Awaken to Pleasure by Nalini Singh

for six.”
    “But not happy.”
    “No.” A bald truth.
    “Why chance that again?” Despite her concern for Nick, she remembered the deep sorrow she’d sometimes glimpsed in Jackson’s eyes. That hidden pain had only deepened since their last meeting.
    Something terrible had happened. Something worse than Bonnie’s affair, her suicide and the ensuing media frenzy. Whatever it was, it had wounded him terribly. She couldn’t bear to cause him more pain. Worry for Nick and Jackson collided. How could she buy one’s joy with the other’s unhappiness? She couldn’t. Both her men deserved better.
    And so did she.
    “I hardly think you’ll take up drugs and spiral into depression. You care too much for Nick.” He spoke of their marriage as if it were only a business arrangement. As if the tender kiss last night had never happened. Perhaps that powerful moment of trust had meant nothing to him, used as he must be to far wilder displays of passion.
    “As for Nick having every advantage, I’ll set up a trust fund for him, to be his whether we’re together or not.” He walked over to stand at the foot of the stairs, looking down at her from his considerable height.
    She narrowed her eyes, worry about his reasons for the proposal, and confusion over her own feelings, momentarily overridden by irritation. He’d better not offer her money as well or she’d scratch out his eyes. She had no pride where Nick was concerned but for herself, she had plenty.
    “I’d make sure you were taken care of,” he began, his hand on the banister.
    “Stop right there.” Putting down her cup, she stood up on the second step, level with his face. “The only reason I’m considering this crazy idea is because it will help me keep my brother. I don’t want your money!” In her anger, she didn’t stop to consider why he’d offer to sweeten the deal, when she was the one without options.
    “I’d be asking you not to work while you were my wife, even though I’d lose the best secretary I ever had.”
    “Why not?” She put her hands on her hips. This reasonable man was not the passionate, wild creature she knew. Where was her Jackson?
    “More than half my business is done via social events. Bonnie alienated a large number of people we need to woo back. You’d be working, but in a way that the outside world would never appreciate.” He continued in that calm and practical way, stoking her simmering temper.
    “If we separated, it would be difficult for you to get back into the workforce. It’s only fair that I give you something to tide you over. You’d never use Nick’s trust fund and it would hurt him if you were without resources.”
    “You really know how to hit the jugular don’t you?” Her tone was sharp.
    “It’s a skill.” His voice was uninflected but she knew that she’d hurt him.
    Why had she done that? Was it because she was afraid of what he made her feel? She’d vowed to never love a man as much as her mother had, because she knew that in some ways, she was the same as Helena. They both loved with a passion that could be destructive if it wasn’t returned.
    Her mother had loved the man she’d had an affair with, and she’d ended up loving Lance, too. Her suffering when they’d both thrown her aside like used tissues had been fatal. Taylor never intended to be in that position—never would she allow herself to be that vulnerable. Except sometimes, Jackson made that ultimate weakness seem tempting.
    Unable to bear his hurt, she reached out to touch his cheek, rough with five o’clock shadow. “I’m sorry.”
    “There’s nothing to be sorry for.” He didn’t move away from her touch, but neither did he show any reaction.
    She pushed her hand into his thick hair while he stood there, letting her do whatever she wanted. “Don’t you ever get angry, Jackson? Flat-out mad?”
    “No.” He looked into her eyes, completely cold.
    “No, you just go icy,” she whispered. He’d yelled at her in the