April Fool Bride Read Online Free Page B

pass muster,
there's no point in further negotiations."
    Maddie looked murderous. "You are crude, and
vulgar, and obnoxious."
    "Sticks and stones, Red." Jake yawned. "It
was real nice catching up with you on old times. We'll have to do
it again in another decade." He snapped his fingers. "How about
when you finally get access to that trust fund? We could have one
hell of a party."
    Maddie may have grown up and learned how to
present a calm facade, but he saw she still struggled to control
her temper. She blushed from hairline to neckline. He couldn't help
but wonder if that rosy glow extended to her breasts. He felt his
own body tighten at the prospect. He'd give it another minute
before she walked out.
    To his surprise, she stood, unzipped her long
coat, shrugged out of it, and tossed it across the kitchen chair.
Defiantly, her flashing green eyes met his gaze. Her chin lifted
and her lips pressed together as if to keep what she thought firmly
behind her teeth.
    Jake felt sucker punched. She wore a tight
red sweater and black slacks that hugged her long legs. His eyes
traveled slowly over her surprisingly full breasts, not humongous
but nicely rounded. Her waist was small and her hips curved.
Definitely no skinny butt. The flare of her hips made him want to
stroke her curves. Little Maddie Quinn wasn't so little any
more.
    "Well?" she snapped. "Do I pass inspection?"
She stood as stiff as if her backbone had been starched. Her arms
were straight at her side, and her hands fisted.
    Jake wanted to tell her that she wasn't just
acceptable. She was drool-worthy. He wanted to touch her. Pull her
into his arms and stroke her until she was pliant rather than stiff
with outrage. "You'll do," he managed to say. "I think people would
believe that I could fall for you."
    "I'm so relieved." Maddie's green eyes burned
with resentment.
    How far should he take this? "Okay. Here's my
counter offer. Two hundred twenty-five thousand base with a signing
bonus of thirty thousand and a termination bonus of forty-five.
Plus all the benefits, etcetera."
    "You certainly have a high opinion of your
worth." Maddie crossed her arms beneath her breasts, drawing his
eyes despite his resolve not to look there again. She paced. "Okay.
I think I can scrape together thirty thousand."
    "Yeah, just postpone a shopping trip or
two."
    "Fine," she snapped. "But you have to sign a
prenuptial agreement, a marriage contract, and an ironclad
nondisclosure agreement. If Constance has any reason to challenge
me, you get nothing."
    Jake was taken aback. He had no idea that she
would agree to his outrageous counteroffer. She really must be
desperate. Personally, the idea of sticking it to Constance did
hold appeal. A hell of a lot of appeal. The woman deserved some
righteous payback. He was the one man Constance Quinn would never
welcome as a husband for Maddie. Maybe he still felt some anger at
Maddie too. It was her spoiled impulsive act nine years ago that
had set that night's events in motion. True, he'd got to where he
wanted, but it had been a hell of a lot harder than it should have
been.
    Was he seriously considering this? He looked
at Maddie and felt that throb in his groin. Who was he kidding? She
made him hot. Everything about her made his pulse quicken. Even the
perfume she wore--jasmine maybe--made him think of having her on a
hot summer night. He imagined Maddie beneath him in the dark, that
scent wrapping around them. Sure, he was considering it. Why not?
Constance Quinn deserved it. He imagined the look on her face when
he strolled in as Maddie's husband. The ice queen had trampled him
under her feet nine years ago. Maybe it was time for him to return
the favor.
    Maddie picked up her coat. "Do you agree to
all of the terms I mentioned?"
    "The money's okay. The nondisclosure
agreement is okay, and so is the prenup. But what's this other
thing, the marriage contract you mentioned?"
    To his surprise, she looked discomfited.
"It's just a document that