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other. “You think I’d really give your things away? God, Cass, what kind of man do you think I am?”
    “You just said you would. But no, I don’t suppose you are that kind of man. You are the kind of man willing to hold me captive while my sister struggles to take care of my niece on her own. And yes, I know I wasn’t guiltless in all of this, but it doesn’t speak highly of you now either, does it?”
    His eyes darkened and he uncrossed his legs.
    With a low growl he moved forward in the chair, rose and met her. Eyes glowering he said, “You’re right that you’re not guiltless.”
    A reminder. Again. She knew it was her own fault but she felt angry for the situation she was in. She just wanted to help her family, dammit! A child shouldn’t be torn from its family just because there aren’t enough resources to help those who truly need it. Human life should be worth more than that. “You could have helped me without using me,” she challenged.
    “You tried to blackmail me.”
    She crossed her arms.
    He crossed his.
    They stared each other down in a space so tight that if either took a deep breath they would bump into the other.
    His blue eyes rolled, torrid emotions visible just beneath the surface. And his chin showed stubble from a long day. She felt overwhelmed by his scent. She felt an overwhelming desire to lock her hands in his hair and pull him in for the most knee-bending kiss he’d experienced in his life.
    Instead she waited.
    Finally, he blinked. Stepped back. Walked away. “Dinner should be ready shortly,” he offered over his shoulder. “I will be going out, but Abigail can get you situated in the dining room.”
    “You aren’t staying for dinner?” The thought hurt more than made sense.
    Nothing made sense, truthfully. Why would he keep her here if he didn’t plan to spend time with her? He’d told her they must act as husband and wife. In his world, did husbands not eat with their wives?
    “I have a meeting.” He didn’t turn around. Didn’t look at her.
    She wouldn’t beg. “Fine.”
    “I’ll have Gayle make arrangements for the rest of your belongings to be brought over tomorrow. We can’t sublet the apartment because it would seem as if you’d be going back. We can’t allow people to think that.”
    Exasperated, she asked, “Who would think that?”
    “Does it matter?”
    She wanted to stay stubbornly mute, but couldn’t. “I’m subletting it. We’ll say whatever we have to say, I’m sure you have some PR guy out there somewhere who can find the right spin.”
    He turned. “I had Gayle put an announcement in the paper. Announced that we’d been married and that you’d been away taking care of family issues. As true as can be said, don’t you think?”
    “There’s something I don’t get, Stephen.”
    He quirked an eyebrow.
    “A month ago you were set on hiding me. Now you’re dying to show me off. A month ago I thought you were a struggling artist, now I know you live in Fairlawn. Can you tell me...no, never mind.”
    “What?” he asked, though the dark wariness in his eyes were earned.
    “How much does a person have to hate themselves to hide so much from someone they say they love?” The look of contempt that came from her statement made her look away. She’d known Stephen when he was passionate. When he would empty his pockets for a homeless person. The man before her now was not the same man. This man seemed calculating. He had everything planned out and would not deviate.
    She could not fall in love with this man. No matter how much he looked like the old Stephen.
    Crossing the room, he went through a set of double doors. A closet, she realized. “You have to appear as my wife, Cassie,” he said through the opening. “That’s the deal. If you don’t want this, I can always get the money back. You haven’t written it over yet, have you?”
    She sat on the edge of the bed. “This afternoon. And you know I can’t go back.”
    “I