Flash Marriage To My Secret Billionaire

le of light in the dim corner of The Gilded Spoon. The words fr

ive Shane an a

leaving a perfect, wet ring on the dark wood of the table. Her heart hammered aga

ere any mom

her. Her voice was a low, conspiratorial whisper. She smelled of expensive perfum

darting toward the door. "He's just like you. He's loo

as a shield. A man who would give her his last name in exchange for... what? Margo had been vague. He wan

He wanted a ghost. Fi

the café door chim

ved from something finer. He was tall, with dark hair cut in a way that looked effortlessly perfect. He wore a simp

a year. The thought was immediate, and it sent a new spike of panic t

nley's for a fraction of a second before Margo gave a discreet

his is Finley Bailey.

le and held out a hand. "Garrison S

ley's breath hitched. Garrison Strickland. Not Gary

ged to say, her vo

bble of charged silence. He didn't look at the menu. His

e a problem quickly," he said. His voi

ed her. It was better

al, binding marriage. I need a safe place to live, to get away from... my family." T

imply nodded, as if she were discussing a bu

he said. "I'm in a similar position. I need a wife. Some

n laid his car

five thousand a year. I rent an apartment

ta analyst. A rented apartment. A used car. It was... normal. Safe. The handsom

o contend with. Just a man. A normal man. She pushed down the initial alarm his appearance had caused. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he just had expensiv

. The calm in them was replaced by something else. A flicker of

He held her gaze, his voice dropping slightly. "A few years ago

ore. The air crackled w

e said it plainly, without a trace of shame or embarrassment. It was a fa

antic bird in her chest stop

ly cruel. A man who would have unspoken expectations. A man who

a million years,

ind-looking man who wanted a wife bu

le. A custom-made key to a lock she d

deal this perfect was fragile. It could disappear

r. "That's... perfect. That's exactly what I need.

ly-passed through his eyes. It was there and gone in a second.

ering face of her stepbrother,

decision

firm. She took a breath. "C

lifted slightly. He studied her face, saw the desperate resol

d slowly

le blue debit card from a simple leather wallet. Another piece

ng garage. To a dark blue, slightly scrat

rd silence. It was the quiet of two strangers who had just signed t

th a bored expression, droned through the requisite questions. And then, it wa

t as heavy and solid as a bar of gold in her hand. It

the city noise seemed distant. Garrison-her husba

a spare key to the apartment. And this is a supplementa

, was a splash of cold wate

ce sharp. "We agreed. F

nt but firm. "It's a household emergency fund. You

ign. The word 'responsibility' was something she'

sharp in her palm. But she pushed the bank card

born expression. He didn't push. He sim

ng. The easygoing 'Gary' persona evaporated, repl

nto the phone. "I'll be t

eyes. "I'm sorry. An urgent project at work. I have t

move her things. A week to get used to the idea that she w

aid, and she meant

n. He gave her the address to the apartme

said, his hand on the steeri

alked toward the subway entrance, a small figure swall

to her n