Paper Marriage Proposition by Red Garnier

gradually, so methodically she wouldn’t even realize how fiercely he wanted her….
    “You’re not seducing her already, and that’s not like you. Why isn’t she in your bed? I’m telling you. You’re falling.”
    “Garrett?”
    Garrett continued to nod direly. “Falling big-time, bro.”
    “Shut up, moron.”
    But his brother had a point here, a very valid point.
    If he wasn’t careful, he was going to fall for his own fake wife before he’d even bedded her.



Seven
    S core one point for the avengers.
    And zero for the pig.
    Beth was humming the next morning, she was so pleased about last night.
    She hummed during her shower, she hummed as she brushed her hair, she hummed as she selected the shoes she would wear—a pair of classic Mary Janes—and mentally planned all the test recipes she would be posting on Kate’s new website.
    Kate had mentioned wanting to expand her catering business, create a blog, menus, an online site. Last night Beth had asked Landon to borrow one of his computers and had delved into the task with the sight of being able to do something from home, when she regained custody of David.
    So Beth had stayed up late last night, inspired and invigorated, because things were changing.
    More than just her residence had changed.
    Beth was different. She was taking charge of her life—she was getting David back.
    And this time, she was going to keep him forever.
    Landon, however, was not humming when she spotted him downstairs. He was on the phone, his tone crisp.
    “In an hour. At the office. Right. I want him on the job starting today.”
    He hung up. Beth said, “Good morning.”
    She went to the coffeemaker on the buffet table, scooping grounds into a basket. Then assessed him from the corner of her eye as she waited for the coffee to start trickling.
    He looked so sharp. In a black suit and tie, clean-shaven, his dark hair still damp from a recent shower and slicked back to reveal his hard-boned face. Lord, he was striking. But this morning…brooding somehow.
    His hands were thrust inside his pockets, but Beth wasn’t fooled by the casualness of that pose. Upon further inspection, she realized his expression was positively morose.
    Puzzled, she took a seat at a small round game table, and Landon surveyed her with slitted eyes. What was up with him today?
    “Did I miss something?” she asked, frowning.
    He made a noncommittal sound, as though whatever he’d been about to say couldn’t quite be said, and shook his head like the situation was dire.
    His expression made Beth’s unease increase tenfold. “What?”
    “Who told Halifax of the engagement party? You?”
    Her hands began to shake so hard, she set down her coffee mug before she spilled it all over herself. Something tumultuous charged the air. Landon looked…enraged. “I called David, remember? You said I could invite him.”
    “And who did you speak to? Hector?”
    She frowned in consternation and her stomach churned uncomfortably. “Anna, the housekeeper. She’s become a nanny to him, I think. Why? Why do you have that look on your face?”
    He reached for the sofa, then flung a newspaper for her to see. “The picture today in every newspaper except the Daily is not ours. It’s of Halifax.”
    Beth gasped as she spotted Hector’s loathed face staring back at her from the black and white picture. “No!”
    The headline was even more disgusting than Hector.
    Gage and Lewis engaged in illicit affair long before wedding date…
    “Yeah,” he said, tightly, and slammed his fist into the table. “Hell, yeah.”
    Panic bubbled up inside her. “God! You’re the owner of a newspaper, can’t you do something?”
    “Beth, it wasn’t just the Daily covering the party, it was the Houston Chronicle , the Dallas Morning News , even the Enquirer , for God’s sake.”
    “And that is my fault, how?” Beth pushed her chair back, the outrage that swept her so intense her voice trembled. “I’m sorry it didn’t go as