The CEO's Accidental Bride / Paper Marriage Proposition: The CEO's Accidental Bride / Paper Marriage Proposition

He tried feigning nonchalance. “Okay. Then let’s talk about you.”

She came alert. “What about me?”

“What are your plans? I mean long-term. Not just this single project.”

The crack of a bat against the ball resonated through the stadium, and she turned to face forward while a runner sprinted to first. “That’s no secret,” she answered, gaze focused on the game. “A successful career in architecture. In New York City.”

He took a sip of the cold beer, concentrating on getting this conversation just right. “I’d like to help you.”

Her mouth quirked into a rueful smile. “You are helping. Reluctantly, we both know. But you are helping.”

“I mean in addition to the Harper renovation project. I know people. I have contacts.”

“I’m sure you do.” She kept her attention fixed on the game while the opposing pitcher threw a strike, retiring the batter, and the Mets headed out to the field.

“Let me use them,” Zach offered.

She turned then to paste him with a skeptical stare. “Use your contacts? To help me?”

“Yes,” he assured her with a nod.

She thought about it for a few minutes while the pitcher warmed up. Zach was tempted to prompt her, but he’d messed up so many conversations with her already, he decided silence was the safer route.

“I read where you’re going to the chamber of commerce dinner next Friday,” she finally ventured, turning to watch him.

“The resurgence of global trade in northern Europe,” he confirmed. They’d asked him to speak. He’d prefer to sit in the back and enjoy the single malt, but having a profile at these things was always good for business.

“Are you taking anyone?” she asked, gaze darting back to the action on the field.

“You mean a date?”

She nodded. “It’s a dinner. I assume it would be partly social. It seems to me it would be acceptable to bring a date.”

“Yes, it’s acceptable. And no, I don’t have one.”

Another batter cracked a high fly ball. They watched the trajectory until it was caught out in center field.

“Will you take me?”

Zach rocked back and turned. A reflexive rush of excitement hit his body as he studied her profile. “You’re asking me for a date?”

But she rolled her eyes and adjusted her cap. “I’m asking you to get me in the door, Zach, not dance with me. You said you wanted to help. And there will be people there who are good for my career.”

“Right.” He shifted in his seat, assuring himself he wasn’t disappointed. It was a lie, of course. But he definitely wasn’t stupid.

Dating Kaitlin would be a huge mistake. Dancing with her was out of the question. What if it was as great as he’d remembered? What then?

She drew a satisfied sigh, her shoulders relaxing. “And, before Friday, if you wouldn’t mind telling at least five people that you’ve hired me back. Influential people. It would be great for me if word got around.”

He had no right to be disappointed. This was business for her. It was business for him, too. Introducing her around at the chamber dinner played right into Plan C. She was right. There would be influential people there, a myriad of corporate executives, many of whom would have contacts in the architectural world. If he was lucky, really lucky, she’d find a job right there at the dinner.

Still, he struggled to keep his voice neutral as he told her, “Sure. No problem.”

“You did offer to help,” she pointed out.

“I said sure.”

“Are you annoyed?” she asked.

“I’m being blackmailed,” he reminded her. Was he supposed to be thrilled about it?

“Every marriage has its complications,” she returned on an irreverent grin.

Just then, the Mets pitcher struck out the third batter with the bases loaded, and Kaitlin jumped from her seat to cheer.

Zach watched her in the sunlight and struggled very hard to feel annoyed. But then she punched a fist in the air, and her T-shirt rode up, revealing a strip of smooth skin above her waistband. And annoyance was the last thing he was feeling toward his accidental wife.

The chamber dinner was a dream come true for Kaitlin. The people she met were friendly and professional, and she came away feeling as if she’d met the who’s who of the Manhattan business world. Zach had certainly stuck to his pledge of helping her. He’d introduced her to dozens of potential contacts, left her in interesting conversations, but seemed to magically appear whenever she felt alone or out of place.

It was nearly midnight when they finally climbed aboard his thirty-foot yacht for the return trip to Manhattan. Like the suite at the baseball game, the yacht clearly showed Zach had the means and the desire to enjoy the finer things in life. Lindsay was right, Kaitlin could spend as much as she needed on the renovations, and he’d barely notice.

The chamber dinner had been held at an island marina just off the coast of southern Manhattan. Most people had traveled by water taxi but a few, like Zach, had brought their own transportation.

“This is a nice ride,” she acknowledged one more time, as they settled into a grouping of comfortable, white, cushioned furniture. The sitting area, on a teak wood deck, was positioned next to a covered hot tub near the stern of the boat, protected from the wind by a glass wall at midship, but providing an incredible view over the aft rail.

Kaitlin chose a soft armchair, while Zach took a love seat at a right angle to her, facing the stern. The pilot powered up the engine, and they glided smoothly out into the bay.

“It’s slower than a helicopter,” said Zach. “But I like it out here at night.”

Kaitlin tipped her head and gazed at the twinkling skyline. A three-quarter moon was rising, and a few stars were visible beyond the city’s glow. “You have a helicopter?”

“Dylan has the helicopters. My company owns ships.”

Kaitlin had liked Dylan, even if Lindsay hadn’t seemed to warm up to him. Then again, there were few things Lindsay enjoyed more than a rollicking debate, and Dylan had played right into her hand. Kaitlin was convinced Lindsay missed being in a courtroom. Lindsay had worked for a year as a litigator, and Kaitlin had always wondered about her choice to take the teaching position.

“Tell me more about the pirates,” she said to Zach. She’d never met anyone with such a colorful family history.

“You want a drink or anything?” he asked.

She shook her head, slipping off her shoes and bending her knees to tuck her feet beneath her in the shimmering black cocktail dress. “One more glass of champagne, and I’ll start singing karaoke.”

“Champagne it is.” He started to rise, his devilish smile showing straight white teeth in the muted deck light.

“Don’t you dare,” she warned, with a waggle of her finger. “Trust me. You do not want me to sing.”

He rocked back into his seat and loosened his tie. He ran a hand, spread-fingered, through his thick hair and crossed one ankle over the opposite knee. In the buffeting breeze, with the faint traces of fatigue around his dark eyes, he looked disheveled and compellingly sexy.

“Back to the pirates,” she prompted in an effort to distract herself from her burgeoning desire. “Is it all true?”