When A Marriage Of Convenience Sparks A Dangerous Passion

ologist, expecting a straightforward remedy for my unsettled stomac

d, you're pregnan

face contorting into a forced, bewildered

chance of a mistake?" I faltered, my

unfazed, replied without a hint of doubt, "All you

, "The nausea and gagging that's been plaguing you? It's ju

within me. "Impossible, how could

don with Jaxton Saunders, our inhibitions drowned out by alcohol. In the haze that followed, the critical th

fleeting lapse. How cou

clutched in my trembling hands, my min

l him about the baby. I could

one I'd met in a hazy, alcohol-fue

n fleeting moments of pleasure. All I really knew about him was his name and the fact tha

ng a child with him

ing my body's

d by the buzzing of my phon

w Jaxton's name flas

and his deep, smooth voice filled the air.

d. A midday rendezvous

r a little while," he a

this moment as the golden opportunity to discuss

erator hard and sped toward what we a

with my bag, rehearsing my planned speech, be

od-towering, elegantly dressed, with

y well-prepared words d

zed my wrist with a swift tug and pulled

both, his movements decisive, until we co

tive presence would s

the bedroom had been the hook since our first, hazy encounter-a reas

t firmly, sitting up straight, and clutching my shir

ixed a perplexed frown on me, cle

ss, unrestrained spirit, so this

his gaze bored into me with such intensity. It wasn't quite the murd

oubt was not to my liking, so I met his fro

but instead, he responded with a snide,

ng me to shoot him a sharp, sidelong glare a

you as the cool, drama-

implying?" I

commitments, just enjoyment," he answered. "But

ing as stone, and his voic

pausing momentarily before erupting into hearty laughter. "Mr. Saunders, you're drowning i

better not be mine," he snapped, tension vibrating in his tone. "And even

portant. Do you really think a woman like me-who has no reservations about casual flings, with a history longer than a drugstore receipt-

a strange pang of disapp

for sweet sentiments or expectations-yet, was it too much

ardened further as he leaned in, his movements deliberate. He reached for his suit jacket hanging on the coat hook, retrieved his wallet with a swift ge

pact against my cheek sharp-like a se

nd despite my resilience, a sharp pa

suppress a bitter laugh. I picked up the card between m

housand," he r

in two and flung the pieces aside. Then I delved into my own bag, extracted a different card, and sauntered up to him. Slipping the card into

azed with f

re, offering him a bril

tle of shames, I was fully equippe

barb with a smirk. "Should finances ever tighten, remember my number-I've always app

sive flick of my wrist, I walke

bled. I leaned heavily against the cold meta

magnitude hadn't s

chasing certifications through sleepless nights, and embracing my ca

ng the deep-seated stains life

iercely that the shadows of my past woul

nce saw me as nothing more than filth would one day strain their

rivial fling, a blip not w

ng the