The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride by Elizabeth Lennox

avoided.”
     
    He almost chuckled at her avoidance of the word “sex”.  She was cute, he’d give her that.  And was she always this formal?  She stood stiffly in front of him, her head bowed except when she was indignant.  She certainly had the timid little mouse act down to a science.  He’d been fooled, and it was extremely rare that he missed judging a person.  He’d become an expert at reading people but this little beauty had thrown him off. 
     
    “Secondly, since the terms of this agreement are that I need to impregnate you, and a DNA test is required, I will not allow this process to be slowed down by you getting pregnant by another man’s child.  Do I make myself clear?”
     
    She was horrified by his insinuation but was so embarrassed that he thought he needed to bring that sort of issue up, she couldn’t even form a reply.  Memories of her father’s tirades flashed through her mind and accusations of sleeping with just about any man she’d come int o contact with were still fresh and painful. 
     
    She stood up to her full height, her chin jutting out defensively.  “I can guarantee questions of the parentage of any child conceived through our efforts will not be in question.”
     
    She hadn’t said that she wouldn’t sleep with other men, just that the child’s parentage wouldn’t be in question.  He’d like to know how she was going to guarantee that, but he’d just have to put a guard on her to ensure that she wasn’t sleeping around during the period when they were trying to conceive. 
     
    With that, he stepped away and walked quickly to the waiting limousine, not even waiting for her.  Emma took a deep breath and followed him, wishing she could run back into the house and hide.  But her hiding days were over.  This was her new life and she needed to face up to the challenges, not run from them. 
     
    Two hours later, she stood next to Jason in a judge’s chambers.  The Judge’s two assistants were acting as their witnesses and Jason stood beside her, not even taking her hand while his friend started the ceremony. 
     
    There was no mention of God, no prayers to lay upon them or blessings of the union.  It was a simple ceremony, finished within five minutes of their arrival.  At the end, the judge smiled broadly and finally announced the part Emma had been dreading ever since she’d thought about it. 
     
    The kiss!
     
    The judge chuckled and looked up at Jason.  “You man kiss the bride,” he said, encouraging Jason to turn and face Emma to put the seal on the marriage. 
     
    Jason wished he could knock his friend’s teeth out.  He’d asked Todd Jeffrey’s, a judge in the criminal court system and a personal friend of Jason’s, to officiate at the ceremony.  Todd wasn’t one to spread gossip but he also wasn’t one to let an opportunity pass.  He just had no idea that Jason’s new bride had been shivering from the moment they’d stepped out of the lawyer’s office and he could feel her shaking increase now that he was about to kiss her. 
     
    He took her hands in his, squeezing her freezing cold fingers for encouragement.  He didn’t want her to be frightened, but he couldn’t seem to reassure her.  Why she was nervous anyway, he had no idea.  Maybe it was just because it was the first time a man had touched her with the eyes of the law on her side.  Or maybe she just didn’t like an audience. 
     
    Either way, he didn’t care.  He was going to kiss those full, red lips.  He was finally going to taste their sweetness and know their softness.  He’d been dreaming about them at night, thinking about them during meetings and there was no way in hell she was getting out of this part of the ceremony, audience or not. 
     
    Just a short kiss, something to ease his curiosity and they’d be on their way.  Jason pulled her closer, noting that she was stiff and looking as if she were terrified of what he was about to do.  He wanted to