The Marriage Agreement

He spoke slowly, with a degree of patience he hadn’t known he possessed. “I’m asking you to pose as my wife, Lily. I’m asking you to help me with a job I’m in the midst of. And I’m asking you to trust me.” He eyed her cautiously. “Can you do all of that?”

She looked at him as if he were holding the only life preserver available and she was the sorry creature about to go under for the third time. And then with a deep sigh, she gave her answer. “I can trust you, I think. And I’ll help you with the job you’re in the midst of.

“But I won’t pose as your wife.”

He hung his head, a smile lurking at the corner of his lips. “You won’t pose as my wife? Is that what you said?”

She nodded firmly. “If I didn’t trust you already, Morgan, I wouldn’t be in this room with you. As to the job you’re doing, it can’t be much more dangerous than me running for my life from whoever’s after me.”

He had his doubts about that theory, but decided to hear her out. “So? That doesn’t tell me why you turned me down on the wife part.”

“I listened to one man promise me he’d marry me. Then he dragged me the length of the country, only to admit he’d fed me a string of lies, and I’d fallen for them, hook, line and sinker. The next time I run off with a man, he’ll marry me first, or I won’t go.”

“You want me to marry you?” He was proud of his even tone. The woman couldn’t know how hard his heart was pumping at her declaration. With all her shenanigans, he’d have her in the palm of his hand. He could settle with her once the job was done.

She nodded firmly. “I really don’t want a husband, Morgan, but you’ll do, since I don’t have anyone else lined up for the position. But with one stipulation. Someday when everything is all cleared up, when you’ve finished with me, I want you to take me home. I want my family to think I’ve pulled myself out of the gutter, and having you on my arm just might accomplish that.”

The girl didn’t know what she was getting into, and he wasn’t about to set her straight. He cleared his throat and lifted her from her seat on the edge of his bed. “A couple of things here, Lily. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve never been in the gutter, so we won’t talk about that again. I’ll need to hear the whole story one of these days, but not right now.

“In the second place, I’ll marry you. But know one thing, Lily. You’ll be a real wife to me.” He caught her chin in his palm, and lifted her face, watching as his words penetrated her mind. “You’ve got it right, lady. You’ll be in my bed, and I won’t be put off on that point.”

“You want to do that with me?” she asked quietly.

He could no longer contain his amusement with her naive assumptions. The grin escaped, and with it a soft chuckle. “Doing that isn’t an unpleasant thing for two adults to do together, sweetheart.” His thumb rubbed her jawline reflectively as he watched a flush rise to cover her face. “Trust me on this, Lily. I won’t ever hurt you, and I won’t leap on you like a damn bull just because we speak those words in front of a parson.”

She bit nervously at her upper lip and he rubbed at it with that same thumb. “Don’t do that. Just listen to me.”

“I’ve heard what you have to say, Morgan. And I’m agreeing. I’ll go with you, and I’ll sleep in your bed. But I’ll never be convinced that you can accomplish the thing we’re talking about without me being the one—”

“Enough,” he said softly. “We’ll get to all of that later. For now, let’s make some plans. But first—” He released her chin from his grasp and bent his head to touch her lips with his. He couldn’t resist, and to his astonishment he wasn’t about to try.

“Is this part of the other thing?” she asked dubiously.

He shook his head. “No, this is just called sealing a pact between partners.” And then before she could move away, he brushed against her mouth again, his lips soft and persuasive against hers. Carefully, tenderly, he caressed her, his hands curving around her face, then sliding down to rest against her back, his fingers tracing the slender curves of waist and hips. Then, bringing his palms to rest against her rib cage, he deepened the kiss, touching and tasting the fullness of her lips with his tongue.

She inhaled as he left her mouth still wanting, his caresses moving to explore her throat, and from there to seek out the soft flesh that tempted him. There, beneath her ear, and again to where her blood pumped down the side of her throat. And finally to where her breasts curved above the lace at her neckline. He spent a multitude of kisses on the firmness he found there, finding her unspoken response to be more seductive than he could have imagined.

“Morgan?” It was a gasp of reaction he’d waited for and he lifted his head to smile at her.

“It’s only a kiss, Lily. Only a kiss.”

She blinked and he set her aside, willing to wait until the time was right. Lily would be his. That lush body, the curls that spilled over her shoulders, the tempting lips that held a trembling smile—all would be his. And soon.

“You have that confused look about you, Lily.” May watched her from heavy-lidded eyes and Lily sensed a hidden meaning in the woman’s words. “Like you’re trying to figure out which way to jump.”

“Jump? I’m not sure what you’re talking about, May.”

“About whatever it is Morgan has planned for you. He’s no dummy. He’ll use you for his own purposes, honey. Watch your step.”

“You don’t trust him?” Lily asked, fingering the sheet music Charlie had offered for her perusal.

“The question is, do you?” May took one of Lily’s spiral curls on the tip of her index finger and stretched it out to its full length, then released it, smiling as it resumed its original place. “He’s taken with you, that’s a given. But the man has secrets, girl, and you might be on the verge of a disaster.” She tilted her head and considered Lily for a moment.

“I saw a drawing that caught my eye, Lily. It was on a poster, dockside. When I looked again to be certain of my suspicions, it was gone.”

A feeling of dread blossomed within her as Lily stared in disbelief. “You saw it? You recognized me?”

May smiled. “It was a very good likeness, honey. But you really look more like a Lily than a woman named Yvonne.”

“I thought I’d killed a man, May. Now I find that he’s still alive and on my trail.”

“I knew you had secrets of your own, first time I saw you,” May said. She held up a warning hand. “Don’t get it in your mind that I’m after a reward. My mouth is shut when it comes to Yvonne Devereaux, but everyone else on this boat might not feel the same way I do. Just don’t let Morgan talk you into anything you won’t be able to get out of.”

The pause was short, but her heart pounded in her ears as Lily considered her words. And then they were spoken on an indrawn breath. “Like marriage?”

“Marriage? You’re going to marry him?” May’s demeanor underwent a sudden change as she sat down in a chair. “And how will that help you?” Her eyes narrowed as she seemed to consider the idea. “Or will it be for Morgan’s benefit? Is he planning on using you for cover?”

“What do you know about him?” Lily asked softly.

“Not a whole lot, but enough to recognize a man at work.” She glanced toward the piano, where Charlie played the song they were to practice. “I think it’s safe to say that Gage Morgan is not what he appears to be, Lily. Just watch your step.”

She rose and beckoned toward the sheet music Lily held. “Let’s go over this again, Charlie. From the beginning. I think we’ve got it now.” And with a short introduction, Charlie began the chords that supported their voices, allowing them to mingle in close harmony, May toning down her more powerful voice to suit Lily’s softer tones.

Even as her voice rose, and her skills blended with May’s accomplished presentation, Lily thought of the man she had left in the cabin. He was indeed a surprise package, and unless she was prepared to offer him her trust, their alliance could not work.

He’d been kind to her, even considering the bruises his hands had left on her arms and shoulders. His anger had marred her skin and she’d watched as he’d inspected the areas where his fingers had gripped her.

“I’m sorry,” he’d said quietly, and then his mouth curved in a rueful smile. “I’ve had to apologize twice for hurting you. It won’t happen again.”

But if she allowed herself to care for him, the pain she might face in the future would be all the worse, once his work was finished and she became a hindrance to him. And who was she trying to fool, she wondered. As if she weren’t already mightily attracted to the man. He was handsome and appealing, even given the harshness of his appearance and the cold deliberation that drove his actions.

She was between the devil and the deep blue sea, as the saying went, and the water was getting deeper by the hour.

“It’s been a problem finding you all alone lately.” The man who spoke remained in the shadows beneath the overhang on the top deck, where he would likely be unnoticed by anyone. His words were low, but alive with a taunt Morgan could not ignore.

“I knew you’d find me once you had news for me. As to the other, I’m setting the stage for my next move.”

“That’s one way of putting it, I suppose,” the messenger said. “I’d say your job has benefits.”

“Not a word about Lily,” Morgan warned. “You’ve never heard of the woman in case anyone asks you.”

“Oh, they’ll be asking all right. By the time we dock tomorrow there’ll probably be lawmen waiting for the boat.”

“I won’t be on it,” Morgan told him. “Nor will Lily.”

“I figured that out already. I’ve got a skiff waiting to take you to shore after she finishes this show.”

Morgan fished his pocket watch out and snapped open the lid. “Sure beats swimming, to my way of thinking. We’ll be there in an hour. Make a commotion of some sort to cover us.”