave her story credibility. No need to fabricate height, hair and eye color, or how her husband smiled at her over a shared joke. All she had to do was picture the man dancing with her now.

Sam Bellemere, reclusive, wealthy and brilliant, was the embodiment of her ideal husband and she had no intention of admitting such a thing. At six feet, he was the perfect height for her. His brown hair and brown eyes might sound bland, yet thinking about the flecks of gold in his irises she’d noticed when he tutored her, recalling his exasperation and amusement with her struggle to learn what he mastered so easily, always made her smile. It was those sweet memories that convinced her coworkers she’d found her soul mate.

If only it could be true.

It was impossible to ignore how he’d bulked up as he matured, filling out through the shoulders and everywhere else since high school. He was light on his feet, his muscles firm under his tuxedo. She’d read in an interview that he kept fit by boxing at a gym across town. It was obviously working.

She reeled in her attraction before it became obvious. Her crush on him had begun that first week of his tutoring. No matter where she went, who she met or dated, or how many birthdays she celebrated, he was the standard by which she measured all men. She knew being stuck on a high-school crush was ridiculous. She worried there was something wrong with her emotionally. Every attempt to break through those persistent feelings had failed.

“Madison?”

Tonight was a dream twisted within a nightmare of potential embarrassment. She’d never meant for them to play the happily married couple in public. Her body heated with every sway and step she took near him, believing the impossible. If she were brutally honest, she’d admit her entire system had gone on full alert when he stepped into the security office. Without an ice bath, she didn’t stand a chance of cooling down any time soon.