The Beast’s Fake Marriage Read online

  Rowan turned partially. “I would like to know if you will marry me so that I may keep my home. This will only be a marriage on paper. A marriage of convenience, so to speak. Nothing marital will be expected of you at all, and it would only be for a year. Just long enough to fulfill the requirements to keep my home.”

  Surely, she’d heard wrong. He couldn’t possibly be saying what she thought he was saying. “Marry you?”

  He hung his head as he turned to the curtain again. “Yes,” he whispered before speaking normally again. “It’s not ideal for you, I know, but in exchange, I’m offering you a place to live and a million dollars. And while you live here, your needs will be taken care of—clothing, food, entertainment...anything you could think of.”

  “A mil—” That was a lot of dollars.

  Rowan continued. “I wouldn’t ask, but as you can see, I’ve run out of time.”

  She had no idea what to think. Maybe her time as a physical therapist had shaped her view on beauty. He was scarred but certainly not unattractive. At least, not to her. Surely he’d had opportunities with women in the past. His circle of friends couldn’t all be that shallow…could they? People could be cruel, but there had to have been at least someone who saw beyond the scars on his face.

  “Of course, we’ll give you time to think about it. That is, if you are willing to think about it,” Ulysses said. “We know it’s a tall order involving a lot of thought and deliberation.”

  “Your job is secure, even if you say no,” Rowan added, still facing the window. “I want you to know that. So, make your decision, knowing there will be no repercussions. Only, I’ll be moving in the coming weeks, so you’d have a few days off, paid of course.”

  She sat quietly as the conversation sank in. Marriage? A contract? All the money? It was a lot to consider.

  Rowan turned to his uncle. “I told you this was a crazy idea. No one in their right mind will agree to this.”

  Izzy moved to the edge of the chair. “No, I’m not…it is a lot to take in. I’m not saying no, but I do need to think about it. When would you need my answer?”

  She heard a slight gasp from Rowan, but if he was thinking anything, he kept it to himself.

  Ulysses blinked a few times like he was shocked. “Uh, well, as soon as you have one. The sooner the better would be ideal so we can make the arrangements.” He picked up the thick stack of papers in front of him and handed them to her. “This is the contract. It gives all the details and expectations. Read it over as you consider our proposal.”

  “Okay, wow, this is a lot, but I’ll read them and give you my answer as soon as I can.” She stood. “I promise I won’t take too long. I can’t imagine the stress you’re under.”

  Rowan turned his head slightly. “Thank you,” he said and paused. “Why don’t you take tomorrow off? That way, you have time to consider it where you’re most comfortable.” His voice was so somber and resigned. What would Rowan say if she told him she felt most comfortable at his home?

  She’d never felt drawn to someone as much as she did Rowan. Of course, part of it was her crazy need to fix the wounded, but there was also a part of her that felt a kinship with him. He also gave her butterflies, and it had been a long time since she’d felt that way about anyone. What would it be like to get to know him? “All right, I will.”

  Ulysses pushed off the couch and shook her hand. “Izzy, thank you for considering it. We appreciate it.”

  “Sure,” she said as glanced at Rowan, who stood with his shoulders sagging and his head hung down. His sadness tugged at her heart. She understood all too well the feeling of hopelessness.

  She left the office and walked to her car, setting the papers on the passenger seat.

  The entire drive to the apartment had her in a mental debate worthy of a tennis championship. Saying no would break Rowan’s heart and force him to move, but maybe it would be good for him. Then again, it was the home his father had built. A place he felt safe and secure, and she understood the need to feel that, more so than anyone.

  On top of that, Izzy thought of her own needs. The need to move out of Kelsey’s apartment. With a million dollars, she could have her pick of places to live when the year was over. She chuckled. There was no way she could accept a million dollars from Rowan Masters. It felt loathsome thinking about it. Maybe she could have them donate the money to a women’s shelter. That had a great ring to it, and it was definitely something Izzy could get behind.

  At the apartment, she changed into some comfortable clothes and settled on the couch with a cup of hot tea and the contract balanced on her knees. It was detailed with clauses about where she’d stay, what was expected of her—which was exactly what Rowan said, that she wouldn’t be expected to actually be his wife—and how much she’d be paid at the end of the year.

  The door to the apartment opened, and Kelsey stepped in. “Hey.”

  “Hey, how was your day?” asked Izzy.

  “It was good.” She walked to the chair adjacent to the couch and sat. “What’s that you’re reading?”

  Izzy slid the contract off her knees and stretched her legs. “Rowan Masters has asked me to marry him.”

  Kelsey blinked. “Wait. What?”

  “I was dusting in the dining room, and after nearly scaring me to death because I didn’t hear him, he asked me to follow him to his office. His uncle was there too.”

  “And he just asked you to marry him? You two just met.”

  Izzy chuckled. It did sound crazy. “It’s a marriage of convenience. He was in a car accident when he was younger, and his face is covered in scars. From what his nanny and uncle said, his friends treated him horribly, and he’s been a recluse since. When his father died, he wanted to make sure Rowan would have a life, so he put a requirement in his will. If Rowan turns thirty and he isn’t married, he’ll lose his home.”

  Kelsey’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “Are you joking with me?”

  Izzy shook her head. “No. It would only be a marriage on paper. In return, I’d get to live there, and after a year, he’d pay me a million dollars.”

  “And you’re actually considering it? Izzy, this is a big deal. Just two weeks ago, you could barely make it to your car, and now you’re thinking about marrying someone? That’s crazy.”

  “It is. It’s absurdly crazy, but…I don’t know. I feel like I’m supposed to do this. There’s something about him, Kelsey. I don’t know what it is, but—”

  Kelsey’s jaw dropped as she gasped. “You like him. You do! You like him!”

  Izzy rolled her eyes. “I don’t know him. I’ve barely spoken to him. Besides, I’m not ready for that.”

  “So, then, what’s the draw?”

  “I feel like a completely different person since I began working there. It’s like I’ve found myself again. The thing that makes me…me.” She shrugged. “You know, I still think about what happened, and it’s still hard at times. I’m jumpy. I continue to have nightmares, and I’m not sure I’ll ever feel normal again. But I feel like maybe if I throw myself into thinking about someone else, it’ll help.”

  Kelsey chuckled. “Still finding defective toys and tinkering with them, huh?”

  Izzy threw her head back and laughed. “I guess I am.” She’d keep the fact that she thought he was attractive to herself.

  “Now, that’s normal Isabeau. You said you haven’t spent any time with him. How do you know you’ll be happy? How do you know you can tinker with this toy?”

  Izzy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I can’t put my finger on it. There’s just something about him. He’s special, and I’m drawn to him. I have absolutely no other explanation.”

  “I think you should tell him what happened so he knows. I don’t think it’s fair to keep that from him.”

  “No, he doesn’t need to know. Steven’s in jail. That’s all over.”

  “This worries me.”

  Izzy smiled. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

&
nbsp; Kelsey took a deep breath. “So, you’re really going to do this?”

  “Yeah, I think I knew I was going to do it the moment he asked. The sorrow in his voice broke my heart. I think he needs a friend, and I’d like to be that friend.”

  Kelsey put her arm across Izzy’s shoulders. “I haven’t seen you this peaceful in months. I think you’re right. I think this is a project that’s right up your alley.”

  Yeah, it was. Not only could she help Rowan, but she could help a lot of women getting out of bad situations and give Kelsey back her apartment. Izzy smiled to herself. She wasn’t all the way back to being herself yet, but she was getting closer.

  Chapter 4

  Pacing his office, Rowan raked his hand through his hair. “She’s an intelligent woman, which means she has probably quit.”

  “She’s only a few minutes late,” Ulysses said. “Stop fretting.”

  “I’m not fretting. I’m being realistic. I need to face the facts. I’m losing my home because my father loved me so much.”

  “You know your father loved you. He loved you enough to push you. You are a brilliant lawyer who should be representing high-profile clients, pleading cases in front of the Supreme Court. Instead, you hide in this house, and while you’re paid well, your talent is wasted on things that make no difference in the world.”

  Rowan clenched his jaw. “Uncle Ulysses.”

  “No.” His uncle stood. “For once, you’re going to listen. You are not the only one who lost something that night. I lost London, but you don’t see me flinching away from you, do you?”

  Rowan shook his head, recalling the night of the accident. He’d picked up his uncle’s girlfriend from the airport, and on the ride home, he swerved to avoid a deer and ran off the road into a tree. He’d long since dealt with the guilt of London’s death. It was an accident, and there was nothing he could do to change it.

  “I thought I’d never find love again after Madison, but London…London was my everything. We were going to build a life together. So, yes, I love you. I love you so much that I want you to have what I had.”

  Rowan sat down hard on the couch. “I’m sorry, Uncle Ulysses. I just…the thought of losing my home kills me.”

  “I know, and I understand. Ms. Daniels is just late. I’m telling you, she’ll show up. I just have a feeling that she’s…very different from anyone we’ve met before.”

  “Maybe.”

  His uncle sat beside him and leaned back. “If she happens to not show—”

  “I made calls yesterday.”

  “You made calls?”

  Rowan nodded. “I don’t see where I have a choice. It’s a week and a half until I turn thirty. I’m trying to come to terms with what I have to do.”

  “I’m shocked.”

  Rowan grunted. “I am too, but I can’t fight it anymore. My time is up.”

  He let his gaze roam the shelf-lined wall. All the books. Some were his father’s favorites, some his mothers. Pieces of his parents tucked away all around him. If he moved, there was no way he could bring himself to take them with him, to be reminded every day of what he’d lost…beyond his face and body…the memories. It was agonizing.

  A knock came at the door, and Rowan glanced at it. “Come.”

  It slowly opened, and Isabeau poked her head in. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” Rowan sprang off the couch and walked around his desk, keeping his back to the room. He couldn’t believe she’d shown up. His pulse raced as he held his breath. No. That’s all she had to say, and his whole world would change.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late. I had trouble—” She smiled. “Anyway, I’m sorry.”

  Ulysses stood to greet her. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. Late or otherwise.”

  Rowan half turned to her, catching her out of the corner of his eye. Today, she’d worn white slacks and a loose-fitting turquoise blouse, with her hair pulled into a ponytail. Stunning would be a poor word for how incredible she looked.

  His uncle motioned to the chair she’d previously used. “Come on in and sit down.”

  Isabeau perched on the edge.

  “Have you come to a decision?” Ulysses asked.

  “I have,” she said softly. “I’ll marry Rowan, but I have a few changes I’d like to make.”

  What? He couldn’t have heard that right. Rowan spun around, facing her and pulling back his hair to reveal his full scar, not caring a whit if she saw him. “You’re agreeing to this?” He caught his uncle’s gaze and held it. “She’s insane. This won’t stand up in a court of law. They’ll declare her mentally unfit.”

  She tilted her head and smiled. “You didn’t think that when you asked me.”

  “Because I thought you were intelligent enough to say no,” Rowan ground out. “You can’t be seriously accepting this proposal.”

  Isabeau caught his gaze and held it, those green eyes gluing his feet to the floor and his tongue to the roof of his mouth. “I thought you wanted to stay in your home.”

  “I do…I just…why?”

  “I gave this a lot of thought,” she said as she cast her gaze to the floor. “I know what it’s like to feel desperate and alone and scared. I don’t want you to lose your home.” She lifted her gaze to his again. “To be honest, the only thing that kept me from saying yes from the beginning was the money being thrown at me. I don’t want all that money. It’s too much.”

  Rowan’s chest tightened. “You don’t want money?” He didn’t understand. Why would she be willing to marry him if she didn’t want money?

  “If you’re insisting on giving out money, there’s a women’s shelter in Portland that could use it. And I really don’t need a lot of things like clothes or entertainment as long as you’ll let me borrow books from your library. I’d like to save that money so I can have it to find an apartment when the year is up.” She smiled. “If that’s okay.”

  Ulysses smiled as he caught Rowan’s gaze. “I think we can accommodate those changes.”

  “I was hoping you could,” she said. “I don’t mind continuing to clean, either.”

  “You won’t have to do that anymore. We’ll hire someone else,” his uncle said.

  Isabeau touched Ulysses’s arm. “No, don’t do that. It’ll be fine.”

  Rowan slowly eased into his chair as he struggled to understand her motivation. Taking no money, wanting no large monthly stipend…Why would she care if he lost his home? She didn’t have any reason to care.

  “Are you sure?” Ulysses asked. “You’re helping us, and I want to make sure your stay here is as comfortable as we can make it.”

  She smiled. “I appreciate that, but, really, it’s fine.”

  “Okay.” His uncle exhaled heavily. “Izzy, I want to thank you for agreeing to do this. I’ll get the changes made to the contract for you, and we’ll get an account set up with monthly deposits so you have spending money. I’ll make sure it’s more than generous.”

  Isabeau chuckled. “I don’t doubt you will.”

  His uncle smiled at Isabeau and then turned his attention to Rowan. “You know this means you’ll have to leave the house. Both of you will have to go to the clerk to pick up the license. There’s no getting around that. Will you be able to handle it?”

  No, he hadn’t thought of that. He gulped air as a panic attack struck. It had been years since he’d had one. His heart was pounding. The blood was rushing in his ears. He held his midsection as he fought to regulate his breathing.

  Rowan felt cool, delicate fingers cover his hand. “Rowan.”

  He lifted his gaze to Isabeau, but there were no words. And this close, he knew she could see his face. All of it. There was no hiding the marred red skin covering his cheek, neck, and throat. He closed his eyes.

  In the months after the car accident, he’d begged to die. Cried out for it because of the pain. Even after the pain subsided, he still wished he could die, and more than once, he’d…more than contemplated it. Now the feeling was returning so swiftly a
nd so intensely that he nearly doubled over.

  Isabeau took his face in her hands. “Rowan, look at me.” He tried to pull away, but she held him. “Look at me.”

  Slowly, he opened his eyes, and those green eyes were piercing his. “Please…” he pleaded.

  “Just breathe.”

  “I’m trying. I haven’t been in public in years. How can I go out, looking like this?” How could he make her understand?

  Her lips curved up, and her eyes sparkled. “Looking like what? A successful, well-dressed lawyer with gorgeous chocolate eyes and an incredible smile?”

  What was she talking about? Gorgeous eyes and incredible smile? Then her previous employment came rushing back to his memory. This had to be coming from her years as a physical therapist. There was no way she really believed what she was saying. This was how she dealt with her patients to get them to cooperate with her. Tell them what they wanted to hear to make them easier to work with. Patronizing them without them even realizing it. Well, he wasn’t a patient, and he knew what she was doing. He wrenched his face away from her and turned his chair.

  “I’m fine,” he barked. “And, please, don’t lie to me. I can handle just about anything, but lying? I hate it.”

  “But I’m not…”

  “Izzy,” his uncle said. “How about we go find Retta and have her fix us some tea while we chat about what changes need to be made to the contract.”

  “Okay,” she said softly. “But I swear I wasn’t lying.”

  Rowan stood, keeping his back to her with his fists clenched at his side. “Get the contract fixed. I’ll figure out how to deal with the outing to the clerk’s office. Make sure you add no lying into that contract. I don’t need to be handled, Ms. Daniels. I’m a grown man. I had a momentary lapse. It won’t happen again,” Rowan growled.

  “Of course not,” she said barely above a whisper.

  Did her voice tremble? He glanced over his shoulder ever so slightly.

  Isabeau hugged herself and walked back to his uncle.

  Ulysses rested his hand on the small of her back as he guided her to the door. “I’ll get the contract corrected and get it to you tonight, Rowan.”