A Daring Proposition by Jennifer Greene Page B

lips to separate, but kept his arms firmly around her for another moment. His voice was oddly ragged, almost hoarse. “Obviously, that was for Robert. A treat for him on occasion. You did say you want to be sure he thinks we’re…happy, Leigh, didn’t you?”
    And then he let her go.
    It wasn’t for Robert. She didn’t know what he was doing, but he wasn’t merely listing rules. It was deliberate and cold-blooded and… With long strides, Brian had already hastened down the wide marble steps, and she had to run after him. Flushed and furious, she reached the car just ahead of him, managing to get inside and slam the door even before he could open it for her. He slid into the driver’s seat meeting her eyes with an infuriatingly calm half smile.
    “I don’t think there’s much question that we set an exact standard of rules, do you, Red?” His barely suppressed chuckle grated like sandpaper, but then he glanced at his watch with a frown. “I think we both owe ourselves a dinner, but unfortunately, I already have an engagement and I’m late as it is.”
    “Good. If you’re late, I would rather take a taxi home anyway,” Leigh said curtly, her hand on the car door handle.
    He revved the engine, ignoring her. Before she could open the door, he had backed out of the parking space. For the next ten minutes, neither of them said a word. Traffic was thick, inevitably congested around Chicago’s Loop. The gray haze of dusk marked the end of a long autumn day. A chilly breeze was sweeping off Lake Michigan in marked contrast to the warmth of the earlier afternoon, and Leigh felt a chill sweep over her as well, inside and out. The tall, broad-shouldered figure at her side no longer seemed to offer her protection, but spelled danger instead. He was remote, aloof, elementally alone. The antagonism she felt for him filled her, like a glass of bitter tea.
    She almost jumped when he spoke.
    “You know,” he said casually, “something didn’t quite jell there, Leigh. I’ve been under the impression that you either made a devil of a lot of wrong choices—and are as cynical as I am—or that you’re carrying a torch, being faithful to a lover you can’t forget. But back there…I would almost have thought you’d never been kissed before.”
    “Think again,” Leigh said bitterly. “I’ve had enough experiences with men to last me a lifetime!”
    He turned his eyes away from the road for a moment to study her averted face, and when his eyes returned to the traffic he was frowning, his fingers drumming an impatient tattoo against the steering wheel. Leigh sat as far away from him as possible for the rest of the half-hour drive home. Her face averted to the window, she stared at the houses and buildings and stores whirling by as if they were of intense interest to her. In fact, she barely saw them, and she could not help emitting an audible sigh of relief when she caught sight of the wrought-iron fence marking the boundaries of her property.
    Before he’d even stopped the car, she had her right hand on the door handle, but he grasped her other wrist before she could escape. “You can hardly wait to get inside, can you, Red?” he demanded. “You’re going for the four-minute mile to the closest computer.. Will the email calling it off be waiting in my inbox Monday morning?”
    Her lowered eyes spoke for themselves. His fingers reached over and raised her chin. There was extra moisture in her eyes, not quite tears, blurring her vision. He was too close. “Listen,” Brian said harshly. “I broke no faith with you, and I don’t intend to. A few kisses hardly constitutes rape!”
    “All right,” she said softly, calmer now. She needed to believe him. Not for the sake of the child or the marriage, but for herself. She needed to trust someone.
    “Do you want a promise? I would never force you to make love with me, Leigh. Is that black-and-white enough?”
    “Yes,” she admitted, and gave him a tremulous smile