His grandmother put her hand on top of their entwined fingers. “Thank you for loving my baby, Anna. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

* * *

“Oh God, I shouldn’t have done that.” Anna wrapped her arms around her waist. She felt nauseated. Dizzy with remorse. “Your grandmother didn’t deserve any of those lies, but especially mine.”

Cole pulled her out of the hallway and in through the nearest door, a linen supply closet.

“You did a good thing, Anna. You made her happy. Just like I knew you would.”

“But none of it was true.”

“All of it is true.”

“You just twisted your story to fit the situation.”

“Damn it, Anna, I did see you across a crowded room. You do have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. And we really are married.”

And she supposed he was right, all of those things were true. Especially since not once had he mentioned love anywhere in there, not to her, not to his grandmother.

So, then, why was she still stupid enough to long so desperately for his love?

“I can’t do that again, Cole. I can’t stand pretending to be someone I’m not.” She hugged herself tighter. “I made good on my side of the deal. Now it’s time to make good on yours.” She lifted her gaze to his and held it. “I want a divorce. Today.”

“What if my grandmother finds out?”

Anna shook her head. “No one knows we’re married, so no one will know we got a divorce. I’m sorry. I know how hard it must be for you, but I can’t keep bending my moral code for you.”

“You’re right. You shouldn’t make the decision to stay married to me for her. Or even for me.” He paused, dropped his gaze to her mouth with such desire her traitorous lips actually tingled. “You should do it for yourself.”

“How could I possibly want to stay in a fake marriage to you for myself?”

The supply room suddenly seemed too small as he moved closer and she backed into a laden metal shelf.

“Remember what you said to me last night, sweet Anna, about how you’d never even had the chance to do something crazy that you could regret in the morning?”

“Well, I sure have now.”

“And was it enough?”

“Yes.”

“Now you’re the one who isn’t telling the truth, aren’t you?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He didn’t come any closer, didn’t press his hard body against hers, simply brushed the back of one hand against the side of her neck.

“Now that Pandora’s box is open, you’re wondering what else there is in there, aren’t you?”

Yes.

“No.”

“Tell me, sweet Anna, how has lying to yourself about what you need worked so far?

How many nights have you spent like the one we had last night? How many do you think you’ll have if you run now?”

Her breath was coming too fast. Her body was heating up too much. Her brain was scrambling, leaving her without a retort.

Without the strength to do what she knew she needed to do.

Without the will to do the right thing.

“You want to know crazy. I know crazy.” Now his voice was a low, seductive whisper against her skin. “Last night was nothing, Anna.”

Unbidden, a movie reel of their lovemaking played in her head. God, the things he’d done to her so far had already blown her mind.

There was more?

She’d never survive it.

“All I’m asking is that you stay until—” He obviously couldn’t finish his sentence. “If you stay—if you let my grandmother think that our marriage is a real one—I promise to make it worth your while.”

“I told you, I don’t want your money or jewelry.”

“I’m not talking about those things, sweetheart. I’m talking about pleasure. About coming so hard you black out. About finally experiencing everything you’ve been waiting for and wondering about.”

“No.”

She pushed away from him and blindly fought for the door. He was asking her to become a slave to her body. To reckless desire. He was asking her give up her morals in exchange for more pleasure than she could imagine.

And she’d been about to say yes.

“Wait a second, Anna. Don’t go out there. Not yet. We need to talk first, figure things out.”

Did he really think she was going to turn around and let him “convince” her some more?

She was done talking.

She pushed through the heavy door and walked into a wall of photographers...and suddenly realized why he hadn’t wanted her to leave the building.

She’d forgotten that Cole was a famous football player.

And their marriage was big news.

Big enough news that if they went straight from the hospital to the courthouse to get a divorce, his grandmother would be reading about it on the front page of the newspaper's afternoon edition.

Frozen in place, Anna was actually glad to feel Cole's warm arms encircle her waist from behind. The way she sank into the relative security of his body wasn't an act for the cameras.

He pressed a kiss to her cheek and she heard his faint urging, “Smile, baby,” a split-second before he told the crowd, “Last night, Anna made me the happiest man on earth.”

And then, as flashbulbs blinded her and journalists pelted them with questions, Cole maneuvered the two of them across the parking lot and into his car.

Chapter Nine

“I need to go home, Cole.”

“I thought we had a deal.”

Anna blew out a frustrated breath. As they'd driven back to the Wynn, they’d agreed that she’d remain his wife for as long as she had to. Now they were back at the hotel and she was staring down the barrel of who-knew-how-long as Mrs. Cole Taylor.

“We do have a deal,” she said. Although neither of them had spoken again about what he’d said to her in the supply room.

I’m talking about pleasure. About coming so hard you black out. About finally experiencing everything you’ve been waiting for and wondering about.

“But I have a job.” And a family that was going to demand an explanation.

“Tell the school you’re on your honeymoon. They can get a sub.”

More tempted than she would ever admit—especially to herself—she said, “Maybe that’s how things work in your world, but for us normal people we either go to work Monday through Friday or they give our job to someone who will.”

“I don’t want to leave my grandmother.”

Every time she’d convinced herself to be good and irritated with him, he said something that pulled hard on her heartstrings.

“I’m sorry, Cole, I would stay if I could.” Sadly enough, she was telling the truth. Fake marriage or not, she was powerfully—stupidly—drawn to the man standing in front of her.

His phone rang. “It’s her,” he told Anna, before picking up. “Yes, I know she’s beautiful.

Very sweet, Grandma. I knew you’d love her.”

His eyes ate her up as he spoke and the only way to hide her flush—and her growing desire—was to bend over her bag and pretend to pack. Even though she’d finished earlier that morning.

“The team will survive without me.”

She lifted her head at his abrupt change of tone.

“I’m staying here.” He paused, listened, frowned. “It’s my life, Grandma, not yours.”

Anna lifted her hand to hide her smile. It really was something to watch such a big, strong, tough man be such a softie. All for a woman he loved dearly.

“Fine, I’ll play the damn game Sunday. But I’m flying right back.”

Another pause, one where he looked like one of her first graders who knew he’d spoken out of turn.

“Sorry, ma’am,” he said, and then, “Well, if you want me to stay in San Francisco with the team for practices, then I want you transferred to a nearby hospital.” His face was like thunder. “We’ll talk about this again soon.”

He all but threw the phone down on the couch.

“Grandma is sending me back to California.”

Anna knew she shouldn’t be happy to hear it.