not spending my valuable time with a bunch of kids,” he snapped, his eyes flashing. “No way. Can’t they get football coaching at school?”
“They could use some personal attention.”
His dry laugh held no humor. “I’m not coaching any kids. Forget it, Emily! I don’t want to deal with kids!” he exclaimed, losing his poise.
She’d stayed awake until four in the morning contemplating her future and weighing options. This was an opportunity to get what she wanted from him and at the same time to shake up his world and exact payment for his deception. Never again would she have such leverage with him. She didn’t intend to back off now even if it cost her the million and the marriage, which was doomed, anyway.
“I don’t imagine you do. But then, I don’t want to move back in with you,” she replied, trying to sound nonchalant and indifferent. In addition to getting back at him, she wanted to help the boys. And deep down, she knew Jake was still the person who was good to his family and good to friends. She suspected if she could reach him and make him really look at some of the world’s problems, he’d do more to help solve them. Right now, she knew she was in for a battle.
“No,” he said flatly. “That’s an unreasonable demand. I use my time in far more productive ways.”
“Productive to you. If you don’t want to meet my terms, okay. We’ll get our lawyers and dissolve our marriage,” she said, her heart drumming. The air crackled with static as they clashed.
He stared at her and she stared back. She was glad she was across the room from him, because her heart was racing violently. Never in her life had she threatened anyone, but she was desperate and furious.
Silence stretched between them, taut sparks of friction flying. Silence and indecision was so unlike him, and her edginess grew. She knew he was trying to think of something—anything—to get what he wanted and avoid meeting her terms. He was a formidable adversary. That was the only way she saw him now—as an opponent.
She waited, uncertain whether to keep quiet or urge him to give her an answer. He stood as still as a statue, his expression impassive. She heard a car horn honk far in the distance, disrupting the silence that enveloped them like fog.
“Well?” she asked finally, certain he could hear her hammering heart.
“Dammit! I’ll give you two million if you cut my coaching the kids,” Jake bargained. “That’s a damned good offer.”
As elation bubbled in her, she tried to remain expressionless and composed. He wanted to bargain and he hadn’t come up with anything that gave him an advantage.
She shook her head, hoping she continued sounding nonchalant. “My offer is firm—no coaching, no deal,” she said.
“I won’t do it, Emily. You’ll lose the million.”
“So be it,” she answered, and prayed that she remained firm.
He glared at her and she knew he was thinking over options. “I won’t be any good at working with a bunch of teens.”
Again she had another surge of exhilaration. He hadn’t turned her down. “You know a lot about football,” she reminded him. “They’re kids. You know more than they do. You’ll be very skilled at it. You’re successful at everything you do.”
“I know nothing about teenage kids.”
“Not so, Jake. You were one, once. You had friends. If nothing else, you’ll muddle through somehow. Coach them or I walk out of your life,” she threatened, praying she seemed confident. “It’s only a handful of kids. You don’t have a qualm about standing in front of a boardroom filled with executives who want to tear you to pieces. You thrive on competition. These kids will look up to you. I’ll even go with you the first time and introduce you.”
“Let me get this straight—if I give in to your demands, you’ll stay the six months in my house as my wife in name only. People will think we have a regular marriage, but you and I will know better. In turn, I pay you one million dollars and coach four kids. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” she agreed.
Another silence stretched between them, and time passed while they stared at each other. Six months earlier, Jake’s withering look would have terrified her into yielding to whatever he demanded. But all she had to do was think about his deception and she found the strength to face him unruffled. She didn’t actually think she’d win, but she was curious to see just how money hungry Jake was. She had nothing to lose either way. She was leaving him sooner or later. How badly did he want the inheritance?
She stood as still as he, hoping nothing showed in her expression. He frowned, planting his hands on his hips. He raked a hand through his hair, and she could tell he was debating telling her to get out of his life.
“Is there any price you’d take to cut coaching the kids?” he asked finally. “That’s something I can’t do.”
“Absolutely not,” she replied.
“Dammit, Emily, you know you have me at a disadvantage. You know if we split, my inheritance goes out the window.”
She hadn’t known for certain, but to hear him say it made her pulse leap. He had to keep her as his wife or give up all hope of the billion-dollar inheritance. Yet what hope did he have if she lived in his house and he couldn’t touch her? She wasn’t going to give him a baby that way. She knew Jake figured he’d be able to seduce her, but she would deal with that when the time came. Right now, she was too angry with him to let him near her. She waited in silence.
“I don’t want to pay all the money up front at once,” he said finally. “We divide it. Otherwise, you could take the money and run.”
“All right. I’ll take half this week deposited into my account. I’ll take care of it from there. Then you can pay the remaining half in three months.”
He shook his head. “No. A third now, a third in three months and the final third after we’ve completed our bargain. That’s fair and you know it.”
She thought about it and nodded. A third of a million was still a lot of money, and she’d have it immediately. “Very well. I’ll accept it in thirds.”
He stood in silence, still weighing his options. She wondered how long it would take him to reach a decision. He raised his head and glared at her. “We have a deal. I’ll coach the damned kids! But I promise you that they’ll hate me and I’ll hate them.”
“Done!” she declared, her spirits soaring. She’d held out for a fantastic arrangement. “It’ll do you good to get out again into the real world.”
And she got one million dollars to use as she saw fit. She was no longer Jake’s wife except on paper. He would work with the high-school boys and help them. She hoped she banked her elation enough that he had no idea how happy she was about her victory.
She would get through the six months, take the money and get a divorce. She studied her handsome husband and regrets tugged at her. They could have had so much…
She shook that thought out of her head. Jake was who he was—a man after money and power. To add to the mix, he had political ambitions that would drive him even harder.
His eyes narrowed and his expression changed as his gaze raked blatantly over her, as if she was naked. Her heart thudded and her mouth went dry. She wondered what was running through his mind. She’d have thought he’d be irate with her and want to leave. But the scalding look he gave her didn’t say that he wanted to get away. It was filled with sizzling desire, transforming the clash between them into an entirely different tension.
She drew a deep breath and realized there was a chance Jake could seduce her if they were together often. Yet when she thought about his deception, her fury became an armor that would keep him at bay.
“Maybe I’ve never really seen you,” he said. “I sure as hell didn’t