MARRIAGE-BARGAIN

chapter 4

Ah, hell.

Why did he have to be so damned gorgeous?

She snuck a glance at him as she paced. A vulgar curse rose to her lips but she forced it back down. Growing up, she used to sneer and call

him Pretty Boy because of his golden hair. Those youthful curls had been tamed into a short, conservative cut, but some unruly strands fell

across his brow in stubborn rebellion. The colors had deepened with time, but reminded her of Chex mix cereal, ranging from honey blond to

wheat. His features had hardened—his jaw now slightly chiseled. Perfect white teeth flashed at her during that brief smile. His eyes were the

same deep chestnut, and veiled secrets kept firmly locked behind a wall. But his body...

He'd always been active, but when he crossed the room the elegant fabric of his oatmeal colored pants moved and bent to his will, outlining

long muscular legs and taut buttocks. The V-necked tan sweater was both casual and appropriate for the office on a Saturday.

Some parts were totally inappropriate. The corded length of his arms. The broad shoulders and chest that stretched and molded the fabric.

The deep bronze of his skin as if he had been lying in the sun for hours. The animal litheness of his movements. He had grown up, and he

was no pretty boy. Nick Ryan was all hot-blooded man—and still looked at her as Maggie's little playmate. When their eyes locked, there was

no recognition, no appreciation. Just a distant friendliness afforded to someone from his past.

Well, she'd be damned if she let her tongue loll out of her mouth just because he was attractive. His personality still sucked. The big B for

Boring. The big D for Dull. The big...

She pushed that thought out of her mind.

Alexa hated the fact that his presence made her nervous and a bit giddy. One week ago, she'd cast a love spell, and Earth Mother had

listened. She had her money and could save her family's home. But what the hell had happened to her list?

The man before her struck out on everything she believed in. This was no love match. No, this was business, pure and simple, and so very

cold. While her memory of their first kiss dragged from the recess of her mind, she bet he'd forgotten the moment completely. Humiliation

wriggled through her. No more. Would Earth Mother really not allow her the number one requirement on her list? She took a deep breath and

spoke. "One other thing."

"Yes?" he asked.

"Do you watch baseball?"

"Of course."

Her stomach pitched with tension. "Do you have a favorite team?"

He smirked. Literally smirked. "There's only one New York team."

Alexa fought past the nausea and asked the question. "Which one?"

"The Yankees, of course. It's the only team that wins. It's the only team that matters"

She took deep belly breaths, which she'd learned in yoga class. Could she marry a Yankees fan? Would she be giving up all her morals and

ethics? Could she stand being married to a man who made logic his God and thought monogamy was a female thing?